# TV Shows that made a big pop culture splash but are now disproportionately forgotten **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 17, 2014, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849 "2014-11-17T13:36:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/1 "2014-11-17T13:36:36Z")
Building off [Movies that made a big pop culture splash but are now disporportionately[sic] forgotten](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740931), what are some TV shows that suffered the same fate? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/2 "2014-11-17T13:46:21Z")
Ally McBeal. Thirtysomething. I think they both date badly. ---
**Author:** ![CT\_Damsel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CT\_Damsel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CT_Damsel)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/3 "2014-11-17T13:51:03Z")
Soap ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/4 "2014-11-17T13:53:06Z")
NYPD Blue. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/5 "2014-11-17T14:02:04Z")
Welcome Back, Kotter Family Ties Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/6 "2014-11-17T14:02:45Z")
Hill Street Blues ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/7 "2014-11-17T14:16:53Z")
Captain Video – still the most successful SF TV show (more episodes than Doctor Who), and the zero point for all US SF TV shows The Quatermass Xperiment – not as successful, but the zero point for UK televised science fiction Laugh-In – its influence on comedy is everywhere. ---
**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:** [November 17, 2014, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/8 "2014-11-17T14:17:04Z")
_ **Twin Peaks.** _ ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/9 "2014-11-17T14:19:12Z")
The Electric Company ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/10 "2014-11-17T14:21:52Z")
I don’t want to fight the premise, but I think it’s clear only a tiny percentage of television shows remain relevant past their original showing, mostly due to syndication. It would be far easier to list the few shows that made it in syndication than list the thousands that didn’t. ---
**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:** [November 17, 2014, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/11 "2014-11-17T14:22:22Z")
Boston Public Alias Smith and Jones An American Family Arnie Bridget Loves Bernie (Highest-rated series to be canceled after one season) Story Theater ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/12 "2014-11-17T14:27:49Z")
**Picket Fences** and **The Practice** both won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series two years in a row. Who talks about them today? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/13 "2014-11-17T14:35:57Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The Quatermass Xperiment. Hardly obscure in the UK. There was even a [remake](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quatermass_Experiment_%282005_TV_film%29) a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/14 "2014-11-17T14:39:56Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > _ **Twin Peaks.** _ Heathen! ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/15 "2014-11-17T14:47:49Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > I don’t want to fight the premise, but I think it’s clear only a tiny percentage of television shows remain relevant past their original showing, mostly due to syndication. It would be far easier to list the few shows that made it in syndication than list the thousands that didn’t. Then there are shows like **Herman’s Head** , which lasted just long enough to make a decent-sized cultural impact but ended two episodes short of the minimum required for syndication. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/16 "2014-11-17T14:51:57Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > I don’t want to fight the premise, but I think it’s clear only a tiny percentage of television shows remain relevant past their original showing, mostly due to syndication. It would be far easier to list the few shows that made it in syndication than list the thousands that didn’t. Even if the baseline state is failure, “disproportionately” means exceptional even when adjusting for the baseline. The criteria is shows that people were fairly confident should have attained cultural relevance but failed to. > [@BobLibDem](#): > > Heathen! I agree. Twin Peaks to me is the exact opposite of this phenomena, which is a show that wasn’t huge when it was on but has only attained more cultural relevance over time. Although I disagree with you about Hill Street Blues. It was at the risk of fading but I think The Wire rethrust it back into cultural landscape. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/17 "2014-11-17T14:53:15Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > I don’t want to fight the premise, but I think it’s clear only a tiny percentage of television shows remain relevant past their original showing, mostly due to syndication. Yeah, but most shows canceled early in didn’t make a “big splash” either or else they wouldn’t have been canceled. The other day I was thinking about Cagney & Lacey and it occurred to me that I couldn’t say or remember a single thing about it beyond “Had two lady cops” despite it being a fairly big deal at the time. Show ran for seven seasons though between 1981-1988. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/18 "2014-11-17T14:57:34Z")
On a slightly different tack, In the 90’s, Nickelodeon came out with a string of original, excellent children’s programming like Rugrats, Ren & Stimpy, Rocko’s Modern Life, Aaahh! Real Monsters, Hey Arnold and Angry Beavers which are still remembered fondly and referenced to this day. Then, in the middle of all this was Doug which was a show that got great ratings while it was on but so bland it basically disappeared from the cultural consciousness as soon as it went off the air. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/19 "2014-11-17T14:59:34Z")
Here Come The Brides. Mail order brides sent to loggers in Seattle, starring Bobby Sherman and Joan Blondell. … Well, it was a big deal to me and other teenage girls back in the day 😛 - we discussed it in depth the next day at school, if not on the phone right after an airing. ---
**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:** [November 17, 2014, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/20 "2014-11-17T15:18:40Z")
The original _ **CSI** _ was a huge international hit, but I never hear it mentioned these days. (Is it still even on?) I quit watching not long after William Peterson left the series, but ten years ago, I couldn’t wait to see what it was going to be about this week! I’ve seen every episode of excellent shows like _ **The Sopranos** _, _ **Crime Story** _, and _ **Twin Peaks** _, usually more than once; while I still might watch one occasionally today, I no longer feel any real need to. I guess that’s only natural once you know how things are going to end. On the other hand, I hate to miss reruns of _ **Columbo** _ and _ **Batman** _, even though I know virtually each episode by heart. Does this make me weird? :dubious: 😕☹ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849.md?page=2)