Micky Dolenz Said This Modern Show Is the 1 Most Like The Monkees’ TV Show

The Monkees’ self-titled TV show combined songs, comedy, and lovable ne’er do wells into an enduring hit sitcom. One might say there’s never been anything quite like it; however, The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz disagrees. He said one modern show is the closest we’ve come to seeing another sitcom like The Monkees. Here’s what he said — and how The Monkees’ show performed compared to the more modern show.

Micky Dolenz on why The Monkees’ TV show resonated with people

According to Entertainment Weekly, Dolenz discussed why he felt The Monkees was a successful show. “It was a television show about this band that was not successful, that wanted to be The Beatles but never was on the show,” he opined.

“It was about the struggle for success, and it spoke to all bands, all the garage bands, all the kids around the world who were in their living rooms and in their basements trying to become successful,” Dolenz added. “Because on the television show, we were never successful, so that endeared us, I think. That made it real to a lot of kids.”

Subsequently, he compared The Monkees to another show about ambitious musicians. “The closest thing that’s come along down the pike since The Monkees, I think, is Glee, which is a show about an imaginary glee club, but they really are good, and they can actually do it,” he said.

Did The Monkees produce more hit songs than the ‘Glee’ cast?

While Dolenz saw similarities between The Monkees’ sitcom and Glee, the shows were very different in terms of popularity. The Prefab Four released singles that charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Of those singles, six reached the top 10. The songs in question were “Last Train to Clarksville,” “Valleri,” “Daydream Believer,” “I’m a Believer,” “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You,” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday.”

On the other hand, the Glee cast released a whopping 207 singles that charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Of those singles, three reached the top 10. Those songs were their covers of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” as well as the original song “Loser Like Me.” While the Prefab Four released more top 10 singles, the Glee cast released more charting singles overall.

Which TV show won more Emmys?

Glee also outperformed The Monkees in the world of television. The Monkees lasted two seasons, while Glee lasted six seasons. During its run, The Monkees won two Emmys. One was for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy for James Frawley and the other was for Outstanding Comedy Series. 

Glee won six Emmys. Specifically, it won for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Jane Lynch, Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for Neil Patrick Harris, and Television Academy Honors. While Dolenz sees similarities between The Monkees and Glee, the latter spawned more charting singles and won more Emmys.