Day: July 14, 2008

1. The Simpsons, Fox, 1989-present: I watched religiously for nine or ten years. Spotty since then. Have the soundtrack, saw, and liked, but didn’t love, the movie.
2 The Sopranos, HBO (1999-2007): saw the last four minutes on YouTube. Unless you count all the clips shown at the Emmys. For a show I’ve never watched, I know an awful lot about it. I could be watching it now on non-pay cable, but didn’t.
3 Seinfeld, NBC (1989-98): See, I liked it when it really WAS about nothing, getting lost in a parking lot and whatnot. I did enjoy the TV pitch about the show about nothing and the second spitter. But George and the Yankees? Eh. Susan’s death? Hated. Went from must see from the get-go to catch in reruns the last three seasons.
4 The X-Files, Fox (1993-2002): saw maybe four times, including a two-parter. Liked it when I saw it.
5 Sex and the City, HBO (1998-2004): whereas when this went from HBO to TBS, my wife and I DID watch it. Mostly liked it, though the first half of the first season, it struggled to find is voice.
6 Survivor, CBS (2000-present): watched the first season, which I enjoyed, and the second, which largely bored me. Then started watching the first episode and the finale for a few seasons. Last couple years, haven’t even bothered.
7 The Cosby Show, NBC (1984-92): watched religiously, even though it started losing its mojo at the end.
8 Lost, ABC (2004-present): have seen maybe five minutes of it. At this point, I can’t commit to a serial with such a complex back story.
9 Friends, NBC (1994-2004): watched it in the beginning and at the end. Periodically, it’d irritate me as too cute and I’d bail, but a storyline would pull me back in.
10 Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The WB (1997-2001); UPN (2001-03): saw one musical episode.
11 The Wire, HBO (2002-08): another HBO show I’ve not seen.
12 South Park, Comedy Central (1997-present). Saw a few episodes to see what the fuss was, bailed.
13 Freaks and Geeks, NBC (1999-2000): watched every episode. Loved.
14 The Daily Show, Comedy Central (1996-present): usually see in clips on someone or other’s blog.
15 The Oprah Winfrey Show, Syndicated (1986-present): See infrequently. I remember one episode when she brought together the black kids who integrated the high school in Little Rock in 1957 and those who jeered them; great show. Probably watch thrice a year, such as when she had Paul McCartney on.
16 Arrested Development, Fox (2003-06): didn’t much like when I watched the first season and gave up. Fellow bloggers sang its praise and I tried again at the beginning of Season 2 and watched to the end.
17 The Office (U.K. version), BBC2 (2001-03) – never saw.
18 American Idol, Fox (2002-present)- watched it from the third to the last episode in Season 1, through all of Seasons 2 and 3. Watched just the Top 24 in season 4, top 12 in season 5, and not at all since.
19 ER, NBC (1994-present) – watched the first six or eight seasons before I bailed.
20 Beverly Hills, 90210, Fox (1990-2000) – didn’t watch.
21 Roseanne, ABC (1988-97) – watched the first six or seven seasons before it lost me.
22 The Real World, MTV (1992-present) – saw the first three or four seasons. Since then, watched the first episode of the season a half dozen times, but that was all.
23 The West Wing, NBC (1999-2006) – watched the first five seasons, gave up, watched most of the last season.
24 Star Trek: The Next Generation, Syndication (1987-94) – saw every episode.
25 Miami Vice, NBC (1984-89) – saw a lot of it early; may have given up after three or four seasons.
26 Chappelle’s Show, Comedy Central (2003-06) – saw a couple episodes.
27 Law & Order, NBC (1990-present) – watched religiously from the middle of the first season until Jerry Orbach left, almost not at all since then.
28 The Larry Sanders Show, HBO (1992-98): had HBO for the first couple seasons and watched, but then I didn’t so I didn’t, though I did see the last episode in a hotel room in Boston.
29 The Shield, FX (2002-present): saw a season or two.
30 Late Show With David Letterman, CBS (1993-present): occasionally.
31 The Civil War, PBS (1990): watched it all.
32 Gilmore Girls, The WB (2000-06), The CW (2006-07): caught in reruns the first season, saw the rest. Almost lost me with the Rory/married Dean affair.
33 My So-Called Life, ABC (1994-95): saw it all.
34 24, Fox (2001-present): saw the first season, which was 13 great episodes, followed by WTF. The last episode, though, really got to me. The beginning of the second season turned me off, though I did see parts of that and the next season. Not only gave it up but have railed against it in this blog almost from its inception.
35 CSI, CBS (2000-present): saw one episode, hated it.
36 thirtysomething, ABC (1987-91): watched most episodes.
