---
title: "4 Almost Quotes By Tom Shales"
description: "4 Almost quotes by Tom Shales. Plus more from Tom Shales and more Almost sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/532/tom-shales-12468_about_the-original-and-very-basic-law-order-se_832136.jpg"
---

> [The original and very basic 'Law &amp; Order' series has always seemed to me to be 100-percent exposition, with no filler, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/the-original-and-very-basic-law-order-series-has-always-seemed-to-me/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/532/tom-shales-12468_about_the-original-and-very-basic-law-order-se_832136.jpg)

> [Technically, 'Kukla, Fran and Ollie' was a kids' show, but adults watched almost religiously - and we're talking adult adults, celebrated adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/technically-kukla-fran-and-ollie-was-a-kids-show-but-adults-watched/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a9/tom-shales-12468_adult_technically-kukla-fran-and-ollie-was-a-k_1250304.png)

> [You know you're getting older when - well, first off, when you read almost any story that begins 'You know you're getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/you-know-you-re-getting-older-when-well-first-off-when-you-read/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3b/tom-shales-12468_almost_you-know-you-re-getting-older-when-well_2600490.png)

> [From a producer's point of view, of course, 'Law &amp; Order' presents an ideal - a show that is almost entirely actor-proof,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/from-a-producer-s-point-of-view-of-course-law-order-presents-an-ideal/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/tom-shales-12468_actor_from-a-producer-s-point-of-view-of-cours_3047225.jpg)

## Other authors on Almost

## More by Tom Shales

> [Maybe it's the hair. Maybe it's the teeth. Maybe it's the intellect. No, it's the hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/maybe-it-s-the-hair-maybe-it-s-the-teeth-maybe-it-s-the-intellect-no/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

> [Jimmy Kimmel still comes across like a guy who crashed a party and got caught at it, yet adamantly refuses to leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/jimmy-kimmel-still-comes-across-like-a-guy-who-crashed-a-party-and/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

> [In city after city, newspaper after newspaper has diminished its staff of critics, sometimes to zero. Film and T.V. critics have been dropped and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/in-city-after-city-newspaper-after-newspaper-has-diminished-its-staff/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

> ['Kukla, Fran and Ollie' occurred in real time and was a benign and bewitching example of pure television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/kukla-fran-and-ollie-occurred-in-real-time-and-was-a-benign-and/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

> [Maybe Larry Kings cannot thrive or even survive in a world where the norms for discourse are rage, vehemence and character assassination. King wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/maybe-larry-kings-cannot-thrive-or-even-survive-in-a-world-where-the/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

> [Obviously neither 'American Idol' nor 'Dancing With the Stars' is a variety show in the classic sense, but the way they incorporate elements of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/obviously-neither-american-idol-nor-dancing-with-the-stars-is-a/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

> [Robert Osborne either has the best job in the world, or comes very close. As millions of viewers know, Osborne is the resident host…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/robert-osborne-either-has-the-best-job-in-the-world-or-comes-very/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

> [Making music on TV used to be as common as commercials. In the '60s and '70s, prime time was stuffed with variety shows headlined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/making-music-on-tv-used-to-be-as-common-as-commercials-in-the-60s-and/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

> [For those who don't like Dave Letterman, there's Jay Leno; and for those who like neither, there's Craig Ferguson; and if you're still feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/for-those-who-don-t-like-dave-letterman-there-s-jay-leno-and-for/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

> [The once inviolate frame within which programs or commercials were displayed on television - always separately - has been violated to a pulp. Program…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/the-once-inviolate-frame-within-which-programs-or-commercials-were/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

> ['Leave It to Beaver,' which ran from 1957 until 1963, was one of the strangest, sweetest, most distinctive domestic sitcoms of television's celebrated Golden Age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/leave-it-to-beaver-which-ran-from-1957-until-1963-was-one-of-the/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

> [The original and very basic 'Law &amp; Order' series has always seemed to me to be 100-percent exposition, with no filler, no pesky nuances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/the-original-and-very-basic-law-order-series-has-always-seemed-to-me/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

