Whatever you think of their music, it was their 1960's TV show that really stands out. A lot of running around and other crazy antics, but the show was not mere silliness. It featured genuinely clever writing, such as a joke about a robotic Monkee being found to have backwards feet, and he says, "No, yours are." An announcer on this episode then appears and says in dismay how the robot has told them that God's design was wrong. Another episode has the Monkees meet with a girl whose father is a retired military man, and the girl complains how the father runs the household like an army camp. Eventually she confronts him over this, not in a comic manner but a serious one.
The show was subversive for its time, along with "Get Smart" and other TV shows from that era. It even featured guest appearances from Frank Zappa, who rebelled against both American conformity and the counterculture. Definitely a program to learn about the 1960's in America.
The show was subversive for its time, along with "Get Smart" and other TV shows from that era. It even featured guest appearances from Frank Zappa, who rebelled against both American conformity and the counterculture. Definitely a program to learn about the 1960's in America.