38 Beavis and Butt-head, MTV (1993-97): watched once, hated.
39 Six Feet Under, HBO (2001-05): never saw; probably would have watched.
40 Mr. Show, (HBO, 1995-98): don’t know what this is.
41 Frasier, NBC (1993-2004): watched every episode.
42 L.A. Law, NBC (1986-94): watched most episodes.
43 Late Night With Conan O’Brien, NBC (1993-present): rarely.
44 Jeopardy!, Syndicated (1984-present): since I owned a VCR, almost never miss.
45 Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO (2000-present): haven’t seen; probably would if I could.
46 Homicide: Life on the Street, NBC (1993-99): favorite show of the decade.
47 30 Rock, NBC (2006-present): tried it early, didn’t like.
48 Ally McBeal, Fox (1997-2002): one of those shows I watched whether it was good (Robert Downey Jr.) or not (Hayden Pantitierre as Ally’s daughter).
49 Twin Peaks, ABC (1990-91): watched the first season but lost interest.
50 Baywatch, NBC (1989-90), Syndicated (1991-2001): never saw a complete episode.
51. Melrose Place, Fox (1992-99): ditto.
52. Felicity, The WB (1998-2002): ditto.
53. Will & Grace, NBC (1998-2006): watched sporadically, such as Gene Wilder’s first appearance.
54. Moonlighting, ABC (1985-89): another show I watched from its great beginning to its lousy post-“Maddie-and-David succumb” end.
55. Pee-wee’s Playhouse, CBS (1986-90): saw a couple times.
56. Desperate Housewives, ABC (2004-present): never saw a full episode.
57. The Amazing Race, CBS (2001-present): ditto.
58. The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, NBC (1992-present): generally not.
59. Battlestar Galactica, Sci Fi (2003-2008): never saw.
60. Xena: Warrior Princess, Syndicated (1995-2001): never saw a full episode.
61. The Office (U.S.), NBC (2005-present): watched from the beginning.
62. House, Fox (2004-present): watched once or twice.
63. Mystery Science Theater 3000, Comedy Central (1989-96), Sci Fi (1997-99): tried it, bored me.
64. The Osbournes, MTV (2002-05): watched two or three episodes before giving up.
65. Family Guy, Fox (1999-2002, 2005-present): watched about a season in its first incarnation, quit.
66. Grey’s Anatomy, ABC (2005-present: have watched far too many episodes.
67. Planet Earth, Discovery Channel (2007): don’t think I have.
68. Jackass, MTV (2000-02): never saw.
69. The Colbert Report, Comedy Central (2005-present): rarely.
70. Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS (1996-2005): one episode.
71. Friday Night Lights, NBC (2006-present): never saw a full episode; I’m sure it’s very good, and I’d like it, but it was a matter of time.
72. NewsRadio, NBC (1995-99): watched maybe a half dozen episodes when Phil Hartman was on.
73. Oz, HBO (1997-2003)” another HBO casualty.
74. Wiseguy, CBS (1987-90): watched religiously.
75. Project Runway, Bravo (2004-present): never saw.
76. In Living Color, Fox (1990-94): watched for most of a season.
77. The Golden Girls, NBC (1985-92): probably saw 75% of the episodes; hey, it had Betty White!
78. I’ll Fly Away, NBC (1991-93): watched religiously.
79. The Comeback, HBO (2005): don’t know this.
80. King of the Hill, Fox (1997-present): watched it religiously, for about three seasons, then stopped. Don’t know why.
81. Murphy Brown, CBS (1988-98): probably saw every episode.
82. The Hills, MTV (2006-present): actively not interested.
83. Absolutely Fabulous, BBC2 (1992), BBC1 (1994-2004): saw a run of this somewhere (PBS?)
84. Northern Exposure, CBS (1990-95): watched religiously.
85. The Kids in the Hall, HBO (1989-92), CBS (1992-95): saw a few episodes, almost certainly on CBS.
86. Prime Suspect, ITV (1991-2006): watched most seasons in the 1990s, but sorta forgot about it.
87. Deadwood, HBO (2004-06): another HBO no-show.
88. Malcolm in the Middle, Fox (2000-06): a handful of times.
89. SpongeBob SquarePants, Nickelodeon (1999-present): watched for maybe a couple seasons BEFORE Lydia was born, seldom since.
90. Dawson’s Creek, The WB (1998-2003): saw the last episode, maybe one or two others.
91. Mad Men, AMC (2007-present): until it got Emmy love, off my radar.
92. The Ben Stiller Show, Fox (1992-93): probably saw most of it.
93. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Bravo (2003-07): watched a couple seasons with my wife.
94. Married…With Children, Fox (1987-97): saw once; hated.
95. Designing Women, CBS (1986-93): one of those shows that followed something I was watching and ended up seeing occasionally.
96. The Arsenio Hall Show, Syndicated (1989-94): saw much of one season, not much more, though I did watch Bill Clinton.
97. Party of Five, Fox (1994-2000): saw the pilot, little else.
98. MacGyver, ABC (1985-92): once in a great while.
99. The Bachelor, ABC (2002-present): never a whole episode.
100. Saved by the Bell, NBC (1989-93): never a whole episode. And what I did see was really bad.