Tonight, for the first time in half a century, CBS is presenting, in prime time, two episodes of the classic 1960s sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, created by Carl Reiner. That’s the good news. The bad news is that, for the first time, these episodes are colorized. As someone who’s just fine with the original, authentic black-and-white, I regret this computer-generated paint-by-numbers historical revision approach. But I also realize that if it gets a few million people to tune in, who might not be otherwise inclined, to sample The Dick Van Dyke Show, and perhaps seek out some more on DVD or streaming sites or vintage TV channels, then it’s a win. (And if they select a flashy color for the capri pants worn by Mary Tyler Moore’s Laura Petrie, that’s just gravy.) Regardless, these two episodes shown tonight are indeed all-out TV classics. One is “That’s My Boy?,” a flashback episode about the introduction of a child to the Petrie household, which climaxes with one of the best and funniest sight gags in TV history. The other is “Coast-to-Coast Big Mouth,” in which Laura accidentally reveals on national television that Rob’s variety-show boss, Alan Brady, is bald. Brady is played by Reiner himself, who’s hilarious – as are Moore and Van Dyke. For an in-depth interview profile of Carl Reiner, and a deeper appreciation of The Dick Van Dyke Show, see (and, please, buy!) my new book, The Platinum Age of Television: From ‘I Love Lucy’ to ‘The Walking Dead,’ How TV Became Terrific.’

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