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zombiewhacker
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
1475 Posts |
 Posted - 07/02/2007 : 1:58:52 PM
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The list:
30) Strangers with Candy (1999-2000)
29) Absolutely Fabulous (1994-2003)
28) Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007)
27) H.R. Pufnstuf (1969-1971)
26) Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1975-1978)
25) Firefly (2002-2003)
24) Twin Peaks (1990-1991)
23) Dark Shadows (1966-1971)
22) Doctor Who (1963-present)
21) Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000)
20) The Avengers (1966-1969)
19) Quantum Leap (1989-1993)
18) Veronica Mars (2004-2007)
17) Beauty and the Beast (1987-1990)
16) Babylon 5 (1994-1998)
15) Family Guy (1999-present)
14) Battlestar Galactica (2003-present)
13) Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1989-1999)
12) Pee-Wee's Playhouse (1986-1991)
11) Jericho (2006-present)
10) Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001)
9) Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
8) The Simpsons (1989-present)
7) The Prisoner (1967-1968)
6) Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-1974)
5) Lost (2004-present)
4) Farscape (1999-2003)
3) Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
2) The X-Files (1993-2002)
1) Star Trek (1966-1969)
[url]http://www.tvguide.com/news/top-cult-shows/070629-01[/url]
Surprisingly, it's a pretty good list, with few glaring oversights, other than the curious omission of the Star Trek sequels. (Certainly DS9 deserves to be on the list as much as Stargate SG-1.)
One also questions what TV Guide considers "cult". Personally, it's hard for me to swallow the mega-merchandised Simpsons as being a "cult" show. Futurama, yes. Simpsons, no.
And, of course, any list put together by the Opinions-That-Be would be incomplete without at least one WTF? contribution, and this list is no exception:
H.R. Pufnstuf????!!!!?
Someone once said, "Being calling a cult favorite is just a nice way of saying you have very few fans." Does Pufnstuf have any fans? Advice to TV Guide: if you must dredge the swamp of Sid and Marty Krofft to pad out your list, think the original Land of the Lost. But Pufnstuf? Sheeeez.
Overall, though, it's a decent list, and I was happy to see Absolutely Fabulous included on the list along with the usual suspects.
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Edited by - zombiewhacker on 07/02/2007 10:08:32 PM
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Bobby-G
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
904 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2007 : 9:42:15 PM
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What would be the definiton of "top cult" --- a Show with THIRTEEN fans (would 13 be the smallest number to constitute a cult?)? One can see that when STAR TREK was first aired, it a relatively small audience that tenaciously stuck with and promoted it; But I think it kind of grew out of it's "cult" status.
I'd think a show like DARK SHADOWS would be more appropriate for the top spot-- back in it's original run, it was an afternoon soap-opera that became popular for it's weird subject -- I don't think it's fan base was ever large by the standards of a prime-time show, but this "cult" of fans are still around four decades later still having conventions and so on, without the show really becoming more popular than it was original (unlike Star Trek) -- how many other shows on this list will still have such a cult forty years after their original airings?
Rob |
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zombiewhacker
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
1475 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2007 : 10:04:35 PM
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Excellent point, Bobby-G. When Star Trek: The Next Generation first aired in 1987, it drew massive ratings in syndication, owing its initial popularity not to the show's quality (which was negligible during the first two seasons) but to the burgeoning fan base creating by decades of Trek classic reruns.
By contrast, when the new Dark Shadows hit the airways back in the '90s, it was greeted with a collective yawn and died within a few episodes. Basically the only people who cared (if that's the word) about the new show were by-and-large diehard fans of the old show.
Which reminds me... one glaring admission from TV Guide's list that nearly slipped past me: Kolchak: The Night Stalker. |
Edited by - zombiewhacker on 07/02/2007 10:10:48 PM |
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Prankster
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Canada
727 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2007 : 3:32:45 PM
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I'm guessing they mean "cult" in the sense of "having a rabid fanbase", irrespective of popularity. But in that case, Lost and Xena are way too highly placed, and Firefly and Twin Peaks are way too low. And they should swap out Family Guy (a show that, I'm sorry, will be completely forgotten a decade after it leaves the air) with Futurama.
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Check out my online comics at [URL]http://www.phantasmictales.com[/URL]! |
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John Doe
Diocesan Ecclesiarch of the Sacred Order of Jabootu
USA
91 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2007 : 6:30:07 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by zombiewhacker
And, of course, any list put together by the Opinions-That-Be would be incomplete without at least one WTF? contribution, and this list is no exception:
H.R. Pufnstuf????!!!!?
Someone once said, "Being calling a cult favorite is just a nice way of saying you have very few fans." Does Pufnstuf have any fans? Advice to TV Guide: if you must dredge the swamp of Sid and Marty Krofft to pad out your list, think the original Land of the Lost. But Pufnstuf? Sheeeez.
H R Pufnstuf was what put the Kroffts on the map. It was by far the most successful of their "midgets in silly suits" shows as evidenced by the fact that it was made into a semi-major motion picture and made the teen age star a semi-marketable music personality.
