We live on old shows; the current ones suck, and kids should not distain black and white media. Good be surprised at the maturity and depth of some of the movies and shows, written back when there was no requirement to expose the entire plot to the audience explicitly. You had to actively watch, not passively vegetate. The detective spots a piece of evidence but doesn't tell you what it means, you have to put things together.

And if you've never watched a Nick and Nora movie, the rapid witty dialogue will blow you away as you try to keep up with that pair of alkies and the plot at the same time. Was it Dragnet that dealt with returning vets who could not fit back into society easily? With city youth being enticed into drugs and gangs? They were not preachy about things, though, they were very pragmatic.