top 25 shows with a cult following

[TheLorax]

According to TV Guide, this is the definitive list of the top 25 television shows with a cult following.


25. Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000)
Ok, I kind of liked Freaks and Geeks, they should have left that on longer.

24. Absolutely Fabulous (1994-present)
I can't stand Absolutely Fabulous, mostly because my ghey roommate would watch it constantly, that and friggen musicals. Don't get me wrong, I love the boy to death but one more Singing in the Rain and there would have been police involvement.

23. Forever Knight (1992-1996)
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (pause to catch breath) AHAHAHAHAHAH
Yea, thanks to the ghey roommate I know this one too. I think it was filmed in CANADA.

22. H.R. Pufnstuf (1969-1971)
?

21. Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1975-1978)
?

20. Twin Peaks (1990-1991)
Twin Peaks kicked ass and should have been higher than #20, but then I go through David Lynch country on the way to the beach so I find that I can relate to his stuff. I'm not sure what that says about me so let's just move on.

19. Dark Shadows (1966-1971)
Cripes I think my dad watches this.

18. Doctor Who (1963-present)
I think dad watches this too.

17. The Avengers (1966-1969)
Never saw it – horrible horrible movie, 2 hours of my life GONE

16. My So-Called Life (1994-1995)
not even under threat of death would I watch that – oh heall no

15. Quantum Leap (1989-1993)
I don't want to admit it, but I did watch this when it was on. I had forgotten about it until they brought this guy back to make that awful Voyager show, wait that's not what it's called – oh fuck it.

14. Beauty and the Beast (1987-1990)
I watched this twice and it was the same episode both times. Not even having the same name as the main character could hold my interst.

13. Babylon 5 (1994-1998)
I think I may have passed this by channel surfing but I didn't hang out.

12. Family Guy (1999-2002)
Heard of it – that's about it.

11. Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1989-1999)
woo hoo oh yea, good times – The first time I saw MST3000, I was at my grandparents house. Opa was in the other room and accused me and my smart ass cousins of talking through the movie. But but it's not us, it's on the tv. Then I was hooked. Come on let's face it, there is no way in hell any of us would have ever made it through Attack of the Giant Leeches without that and it's educational, what?


10. Pee-Wee's Playhouse (1986-1991)
WTF

9. Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001)
skeered of big dykes and freaked out by little cosmo dykes - next

8. The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
classic yes it is and I will fight you if you don't agree
I still have nightmares about that episode where a guy bets his finger against $1M that his lighter would light 10 times in a row. ooh ooh what about the pig face people. so so many yes yes classic

7. The Prisoner (1967-1968)
never heard of it

6. The Simpsons (1989-present)
no comment needed

5. Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-1974)
Proof that there is such a thing as British Comedy although it usually takes me about half the show to start understanding what they are saying.

4. Farscape (1999-2003)
?

3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
<groan> My best friend lives for this show. I think she started a petition when it was cancelled. </groan>

2. The X-Files (1993-2002)
I'm afraid that I used to live for X-Files. It made my husband crazy because he had a class when it was on so he would come home to find me in a manic state of paranoia, high as a kite, and clutching a baseball bat. I don't think it's a good idea to stop to think about whether a baseball bat would be all that effective on a supernatural creature, at least not until the drugs wear off.

1. Star Trek (1966-1969)
I might have known.

[glatt]

I wonder what a cult following is supposed to mean here?

Some of these shows are huge!

The Simpsons?! WTF? You can't get much more mainsteam than that.

There are a lot of really good shows on this list, but also a few bad ones too.

[Beestie]

I thought Pee-Pee's Playhouse was brilliantly creative - I was a huge fan the first couple of years. I didn't realize it stayed on through 1991.

I remember Dark Shadows but it really did suck.

Funny how there are so many British shows on this list. I liked Absolutely Fabulous for about one or two seasons. And where's Benny Hill? - no way he didn't have a cult following.

Can't argue with #1.

[lumberjim]

jinx loved my so called life......

the family guy rocks

[Clodfobble]

I admit I own the entire Prisoner series on DVD.

There. I said it.

[Griff]

Is it as good as they say?

[Clodfobble]

I certainly enjoyed it, although there are some episodes that are better than others. I've heard the original script was only like 9 episodes and they made Patrick McGoohan stretch it to 17 to make it a full season.

[wolf]

25. Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000)
Tried watching it, but didn't find it interesting. Wasn't this one of the shows that tried to recreate the late 70s/early 80s and dismally failed at doing so?

24. Absolutely Fabulous (1994-present)
I wouldn't put the world on hold to watch episodes, but it was Absolutely Fabulously clever! Edina shouting "Have you seen my bleeper? I can't find it, I had it on vibrate!" and Patsy having an extremely self-satisfied grin ... joy oh joy.

Good theme song too.

23. Forever Knight (1992-1996)
Neat show, taped a lot of them when it ran on CBS Late Night. Probably the best of the "sympathetic Vampire" trend that surrounded the popularity of bad books by Anne Rice.