I loved that show.
my eyes!! the goggles do nothing!! |
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RVHorror
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
532 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2007 : 6:54:55 PM
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I think I'd have put SCTV on there, myself. As for the others, I haven't seen half of them so I can't really judge them.
Yes, Futurama over The Simpsons, definitely. |
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Sardu
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
1126 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2007 : 7:25:01 PM
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Doh! Yeah, how could SCTV not be there? Look at all the careers it launched- and it's the essence of "cult".
"Meeting you makes me want to be a real noodle cook"
--Tampopo |
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zombiewhacker
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
1475 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2007 : 7:53:31 PM
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| Double d'oh! I also forgot SCTV. (I still remember the old, original episodes with Harold Ramis in the cast and Dave Thomas billed as "The Beaver".) |
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zombiewhacker
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
1475 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2007 : 7:59:13 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Prankster
I'm guessing they mean "cult" in the sense of "having a rabid fanbase", irrespective of popularity. But in that case, Lost and Xena are way too highly placed, and Firefly and Twin Peaks are way too low.
Agree with you there. Sorry though you don't share my enthusiasm for Family Guy. (In fact *sniff* nobody on these boards does.) The new FG episodes are crap on a stick, but the first three seasons from the show's original run will always be classics in my book. |
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Citizen Carrier
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
322 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2007 : 9:56:37 PM
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What about Barney Miller?
It was in rerun syndication when I noticed it. Hated it when I was a kid. It was a kind of humor somebody under 15 probably isn't going to get.
I eventually came to appreciate the high level of humor and writing in that show. How uncommon shows like that are, awash in a sea of shows like Perfect Strangers, Happy Days or Family Matters.
Fox had a really good show that lasted on season back in the early days called Nowhere Man. I tuned in regularly for that one. |
Edited by - Citizen Carrier on 07/03/2007 9:57:46 PM |
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RVHorror
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
532 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2007 : 01:09:59 AM
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Yay for fellow SCTV fans! Zombiewhacker, I'll grant you the first two seasons of Family Guy--those shows still make me laugh. After that, the seasons make me wonder what I was thinking, and I'll go so far as to say the shows after those dilute the power of the good stuff. But that's just me.
If we're allowed cartoon cults, I'd say that "Ren and Stimpy" and "Beavis and Butthead" were far more influential (and cult-worthy) than The Simpsons, Futurama, Family Guy and Pee-Wee's Playhouse combined. |
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RossM
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
427 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2007 : 09:43:08 AM
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I think that they are talking not about the popularity of a show but the intensity of the shows fans both with the show and with each other. Dr. Who is enormously popular, after all its original run went from 1963 all the way to 1989. Since then there have been movies, pilots, radio Dr. Who serials, many novels, web based shows, videos, and a whole new series. What makes it a cult favorite is the intensity of its fans, like myself, people who happily argue for hours over who the renegade time lords are.
rossM |
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Sardu
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
1126 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2007 : 09:56:47 AM
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I'm also onboard the first two seasons of Family Guy train- VERY funny. BUT, no where near as witty and insightful as Futurama; that's was a truly great show. Way better than The Simpsons IMO.
Wow, Dr. Who isn't on that list, is it. I suppose it could be because it's British- but then, why is The Prisoner there?? Odd.
"Meeting you makes me want to be a real noodle cook"
--Tampopo |
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CDiehl
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
361 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2007 : 10:09:43 AM
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quote:
Fox had a really good show that lasted on season back in the early days called Nowhere Man. I tuned in regularly for that one.
Fox had been on for almost a decade by the time Nowhere Man was shown, on UPN.
Speaking of Fox, would In Living Color count as a cult show? Perhaps that could be swapped with The Simpsons.
You know Grand Funk, don't you? The wild, shirtless lyrics of Mark Farner? The bong-rattling bass of Mel Schacher? The ... adequate drumwork of Don Brewer? |
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Sardu
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
1126 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2007 : 2:23:36 PM
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I remembered Nowhere Man as being a brilliant show when it aired, and I waited for the DVD for years. Unfortunately, when I finally got to see it again, I felt it really didn't hold up. It was full of plot holes and felt much more like a reworking of The Fugitive. Still, Bruce Greenwood was terrific in it.
"Meeting you makes me want to be a real noodle cook"
--Tampopo |
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Prankster
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Canada
727 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2007 : 4:26:45 PM
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Family Guy is funny, but it's the kind of meaningless humour that you stop thinking about the second it's over. Meanwhile, the stories and characterizations are either nonexistant or swiped directly from the Simpsons. Add to that a certain level of mean-spiritedness and an over-emphasis on pop culture that I find obnoxious (and many of the jokes are supposed to rely on the "Hey, I saw that show!" reaction rather than being funny in and of themselves) and you can see why I have a problem with it. South Park pretty much nailed it when they did their "Family Guy" episode.
Ironically, what little I've seen of "American Dad" is actually a better show. It features actual characters and plots.
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Check out my online comics at [URL]http://www.phantasmictales.com[/URL]! |
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