# Worst TV Shows, or-Why we call it The Idiot Box **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 21, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559 "2013-03-21T18:56:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/121 "2013-03-22T23:18:04Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Most of you need to thank God fasting that you are too young to have seen [The Smothers Brothers Show](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smothers_Brothers_Show). No, it’s not the one where they sang “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy”. It’s the one before that, where Tommy Smothers comes back to earth after drowning. As an angel. That show, and Tori, are things Aaron Spelling is going to answer for if there is > > Regards, > Shodan You must have watched only high class shows if you thought that one was the worst. Not great, and it sucked relative to their variety show, but I don’t remember it with pain, and I think I saw all the episodes. Better than Bill Cosby’s first solo show where he played a gym teacher. BTW, the Smothers Brothers weren’t going to sing Waist Deep - Pete Seeger was ([cite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smothers_Brothers_Comedy_Hour)). He got censored the first time, but later sang the song, which he wrote. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/122 "2013-03-22T23:18:59Z")
> [@Mann\_Slaughter](#): > > “[Top Of The Heap](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101222/combined)”…? Wow, I had blissfully forgotten about that one. I am amazed that Matt LeBlanc’s career survived it. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/123 "2013-03-22T23:43:45Z")
Two words: _Fish Police._ ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/124 "2013-03-22T23:57:35Z")
There are too many. I can maybe name the top three categories of TV shows I despise: 1. Every reality show ever produced. 2. All those afternoon talk shows: Ricki Lake, Sally Jesse, Montel, etc. 3. All those judge programs. What they all seem to have in common is holding people up to ridicule. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/125 "2013-03-23T00:05:22Z")
Oh yeah, remember _Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous_? That was a twofer, you could hate the show _and_ Robin Leech. A few other dreadful shows come to mind \*Hee Haw The Lawrence Welk Show Knight Rider\* ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/126 "2013-03-23T01:21:57Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Oh yeah, remember _Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous_? That was a twofer, you could hate the show _and_ Robin Leech. > > A few other dreadful shows come to mind > > \*Hee Haw > > The Lawrence Welk Show > > Knight Rider\* \*Hee Haw Honeys Jimmy Durante And The Lennon Sisters Team Knight Rider\* Check and Mate. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/127 "2013-03-23T01:22:54Z")
Seinfeld ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/128 "2013-03-23T01:26:59Z")
Remember “ALF”? That was pretty bad. Not quite as much as some of these, but still pretty crappy. ---
**Author:** ![Chris2011](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Chris2011](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chris2011)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/129 "2013-03-23T01:42:46Z")
The Amazing Race Survivor Dancing With The Stars. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/130 "2013-03-23T03:54:32Z")
With all the talk of _Small Wonder_ and _Too Close for Comfort_, I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned another straight-to-syndication sitcom (actually, it might have started out as a prime-time network show; in any case, it didn’t last long in that capacity) called _It’s A Living_ about a bunch of waitresses. Dumb as shit. And unless I missed it, nobody’s mentioned _Mama’s Family_ yet, which is a travesty. Personally, I’ve never seen a sitcom from the '60s that I could stomach other than _The Dick Van Dyke Show_ - _Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, Gomer Pyle, The Beverly Hillbillies, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie_ - all absolute crap. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/131 "2013-03-23T04:27:54Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Seinfeld :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/132 "2013-03-23T04:29:11Z")
what? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/133 "2013-03-23T04:33:34Z")
Look, you don’t have to like Seinfeld. It’s perfectly valid to like the things you like and not like the things you don’t like. But Seinfeld was not the worst TV show you ever watched, unless it’s the only show you ever watched. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/134 "2013-03-23T04:35:36Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > what? I assume just the idea that you’d think _Seinfeld_ was the worst show ever. You may not like it. I, personally, hate \*Sex & the City, Friends, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men…\*but there’s no reasonable metric by which these shows are worse than _Small Wonder, BJ and the Bear, Mama’s Family, Babes, Hee Haw_, or any of dozens of other truly worthless shows listed in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Hottius\_Maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hottius\_Maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hottius_Maximus)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/135 "2013-03-23T04:51:08Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > I assume just the idea that you’d think _Seinfeld_ was the worst show ever. You may not like it. I, personally, hate \*Sex & the City, Friends, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men…\*but there’s no reasonable metric by which these shows are worse than _Small Wonder, BJ and the Bear, Mama’s Family, Babes, Hee Haw_, or any of dozens of other truly worthless shows listed in this thread. Yeah I can’t sit through any of those shows you mentioned either. ---
**Author:** ![Hottius\_Maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hottius\_Maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hottius_Maximus)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/136 "2013-03-23T05:00:10Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Ugh, yeah, that’s it. Jeez, everything from Sid and Marty Krofft should be on the list (Far Out Space Nuts? HR Pufnstuff? The Bugaloos?). The Bugaloos was a crap show but let’s admit it: every boy wanted to DO JOY something fierce! Speaking of crap kid’s shows: 1. Shazam which was dreadful live action show on Saturday mornings starring Les Tremayne. FYI I will give a “dishonorable mention” to Isis but again, like the Bugaloos, there was a REASON to watch Isis on Saturday morning, and it sure as hell wasn’t the scripts! 2. Run Joe Run. A Rin Tin Tin ripoff. 3. Electra Woman and Dyna Girl. Another show full of crap scripts and acting, HOWEVER…see my comments above. As for regular prime time crap: there have been so many, where do I begin? The Nanny…Fran Drescher. Need I say more? Diff’rent Strokes…Unfunny kids with unfunny father and series of unfunny maids. Fish…Abe Vigoda should have stayed on Barney Miller. How about shows that started out well enough but overstayed there welcome? Perhaps I should start a new thread on that. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/137 "2013-03-23T05:32:06Z")
A lot of memories of a lot of crap. Here’s some current ones that are just as bad: Whitney Swamp People Ancient Aliens Gold Rush (or whatever that idiotic prospector reality show is called) Bigfoot Hunters Wicked Tuna Deadliest Catch Whatever the name of the anti-whaling reality show is where they are pirates screwing with the Japanese whaling fleet. Whale Wars. Two Broke Girls. The only thing that keeps me watching this show is the hope that Kat Denning’s blouse will bust open and the censors will be so bored that they will miss it. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/138 "2013-03-23T07:52:03Z")
[Best of the West](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_of_the_West) I also was going to mention Woops! [Help Me Help You](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help_Me_Help_You) (I know you’ve never heard of it-I believe I was the only one watching.) ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/139 "2013-03-23T08:48:54Z")
Cop Rock? Ha! There’s an even dumber Steven Bochco cop show. [Blind Justice.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424609/) Behold the first blind police detective. Yeah, that’s right, not a desk jockey, not a guy doing menial tasks. A detective. Who is blind. Not with Daredevil’s superpowers, just blind. A show done in complete and utter straight-faced seriousness, and all the worse for it. Now, you may be asking: did they give him a gun? The answer is ‘yes’. Did he use it against suspects? You know it. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/140 "2013-03-23T13:42:14Z")
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