# 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:** 9
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/161 "2013-03-09T06:47:19Z")
[quote] **Ralph124c** : ralph124C: And "Sergeant preston of the Yukon " has few fans. “On, King! On you huskies!” I just remember the radio show! ---
**Author:** ![AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/162 "2013-03-09T09:16:41Z")
> [@JerseySwamps](#): > > Was he handing out towels? > > You would think his old buddy Dennis would throw him some work. lol… this was about 25 years ago, so I don’t remember the specifics. I do remember he was in town to appear in a play at the local performing arts center. Someone in my town knew him. ---
**Author:** ![bmasters1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@bmasters1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmasters1)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/163 "2013-03-11T11:05:56Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > Someone mentioned “ABC’s Wide World of Sports” which had the memorable “Agony of Defeat” skiing crash (although Vinko Bogataj was shocked in 1981 to find he was a minor U.S. celebrity and Muhammad Ali wanted his autograph). I submit the anthology on CBS, known as “CBS Sports Spectacular”, among other names. I remember it as _CBS Sports Saturday/Sunday_; that’s how it was when I was a boy. ---
**Author:** ![bmasters1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@bmasters1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmasters1)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/164 "2013-03-11T11:10:45Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > [Hart to Hart](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hart_to_Hart) ran for 110 episodes, and I remember it being heavily promoted, but it’s forgotten culturally. Certainly is! Only the first two seasons were released on DVD (both of which I have truly enjoyed), but no more since then (oddly enough, all the 90s films are out on MODs). ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/165 "2013-03-11T13:39:42Z")
> [@SecretaryofEvil](#): > > The memory of Walker Texas Ranger is kept alive by legions of baked college students who enjoy it for its unintentional hilarity. It’s also popular (dubbed into Spanish) in Mexico. (As of five or ten years ago, at least.) ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/166 "2013-03-11T19:20:53Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > The _Yes, Dear_ couple had a cameo on _Raising Hope_ the other week, Greg Garcia’s current show, which has already been linked to the _My Name is Earl_ “universe” before. I only recognized the guy as the “guy from the cable company ads” and his new recurring role on _Justified_, because I never watched _Yes, Dear_. It was only when I was reading the review of the episode at the AVClub site that I found out that they were playing their old Yes, Dear characters. Now I suddenly feel like I need to seek out Yes, Dear reruns because I love the rest of the Garcia-verse. Seek it out; it’s consistently funny. It seems like nobody ever watched it (I only started watching it in syndication), so it really does fit very well into this category. ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/167 "2013-03-11T19:23:51Z")
> [@April\_R](#): > > I loved that it had Dave Foley in it from Kids In The Hall And the great Phil Hartman! ---
**Author:** ![LateComer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/168 "2013-03-11T19:45:34Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Another show that’s not (AFAIK) in sydnication, and won’t get a full DVD release because of music rights. I’ve been watching it on Netflix with my kids, don’t know about DVDs. They seem to have the whole series. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/169 "2013-03-11T22:11:06Z")
For a sitcom that lasted five years and more than 100 episodes, [Grace Under Fire](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Under_Fire)is pretty much never seen anymore, possibly due to Brett Butler’s personal problems and the general going-to-Hell atmosphere of the final two seasons. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2013, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/170 "2013-03-11T23:10:16Z")
> [@digs](#): > > B-b-but I met “King the Wonder Dog” at a kennel in Vermont… So at least one person will never forget Sgt. Preston. I once met a family in Milwaukee who had a German Shepherd named King. Their living room was a shrine to Elvis Presley. :rolleyes: ---
