Great Vintage TV Shows You Can Stream on Netflix Right Now
By Stephen Andrew - August 10, 2018 10:35 pm EDT
Netflix has tons of great modern programming and site exclusives, to satisfy your viewing needs, but they also have some excellent classic TV series to stream as well.
It's hard not to love shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation, both of which are at the peak of re-watchable TV series.
Then there are modern classics like Breaking Bad and Mad Men — shows that amped up the drama in a way viewers never knew was possible.
Netflix also has phenomenal original content like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. These are shows that put the streaming giant on the map in regards to their ability to produce their own quality content.
Sometimes, however, it feels better to throw back to shows from yesteryear and relive "the good ol' days."
Luckily, Netflix has a handful of shows available that will allow you to do just that. Below, you'll find a list of the best vintage tv shows that Netflix has to offer for your bingeing pleasure.
Slide 1 of 9The Andy Griffith Show
Seasons: Eight (249 episodes)
Starring: Andy Griffith, Ronny Howard, Don Knotts and Frances Bavier.
The Andy Griffith Show is pretty much the quintessential American sitcom. It served up wholesome, family-friendly story lines and blended in a bit of drama for effect every once in a while.
Ultimately, it spawned a spin-off series, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., a sequel series, Mayberry R.F.D., and a made-for-TV reunion movie, Return to Mayberry in 1986.
Ron Howard, who played Andy's son Opie, has gone on to be a critically-acclaimed filmmaker, with major films such as Apollo 13 and The Da Vinci Code under his belt.
You can pull up The Andy Griffith Show on Netflix and watch the entire series right now.
Slide 2 of 9Cheers
Seasons: 11 (275 episodes)
Starring: Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Nicholas Colasanto, Rhea Perlman, George Wendt, John Ratzenberger, Kelsey Grammer, Woody Harrelson, Bebe Neuwirth and Kirstie Alley.
Cheers debuted in September 1982 and ran for 11 seasons, all the way up until May of 1993. The series was set in a bar named Cheers, which was located in Boston, Massachusetts.
During its run, Cheers earned a record 111 Emmy Award nominations, with 28 of those being wins. The most awards won by one actor on the show is four, and those were taken home by Ted Danson.
Most of its stars went on to be A-list actors and actress, with Woody Harrelson having recently starred in War for the Planet of the Apes, and garnering some Oscar buzz for LBJ, in which he plays President Lyndon B. Johnson.
The entirety of Cheers is available now for fans to casually re-familiarize themselves with.
Slide 3 of 9The Twilight Zone
Seasons: Five (156 Episodes)
Starring: William Shatner, Cloris Leachman, George Takei, Robert Redford, Robert Redford, Don Rickles, Peter Falk, Carol Burnett, Dennis Hopper and Robert Duvall.
The Twilight Zone is maybe the most celebrated horror/sci-fi television show of all-time, as it is often considered to be the one that paved the way for others.
Created by Rod Sterling, the show was an anthology style program that saw a new paranormal/supernatural story told each week. It also was a launching pad for many great actors such as William Shatner and Robert Redford.
While there are five seasons of the original Twilight Zone, only four are available on Netflix. Still, though, you should definitely queue them up and start bingeing.
Slide 4 of 9Star Trek
Seasons: Three (79 episodes)
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, DeForest Kelley, George Takei and James Doohan.
Star Trek: The Original Series was not just a turning point for sci-fi adventures, it was a pinnacle moment that wowed fans and inspired generations of filmmakers to come.
It also kickstarted a franchise that has gone on to spawn half a dozen other shows and 13 feature films.
Launching in 1966, the show ran for four years, finally ending in 1969. While most of its stars did not go on to become household names, both William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy did elevate to become Hollywood icons.
If you're ready to relive all the cheesy sci-fi goodness, you can stream all of the original Star Trek series on Netflix at this time.
Slide 5 of 9The Dick Van Dyke Show
Starring: Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, and Larry Mathews.
Much like The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show rwas a much-celebrated sitcom that used family-friendly laughs to keep viewers coming back.
The show first hit the airwaves in October of 1961, and took its final bow in June 1966.
Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore became iconic stars, with Moore continuing her success on her eponymous series in the 1970s.
You can stream The Dick Van Dyke Show right now on Netflix.
Slide 6 of 9Highway to Heaven
Starring: Michael Landon, Victor French, and Dan Gordon
Highway to Heaven was a drama series that aired on NBC from 1984 to 1989. It starred Michael Landon as a fallen angel, of sorts, on a mission to do good deeds and get back in the graces of "The Boss."
The series saw Landon re-team with his former Little House on the Prairie co-star, Victor French.
Many don't realize that other beloved series such as Quantum Leap and Touched by an Angel might not have ever existed without the influence that Highway to Heaven, as the premises for those series are very similar to Highway to Heaven's.
You can stream the entire series right now on Netflix.
Slide 7 of 9Danger Mouse
Starring: David Jason, Terry Scott, Edward Kelsey, Brian Trueman, and Jimmy Hibbert
Danger Mouse was a eye-patched super-spy who graced TV screens in the 1980s.
First airing on Britain's ITV in 1981, the series eventually made its way across the Atlantic to air on Nickelodeon in 1984. The series was a parody of British spy films like James Bond and featured Danger Mouse and his trustee sidekick Penfold going up against a cavalcade of outlandish villains.
During its run, Danger Mouse spawned a spin-off, Count Duckula, which aired from 1988 to 1993.
In addition to having the original series available for streaming, Netflix also has two seasons of a Danger Mouse reboot that they commissioned a few years ago.
Slide 8 of 9Fawlty Towers
Seasons: Two (12 episodes)
Starring: John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs, Connie Booth, Ballard Berkeley, Brian Hall, Renee Roberts, and Gilly Flower
While it was a short-lived series, Fawlty Towers made a huge impact in its native England and abroad.
The premise of the show revolves around Basil Fawlty (played by Cleese) and the staff at his hotel, Fawlty Towers.
Fawlty is rude and ill-mannered, and, believe it or not, based on an actual person that Cleese encountered while working with his legendary comedy troupe, Monty Python.
Being that is is a quick watch, you have no excuse for not queuing up this classic sitcom on Netflix the next chance you have.
Slide 9 of 9Frasier
Starring: Kelsey Grammer, Jane Leeves, David Hyde Pierce, Peri Gilpin, John Mahoney, and Dan Butler
In all fairness, Fraiser is not really "vintage." Not yet anyway. It first aired in 1993 as a spin-off of Cheers, and ran until 2004. It is still a classic nonetheless.
Racking up 37 Emmy awards during its 11-year run, including the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy for five consecutive years.
You can binge through Cheers and then queue up Frasier for a walk down memory lane that spans decades, all thanks to Netflix.
'Bad Blood' Season 3 on Hold, Star and 'Sons of Anarchy' Alum Kim Coates Says
'The Ranch' Part 8 Reveals Who Shot Nick
Aaron Hernandez's Fiancee Breaks Silence After Netflix's 'Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez'
Donald Trump's Impeachment Trial: How to Watch
Everything Coming to Netflix This Weekend
Everything Coming to Disney+ in February 2020
Netflix Confirms 'Witcher' Spinoff Anime Film: 'The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf'
Texans' JJ Watt Is Apparently Now Obsessed With Netflix's 'Cheer'