# Favorite low-budget syndicated TV shows? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 25, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692 "2014-01-25T16:03:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2014, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/21 "2014-01-26T13:38:44Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Probably [Mutant X](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283203/) (3 seasons, actually). That was it. I didn’t remember seeing that much of it but I wasn’t a regular viewer either. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2014, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/22 "2014-01-26T15:40:56Z")
Did you know, BTW, that ZIV was not an acronym? It was the last name of this gentleman: > **[Frederick Ziv](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Ziv)** > > Frederick William Ziv (August 17, 1905 – October 13, 2001, Cincinnati, Ohio) was an American broadcasting producer and syndicator who was considered as the father of television first-run syndication and once operated the nation's largest independent television production company. An obituary in The Cincinnati Enquirer noted that Ziv "was known throughout the television industry for pioneering production, sales, promotion and marketing of TV series." > Frederick Ziv was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to... ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2014, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/23 "2014-01-26T17:04:31Z")
In the 80s and 90s, I used to watch [Friday the 13th: The Series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th:_The_Series), which had nothing to do with the film series. The TV series was about a couple of people who inherited an antique store full of cursed items. Each episode involved them trying to recover something that had been sold off. (In some ways, it’s sort of like Supernatural.) ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2014, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/24 "2014-01-26T17:25:51Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > In the 80s and 90s, I used to watch [Friday the 13th: The Series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th:_The_Series), which had nothing to do with the film series. The TV series was about a couple of people who inherited an antique store full of cursed items. Each episode involved them trying to recover something that had been sold off. (In some ways, it’s sort of like Supernatural.) Actually a mix of _Supernatural_ and _Warehouse 13_. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/25 "2014-01-26T17:33:07Z")
Well, I’ve never seen Warehouse 13, so I wasn’t aware of any similarity. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/26 "2014-01-26T17:33:42Z")
In a similar vein was _ **Poltergeist: Legacy** _. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2014, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/27 "2014-01-26T23:24:41Z")
> [@detop](#): > > Actually a mix of _Supernatural_ and _Warehouse 13_. I believe it’s true that they chose “13” for _Warehouse 13_, deliberately in homage to the _Friday the 13th_ series. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/28 "2014-01-27T05:53:50Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > **Highlander** was pretty cool. Or at least 10 year old me thought it was, I’m probably better off not trying to rewatch it to find out. First thing I thought of as well. I think my first post on Usenet was about the show, saying Joe should have long been fired from the Watchers. As for re-watching it, it holds up better than any of the movies; I tend to favor the overseas portion of each season. It’s a great show for car-spotting, as well. With that taken, I guess my pick would be **Daria**. I’m guessing it was low-budget, given MTV’s other offerings. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/29 "2014-01-27T05:56:48Z")
Programs on MTV, as Daria was, aren’t syndicated, which is the subject of the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/30 "2014-01-27T06:02:34Z")
**Jack of All Trades** and **The Adventures of Brisco County Jr**. I don’t know if it counts, but **Dark Skies**. I’m still upset it only got one season. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/31 "2014-01-28T01:42:26Z")
Star Hunter- I only got to see a few episodes of this space opera. There was a captain who was Eric Roberts’ head on Kevin Sorbo’s body. There was a holographic AI named Caravaggio who was depicted as a glowing green head on a glowing green skeleton with some glowing green organs. Apparently prolonged studying of the red spot of Jupiter (which planet had been colonised of course) gave you psychic powers. Earth Final Conflict- A show created by Gene Rodenberry. Non Spoilers- The Taelons arrive in our solar system in their mothership. They send a message in all languages “People of Earth, we are the Companions. We are here to help.” There were conspiracies within conspiracies, bluffs and double bluffs. For seasons you were