TV Guide's 50 WORST SHOWS of all Time

CrimsonTide4 · #1 07-13-2002, 10:03 AM

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)

carnation · #2 07-13-2002, 10:13 AM

Would you believe that at my advanced age, I've only seen a couple of those shows and just once or twice at that?

The exception: Barney. And while I agree that from an adult's viewpoint the plots are weak and some of the songs are dorky, most kids' shows are that way. I get embarrassed when I see reruns of fifties children's shows and realize I actually watched that junk.

DeltAlum · #3 07-13-2002, 11:14 AM

Carnation,

That's why they made the list. They were so bad that nobody watched them.

It is amazing that some of those shows I've never even heard of -- and that after working in the industry for thirty-five years.

The only one I would question is SNL, which has had some very bad and some very good shows over the course of the years. (Although on re-reading the list, I see that it was one particular show they chose -- not the series -- so maybe that's fair.)

I'm a little surprized that some of the newscasts I directed back in Detroit in the seventies didn't make the list...

I guess we'll have to wait for the next "worst of" list to see "Sorority Life," or whatever the name of that disaster is and the other "reality" TV shows.

h2oot · #4 07-13-2002, 02:42 PM

While I agree Jerry Springer's show is pure trash, along with a others of the same vein (i.e., Howard Stern), the list seems to run the Politically Correct gambit.

The absolute sickest/worse TV show I ever watched was one that featured 4 mothers and 4 daughters and they asked each a series a sexually explicit questions about their expereinces. Then the 4 mothers had to guess which of the expereices fit their mother. Next it was reversed and the daughters had to guess the mothers.

The questions were about threesomes, doing it with mom's/daughter's boyfriend, bi-experiences, etc. If a person answered the question wrong the mom/daughter hit them in the face with a cream pie. The show concluded with mom's/daughters parading in thong bikini's.

The show was so bad we (my roomies and I) had to see how really bad it got. I don't even rem what channel it was on.

sigmagrrl · #5 07-13-2002, 02:57 PM

That show is PURE CAMP!!!!!!!!

And, DeltAlum, it's not the SNL that's still on today, it was a series akin to a Nightline that had the same name (I do believe)

33girl · #6 07-13-2002, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sigmagrrl
And, DeltAlum, it's not the SNL that's still on today, it was a series akin to a Nightline that had the same name (I do believe)

That's correct. ABC had a sketch comedy show that ran in prime time called "Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell" and Bill Murray was on it. This is why, if you see the opening credits for the first season of SNL, its official title is "NBC's Saturday Night."

I think they are stretching it naming Hogan's Heroes one of the worst - if it was that bad it wouldn't still be on TV Land. Also, I don't think the PTL Club should be on there - it's no worse than Benny Hinn or some of the other televangelist shows. They're going by what happened w/ Jim Bakker.

XOBear · #7 07-13-2002, 05:12 PM

The Tom Green Show was HILARIOUS!!!!!! It shouldnt be on that list.

Although, Springer and Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire were pretty bad!

juniorgrrl · #8 07-14-2002, 01:20 AM

They left off HBO's Real Sex. While it can be entertaining at times, some of it is just WRONG. The one with the group masturbation where they'd wear the helmet and blindfold so they couldn't see who was touching them....creepy!!

DeltaSigStan · #9 08-11-2002, 06:22 PM

They forgot one:

Looking for Love: Bachelorettes In Alaska.

Steeltrap · #10 08-12-2002, 02:54 PM

I liked Me and the Chimp, but I admit that at 8 years of age, I had no TV taste.

But I agree on things such as the Equis Effe Elle, Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire (with that horrible, icky Ricky Rockwell) and Celebrity Boxing. Pure trash.

Rudey · #11 08-12-2002, 03:18 PM

I wonder why the didn't mention UPN shows such as the memorable "Homeboys in Outerspace".

-Rudey
--The Howard Stern show rocks.