# Popular shows you've never seen an episode of. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 5, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607 "2011-08-05T16:07:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/1 "2011-08-05T16:07:07Z")
What popular, commonly referenced, culturally entrenched shows have you never once watched in your life? I’ve never seen an episode of _Friends_, _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_, _Everybody Loves Raymond_ or _24_. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/2 "2011-08-05T16:13:07Z")
Except for very end of the first-season finale, I’ve never seen an episode of _Survivor_. I am also entirely innocent of _Big Brother_ and just about all other reality shows. I simply do not understand the appeal. Until last month I’d never seen _Doctor Who_, which is both my own fault and its own punishment. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/3 "2011-08-05T16:14:28Z")
I’ve managed to miss _Family Guy, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, 24, Mythbusters, Sopranos, Lost, Dallas,_ and nearly all daytime soap operas. I have ideas about the general plotlines of these shows, but no details. ---
**Author:** ![potatoequeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e36b37/32.png) [@potatoequeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/potatoequeen)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/4 "2011-08-05T16:16:40Z")
I always fee that every part also of a series I like is in the end… wasted! I like to ask myself, did I learn something useful with it. If not… and it wasnt a real real joy… that the time was wasted ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/5 "2011-08-05T16:16:50Z")
_Buffy_, _Dr. Who_, _Survivor_, _How I Met Your Mother_, and lots of shows from HBO and such. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/6 "2011-08-05T16:22:22Z")
American Idol 2 and 1/2 Men Jersey Shores Lost Survivor Whatever the bridesmaids and bachelor shows are called, Big Brother, the cooking, Kardashian, wedding dress, dancing, housewives shows, most anything ‘reality.’ ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/7 "2011-08-05T16:25:25Z")
I have never seen even part of any episode of Arrested Development, Six Feet Under, Gilmore Girls, Deadwood, Jersey Shore, The Shield, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Sex and the City, the Sopranos, or The Wire. I’ve never seen an entire episode of Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, American Idol, the Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Survivor, Big Brother, or The Larry Sanders Show. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/8 "2011-08-05T16:44:44Z")
I’ve never seen an entire episode of \*The Sopranos \*or _Sex in the City_. The list of reality shows I’ve never seen is too long to post. It looks like _Medium_ ran for seven seasons and is still running on cable. Never seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/9 "2011-08-05T16:54:45Z")
Oh, so many. American Idol The Sopranos Medium Buffy the Vampire Slayer 24 How I Met Your Mother Lost Survivor Arrested Development Gilmore Girls Deadwood Jersey Shore The Shield The Wire LA Law Hill Street Blues Thirtysomething The Good Wife So You Think You Can Dance Friday Night Lights The Ghost Whisperer Any Law & Order show Any CSI show Any “Housewives” show Jersey Shore The Colbert Report The Daily Show 2.5 Men The Big Bang Theory If I looked at a schedule I could give so many more. There are some of these shows (_The Wire_, for example) that I think I would really have liked if I had started from the beginning, but once you miss a season, you just have lost out. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/10 "2011-08-05T17:15:19Z")
I’ve never seen an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 24, JAG/NCIS or Lost, nor have I seen an episode of many U.S. cable-only TV shows (e.g. Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Wire). ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/11 "2011-08-05T17:16:13Z")
I’ve never watched an episode of _The Simpsons_. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/12 "2011-08-05T17:38:45Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Oh, so many. > > American Idol > The Sopranos > Medium > Buffy the Vampire Slayer > 24 > How I Met Your Mother > Lost > Survivor > Arrested Development > Gilmore Girls > Deadwood > Jersey Shore > The Shield > The Wire > LA Law > Hill Street Blues > Thirtysomething > The Good Wife > So You Think You Can Dance > Friday Night Lights > The Ghost Whisperer > Any Law & Order show > Any CSI show > Any “Housewives” show > Jersey Shore > The Colbert Report > The Daily Show > 2.5 Men > The Big Bang Theory Wow, except for a handful of Arrested Development episodes, (which I liked, but not enough to commit to the series) and 2 or 3 aborted attempts at sitting thru a re-run of The Big Bang Theory (fucking dreadful) I also haven’t ever watched any of the shows on your list either, even for a brief minute or two while switching channels. I am a true TV wierdo, never having had cable, and I am not willing to try to watch a series in mid-run, except for a few random sit-coms that don’t feature running plotlines. Basically, if I miss the pilot episode, I never watch even a few minutes of a show. I am sure there have been many great shows I would have really enjoyed that I have missed the boat on due to my oddball viewing habits. When I was a small kid, I somehow got the idea in my head that Star Trek was an outer space soap opera, and that you needed to have watched from the very beginning to understand what was going on; Because of this, I have never watched even 15 seconds (cumulative) of ANY Star Trek TV show, movie, spin-off, re-launch, re-imagining, or pornographic parody video… ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/13 "2011-08-05T17:41:36Z")
Too many to list. ---
**Author:** ![Staticslave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Staticslave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staticslave)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/14 "2011-08-05T17:59:02Z")
24, The Vampire Diaries, Glee. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/15 "2011-08-05T18:08:58Z")
_Mad Men_, _The Wire_, \*Rome \*and _The Tudors_. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/16 "2011-08-05T18:11:12Z")
This thread is for popular, culturally entrenched shows? I’ve never seen: the Bachelor/Bachelorette. All in the Family Friends - I don’t even know what made this popular. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/17 "2011-08-05T18:13:37Z")
_Lost_, _24_, _Dr. Who_, _Cougar Town_, _Jersey Shore_ and _Desperate Housewives_ are a few that come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![ecoaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/85e7bf/32.png) [@ecoaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ecoaster)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/18 "2011-08-05T18:14:29Z")
Seinfeld. I’ve seen bits of episodes, never a complete one. Maybe got a few chuckles out of me, no belly-laughs. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/19 "2011-08-05T18:17:10Z")
Anything on cable most teen soaps (saw \*BH 90210 \* once pre popularity) PBS dramas ---
**Author:** ![SpartanDC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@SpartanDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpartanDC)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607/20 "2011-08-05T18:27:03Z")
Two-and-a-Half Men is probably the most glaring one for me. Even when Charlie Sheen was at his most #winning, I had no desire to tune in. It’s not based on anything in particular except for a general move away from three-camera, “filmed live in front of a studio audience” sitcoms. (The only one we do watch is How I Met Your Mother, because we like Jason Segal, Alyson Hannigan and Neil Patrick Harris. Little known fact: It’s NOT filmed in front of a studio audience!) I hate procedurals, so I’ve never seen a single permutation of CSI, NCIS, etc. I’ve seen maybe two episodes of the L&O franchise. The closest I get is House, but that’s because unlike most “case of the week” shows, it’s almost entirely character-driven. I don’t watch any romance-based reality shows, nor any that are best described as “a bunch of people decide who to vote off based on who pissed them off that week.” I need either impartial judges or objective competition, which means I love me some Amazing Race and Top Chef. But I do make a general effort to watch any show that hits the intersection of “critically acclaimed” and “in the cultural zeitgeist.” Sometimes that means playing a lot of catch-up, especially for the HBO shows. I did that with The Wire and am now watching the first season of Game of Thrones. We also watched Season 1 of Mad Men over the span of a week before the second season started, and I’m now starting Season 2 of Breaking Bad. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-shows-youve-never-seen-an-episode-of/591607.md?page=2)