# Which popular TV shows have you not seen a single episode of? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 2, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880 "2012-06-02T17:16:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/1 "2012-06-02T17:16:32Z")
Even though I consider myself fairly culturally aware, I know there are a ton of television shows I have never seen. It was suggested that a poll be constructed along those lines, so here we go. I thought it best to keep it SDMB-centric, so I’ve included only the 51 shows from [this 2010 thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=567279), which sought to determine the most popular Doper shows. Which of these shows have you never viewed a single complete episode of? We’re talking sitting down and watching start-to-finish; having it on in the background, seeing a preview or clip, etc. does not count. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/2 "2012-06-02T17:38:56Z")
I probably overstated my case in that in some cases I may have watched an episode or two, but still have no idea what the show was about. I tried to err on the side of accuracy! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/3 "2012-06-02T17:43:01Z")
Most of 'em. Hooray for my cultural cluelessness! ---
**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:** [June 2, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/4 "2012-06-02T17:55:55Z")
I assume The Next Generation and Star Trek: The Next Generation are the same show? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/5 "2012-06-02T17:57:45Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I assume The Next Generation and Star Trek: The Next Generation are the same show? Yeah. I knew I couldn’t do this without screwing something up. 🙂 mmm ---
**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:** [June 2, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/6 "2012-06-02T18:01:59Z")
I have seen one or more episodes of just 13 shows on the list; I guess never having had cable has made an impact on what I have been exposed to… ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/7 "2012-06-02T18:03:00Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Yeah. I knew I couldn’t do this without screwing something up. 🙂 > > mmm Not even a big thing! It’s going to be fun to see, once we have over 30 or so voters, how many of these “Popular Shows” are also only watched by a relatively small number of Dopers. I wonder how we could correlate such results with any hope of making some sort of generalized statement about such matters… ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/8 "2012-06-02T18:05:45Z")
Which “Whose Line” version? I LOVED the U.S. version, never watched the British version. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/9 "2012-06-02T18:23:00Z")
I’ve heard of all the shows on the list except _Good Eats._ Some I watched regularly, some I saw a few episodes and got bored, some I only saw because my husband watched them and I was in the same room (which would be the Star Trek and other sci-fi shows.) Overall, I find I don’t enjoy TV nearly as much as I did when I was a kid - is it because my tastes have changed or TV has gotten worse? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/10 "2012-06-02T18:38:31Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I assume The Next Generation and Star Trek: The Next Generation are the same show? > [@Mean Mr Mustard](#): > > Yeah. I knew I couldn’t do this without screwing something up. Mod intervention: I have edited the duplication. I don’t think I can drop it, but I did indicate that it was an error. Hope that was OK. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/11 "2012-06-02T18:54:09Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Overall, I find I don’t enjoy TV nearly as much as I did when I was a kid - is it because my tastes have changed or TV has gotten worse? Both, I think. I haven’t watched a single episode of the new “Hawaii Five-O” and have no intention of ever doing so. Same for “Big Bang Theory.” Ditto for just about every other show now on network television. Come to think of it, “NCIS,” “Jeopardy,” and the occasional “CSI” or “Criminal Minds” are the only current shows I regularly watch. Everything else is reruns (e.g, “Cheers!,” “Frasier,” “ST: Voyager”) or documentaries (e.g., History, Discovery, National Geographic, PBS, BBC). I do still enjoy “Family Guy,” the occasional episode of “The Simpsons,” and cooking shows (especially with Gordon Ramsey), but they’re beginning to wear a bit thin. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/12 "2012-06-02T18:56:08Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Which “Whose Line” version? I LOVED the U.S. version, never watched the British version. I’m just the opposite. Watched re-runs of the the UK show ( which I liked ), never bothered with the American version. I haven’t seen a full episode of eight of those shows and I skew the poll the most with _The Golden Girls_. Of the ones I have missed I do intend at some point to watch _Twin Peaks_, I just never have sat down and got around to it. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/13 "2012-06-02T18:59:16Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > Mod intervention: I have edited the duplication. I don’t think I can drop it, but I did indicate that it was an error. Hope that was OK. Good enough for me. Thanks. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/14 "2012-06-02T19:13:14Z")
