TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
#1
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
Super Force was a TV series a briefly remember watching as a kid which I found was out on DVD accidentally. The thing that surprised me though is that until I found this on DVD not a single trace of this show could be found. No episodes were on YouTube, no clips etc. This got me thinking of other shows which seem like they should have a cult following but really don't. Others I can think of are:
Saved by the Bell: The New Class: It ran for longer than SBTB at 7 years but while the original is still fondly remembered, no on seems to give a shit about this show at all. Even people who grew up with it.
Human Target: Both versions. The Rick Springfield one has never been seen and the reboot, despite being a ridiculously fun show just seems to be forgotten.
M.A.N.T.I.S: The first super hero show to focus on an African American as the hero and produced by Sam Hamm and Sam Raimi. Feels like it should be more well remembered.
Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future: The toys are more remembered than the show for some reason. But with J. Michael Straczynski and Larry Ditillio writing, and a rather serious plot it seems like it should have more fans.
Freddy's Nightmares: The show isn't shown in syndication anywhere and was never released on DVD, despite the fact that it featured Robert Englund as Freddy again, and with the controversy it caused, you would assume it would have more staying power than it has.
Saved by the Bell: The New Class: It ran for longer than SBTB at 7 years but while the original is still fondly remembered, no on seems to give a shit about this show at all. Even people who grew up with it.
Human Target: Both versions. The Rick Springfield one has never been seen and the reboot, despite being a ridiculously fun show just seems to be forgotten.
M.A.N.T.I.S: The first super hero show to focus on an African American as the hero and produced by Sam Hamm and Sam Raimi. Feels like it should be more well remembered.
Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future: The toys are more remembered than the show for some reason. But with J. Michael Straczynski and Larry Ditillio writing, and a rather serious plot it seems like it should have more fans.
Freddy's Nightmares: The show isn't shown in syndication anywhere and was never released on DVD, despite the fact that it featured Robert Englund as Freddy again, and with the controversy it caused, you would assume it would have more staying power than it has.
Last edited by robin2099; 02-15-19 at 07:33 AM.
#2
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
The short lived Fast TImes at Ridgemont High tv show.
#3
DVD Talk Legend
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
Men Behaving Badly starring Rob Schneider.
#4
DVD Talk Legend
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
I'll see your SBTB New Class and raise you SBTB College Years.
#5
DVD Talk Hero
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
SBTB College years should have a cult following? Nah, I can't imagine it wouldn't completely overlap with SBTB fandom.
New Class did run longer but it changed its cast up so much that I don't think people got as invested. Plus they produced a metric ton of those shows at the time: California Dreams, City Guys, Hang Time, One World, etc. It's kind of like the current crop of Disney channel shows, a lot don't get remembered because there are always new ones. Or even 80s cartoons, there were just sooo many that if I reminded you that there was, say, a cartoon series based on a living Rubiks Cube, you probably remember it, but it would otherwise remain forgotten.
I'll agree with Captain Power, though because it had a toyline (that interacted with the show) I'm sure there's a cult following, even if it's small.
New Class did run longer but it changed its cast up so much that I don't think people got as invested. Plus they produced a metric ton of those shows at the time: California Dreams, City Guys, Hang Time, One World, etc. It's kind of like the current crop of Disney channel shows, a lot don't get remembered because there are always new ones. Or even 80s cartoons, there were just sooo many that if I reminded you that there was, say, a cartoon series based on a living Rubiks Cube, you probably remember it, but it would otherwise remain forgotten.
I'll agree with Captain Power, though because it had a toyline (that interacted with the show) I'm sure there's a cult following, even if it's small.
#6
DVD Talk Legend
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
Harper's Island, Mr. Selfridge, Love, Red Oaks and The Knick all come to mind. Especially The Knick.
Banshee has one but it should be bigger. Same thing with Hannibal & Penny Dreadful.
Banshee has one but it should be bigger. Same thing with Hannibal & Penny Dreadful.
#7
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
#8
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Bay Area, California
Posts: 8,939
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
Yeah... the 2nd season was a nightmare. No clue what they were thinking. I'm still bitter about how they mangled that show.
#10
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
That ran for 7 years? I thought it was on for like 3 seasons in the mid 90s. Well, you learn something new every day. Funny you mention Freddy's Nightmares. After hearing about that show for years, I caught a couple episodes on El Ray about a year and a half ago and, honestly, I thought it sucked. The acting was terrible, the production values looked super cheap, it looked like it was shot on VHS; just all-around the show looked and felt super low-budget, like a really bad fan movie. Even though Robert Englund was in it, you never really saw Freddy, except as a darkened silhouette. Even in the first episode, which serves as a prequel to the first movie (for those not in the know), they didn't really show Freddy, which made me wonder if Robert Englund was actually there or if there was a stand-in actor and Englund was just doing the dubbing.
#11
DVD Talk Hero
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
The animated Tick series. It's still the best Tick in any medium, including the original comic books. It predates the superhero craze of the past decade and had an erratic schedule when it first aired on Fox in the 1990s. Disney controls the property in North America and they've deepsixed it into their vaults. I have a hunch if some other company owned it, the show would still be shown somewhere.
#12
DVD Talk Hero
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
The animated Tick series. It's still the best Tick in any medium, including the original comic books. It predates the superhero craze of the past decade and had an erratic schedule when it first aired on Fox in the 1990s. Disney controls the property in North America and they've deepsixed it into their vaults. I have a hunch if some other company owned it, the show would still be shown somewhere.
There's a newish PBS cartoon by the guy who did Rocko's Modern Life and it was instantly recognizable to me. Though I think even Rocko has a cult following.
#13
DVD Talk Hero
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Somewhere between Heaven and Hell
Posts: 34,055
Received 716 Likes
on
521 Posts
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
Is there still a following for Friday the 13th the series? It seemed to have one for a while and then it fizzled out. Robey
#14
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
Considering how immensely popular True Crime docuseries have become, I was a little surprised that Trial & Error didn't catch on a little more. It was friggin hilarious and really got the genre right while still making for a clever satire of it as well.
#15
#16
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
Life...the cop show with Damien Lewis and Sarah Shahi. It's probably one of my favorite all-time shows, but no one ever mentions it.
#17
DVD Talk Legend
#18
#19
DVD Talk Legend
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
My choice would be Pushing Daisies.
#20
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
#21
DVD Talk Hero
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
Pushing Daisies is another one that I'm sure has a cult following and is remembered fondly. I'd think Fuller's earlier shows like Wonderfalls or even Dead Like Me are less remembered.
#22
DVD Talk Legend
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
I believe that Dead Like Me is the one that often people associate Fuller with. I give you Wonderfalls as that one might be the forgotten out of the 3.
#23
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
Wow, that's funny. I lent Wonderfalls to a friend not too long ago and I told my buddy it was kinda similar to Pushing Daisies, just not as colorful. I had no idea they were done by the same guy.
#24
DVD Talk God
Re: TV shows you are surprised do not have a cult following
Strike Back, especially the first 4 seasons with Phillip Winchester and Sullivan Stapleton. Such a badass action series. But, I feel like only 5 people in this forum watch it.
It does have fans and a following outside of this forum, but I feel like the interest should be bigger.
It does have fans and a following outside of this forum, but I feel like the interest should be bigger.