# The worst popular television show in history? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 2, 2001, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038 "2001-05-02T03:43:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bottle_of_Smoke)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/21 "2001-05-02T14:08:44Z")
No, no, no. You’re all wrong. The worst popular show ever was _ **Too Close for Comfort** _ with Ted Knight. This thing was in the top ten for most of it’s run on TV in the '80s and it was the stupidest show I have ever seen that made it that high in the ratings. Worse than _Home Improvement_. Worse than _The Love Boat_. Just bad, bad, bad. And it had JM J Bullock in it…I rest my case. ---
**Author:** ![hockeynut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c68b51/32.png) [@hockeynut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hockeynut)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/22 "2001-05-02T14:16:35Z")
I hate Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. It’s like Jeopardy for idiots. This would be bad enough if it was on during the day, but its on prime time. Every night…Plus Regis is the biggest (insert expletive here). I’ve stopped watching television because of this show. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/23 "2001-05-02T14:18:39Z")
> [@](#): > > The worst show on right now that I watch regularly is “That 70’s Show.” I don’t even know why I watch the > stupid thing. I guess for the same reason people gawk at car wrecks. GASP! How can you hate “That 70’s Show”? It’s hilarious! It’s dropped off a little bit this last season, but it’s still 10 times better than all the sitcoms combined on ABC/NBC/CBS. Hmmm, my nominations are: Stey by Step Growing Pains Sabrina The Teen-Age Witch Will and Grace ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/24 "2001-05-02T14:25:23Z")
Family Matters. Steve Urkel was not funny. Nothing else about the show was a ridiculous caricature, so why was it suddenly okay to put him in? Full House. UGH! This show was even worse than most for solving complex family problems in 7 1/2 minutes. Three’s Company. Just not funny. The gay jokes were tired. The sex jokes between the Audra Lindley and her husband were tired. Chrissy’s idiocy was tired. The problems that arose were so stupid! In defense of a few shows mentioned: Saved By The Bell is gag-inducing. However, it won some respect for me by not being as sanctimonious as other shows of its type. For example, Slater was always calling his girlfriend by these stupid names like “mama” and doing other un-pc things. It bugged her, and she’d argue with him about it sometimes, but they never made it a huge theme of an episode where it became a huge morality lesson. You know, the kind where he (after 1/2 hour) would end up “reformed” and make a speech to all the other kids about how important it is to respect women. Any other show would have. Home Improvement could be incredibly annoying, but I thought its portrayal of family life was significantly more realistic than a lot of other “family” shows at the time. Similar to “Saved By The Bell,” they didn’t try to end every show with every problem solved, with everyone a better person. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/25 "2001-05-02T14:46:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dave Swaney \* > \*\*But for sheer, ultra-hardcore badness, I think you have to go for “Small Wonder”, previously mentioned here. At least most of the other shows mentioned had a shred of acting ability or plausibility, but this one had neither. > > Simply appaling. Those of you haven’t seen it will have to take our word for it. It’s amazing it ever got funded. \*\* I have had this very discussion many times. Among the people who have never seen **Small Wonder** there is lots of disagreement. Virtually everyone who has seen **Small Wonder** is in agreement that it is _by far_ the worst thing ever put to video. The show is about a man who is some sort of engineer whose company developed a robot that takes the form of a seven year old girl. The robot is a big secret and lives in the family home with the man’s wife and nine year old son. They try to pass her off at their real daughter/sister. Imagine the hilarious, madcap hijinks in which they find themselves. The acting and the writing is so bad as to be unbelievable. I have only managed to watch one episode all of the way through. Robotgirl tries out for little league. Ugh! My **Small Wonder** story: In the early to mid '90s I spent a lot of time in Penang, Malaysia for work. I’d go for around six weeks at a stretch. In those days, the government didn’t allow satelite TV and strictly controlled the media. There were only three TV stations in the country most of the time showing propaganda in Malay. During my first visit, before I understood any Malay, I got a virus and was confined to my hotel room for three days. Every once in a while they would show an imported show in English. I would very much look forward to those times to break the boredom. On the third day of my confinment I flip on the TV and, you guessed it, **Small Wonder** is on. “How bad could it be?” I thought. It’ll be better than nothing. Suddenly the horror set in. They were showing the one single episode that I had already seen. I almost burst into tears. Haj ---
