# 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:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/41 "2014-01-28T20:51:06Z")
I think “Sliders” ran a couple seasons on basic cable after Fox cut it loose. It should count. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/42 "2014-01-28T20:51:49Z")
Tales from the Darkside Monsters VIP was surprisingly funny and well done The Michael Biehn treasure hunter show… I can’t remember what it was called… Maybe even Treasure Hunters. A trio of modern treasure hunters led by Bienh. (years ago when these shows were still around I started a thread asking which ones were people excited about returning) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/43 "2014-01-28T22:17:57Z")
> [@Darth\_Nader](#): > > The Muppet Show was pretty damn cool. Oh yes! And they had big name stars, celebrities who didn’t have anything to prove. I mean, Bob Hope didn’t need the exposure I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/44 "2014-01-29T00:23:57Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > I loved _ **Highlander** _. > > Also a big fan of \*\*\*Hercules \*\*\*and _ **Xena** _. > > _ **She Spies** _ was fun and filled with eye candy, fronted by the goddess Natasha Henstridge. Wow, these are the exact 4 I was going to mention. ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/45 "2014-01-29T00:30:09Z")
After looking through the thread, I’ll add The Lost World (pretty bad) and Renegade (so, so bad). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/46 "2014-01-30T16:02:00Z")
Someone turned _F/X_ into a pretty good syndicated series with Cameron Daddo playing Rollie Tyler. The local UPN affiliate ran it in a late night slot for one season. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/47 "2014-01-31T00:20:08Z")
My guilty pleasure was Swamp Thing. Loved Highlander, too. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/48 "2014-01-31T03:40:51Z")
Fernwood Tonight. I loved me some Martin Mull. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/49 "2014-01-31T04:40:04Z")
Star Trek Next Gen? don’t know if it is LOW budget. Not exactly big budget. ---
**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 31, 2014, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/50 "2014-01-31T18:04:54Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > My guilty pleasure was Swamp Thing. > > Loved Highlander, too. IIRC Swamp Thing (which certainly had its moments) was not syndicated but a USA program. Back To The OP Out Of This World- A syndicated sci fi sitcom about a girl who’s half alien. She had the power to stop time among other abilities. Small Wonder- a syndicated sci fi sitcom about Vicki- Voice Input Child Identicate. Despite some who claim the lyric is “beat twice” it is “she’ll make your heart take flight”. Re Star Trek Next Gen I considered mentioning this myself. IIRC it did start out syndicated (I don’t recall if it ended in syndication or not). The first season or two were definitely low budget. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/51 "2014-02-01T03:14:27Z")
> [@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. I made the mistake of trying to rewatch it. You are better off. ---
**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:** [February 1, 2014, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/52 "2014-02-01T03:36:12Z")
Highlander had its moments. Fer example- Duncan meets an especially evil Immortal, one he’s (of course) tangled with before. Only, now the man has found religion and claims to be repentant. Duncan is naturally suspicious. In the end, it turns out the man really has turned to good. Ron Perlman plays an Immortal claiming to be Methos, a man born in the Bronze Age. We, and Duncan, know he isn’t the real Methos. But the other interesting thing is that Ron carries no weapon and refuses to fight. He wanders the earth preaching to other Immortals to put down their weapons, stop fighting for a Prize that may not exist, and use their knowledge, skills and power to help lead humanity into a golden age. Duncan meets an Immortal who is ten years old. He is running from another Immortal who wants his head and his Quickening. Only it turns out that the boy isn’t 10, he’s several hundred years old. Being trapped in a body that never grows up, he pretends to be fleeing and gains the trust of Immortals who would protect him. Then, he takes their heads. Duncan lets the boy escape, explaining ‘He’s no worse than the rest of us, just trying to survive.’ Duncan fights an Immortal who he first met in the Old West. Then, the guy was uncouth and like an animal. But, when he comes into possession of a large gold cross, he finds himself unable to sell it. Though he remains just as evil as ever, he develops into an asthete and art collector. Duncan(and whatserface The Raven) meet up with a gambler. He had a casino in the Old West. Then he lost it to the Raven. He hasn’t won a bet since. He also sneezes every time he senses another Immortal (“Every damn time! It’s like an allergy or something.”). The whole episode is played for comedy, not action, and is pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2014, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/53 "2014-02-01T05:57:25Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Star Trek Next Gen? > > don’t know if it is LOW budget. Not exactly big budget. I seem to recall that for its time, TNG was one of the most expensive shows on TV. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/54 "2014-02-04T23:09:16Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Re Star Trek Next Gen > > I considered mentioning this myself. IIRC it did start out syndicated (I don’t recall if it ended in syndication or not). The first season or two were definitely low budget. It was syndicated its entire run, as was DS9. Voy and Ent were on UPN. Highlander’s first season was a little meh, then most of its run was really good, then its last season was terrible and had a string of really bad back door pilots for spinoff shows about female immortals that never got made because they just said screw it and made an Amanda spinoff instead. And no one’s mentioned Charles In Charge yet? For shame… Yes it started on CBS, but the relaunched syndicated version is what people remember most about the show. ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/55 "2014-02-05T03:46:40Z")
_sigh_ **The Greatest American Hero**. I had fond memories of it, to the extent that I went out and bought the DVDs. It hasn’t aged well. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/56 "2014-02-05T09:15:43Z")
> [@MacSpon](#): > > _sigh_ > **The Greatest American Hero**. > > I had fond memories of it, to the extent that I went out and bought the DVDs. > It hasn’t aged well. 🙂 It wasn’t syndicated. It ran on ABC, so it doesn’t fit the scenario, kid. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692/57 "2014-02-06T16:55:22Z")
I loved _The Starlost_ back in '73, when I was 14. It was the only new space sci-fi on TV at the time. Nowadays, it’s almost painful to watch. Harlan Ellison has written much about the debacle, and why he forced them to put his pseudonym, Cordwainer Bird, on it. There is a decent novelization of the pilot episode, though: _Phoenix Without Ashes_ by Edward Bryant. The original script was also published in an anthology, _Faster Than Light_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-low-budget-syndicated-tv-shows/679692.md?page=2)