69. Dancing with the Stars (2005 - Present) - I don't necessarily enjoy watching Dancing with the Stars, I simply like betting money on Dancing with the Stars. I have placed bets on about 5 or 6 seasons of the show, and I have won some cash in the process. I am sorry, but, anytime I can put $5 on Florence Henderson winning a show and me getting $5,000 for it is ok in my book. Obviously Florence did not come close to winning, but it certainly made me watch and even vote. There is not one single bone in my body that could care any less about who wins Dancing with the Stars, however, if I can bring two of my favorite things together (TV and gambling) watching three hours a week of D-list celebrities prancing around in leotards seems like a small price to pay.
Celebrities that have won me cash on Dancing with the Stars:
* Apolo Anton Ohno
* Helio Castroneves
* Brooke Burke
* Nicole Scherzinger
* Jennifer Grey
68. Roseanne (1988 - 1997) - Roseanne is another show that I hate with a passion now, but absolutely loved when I was a kid. The mere sight of Roseanne makes me angry. Ever since she purposely butchered the National Anthem I lost any respect I had for her (which wasn't much to begin with.) I have no idea why so many Americans loved the show; what the hell was wrong with us? She is one of the most disgusting, vile, trashy woman to ever appear on an American sitcom, and for some reason just about everyone, including myself, loved her. I do find it comforting to know that I was only a kid when it aired and obviously did not know any better.
OK. Maybe I was a little harsh in my write-up. I found this clip and it is very funny. I don't know why I had so much anger towards Roseanne, but I feel a little bad about it now.
OK. I hate her again.
67. South Park (1997 - Present) - It is fitting that the show is making an appearance on my countdown as the boys of South Park are in the fourth grade and that is the grade I will be teaching next school year. I am sure that the South Park boys would be favorite students of mine as I appreciate a student with humor more than anything. It was not until the movie "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" that I began to love South Park. The movie is in my top 10 favorite movies of all time and makes me laugh probably more than any movie ever. I have not seen an episode of South Park in years, but I imagine that it is still hilarious and bringing laughter and warmth to a whole new generation.
As with any and all South Park clips: Viewer Discretion is Advised. Words of wisdom by Mr. Garrison
66. Sopranos (1999 - 2007) - Before people get all fired up about me placing this so low on the list, let me explain. I only watched a few seasons of the show, and while I did think it was entertaining, I simply did not get as obsessed as most people. First of all, I am not a huge fan of dramas, let alone gangster/mob shows/movies. I went into watching The Sopranos with the idea that there was no way I was going to like it, and it turns out that I did enjoy it.
I was, however, not upset when it ended, in fact, I did not even watch the final episode. I am sure that if I watched the series from beginning to end I would appreciate it much more, but in all honesty, that will probably never happen and I am fine with that. I can live the rest of my life saying the I thought The Sopranos was "good" and not feel guilty that I do not think it was the greatest thing to come on television since Bonanza.
65. The Cosby Show (1984 - 1992) - The Cosby Show enters the countdown as my second favorite television show about an African-American family of all time. If making this countdown has taught me anything at all, it is that my childhood fears were completely irrational and I realize that I must have been very messed up as a child. The reason I say this is because I am just about 100% positive that I had a terrible fear of the eldest Cosby daughter, Sondra.
Sure, she is a COMPLETE nerd and just about as boring and lame as a person can get, but really, is there any need to be frightened of her........
Anyway, The Cosby Show is widely regarded as being one of the greatest comedies in the history of television and it is well deserved. I just wish that they opted out of Sondra's character. Also, what kind of a name is Sondra? That is just stupid.
......I was going to stop there, but when I just typed that last line I got an image in my head. I envisioned myself asking somebody who their favorite character on The Cosby Show was. I am confident that if their response was "Sondra" I would not be able to control myself from spitting in their face and walking away, utterly disgusted.
64. Punky Brewster (1984 - 1988) - If you have been an avid follower of ryanscountdowns.blogspot.com for the past 9 months you will know that I have mentioned Punky Brewster before in prior countdowns. Not just Punky Brewster, but one specific Punky Brewster scene in particular. If involves Cherie, Punky's BFF.
It all started out as a simple game of hide-and-seek, but soon took a horrible turn. Dumb Cherie decided it would be wise to hide in an old refrigerator that Uncle Henry irresponsibly left in the back yard. Wouldn't you know, Cherie gets locked in the fridge and nearly perishes. If it wasn't for Uncle Henry and Allen we could have lost Cherie. This scene made 6 year old Ryan paranoid that the refrigerator door would shut on me and I would freeze to death. I think all of us children that watched this episode learned a very valuable lesson, NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER hide in the fridge when playing Hide-and-seek; hide in the oven. You can't freeze to death in an oven.
Here is the memorable scene.
The 6:24 mark is when things start going down.
Riveting.
63. The Middle (2009 - 2011) - One of my favorite new shows on television in the past few years is "The Middle." The writers do such a great job of making the family seem like a real, average, American family. Every character is relatable and I feel like I know them personally. All three of the children are such train-wrecks that it is impossible for the parents to not feel bad for themselves. I can easily see myself having a child of mine turning out like the eldest child, Axl, who is extremely lazy, sarcastic, and mean to his siblings. However, if I ever had a child of mine turn out to be similar to either of the other two children (Sue or Brick) I would seriously consider giving them up for adoption. I do, however, enjoy laughing at them and watching them on television.
If you have never seen the show, watch the following trailer. Hilarious.
62. Saturday Night Live (1975 - Present) - There have been some episodes and even seasons of "Saturday Night Live" that I would place way above #62. However, there are some episodes/seasons that I would not even place in the top 100. SNL is pretty hit or miss and when it is good, it is great, and when it is bad, it is awful. There are not many things I enjoy watching less than a bad SNL skit. Right about now I would normally include a "list within a list" of my favorite SNL skits of all time, and maybe even my favorite SNL actors or spin-off movies, but those are lists that even I do not wish to undertake.
I will, however, include this clip; an instant classic TV moment...
61. Charles in Charge (1984-1985, 1987-1990) - I can't imagine many people not loving this show. Nicole Eggert was one of my first crushes ever (as I am sure she was many boys' first crush.) An interesting fact is that Scott Baio actually dated Nicole Eggert for a while. That is almost as crazy as Mrs. Brady dating Greg, but we'll get into that later on in the countdown. Many people forget about the first season of Charles in Charge (with a completely different, much uglier and less funny family.) Real shocker why that didn't work out. When the show came back in 1987 it had made major changes and, boy, did they worked.
Here is the openings for all 5 seasons. The show got much better as Nicole Eggert got better looking. Coincidence?
Finally, here is what the nerdy younger sister looks like today.
Charles taught her real well.