> [Gimmicks come and go; the cop show seems one genre that will never leave - not as long as people like to sit at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/gimmicks-come-and-go-the-cop-show-seems-one-genre-that-will-never/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

> [If the networks can get audiences to tolerate pop-up promos by the dozens, maybe they'll start selling pop-up commercials, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/if-the-networks-can-get-audiences-to-tolerate-pop-up-promos-by-the/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

> [Jerry Seinfeld is amazing in many ways, not the least of them his ability to find humor, and convincing us to find it, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/jerry-seinfeld-is-amazing-in-many-ways-not-the-least-of-them-his/)

[Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/tom-shales/#itemlist",
            "name": "4 Almost Quotes By Tom Shales",
            "numberOfItems": 4,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "The original and very basic 'Law & Order' series has always seemed to me to be 100-percent exposition, with no filler, no pesky nuances and almost no background about the series' continuing characters - just the hard nuts and bolts of pure storytelling.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Tom Shales"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/the-original-and-very-basic-law-order-series-has-always-seemed-to-me/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/532/tom-shales-12468_about_the-original-and-very-basic-law-order-se_832136.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/532/tom-shales-12468_about_the-original-and-very-basic-law-order-se_832136.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/532/tom-shales-12468_about_the-original-and-very-basic-law-order-se_832136.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“The original and very basic 'Law & Order' series has always seemed to me to be 100-percent exposition, with…” — Tom Shales",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Technically, 'Kukla, Fran and Ollie' was a kids' show, but adults watched almost religiously - and we're talking adult adults, celebrated adults - including James Thurber, Orson Welles, John Steinbeck, Adlai E. Stevenson and lyricist Stephen Sondheim.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Tom Shales"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/technically-kukla-fran-and-ollie-was-a-kids-show-but-adults-watched/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a9/tom-shales-12468_adult_technically-kukla-fran-and-ollie-was-a-k_1250304.png",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a9/tom-shales-12468_adult_technically-kukla-fran-and-ollie-was-a-k_1250304.png",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a9/tom-shales-12468_adult_technically-kukla-fran-and-ollie-was-a-k_1250304.png",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Technically, 'Kukla, Fran and Ollie' was a kids' show, but adults watched almost religiously - and we're…” — Tom Shales",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "You know you're getting older when - well, first off, when you read almost any story that begins 'You know you're getting older when.' But you also know it when you not only never heard of the musical guest on a given 'Saturday Night Live' but never heard of the host, either.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Tom Shales"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/you-know-you-re-getting-older-when-well-first-off-when-you-read/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3b/tom-shales-12468_almost_you-know-you-re-getting-older-when-well_2600490.png",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3b/tom-shales-12468_almost_you-know-you-re-getting-older-when-well_2600490.png",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3b/tom-shales-12468_almost_you-know-you-re-getting-older-when-well_2600490.png",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“You know you're getting older when - well, first off, when you read almost any story that begins 'You know…” — Tom Shales",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "From a producer's point of view, of course, 'Law & Order' presents an ideal - a show that is almost entirely actor-proof, that can keep going and going no matter what happens to the cast or how many actors demand raises.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Tom Shales"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/from-a-producer-s-point-of-view-of-course-law-order-presents-an-ideal/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/tom-shales-12468_actor_from-a-producer-s-point-of-view-of-cours_3047225.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/tom-shales-12468_actor_from-a-producer-s-point-of-view-of-cours_3047225.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/tom-shales-12468_actor_from-a-producer-s-point-of-view-of-cours_3047225.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“From a producer's point of view, of course, 'Law & Order' presents an ideal - a show that is almost entirely…” — Tom Shales",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/tom-shales/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/tom-shales/",
            "name": "Almost Quotes by Tom Shales",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/tom-shales/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/532/tom-shales-12468_about_the-original-and-very-basic-law-order-se_832136.jpg"
            },
            "description": "4 Almost quotes by Tom Shales. Plus more from Tom Shales and more Almost sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/tom-shales/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/tom-shales/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Almost",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Tom Shales",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/tom-shales/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
