Favorite TV Shows #90 - 81

90. Batman (1966 - 1968) - I loved watching this show when I was a child. I remember always getting worried for Batman's safety as he was fighting the bad guys (as if he was not going to win every time.) I also really liked the use of the "POW", "BAM","OOOFF"  etc. when Batman was beating up on the villains. I think my favorite part of the show, however, was the cliffhanger endings and the subtle reminder for us to tune in again next week at the same time and in the same place. As an adult I can not think of anything I would hate to watch more than a show that ends each week with a cliffhanger. I will never forget the one episode of Survivor that ended in a cliffhanger and I was a complete mess for the entire week. After a few days of shock that the show did not end with someones torch being snuffed, my shock quickly turned into anger. I vowed that I would not watch Survivor again, which obviously did not last for even one episode.

Favorite Character - Batman
Least Favorite Character - Robin

The writers of the opening theme song deserve a Grammy award for most original theme song. How could they possibly have come up with those killer lyrics?


89. That 70's Show (1998 - 2006) - I have to admit that I did not watch this show when it originally aired, I have only watched the reruns. For some reason I did not want to watch it and in college I would refuse to join my friends while they would gather to watch. I suppose I can admit that I was being stubborn and had I given the show a chance I could have joined my friends as they all crammed into a room the size of my bathroom and shared laughs over Ashton and the gang. I can't be too hard on myself though because I am 100% positive that I was doing something much more enjoyable than watching "That 70's Show" at 9pm while in college.

Favorite Character -  Eric

Least Favorite Character -  Fez



88. Sesame Street (1969 - Present) - I will reiterate that this is a list of my favorite TV shows of ALL TIME. I can not leave out Sesame Street even though I have not seen one minute of it in over 25 years. Like most children, I was a hard-core Sesame Street fan and would have killed to be able to visit the famous street. I use to get so jealous of the real humans on the show because they got to play with my idols and stroll up and down my favorite street. This list does NOT include children's cartoons, however, since Sesame Street is not a cartoon it was fair game. I would like to take a moment to thank Sesame Street for giving me a head start on becoming the amazing English teacher that I am today.

Favorite Character- So hard to choose, but I am going to go with Aloysius Snuffleupagus, more commonly known as Mr. Snuffleupagus or Snuffy, the big dumb woolly mammoth.


Least Favorite Character - Bert.  He is so mean to Ernie sometimes and it really made me mad.


87. Weeds (2005 - Present) - Another show very similar to Sesame Street is "Weeds", which follows the story of Nancy Botwin, a recently widowed mother of two who is forced to begin selling marijuana to support her family. I am not sure if this is a correct fact, but I believe "Weeds" is actually a spin-off of Sesame Street. Don't quote me on that though.
There has been six seasons of "Weeds" so far, and I have only watched two. I started last summer and watched season one in about two days. I have gingerly been getting through season two, but I am a very busy guy and "Weeds" has taken a back burner to other more pressing things I need to accomplish, like watching "How the States Got There Shapes" on the History channel, or re-watching season one of "Modern Family."
Regardless, I loved the first season, and really liked the second season. I will eventually watch the rest of the seasons, and the show may move up or down on my list. I feel confident, however, that the show deserves a spot in the top 100.

Favorite Character - Nancy

Least Favorite Character -   The nerdy son.


86. Party of Five (1994 - 2000) Who did not have a special place in their hearts for the Salinger siblings. Yes, I'll admit that the special place in my heart got smaller and smaller as the series progressed, but for at least the first two seasons they held a substantially large portion of my heart. As I touched upon earlier, I watched a VERY limited amount of television for the first three years of my college career, and seeing as I went to college in 1998, I am pretty sure I stopped watching "Party of Five" just in time for, what I can only imagine, were three very awful seasons. On a side note, I still think it is hysterical every time I walk up to a hostess and say Party of Five to them. It will NEVER get old.
The show did make pretty big stars out of the otherwise unknown cast members. The show gave us :

* Matthew Fox, who later became an A-list celebrity thanks to his stint on "Lost."
* Neve Campbell, who was on the verge of being an A-list celebrity thanks to the "Scream" movies.
* Jennifer Love-Hewitt, who became a solid B-List celebrity thanks to "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and the hit-sequel "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer."
* Scott Wolf, the C-list celebrity heart throb who is now best know for marrying one of the best looking girls to ever appear on the Real World, Kelly Limp. (yes, her name in now Kelly Limp Wolf.)
* Lacey Chabert, who grew up right in front of our eyes and wow'd us with her epic performance as Gretchen Wieners in the blockbuster epic, "Mean Girls."
* Jeremy London, the F-list celebrity who most recently played himself in Dr. Drew Pinsky's latest comedic experiment, Celebrity Rehab.

Thank you Party of Five. What would the world be like without you?

No favorite or least favorite characters here. They are all very special to me.