left unsure who the good guys were and who the villains were, and what everybody was up to and wanted. Then it jumped the shark VERY hard and became the Atavis show. Andromeda- Also by Gene Rodenberry. There was a Federation Of United Planets (called the Commonwealth). There were Federation ships and crews (called The Highguard). Then the Nietzcheans ( a genetically enhanced group of folks who belive VERY strongly in the philosopher and don’t breed with normal humans or ever show weakness) started a war. Now, the last Highguard captain and the last Highguard ship come out of temporal suspension they’ve been in for three centuries. He recruits a ragtag crew and tries to rebuild civilization. Then it jumped the shark Very hard when they hit the reset button. Robocop- A pretty good exploration of the Robocop universe. It was live action. It wasn’t great, but the acting, writing etc were solid. It also had really fun animated Omni Consumer Products commercials done by John Kricfalusi- the creator of Ren And Stimpy. Conan- Live action. The guy who played Conan couldn’t really act. He was just muscley. The guy who played the dwarf on Seinfeld played a hobbitish character. The guy who played the evil wizard Hys Hazuul really had fun with it. The Wanderer- Either a British or Canadian import (I’ve never bothered to check). In Medieval times, a holy knight, a monk, and a beautiful maiden fought an evil wizard. Now, they’ve been re-incarnated and the battle starts again. I’ve only seen a handful of episodes, but it was fun. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/32 "2014-01-28T03:14:57Z")
LOL. I like about every sci-fi show that’s been mentioned so far. (I’m such a slut) But one I didn’t see was Alien Nation. That was a good one. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/33 "2014-01-28T03:19:32Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > LOL. I like about every sci-fi show that’s been mentioned so far. (I’m such a slut) > > But one I didn’t see was Alien Nation. That was a good one. Alien Nation was a Fox show, not a syndicated one. It is thus inelligible. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/34 "2014-01-28T03:21:36Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Alien Nation was a Fox show, not a syndicated one. It is thus inelligible. Oh, I never saw it on Fox. I saw it on one of the cable channels years after it was canceled. ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/35 "2014-01-28T17:57:31Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Alien Nation was a Fox show, not a syndicated one. It is thus inelligible. If I remember my TV correctly - Brisco County Jr is another victim of being optioned by Fox and thus would also be ineligible. I watched Xena & Hercules religiously and loved them both. I also loved Tales from the Darkside and Friday the 13th The Series. ---
**Author:** ![jrsone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jrsone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrsone)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/36 "2014-01-28T19:03:37Z")
Silk Stalkings. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/37 "2014-01-28T19:05:26Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Married With Children > > Well, it seems low budget Not syndicated. It was one of FOX’s first shows. My favorite is SWANS CROSSINGS. I can not explain it. It can only be experienced. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/38 "2014-01-28T20:16:50Z")
> [@Mauvaise](#): > > If I remember my TV correctly - Brisco County Jr is another victim of being optioned by Fox and thus would also be ineligible. In that case… > [@minlokwat](#): > > As a kid I loved me some **What’s Happening!** ABC. The “years later reunion version,” _What’s Happening Now!!!_, was syndicated, however. > [@GuanoLad](#): > > _Misfits of Science_? _No Ordinary Family_? NBC and ABC, respectively. My choice is _Throb_, with Diana Canova (Soap) and Jane Leeves in what I think was her first TV series (definitely before _Murphy Brown_ and _Frasier_); it was about a low-budget recording company. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/39 "2014-01-28T20:30:55Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > _ **She Spies** _ was fun and filled with eye candy, fronted by the goddess Natasha Henstridge. THANK YOU! I had forgotten all about _She Spies._ For my money though Henstridge was only the 3rd best looking woman on the show, after [Kristen Miller](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0588766/) and [Natashia Williams](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0931372/?ref_=tt_cl_t3). The show didn’t take itself too seriously its first year and was a complete hoot. I’ll think I’ll hunt it up on youtube. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/40 "2014-01-28T20:39:03Z")
> [@randompattern](#): > > 70’s Dr. Who(Tom Baker). Dumb plots, lame costumes, cheesy special effects, loved it! Been there, done that, bought the scarf. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692.md?page=3)