22. H.R. Pufnstuf (1969-1971)
Classic Children's television. Large stuffed costumes, bouncy music, and a magic flute!

21. Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1975-1978)
The anti-soap opera soap opera. I stayed up late to watch it, and felt so wicked! Was supposed to be "too adult" for younger eyes. I missed some of the humor, but surely did laugh when Coach drowned in the chicken soup and when Little Reverend Jimmy Joe Jeeter returned to the Lord when his portable television set fell into the bathtub with him.

20. Twin Peaks (1990-1991)
Quirky, wonderful, and weird. The owls are not what they seem. I bought the Season One DVD set. A friend of mine had given me videotapes of the entire series just as the series ended.

19. Dark Shadows (1966-1971)
I watched this as a kid, and will be transfixed by the television everytime I see it on the SciFi channel. They stole from the best of classic horror, as well as some of the worst, although the most horrible thing about the show was usually the acting. I loved the chase scenes through the forest, especially when they would bump into one of the trees that weren't nailed down too well and the mighty oaks of Collinwood would rock back and forth.

18. Doctor Who (1963-present)
Long time Dr. Who fan. Tom Baker is of course the best who, with Jon Pertwee a close second.

17. The Avengers (1966-1969)
The movie does not do the series justice, like most movie remakes. You have to see the real thing to appreciate it, particularly the Black and White episodes.

16. My So-Called Life (1994-1995)
I have absolutely no clue what this show is/was about. I vaguely recall hearing the title.

15. Quantum Leap (1989-1993)
Cute concept.

14. Beauty and the Beast (1987-1990)
One of my friends used to mock this show by declaring in falsetto, "Vincent, I love you, even though you are not of my species ..." Must be a chick thing. I thought it was great. Until Vincent and Catherine actually did it, she died, and the evil millionare kept trying to steal the baby.

13. Babylon 5 (1994-1998)
Came to Bab5 late ... started watching around season 4 because it went to cable only and my boss NEEDED the show taped. So I did, and got hooked.

12. Family Guy (1999-2002)
I think I may have seen it once or twice. Cult? I don't think so. I also don't think it will stand the test of time like many of the other entries here.

11. Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1989-1999)
MST3K is possibly one of the greatest programs brought to the airwaves. My D&D group would occasionally take a break from gaming to watch classic science fiction movies of the 50s and 60s and provide our own witty commentary. If only we had had the idea of filming us doing it ...


10. Pee-Wee's Playhouse (1986-1991)
Good fun for a Saturday Morning.


9. Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001)
Shows with strong female characters are few and far between. I was hooked. Didn't like the way it ended, though.

8. The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
Fantastic, but I always preferred The Outer Limits.

"classic yes it is and I will fight you if you don't agree
I still have nightmares about that episode where a guy bets his finger against $1M that his lighter would light 10 times in a row.

THat's a classic episode all right, except that its an Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Starred Steve McQueen and Peter Lorre.

7. The Prisoner (1967-1968)
Another series that I bought on DVD. Pretty amazing stuff for 1960s summer replacement television.

6. The Simpsons (1989-present)
Like it and can watch it over and over again. The guys at work are into it so we watch it nearly every shift.

5. Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-1974)
SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM ... nearly every episode contains a classic bit. Except the last season.

4. Farscape (1999-2003)
Several of my friends were majorly into this (yes, they are between the ages of 35 and 40. I do not have normal friends)

3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Enjoyable fluff, much better than the movie. Plot line did become excessively stupid toward the end to the point where I didn't bother watching any more. So, does she die in the last episode and is Spike ever redeemed?

2. The X-Files (1993-2002)
Like many series it was far better earlier on. It should have ended before Duchovny's ego got too big. I can still enjoy watching, though.

1. Star Trek (1966-1969)
Truly there is no greater program in all the history of television. I don't like the Star Trek™ Franchise for the most part ... NextGen was okay, barely watched DS9, didn't watch Voyager or Enterprise really. Although that has NOT stopped me from buying the Hallmark collectible ornaments.

[wolf]

Originally posted by Griff
Is it as good as they say?

That would be telling.

Be seeing you.

[TheLorax]

Someone pointed out to me that the finger thing was Hitchcock – also a good one. I had no idea that was Steve McQueen though.

I don’t know what they are using for the criteria. I would have thought that SNL would be on there also MASH, Cheers, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and where is Bob Newhart? I know my sisters told me about college drinking games in the 70’s involving taking a shot whenever someone said “hi Bob”. I would also kind of think that the Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, Gilligan’s Island, Brady Bunch aka shows we all watched in syndication after school would have been more represented.

How about Batman?
The Bionic Man/Woman/Child/Dog/Spider/French Fry shows?
The Incredible Hulk?
oh come on where is Kung Fu?
no westerns, I could do a better list

[vsp]

This list has no Young Ones and therefore has no credibility.

