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TV Guide Names 'Jerry Springer' Worst Show of All
Fri Jul 12, 9:44 PM ET
By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - There must be something about the name Jerry.

Nearly three months after naming Jerry Seinfeld's smash hit sitcom "Seinfeld" as the greatest television show of all time, the editors of TV Guide have come out with a new list ranking "The Jerry ( news - web sites) Springer Show" as the worst.

The syndicated "trash TV" show that capitalizes on the cheating, sleazy, sordid behavior of its guests topped TV Guide's roster of the 50 least redeeming programs ever to make it on the airwaves.

The list ranges from such successful guilty pleasures as "Baywatch" (No. 21) and the notorious Fox special "Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?" (No. 25) to short-lived forgotten flops like NBC's 1985 blip "Hell Town" (No. 38), featuring former "Baretta" star and future murder suspect Robert Blake.

Some choices, such as the World War II POW comedy "Hogan's Heroes" (No. 5) and Sally Field's popular sitcom "The Flying Nun" (No. 42) may offend the nostalgic sensibilities of older viewers who fondly remember those shows.

Others would find it difficult to find a defender among anyone in the older-than-4 crowd -- case in point, the numbingly inane kid's show "Barney & Friends" (No. 50).

Unlike the best-of list released in April, the roster of worst stinkers was nearly devoid of shows from TV's golden age. One made the list as a result of infamy -- NBC's "Twenty-One" (No. 13), which sparked the 1950s quiz show scandal.

But the worst of the worst, according to TV Guide, was "Springer," which premiered in 1991 and became the top-rated talk show in syndication at the height of its run while instigating regular fistfights between guests.

"Awful television shows are a storied part of our society," said TV Guide editor-in-chief Steven Reddicliffe. "And no one has turned guilty-pleasure TV into more of an art form than Jerry Springer."

The executive producer of "Springer," Richard Dominick, took the dubious honor in the spirit with which it was intended.

"After 12 years of broadcasting, and having never been recognized by the academy, we are thrilled to accept this prestigious award from TV Guide. And I'd like to thank my mother," he said in a statement.

Coming in at No. 2 was "My Mother the Car," a 1960s sitcom starring Jerry Van Dyke as a man whose mom is reincarnated as an old-time automobile, voiced by Ann Sothern, followed at No. 3 by the "XFL ( news - web sites)," the failed attempt by pro-wrestling mogul Vince McMahon to reinvent football in his own image.

Rounding out the worst five were "The Brady Bunch Hour," ABC's 1977 misguided bid to bring back the sitcom family as a variety show, and "Hogan's Heroes," starring Bob Crane as an American POW outsmarting his Nazi captors (TV Guide apparently found the hit show to be politically incorrect in retrospect).

The following is the complete list:

1. The Jerry Springer Show (syndicated, 1991-present)

2. My Mother The Car (NBC, 1965-66)

3. XFL (NBC, UPN and TNN, 2001)

4. The Brady Bunch Hour (ABC, 1977)

5. Hogan's Heroes (CBS, 1965-71)

6. Celebrity Boxing (Fox, 2002-present)

7. AfterMASH (CBS, 1983-84)

8. Cop Rock (ABC, 1990)

9. You're in the Picture (CBS, 1961)

10. Hee Haw Honeys (syndicated, 1978-79)

11. The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer (UPN, 1998)

12. Hello Larry (NBC, 1979-80)

13. Twenty-One (NBC, 1956-58)

14. Baby Bob (CBS, 2002-present)

15. Manimal (NBC, 1983)

16. The Chevy Chase Show (Fox, 1993)

17. Casablanca (NBC, 1983)

18. The Ugliest Girl in Town (ABC, 1968-69)

19. The P.T.L. Club (syndicated, 1976-87)

20. The Pruitts of Southampton (ABC, 1966-67)

21. Baywatch (NBC and syndicated, 1989-2001)

22. The Powers of Matthew Star (NBC, 1982-83)

23. Sammy and Company (syndicated, 1975-77)

24. One of the Boys (NBC, 1982)

25. Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire? (Fox, 2000)

26. Life with Lucy (ABC, 1986)

27. Turn-On (ABC, 1969)

28. Supertrain (NBC, 1979)

29. Howard Stern (E!, 1994-present)

30. Unhappily Ever After (WB, 1995-99)

31. Homeboys in Outer Space (UPN, 1996-97)

32. Co-Ed Fever (CBS, 1979)

33. Holmes & Yoyo (ABC, 1976)

34. Alexander the Great (ABC, 1968)

35. Pink Lady...and Jeff (NBC, 1980)

36. The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (NBC, 1979-81)

37. Saturday Night Live ( news - Y! TV) with Howard Cosell (ABC, 1975-76)

38. Hell Town (NBC, 1985)

39. Still the Beaver (Disney Channel, 1985-86)

40. Makin' It (ABC, 1979)

41. The Tom Green Show (MTV, 1999-2000)

42. The Flying Nun (ABC, 1967-70)

43. Woops! (Fox, 1992)

44. She's the Sheriff (syndicated, 1987-89)

45. A.K.A. Pablo (ABC, 1984)

46. Me and the Chimp (CBS, 1972)

47. Rango (ABC, 1967)

48. Bless this House (CBS, 1995-96)

49. The Ropers (ABC, 1979-80)

50. Barney & Friends (PBS, 1992-present)