**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:** [March 11, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/171 "2013-03-11T23:21:51Z")
I’m wondering about really, _really_ classic shows from the '50s: _Love That Bob_, _The People’s Choice_, _My Little Margie_, _Private Secretary_, _Cannonball_, _Sheriff of Cochise_, and so on. I’m willing to bet a lot of people remember _Whirlybirds_, _Highway Patrol_, _Sgt Bilko_, _The Honeymooners_, _Sea Hunt_, _Topper_, _Leave It to Beaver_, and _Ozzie and Harriet_ well enough for them to still be parodied in other shows. Not so with the ones up top or others like _Sgt Preston_ and _Captain Midnight_. What about Disney series like _Zorro_, _Johnny Tremain_, _The Swamp Fox_, and _The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh_? Am I the only one who remembers them? ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/172 "2013-03-12T08:19:28Z")
“Head of the Class” had cultural impact, in that it made Robin Givens a TV star, and she went on to a famously tumultuous relationship with heavyweight champ Mike Tyson. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/173 "2013-03-12T08:41:00Z")
[Becker](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0174378/?ref_=sr_2) ran for six seasons, a respectable run for a show that I’ve never seen a full episode of and I’m pretty sure no one else has either. I think there’s a disconnect between how long a show is on and how popular it is. I’m sure (based on no data at all) that **Firefly** was more popular than **Becker** , but **Becker** could be produced a lot more cheaply. That has to be the explanation. **Hunter**. That was a weird one. Didn’t they have the female lead get raped every time they needed to goose the ratings up? Or am I conflating this show with **Walker: Texas Ranger**? ---
**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:** [March 12, 2013, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/174 "2013-03-12T08:56:06Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > [Becker](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0174378/?ref_=sr_2) ran for six seasons, a respectable run for a show that I’ve never seen a full episode of and I’m pretty sure no one else has either. I think there’s a disconnect between how long a show is on and how popular it is. I’m sure (based on no data at all) that **Firefly** was more popular than **Becker** , but **Becker** could be produced a lot more cheaply. That has to be the explanation. > > **Hunter**. That was a weird one. Didn’t they have the female lead get raped every time they needed to goose the ratings up? Or am I conflating this show with **Walker: Texas Ranger**? Becker also had the fortune to follow Everybody Loves Raymond on Monday nights and did pretty decently its first four seasons, ranking in the top 20. It was moved to Sunday nights in its fifth season and the ratings went way south, as low as #51. It was almost canceled then, but was renewed for only 13 episodes when CBS had no promising new comedies in the pipeline. ---
**Author:** ![Enlightening\_Meditation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecc23a/32.png) [@Enlightening\_Meditation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enlightening_Meditation)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/175 "2013-03-12T09:48:59Z")
**The 700 Club** might be a contender for the longest running forgettable TV show (1966 to present). ---
**Author:** ![bmasters1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@bmasters1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmasters1)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/176 "2013-03-12T11:26:40Z")
> [@Enlightening\_Meditation](#): > > **The 700 Club** might be a contender for the longest running forgettable TV show (1966 to present). I’ve never liked it. I agree that it truly is forgettable. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/177 "2013-03-12T12:38:21Z")
Who’da thunk _The Fall Guy_ ran for more episodes than _The Six Million Dollar Man_? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/178 "2013-03-12T12:50:25Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Emergency! runs daily on MeTV. It ran for several years on TV Land some years ago. All except one episode. [The Firehouse Quintet](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0570632/combined). They went thru the whole series multiple times, and never aired it. At the time (and possibly still), TV Land had a message board for their various series. And that question was asked. Their response was something to the effect that “The copy that we have is not of broadcast quality.” I have no idea what that meant, but that ep has aired on Me TV. ---
**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 12, 2013, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/179 "2013-03-12T13:26:43Z")
Does anyone ever think about **Hee Haw** nowadays? It ran for 23 years. ---
**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 12, 2013, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064/180 "2013-03-12T13:36:37Z")
^^^ I feel kind of bad for not remembering that show, but in my defense, I was still a little kid when it was on. God bless you always!!! Holly P.S. Does anyone know when that show ended? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-yet-most-forgotten-or-forgettable-tv-show/652064.md?page=10)