I take that back. After further consideration, Neve Campbell's role of Julia was by far my least favorite. She was miserable, and always crying about something. Buzzkill!!!!!!!!


85. Dallas / Dynasty / Falcon Crest / Knots Landing (1978 - 1991, 1981 - 1989, 1981 - 1990, 1979 - 1993)
Who the hell can tell the difference between any of these shows? For some reason I use to watch them, and for some even stranger reason, I LOVED them. They were all prime time soap operas and during their combined run I ranged in age of -2 to 13. WHY was I watching these, and what is wrong with me?

I will not get into any details about these shows, but most of them are out on DVD and I am contemplating purchasing a few seasons to see if I enjoy them as an adult. I will, however, include a scene that has literally traumatized me since I was about 8 years old. It is from Falcon Crest and mom, if you are reading this, I am sure you already know which scene I am referring to. The scene is from season 9 and it is the first episode of the season. One of the main female characters, who had been on the show since the show began, jumps into the pool to pick up some toys left behind by her bratty children. As she is on the bottom of her pool she gets her ring caught in the drain and drowns. Re-watching this scene 22 years later is something that I have wanted to do for a while, but just was not ready until now. Maybe the nightmares will finally stop.

HAPPY SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!


Here are some of the openings to a few of these brilliant shows.

God, how I love that.

That's it. I am starting a petition to get this back on the air.


84. Jackass (2000 - 2002) - The boys of Jackass took the world by storm over ten years ago and are still shocking viewers today. I have to admit that I am not much of a fan anymore, but I certainly found them to be quite entertaining back in the day. Jackass has spawned many other similar shows, but none seem to have been able to capture the shock and awe that Johnny Knoxvillle and his friends gave us. There are thousands of foolish American kids that have tried to mimic the Jackass boys and take on the stunts themselves, only to find that the warning "Do Not Try This At Home" is asked of us for a reason. I have never had the desire to staple my eyelids shut, or hammer a nail through my tongue, but it is refreshing to know that should I ever have the urge to do any of those things, there is a platform (and an audience) waiting for me.

Favorite Character - Johnny Knoxville

Least Favorite Character -Preston


83. Coach (1989 - 1997) - "Coach" is another show, like "Party of Five", that should have ended a few years before it did. I loved "Coach" for about four seasons. I am not sure if the show kept getting less and less funny, or if I simply outgrew the humor. I thought it was hysterical when I was 9 - 12, but once I hit my teen years I guess I was way too mature for "Coach" and Craig T. Nelson. I have stumbled upon a few reruns of the show, but cannot bring myself to watch it. I am very confident that I will never watch another episode of "Coach" again, but I am more than OK with that. I cannot, however, pretend that I did not love it once upon a time, and therefore, it had to make the countdown.

Favorite Character - Dauber

Least Favorite Character -   This guy. I forgot his role, but I remember really disliking him.

Who doesn't love this opening theme?

82. TRL (1998 - 2008) - Here is another guilty pleasure that makes the countdown. I am a huge music guy, and TRL was one of the only places where I could see music videos. Even in 1998 I did not have regular access to the internet and could not watch videos online. TRL was literally one of the only places we could watch videos. Of course, the videos were pretty much the same ten videos every day with a few changes here and there. I vividly remember Blink 182's "All the Small Things", N'Sync's "Bye Bye Bye", Britney Spears' "Baby, One More Time", Backstreet Boy's "I Want it That Way", Limp Bizkit's "Nookie", and Christina Augelera's "Genie in a Bottle" all being TRL staples.

I can't even say that I would not watch if it were still on today. I love music videos, and TRL would really help me stay in the loop about what pre-teenage girls are listening to now-a-days.

Blink 182 "All the Small Things"

N'Sync "Bye Bye Bye"

Britney Spears "Baby, One More Time"

Mariah Carey's infamous breakdown live on TRL. A MUST WATCH!!!! This has got to be one of the best meltdowns ever captured on live television. Also, can somebody please tell me why Carson Daly was a better host ten years ago than he is today? I don't get it.

81. Oz (1997 - 2003) - Nothing has ever made me want to be a good, law-abiding citizen more than the television show "Oz." I am pretty sure that if I ever committed a felony, and had to go prison, I would not make it past the first two or three days. I don't want to even imagine how bad I would be at being a prisoner. I would more than likely complain to my prison mate non stop and he would more than likely snap and strangle me in my sleep (and that is the best case scenario.)

I would, however, kind of like solitary confinement for a few days. Although the solitary confinement on "Oz" looked very brutal and did not seem remotely enjoyable, it still seemed much better than being surrounded by all those mean, scary men.

Favorite Characters -  Prisoner 98K514

                               Prisoner 97P904

                                 Prisoner 97N909

I like to imagine that they are all nice guys and never did anything wrong.

Least Favorite Character -  Prisoner 97S110

                                          The guy in the wheelchair. I hated him, and I really do not know why. He seemed like a nice enough guy.

                                          ... and him. No explanation necessary.