The Cult World According to TV Guide…

I found this at another forum; thought it didn’t deserve a new topic, but since it’s relevant to this discussion…

The following list is TV Guide’s “The Top 25 Cult Shows Ever” from their latest issue.

[i]Notes[/i]: I don’t know how they came up with the results. Any one pick up the issue? Did they run polls at their website? Is it a critics list? Did they do research on the fan-base? I think we can all agree that when it comes to devotion, a Trekkie is pretty hard to beat, so number one is an obvious choice. Also, this is not a 25 Cult Sci-fi/Fantasy list, just cult, so it’s pretty impressive how many of the shows are of our genre.

1. STAR TREK

2. THE X-FILES

3. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER

4. FARSCAPE

5. MONTY PYTHON’S FLYING CIRCUS

6. THE SIMPSONS

7. THE PRISONER

8. THE TWILIGHT ZONE

9. XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS

10. PEE-WEE’S PLAYHOUSE

11. MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000

12. FAMILY GUY

13. BABYLON 5

14. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

15. QUANTUM LEAP

16. MY SO CALLED LIFE

17. THE AVENGERS

18. DOCTOR WHO

19. DARK SHADOWS

20. TWIN PEAKS

21. MARY HARTMAN, MARY HARTMAN

22. H.R. PUFNSTUF

23. FOREVER KNIGHT

24. ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS

25. FREAKS AND GEEKS

Too bad there’s no Red Dwarf, no Lexx, no Outer Limits, no UFO, no The Invaders, no Blake’s 7, no Lost in Space, no Space 1999 etc — ah, but it’s only 25 and not confined to sci-fi. And in non-sci-fi, would’ve liked to have seen Black Adder make the list, but perhaps it didn’t get a big enough run in the US — but the Beeb’s Ab Fab is there. And what about Blossom and Full House? Damn! They didn’t make the final cut. 🙄

So, what is a cult show? Judging by the list entries, it can be a show like The Simpsons (one of my faves) which has had major mainstream success — it’s generally popular and well-accepted enough to be considered mainstream, but also has a “cult” following. Perhaps the main thing that sets the cultist apart from the mainstreamist is the level of devotion. The more loyal (vocal, devout etc.) the fans (i.e. the more fanatical); the more “cult” is the show. Personally I wouldn’t judge by numbers, but by the extremes the followers go to support, discuss, and LIVE their favourite show.

Now, that news story Pet submitted about the guy who modeled his apartment after Star Trek TNG, there’s a loyal follower. He literally lives in a sci-fi [model] universe. Being a sci-fi cultist isn’t just a fancy, it’s a way of life; a way of perceiving the world. It’s a religion.

Praise be to cult sci-fi! We humble ourselves before the holy girdle of Kirk!