There are a few shows on this list that I’ve never even _heard_ of. What the hell is _Good Eats_? _Carnivale_? _Band of Brothers_ is a TV series? I thought it was a movie. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/15 "2012-06-02T19:19:11Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > What the hell is _Good Eats_? Where TV food-dude Alton Brown shot to fame. Humorous and science-based take on your standard cooking show. > [@](#): > > _Carnivale_? HBO show cancelled after two seasons. A mystical struggle between avatars of good and evil centered around a traveling carnival in Depression-era America. Good quality and rather dark - I was a fan. Some complaints that it moved a little slow, but that isn’t an issue on DVD ;). > [@](#): > > _Band of Brothers_ is a TV series? 10 part fact-based HBO mini-series. Superb look at an American unit from boot-camp, through D-Day and thence on until the end of the war. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/16 "2012-06-02T20:11:14Z")
I tried to get into [ERROR - DISREGARD], but it was shit and I changed the channel halfway through. That counts as not watching a single episode, right? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/17 "2012-06-02T20:30:12Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Some complaints that it moved a little slow, but that isn’t an issue on DVD ;). Because you can watch it at 2x speed? ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/18 "2012-06-02T21:07:45Z")
LMAO…I thought {Error-Disregard} was the OP saying ‘ignore this one’, so I didn’t check it. Never even HEARD of it. For some reason, I have not only never seen Arrested Development, but couldn’t tell you when it aired (the 90’s, maybe?), who was in it, (no clue), or what it’s about (no clue). I miss a lot of joke references because of it, but don’t mind. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/19 "2012-06-02T21:28:49Z")
Here are some comparative figures to consider between the first 70 Voters in this thread and the first 60 Voters in the poll linked to in the OP: ```auto View Poll Results: Which popular TV shows have you not seen a single episode of? The Shield 60 85.71% Carnivale 55 78.57% I Claudius 55 78.57% Freeks & Geeks 54 77.14% Deadwood 51 72.86% The Wire 49 70.00% Angel 48 68.57% Band of Brothers 46 65.71% Rome 46 65.71% The Avengers 44 62.86% Six Feet Under 43 61.43% Good Eats 42 60.00% Breaking Bad 41 58.57% The Office (UK) 40 57.14% Mad Men 38 54.29% NCIS 38 54.29% Doctor Who (2005) 37 52.86% The West Wing 37 52.86% Battlestar Galactica (2004) 34 48.57% Lost 33 47.14% Twin Peaks 32 45.71% My Name is Earl 31 44.29% Northern Exposure 31 44.29% The Sopranos 30 42.86% Arrested Development 29 41.43% Firefly 29 41.43% Buffy the Vampire Slayer 28 40.00% Fawlty Towers 27 38.57% [ERROR - DISREGARD] 27 38.57% House 24 34.29% The Bob Newhart Show (Chicago psychologist) 23 32.86% The Dick Van Dyke Show 22 31.43% ER 21 30.00% NewsRadio 20 28.57% Barney Miller 19 27.14% The Golden Girls 15 21.43% All in the Family 14 20.00% Family Guy 14 20.00% NOVA 14 20.00% Whose Line is it Anyway? 14 20.00% The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 13 18.57% Star Trek: The Next Generation 13 18.57% WKRP in Cincinnati 13 18.57% Futurama 12 17.14% Monty Python’s Flying Circus 9 12.86% Seinfeld 9 12.86% M*A*S*H 8 11.43% Gilligan’s Island 7 10.00% Star Trek (original series) 6 8.57% Cheers 5 7.14% The Simpsons 3 4.29% Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 70 ``` [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12581945&postcount=10](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12581945&postcount=10) The leaders after 60 votes: ```auto The Simpsons 20 33.33% Arrested Development 15 25.00% The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 15 25.00% Buffy 14 23.33% Firefly 14 23.33% Dexter 13 21.67% Futurama 13 21.67% Seinfeld 11 18.33% The Sopranos 11 18.33% M*A*S*H 10 16.67% Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 60. ``` ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880/20 "2012-06-02T22:55:00Z")
Just curious as to what the criteria was for making the list? Why not ‘The Office (US)’ or ‘The X-Files’? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-popular-tv-shows-have-you-not-seen-a-single-episode-of/623880.md?page=2)