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Your Favorite Cult TV Shows


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Just like the cult movies thread. These are TV shows with a dedicated fan following. A "cult" of fans if you will.

I'd say The Simpsons is a cult show. Even with it's massive popularity, there are more Simpsons forums than any other tv show I know of. You wouldn't believe how much these fans know about the Simpsons.

Another one, unfortunately, is Arrested Development. It is probably the best sitcom on TV today. Unfortunately, the critics like it, which pushes many people away. A lot of people think that it's arrogant 'thinks they're so smart' humor, when really it is the exact opposite. It's not at all intelligent humor. It's a great show, it's laugh out loud funny. It also has something that most shows sorely lack today, and that is funny characters. It also has an interesting plot. It has a very dedicated fan following, but hopefully it will get more mainstream, because it is getting low ratings, and Fox does not want to keep a show with low-ratings, when they could replace it with a 2 season reality show. Ah well, if worst comes to worst, and Fox cancels it, perhaps comedy central will buy it, and let them do whatever they want.

Once Fox cancelled Family Guy, that became a cult show on Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" which is cartoons shown at midnight for the 18-34 demographic (which is a ridiculous name, since tons of younger people watch it). It has a very dedicated following, despite it being cancelled after 3 hilarious seasons. When Fox realized they cancelled what could have been the next "Simpsons," they decided they are going to start showing new episodes of it now, so I guess once those start, it won't be so much of a cult show anymore...until they inevitably cancel it again.

Another great cult show was "Trigger Happy TV." Well, it's cult in America, I'm not sure how it is in Brittain. It was a hilarious hidden camera show in Brittain from 2000-2002 shown on Comedy Central, and some channel in Brittain. It was much different from other hidden camera shows. For one, the pranks were funny. For two, instead of having around 5 pranks per episode, they could have around 40 pranks per episode. It was a really rapid show. For three, they didn't waste time by showing the part where they tell the prankees that they are on TV. This makes the viewer feel as if the prankee has been left in the dark, and instead of thinking "how embarrassing!" they are thinking "This sure must be awkward for that person!" or "He must be so confused!" It became too popular in Brittain, aparantly, because when Dom Jolly would do his trademark "HELLO!" on the gigantic cell phone, people knew they were on Trigger Happy TV. It lost it's bizarrness and awkwardness. Pretty much, it was too recognizable. So they moved to the US and got some new stars, but it wasn't quite as funny. They went from confusing people to bothering people. So it was cancelled in a year. Even though it was only around for 2 years (the last didn't count) I still think it was one of the funniest shows of all time. While not the best, it was one of the funniest. You can still watch the classic episodes on comedy central on weekdays at 6, sometimes. If you don't get comedy central, buying one of the DVDs or tapes is definitely worth the money.

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The Uncle Floyd Show. It was very New Jersey and odd as anything you'll ever see on TV, but it was beloved by a generation. The Ramones, Rachel Sweet, Bon Jovi, Squeeze, Peter Tork are some of the guests that came over to NJ to be on the show. Floyd's show made it NBC but bombed, it had to be small time to work. Floyd was in movies including Good Morning Vietnam.

My closest connection to Floyd (other than participating in the TV show and meeting him several times) was that his brother's band (Jimmy Vivino) played at my wedding. Another brother plays as a regular with Max on Conan's show.

Google "The Uncle Floyd Show" and be amazed. Here's a little bio:

Born in Paterson, N.J. October 19, 1951 he began his career in show business as a child performer, giving piano recitals and appearing as a dancer with Sandra Lee and Jill Davison. He danced at the 1964 World's Fair in New York and at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City. As a high school student he was being groomed by dance and piano instructors to pursue careers in those fields. Finding it difficult to practicing the piano eight hours a day or working out in ballet class, he dropped both in his junior year, performing instead in the drama club. In high school- on stage he found the sound of laughter more fulfilling than applause.After high school he went right to work in show biz, finding employment in circus, nite clubs, amusement parks, and as a comedian in the few remaining burlesque shows. His varied experiences in the performing arts finally led him to television where he began his own show titled The Uncle Floyd Show in New Jersey on January 29,1974. The show developed a following in the New York-New Jersey area in the 1970's. Currently, it is seen on the Cablevision of Northern New Jersey based in Oakland, where it is viewed sporadicly on Friday and Saturday evenings. Now in its 25th year it is the longest running television show in New Jersey TV history.In February 1987 he started his own Italian radio program The Italian-American Serenade which is broadcast on WRTN-FM out of New Rochelle,N.Y. Vivino claims to have the largest private collection of Italian records outside of Italy, some 250,000. He has appeared as an actor on NBC-TV Law And Order (twice) ABC-TV soap opera Loving, Bill Boggs Comedy Tonight (syndicated), Nickelodeons Turkey TV and has filled in for Gilbert Gottfried on USA-TV's Up All Night.Comedy Channel audiences have seen him in the Dr.Demento Show. Between all this he managed to get small acting roles in several films including "Good Morning Vietnam" "Crazy People" "Mr. Wonderful" "A Pyromaniac's Love Story" and "The Clowns Of Babylon". Performing live however, has always remained his first love. He has played the Catskill and Pocono mountains resorts for many years,working the stages at Caesars, The Fernwood, Friar Tuck, Roseland Ranch, Green Lake, The Nevelle Pine Grove, Kelly's, Villa Baglieri and Villa Roma. He has also toured with or opened for many including Jimmy Roselli, Lou Monte Melba Moore, Jerry Vale, Pat Cooper, Al Martino,Pete Seegar, Toni Arden, Julius LaRosa, Tom Chapin, Eddie Rabbit, Jimmy Sturr. Currently living in New Jersey, Floyd appears live about 300 nights a year in clubs and on stage.

