# Longest running yet most forgotten (or forgettable) TV Show? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 5, 2013, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064 "2013-03-05T03:00:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/21 "2013-03-05T17:15:35Z")
_Matlock_ ran for 9 seasons but in a recent thread someone wondered if any shows had been set in Atlanta and no one mentioned it. It seems only to exist in the mind of Abe Simpson and friends. It’s alter ego, _Barnaby Jones_ ran for 8 seasons. I was constantly surprised when I saw ads for it for most of its run. “That’s still on???” ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/22 "2013-03-05T17:27:50Z")
Yes, Dear is the forgotten According to Jim. At least people remember According to Jim enough to hate on it. Yes, Dear ran for 6 seasons and it didn’t even have the guy who was John Belushi’s brother on it to make it stick in your memory. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/23 "2013-03-05T17:33:37Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > _Matlock_ ran for 9 seasons but in a recent thread someone wondered if any shows had been set in Atlanta and no one mentioned it. It seems only to exist in the mind of Abe Simpson and friends. > > It’s alter ego, _Barnaby Jones_ ran for 8 seasons. I was constantly surprised when I saw ads for it for most of its run. “That’s still on???” I’m confused about what you are saying here. _Barnaby Jones_ went off the air 6 years before _Matlock_ premiered so they really couldn’t be alter egos. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/24 "2013-03-05T17:33:39Z")
It stuns me that **Big Brother** is still on, for 13+ years. 😕 Nobody mentions **Murphy Brown** , though that was on for a decade. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/25 "2013-03-05T17:38:25Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > _Matlock_ ran for 9 seasons but in a recent thread someone wondered if any shows had been set in Atlanta and no one mentioned it. It seems only to exist in the mind of Abe Simpson and friends. > > It’s alter ego, _Barnaby Jones_ ran for 8 seasons. I was constantly surprised when I saw ads for it for most of its run. “That’s still on???” When I was a kid everybody watched Matlock. (Well, I had older parents.) Then they watched Diagnosis Murder. When I saw on IMDB that there was a crossover I was all “holy shit oldpeopleception!” ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/26 "2013-03-05T17:40:02Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > It stuns me that **Big Brother** is still on, for 13+ years. 😕 > > Nobody mentions **Murphy Brown** , though that was on for a decade. It gets mentioned a lot for a show that’s been off the air for 15 years. Just last week it got a passing mention on a documentary I saw about women in comedy (it was touted as a doc about women in comedy but it was really about women in sit-coms.) Vice President Quayle made Murphy Brown unforgettable. ---
**Author:** ![edwards\_beard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@edwards\_beard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwards_beard)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/27 "2013-03-05T17:56:56Z")
Empty Nest was on for seven seasons… ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/28 "2013-03-05T18:00:27Z")
[Hunter](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086734/). Seven seasons, I know I watched a few of them, and I honestly cannot remember a single thing about it other than it starred that ex football player who was almost cast as Sam Malone. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/29 "2013-03-05T18:00:52Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > When I was a kid everybody watched Matlock. (Well, I had older parents.) Then they watched Diagnosis Murder. When I saw on IMDB that there was a crossover I was all “holy shit oldpeopleception!” Definitely whether a TV show is forgotten depends on your age. To me, “Gunsmoke” has no meaning at all despite the fact that it ran for 600+ episodes, but I’m sure there are old farts out there who think “Gunsmoke” is unforgettable. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/30 "2013-03-05T18:08:50Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Definitely whether a TV show is forgotten depends on your age. To me, “Gunsmoke” has no meaning at all despite the fact that it ran for 600+ episodes, but I’m sure there are old farts out there who think “Gunsmoke” is unforgettable. Hey! I resemble that remark!! ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/31 "2013-03-05T18:13:21Z")
The Real World is still on. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/32 "2013-03-05T18:13:27Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Definitely whether a TV show is forgotten depends on your age. To me, “Gunsmoke” has no meaning at all despite the fact that it ran for 600+ episodes, but I’m sure there are old farts out there who think “Gunsmoke” is unforgettable. I saw a lot of Gunsmoke episodes. Nothing really memorable. They were mostly the same. I was pretty young though, I had no idea Miss Kitty was a whore. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/33 "2013-03-05T18:20:27Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > [Hunter](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086734/). Seven seasons, I know I watched a few of them, and I honestly cannot remember a single thing about it other than it starred that ex football player who was almost cast as Sam Malone. According to IMDB, Hunter came back for 4 episodes in 2003 > **[Hunter (TV Series 2003) ⭐ 7.1 | Action, Adventure, Crime](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361192/)** > > 1h WTF? ---
**Author:** ![James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Otto_Sweet_Heart)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/34 "2013-03-05T18:22:52Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > \*\*\*Seventh Heaven \*\*\*ran 11 seasons- did anyone notice? I noticed because I started watching the show just as its second season was wrapping up back in the spring of 1998. 🙂 🙂 🙂 God bless you and everyone who made the awesome show happen always!!! Holly P.S. If you get the GMC station on your TV, the show is on there at 5 & 6 PM EST. 🙂 🙂 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/35 "2013-03-05T18:45:23Z")
That makes perfect sense. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/36 "2013-03-05T18:53:07Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > According to IMDB, Hunter came back for 4 episodes in 2003 > > [Hunter (TV Series 2003) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361192/) > WTF? My God, there were also _three_ TV movies after it went off the air but before the “comeback”: The Return of Hunter, Hunter: Return to Justice, and Hunter: Back in Force. The hell? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/37 "2013-03-05T18:53:20Z")
Hmm. Does anybody nowadays remember _the Ed Sullivan Show_? (Besides, I guess, as the venue that showed Elvis and The Beatles to a nationwide audience) The show ran for freakin’ ever, since the late 1940s until 1971. The fact that everyone watched it (and often wouldn’t miss it) were essential to (and knowledge of this taken for granted) in the movie **White Christmas** and the show and movie **Bye, bye Birdie** It covered an incredibly broad range of acts, from singers and dancers to plate-spinners (accompanied by Khachaturian’s _Sabre Dance_) to actors and comedians and (for the kids) Topo Gigio and the Muppets. Ed was an immovable fixture of Sunday night, as was his immovable face and patented “Right here on this shew” delivery. ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/38 "2013-03-05T19:13:39Z")
I think _Wings_ and _Yes, Dear_ are good examples of this. Wings had its aforementioned cast, and Yes Dear is a solid piece of Greg Garcia’s oeuvre. No one cares. I barely care, and I’m a fan. There are probably more shows, but why would I be able to remember them? ---
**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:** [March 5, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/39 "2013-03-05T19:33:44Z")
I’d put Walker, Texas Ranger in that category. It was on for eight seasons, was apparently a hit show but I don’t know anyone who watched it or even noticed when it went away. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/40 "2013-03-05T19:35:55Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > **Yes, Dear** is the forgotten According to Jim. That’s the one I came here to mention, but I couldn’t remember the name of the show. :smack: I think that speaks volumes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064.md?page=3)