**Author:** ![hardygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@hardygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hardygrrl)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/26 "2001-05-02T14:57:51Z")
I’m one of the few people who HATED the Cosby Show. Hated it with a passion-that talentless,mugging,pious…ARRGGGGHHH!!! ---
**Author:** ![heembo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f6c823/32.png) [@heembo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heembo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/27 "2001-05-02T15:03:45Z")
Whose the Boss? Small Wonder (Little Girl with no affect not funny…) The Facts of Life Highway to Heaven (Can you spend less on actors, please?) Murder, She Wrote Barnaby Jones I’m sure there are more, but I haven’t had an antenna on my TV for about three years now. We only watch movies… ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/28 "2001-05-02T15:08:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hajario \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Dave Swaney \* > > \*\*But for sheer, ultra-hardcore badness, I think you have to go for “Small Wonder”, previously mentioned here. At least most of the other shows mentioned had a shred of acting ability or plausibility, but this one had neither. > > > > Simply appaling. Those of you haven’t seen it will have to take our word for it. It’s amazing it ever got funded. \*\* > > I have had this very discussion many times. Among the people who have never seen **Small Wonder** there is lots of disagreement. Virtually everyone who has seen **Small Wonder** is in agreement that it is _by far_ the worst thing ever put to video. \*\* Let me relay MY **Small Wonder** story. I remember seeing this show during its initial run, and thought it sucked. But it seemed that the local station was so insistent that I watch it that they wouldn’t show it at any set time or day. It was always just…ON…whenever I was watching TV. As a result, I have seen almost every single, solitary episode of this crappy show. I can only hope that the kid who played Jamie was killed in a sex shop outside of Sacramento or something. Does anyone remember **My Secret Identity?** Dirk McGrath as a semi-mad scientist and someone (I keep thinking Jerry O’Connell) as this kid with superpowers. Or what about **Out of This World** , starring Maureen Flannigan (from “Teenage Bonnie and Klepto Clyde”) as a girl whose father was an alien. From IMDB: > [@](#): > > Plot Summary for > “Out of This World” (1987) > > Page 9 of 13 > > Celebrity Photos > Get photos of your favorite celebrities! > Christina Aguilera > > Mel Gibson > > Lucy liu > Jessica Simpson > > James Gandolfini > > Jenna Elfman > Briteny Spears > > Heather Graham > > Kevin Spacey > Cuba gooding, Jr. > > Leonardo Dicaprio > > Denise Richards > > * * * > > MORE PHOTOS > > The series revolves around Evie Garland, who is the daughter of Troy and Donna Garland. Troy, however, is an alien from the planet Anterias. As a benefit of her half-alien parentage, Evie develops three powers as the series progresses. She can pause and un-pause time, “gleep” objects into existence, and can transport herself from one place to another. Troy is living on Anterias and is never seen, but Evie talks to him via a crystal cube. Evie is thirteen at the beginning of the series and lives with her mother in Marlowe, California. Visitors to the Garland home include Donna’s brother Beano; the mayor Kyle Applegate, a former actor; Lindsey, Evie’s best friend; Chris, Evie’s boyfriend; and Buzz, who tends to take things literally. Episodes usually revolve around Evie getting herself out of a situation that she has caused. ---
**Author:** ![OldBroad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@OldBroad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldBroad)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/29 "2001-05-02T15:22:53Z")
Obviously you are all too young to remember “My Mother, The Car”! Got to be up there with the all time worst. ---
**Author:** ![Odieman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a87d85/32.png) [@Odieman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odieman)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/30 "2001-05-02T15:26:57Z")
Small Wonders is definetly on the list Hmm…where is **SqrlCub** with his link to the Small Wonder page when we need him. Saved by the Bell is one of those shows that is so stupefyingly bad that you sit there frozen unable to turn the channel…it would be a great battle weapon…turn it on and the enemy will be frozen in their tracks. Who’s the Boss…god how did Tony Danza get the show, the only thing worse then watching that was listening to him sing…:shudder:… Family Matters…'nuf said… Cybill : Great idea for a show…make every character as annoying as hell…and then add Cybill Sheppard…horrid And a Canadian entry… The Littlest Hobo…Follow the adventures of a German Shepard as he solved everybodys problems…think Lassie with worse writing and acting. Keith ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Zero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/31 "2001-05-02T15:43:41Z")