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"sex and the city" has/had a huge following, can it be considered cult?

I got the first season of "twin peaks" on dvd for my last birthday, loved it! i'm sure it's considered a cult tv show.

one of my fave tv shows is also "six feet under", i'm not 100% sure it's cult, but it is quite dark and i think it has a following.

what about "csi"? (not miami, i hate the guy in it), it also has a huge following

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I love The Simpsons, Family Guy and Little Britain. I like those old British shows, like Fawlty Towers, Are You Being Served?, The Young Ones, The Goodies, etc. And some Aussie ones like Kingswood Country, The Glasshouse, Good News Week, CNNNN, John Safran Vs God, The Graham Kennedy Show.

Happy Days and I Love Lucy/The Lucy Show were good also.

Oh and Monkey Magic or Monkey Man whatever it was called. Anyone remember that??

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Monkey Magic is great

I'd have to say my favourite cult show was Dawson's Creek simply because I never missed an episode

Before that it was BH 90210...yes, I know

The A-Team has to be up there in the top 100 though, at least! And Night Rider

There was a really cool show called my So-Called Life (with the delectable Jared Leto), that was another one I never missed.

Nip/Tuck

I also got quite addicted to Ally McBeal.

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"sex and the city" has/had a huge following, can it be considered cult?

one of my fave tv shows is also "six feet under", i'm not 100% sure it's cult, but it is quite dark and i think it has a following.

what about "csi"? (not miami, i hate the guy in it), it also has a huge following

I'm not sure if those three count as cult shows. There is a difference between 'dedicated cult following' and 'huge following.' Those three shows have a huge following, meaning many people watch them. CSI regularly gets a top 5 spot in the ratings, so it is hard for it to be much of a cult show. A cult show is more of a show that is not incredibly mainstream, but has fans that are very dedicated to the show. Fans that never miss an episode, that kind of things. Usually a love it or hate it or never heard of it kind of show.

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I can't imagine cult and tv mentioned in the same context.

Television is so invasive into human psyche that cult following is impossible. I think you'd have to follow cd sales to find a cult following of anything spawned from tv.

That said, I'd have to mention "Twin Peaks" and "Southpark" as the practical cult classics.

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X-Files. case closed.

it's just one of those shows that goes one of two ways: you watch it religiously and you're extremely into it, or you've seen it maybe once or twice in your life and don't care much for it. for the most part, that is. i'm sure there are some exceptions.

hell, X-Files practically has an actual cult. we've even adopted and invented our own vocabulary: Phile, Shipper, Dripper, Noromo, etc...

Can't get enough of that X-Files!

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I'm not sure if those three count as cult shows. There is a difference between 'dedicated cult following' and 'huge following.' Those three shows have a huge following, meaning many people watch them. CSI regularly gets a top 5 spot in the ratings, so it is hard for it to be much of a cult show. A cult show is more of a show that is not incredibly mainstream, but has fans that are very dedicated to the show. Fans that never miss an episode, that kind of things. Usually a love it or hate it or never heard of it kind of show.

do you think "six feet under" is mainstream? i don't know anyone else that watches it! yet i know there are lots of pages of discussion on imdb.

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What about Star Trek? Its ratings were poor during its initial run, but thanks to the efforts of its hard core fans and syndication, it has spawned (to date) 4 spin off series, an animated series and 10 feature films (not to mention a plethora of novels, technical manuals and even a Klingon dictionary). STAR TREK RULES!!! LIVE LONG AND PROSPER!!!

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Yep, 7.00pm on a Saturday night. Not sure about Billie Piper though, and I understand Christopher Ecclestone will not make another series. Shame, as he brings humour to it second only to the great Tom Baker. Have the Daleks learned how to climb steps in this one I wonder?

Regards

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I'd forgotten the days I spent as a kid watching the original episodes with Shawn Bennett (he had color tv and Batman was too cool in color). It's hard to argue with the cult following of a really bad but innovative vehicle that spawned half a dozen movies and spinoffs. Gene Roddenberry is the god that Spielberg wishes he could meet.

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Two shows I wish were still on the air are Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Mystery Science Theater 3000. SGCtC was the talkshow cartoon where they'd just rip on the guests. MST2K played old, terribly bad movies while a guy and his two robot friends would add cynical commentary and funny one-liners.

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