[DanaC]

The Prisoner. What an excellent series....That cute village they shot it all in....somewhere in Wales I think.....the cheery "Be seeing you!" that seemed so freaky in what was really a large prison compound....a friendly compound with cheerful goodmanners and friendly stripey awnings everywhere.....and kickass themetune with a supercool central character. Yip yip loved that......Ab Fab I loved until it got silly.....the last couple o'series left me a bit cold...first couple of series were very funny. Strangely dark humour at times.....the humour of grotesques.

The series with Scott Bakula in is Enterprise....I *hesitates, sighs but has gone this far so* .....watch that.....I like aspects of it ( particularly the aspects of Connor Trinner *grins*)there are some good characters in it.....theme tune is the worst theme tune ever on any star trek its the pits......Man I used to love Quantum Leap...mainly for Dean Stockwell, he is awfully good, he was great in Paris Texas...ummm...I appear to have drifted off, oh yeah.....Quantum Leap of Swiss cheese memory fame *chuckles*happy times...innocent times....and talking of which where is larry sanders?

.......Did you guys ever have the "Tomorrow People" inflicted on you? or Blake's Seven? so cheesy they should be renamed camembert and gouda

[richlevy]

Originally posted by DanaC
The Prisoner. What an excellent series....That cute village they shot it all in....somewhere in Wales I think.....the cheery "Be seeing you!" that seemed so freaky in what was really a large prison compound....a friendly compound with cheerful goodmanners and friendly stripey awnings everywhere.....and kickass themetune with a supercool central character. Yip yip loved that......


.......Did you guys ever have the "Tomorrow People" inflicted on you? or Blake's Seven? so cheesy they should be renamed camembert and gouda

Ok, the Prisoner was a 'not quite' sequel to the TV series "Secret Agent", which had one of THE coolest theme songs, cooler even than Hawaii Five-O. It was also one of the few TV series at the time to actually shoot a final episode.

1/3 of 'Austin Powers' is James Bond. 1/3 is "The Avengers", and the last third is probably "Secret Agent" or "The Prisoner".

I think I saw "Tomorrow People". Post-apocolyptic all-teenager version of "Survivor" with a plot and acting that was looser and cheesier than "H.R. Puf'n'Stuff".

The Avengers was all style. There are probably only a half dozen women in the world who can really look good in a catsuit, and Diana Rigg was one of them



Babylon 5 and Farscape were good shows. The characters were complex. You had likable bad guys and good guys you wanted to punch. In Babylon 5, one of the most likable characters ended up making a deal with the devil and re-subjugating an entire race and almost commiting genocide.

I actually liked Blake's 7. It tried to do what Babylon 5 and Farscape did much better, make the characters complex. The problem with Blake's 7 is that the writers weren't up to it. Having Harlan Ellison writing some of your scripts is unfair competition.

Forever Knight, also complex characters. I saw the pilot with a mostly different cast. Good acting and nice action scenes. Sometimes a little over done.

H.R. Pufnstuf - All about boy who spends way too much time with his magic flute. If Pee Wee had had a gimmick like this, they would have arrested him years earlier.

[elSicomoro]

Hmmm...

--Familiar with Freaks & Geeks, but never watched it.

--I like AbFab.

--Never quite got into Twin Peaks.

--I used to watch the original Dark Shadows with my mom. I don't think I watched the new version.

--Have seen Doctor Who maybe a few times.

--The Avengers is currently shown on the Mystery Channel...have never watched it, though I'm familiar with it.

--Loved My So-Called Life.

--Liked Quantum Leap.

--Watched a few episodes of Beauty and the Beast...never got into it. You all know that Ron Perlman was Hellboy in the recent movie, right?

--Never got into Babylon 5.

--Oh my God...Family Guy. Fucking hysterical...especially the one with the Kool-Aid man (one of the first episodes). I've got to get the DVD set.

--Watched MST3K in college...loved it.

--Pee-Wee's Playhouse was alright...it was definitely something different when it came out.

--Xena...watched it a few times.

--Original Twilight Zone...fucking awesome.

--Simpsons...classic.

--Monty Python...I remember when it used to come on MTV on Sunday nights. Awesome.

--Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Sarah Michelle Gellar is a fine piece of ass, but I never got into it.

--X-Files...watched it on occasion. It was alright.

--Star Trek...awesome.

Other shows not on this list that had cult followings, from what I know and can recall:

--Police Squad
--The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
--I'll Fly Away
--Homicide: Life on the Street
--Peter Gunn
--Square Pegs
--Kids in the Hall
--SCTV

[wolf]

Originally posted by DanaC
.......Did you guys ever have the "Tomorrow People" inflicted on you? or Blake's Seven? so cheesy they should be renamed camembert and gouda

Never saw Tomorrow People but I loved Blake's Seven. I met the actors who played Vila and Avon at a con. Very funny men who were very gracious with respect to the absurdities of American fans.