top 25 shows with a cult following

[DanaC]

Avon *chuckles* I used to lurve Avon

[Crimson Ghost]

OK, TV Guide can pick whatever shows they want. However, not including some of the British Comedies is inexcusable.

"BlackAdder" - Some of the funniest shit going.

"After talking with you, Baldric, Death loses its sting."

"But My Lord, I've been in your family since 1532!"
"So has syphillis. Now get out!"

"Good morning team. My name is Edmund Blackadder, and I am the new Minister in charge of Religious Genocide."

"I have a cunning plan, My Lord."

Are You Being Served -

"Mister Humphries, have you seen my pussy?" - If you don't get the joke, watch the show.
Myself, I've never shoved a sardine thru a letterslot for someones pussy.

"Look out! Here comes Ol' Jug Ears!"

"Hmm, just like a Christmas Cracker. I wonder who'll get the novelty?"

Father Ted, Last of the Summer Wine, One Foot in the Grave, Waiting For God, My Hero, Mr. Bean..........

The list goes on and on.

TV GUIDE needs to see that.

[Undertoad]

"I have a cunning plan, My Lord."

Aw you didn't finish it!

"Baldrick, you wouldn't recognize a cunning plan if it painted itself purple and danced naked on top of a harpsichord singing 'Cunning plans are here again.'"

[DanaC]

Ah man...Father Ted....what a show.
That episode where the whole island ends up under the impression that Father Ted is a racist....and he tries so hard to dig himself out of the hole but just goes further and further into it. "So Father" says islander in a courteous tone " I hear ye're a racist now?"

[wolf]

As far as brit shows go ... I'd add UFO and Space: 1999

The problem with the TV guide list is that in many cases they picked mainstream cult (like AbFab) rather than actual cult.

The real determinant is this .. in 15 years will people say:

"Yeah, I remember watching that. It was funny."

-or-

"It's February 3rd and so it's time to watch the one with Saffie's School presentation and the Romanian babies."

[Beestie]

Originally posted by sycamore
Hmmm...

--SCTV

OMG, how did I forget that one?

And I haven't seen anyone mention Andy Griffith but if there's only one series DVD that I could take to a deserted island, that would probably be the one I'd pick. Only the black and white episodes.

[Crimson Ghost]

Originally posted by Undertoad
"I have a cunning plan, My Lord."

Aw you didn't finish it!

"Baldrick, you wouldn't recognize a cunning plan if it painted itself purple and danced naked on top of a harpsichord singing 'Cunning plans are here again.'"

There were so many good replies, I can't pick just one, but yours is a keeper.

And wolf, I didn't add Space:1999 because I didn't realize it was a Brit show. I know that Martin Landau and Barbra (name?) were in it, but I assumed (I know) it was American. Silly me.

[wolf]

Seems as though Gerry Anderson was pretty clever when it came to marketing ... primarily british cast, but slip some Americans in the top spots to ensure sales on this side of the pond.

The star of UFO, Ed Bishop, was an American as well ... and he had worked for Gerry Anderson previously, including as a voice actor in Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterions.

[Crimson Ghost]

You got a point there, wolf. A big selling point was the American actors. "It'll never play in the States!" "But it's got American actors!" "It does? They'll eat it up! Sell that puppy!!!"

[wolf]

Handy Rule of Thumb: If the entire series is available as a box set from the A&E TV catalog, it's a cult show.

Rethinking ...

Actually, if it's available as a box set, it's probably a cult show.

I should know ...

I have UFO, Twin Peaks (Season 1), The Prisoner, Wiseguy (Season 1), Kung Fu (Season 1), Oz (Seasons 1-3).

I have Beauty & the Beast, Xena, and Space: 1999 on VHS.

I saw that Northern Exposure (Season 1) just came out on DVD.
And I really need that Space:1999 DVD set that's on the A&E Website.

What's that you're mumbling? I need a life?

I retreat into television as a means of dealing with the stress of dealing with other people's lives.

[SteveDallas]

If MTV would ever get off their butts and release Daria DVDs my life would be [mostly] complete.

Also I'd like more Mary Tyler Moore. Apparently Season 1 didn't sell well so they cancelled plans to put out more.

[Happy Monkey]

When's the rest of Twin Peaks being released?

[wolf]

I don't know. I have, thanks to a formerly very good friend (she divorced my actual good friend. In the settlement, I was considered "his stuff" since I knew him first. Okay, she was never really a friend, she was a very good friend's wife) a complete set of Twin Peaks on VHS. She taped things obsessively, and even edited out the commercials for me.

If the sales of season one didn't meet or exceed expectations, season two will probably not be released.

[elSicomoro]

Rho and I accidentally discovered that HR Pufnstuf is on TV Land...right now (12:06am EDT), as a matter of fact.

The intro has to be one of the longest I've ever seen.

[wolf]

Well, yeah. They have to explain the whole storyline before they start so everything is in context! If you don't understand the existenial conflict between Witchypoo and Orson the Vulture, you really lose a lot of the undertext.

Telelvision in the 60s was different, Syc. They didn't need to devote as much time to commercials, so they were able to have decent theme songs and everything.