Home Improvement Anything with the Olsen twins anything with Bob Saget Anything about “Funniest” home videos Most everything that came out in the 80’s. Most everything that came out in the 90’s. **ER** : From beginning to end, it bites. **Judging Amy** : How to write a episode: Take your theme of the week (say, Incest), take your three main characters (Mom, Amy, and Loser Brother), and have them all confront it. (Plot details left to audience). Repeat weekly. (Weakly?) ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/32 "2001-05-02T15:54:56Z")
Ahhh yes. Bad TV. Where to start? How about Joanie Love Chachi? Scott Baio? Give me a break How about Charles in Charge? Scott Biao and Willie Ames? Who’s the Boss? Full House. That show about waitresses with Ann Jillian. Dallas. If all these people hated each other, why did they all live in the same house? Manimal. Does anybody remember this dreck? Hunter. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/33 "2001-05-02T16:49:37Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Superdude \* \*\* > [@](#): > > Plot Summary for > “Out of This World” (1987) > > Page 9 of 13 > > Celebrity Photos > Get photos of your favorite celebrities! > Christina Aguilera > > Mel Gibson > > Lucy liu > Jessica Simpson > > James Gandolfini > > Jenna Elfman > Briteny Spears > > Heather Graham > > Kevin Spacey > Cuba gooding, Jr. > > Leonardo Dicaprio > > Denise Richards > > * * * > > MORE PHOTOS Of course, this part should be ignored. One of these days I’ll learn to preview before posting. I hope one of our mods will take pity on me and edit this the way it should be… ---
**Author:** ![PatrickM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@PatrickM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickM)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/34 "2001-05-02T17:05:35Z")
Obviously none of you have seen “Mama’s Family.” Good lord, was that bad. ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/35 "2001-05-02T17:07:53Z")
Knight Rider. A talking car? With a personality? Bosom Buddies. But at least it started Tom Hanks’ career. Pink Lady (Ladies?). That show about the Asian nurse(s?). ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/36 "2001-05-02T17:22:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RealityChuck \* > **"America’s Funniest Home Videos" was hilarious – if you’re idea of humor was watching some guy getting hit on the crotch in every show. It also has the talentless Bob Sagat as host.** Y’all have already covered my choices, but I had to add something to this: AFHV was a good idea at first. Problem was, it was too damn predictable. (WARNING: gender-based stereotyping follows) You could tell instantly who the winner would be, because if there was a baby/toddler doing something “cute” in one video, every woman and some fraction of the men in the audience would vote for it, and nothing else had a chance. If there was no video with a kid, any video with an animal doing something “cute” would win, automatically. So, there wasn’t any point in doing their “contest” shtick anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/37 "2001-05-02T17:26:18Z")
All this talk of bad but popular TV and no one’s mentioned **Alf**??? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/38 "2001-05-02T17:29:10Z")
_Leave It To Beaver_– which wasn’t **nearly** as interesting as it sounds. _When Animals Attack_– watch human beings get maimed & even killed for your amusement. Ah, the roar of the crowds in the Colisseum, the screams of the victims, the Emperor giving a thumbs down… [sub] Yes, I know they didn’t do that. Figure of speech.[/sub] Who says there ain’t no more entertainment? :rolleyes: By the way,the guy who played Cooter from _The Dukes_ ran for Congress for Georgia & won. Then, he lost an election to Newt Gingrich. :eek: So, I guess there **is** something worse than _The Dukes_ . ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/39 "2001-05-02T17:35:20Z")
I remember an awful '80s show called **Puttin’ on the Hits** where people would cover (lip-sync?) popular songs (in costumes, etc.) and then get judged on “originality” and other qualities. I swear it was like the Kids in the Hall parody of a foreign game show. It was on prime-time for quite a while, though, so it must have been popular. A particularly nauseating moment was when a white-tuxedo’d little kid got perfect marks for a horrible rendition of “Splish Splash”. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038/40 "2001-05-02T17:42:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Max Torque \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by RealityChuck \* > > **"America’s Funniest Home Videos" was hilarious – if you’re idea of humor was watching some guy getting hit on the crotch in every show. It also has the talentless Bob Sagat as host.** > > Y’all have already covered my choices, but I had to add something to this: AFHV was a good idea at first. Problem was, it was too damn predictable. (WARNING: gender-based stereotyping follows) You could tell instantly who the winner would be, because if there was a baby/toddler doing something “cute” in one video, every woman and some fraction of the men in the audience would vote for it, and nothing else had a chance. If there was no video with a kid, any video with an animal doing something “cute” would win, automatically. So, there wasn’t any point in doing their “contest” shtick anymore. \*\* Announcer: “Entry #3: Baby with a nail-gun” _THUNK_ _THUNK_ Homer: “Awwwww.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-popular-television-show-in-history/64038.md?page=3)