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Your Favourite TV That No One's Ever Seen

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 10:54 pm
by Eaquae Legit
So, what TV do you (or have you) watched that no one else seems to?

"Roar" - 5th century Ireland fighting off Roman invaders, and a cursed man seeking the Spear of Destiny (1997). My sister and I watched this show all one summer, until Fox cancelled it (sound familiar?).

"Beauty and the Beast" - New York lawyer is attacked by thugs and rescued by the leonine man Vincent. Romance and assorted New York style violence ensues. I watched this show in '97 or '98 when it was on the sci-fi channel in reruns. It's a little cheesier now than I remember it, but then, taste and style evolve.

"Sliders" - Not too obscure, but no one other than my sister and I ever seemed to watch it. Parallel universes and all that jazz.

"Due South" - Mountie from the far north gets sent to Chicago and partnered with a slick city detective. I still love this show, for its music, its fun, and its absurdity.

"F/X: the Series" - Canadian show, starring an Aussie, set in New York. A special effects movie man always seems to get wrapped up in his cop-buddy's investigations, using the movie effects of the week to help solve things. Incredibly dated technology, compared to today (a PDA was a strange and obscure new gadget). Lots of fun.


How about you? Have a hard time finding a fellow-audience for that favourite show? Why not share?

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 11:15 pm
by neo-dragon
I watched "Sliders". It was good until Fox dropped it and then Sci-fi picked it up, and suddenly every episode was about the evil Cromags who took over Earth-Prime. It went from interesting what-if scenarios on parallel worlds to cheesy battling alien invaders.

I was also aware of "Roar" although I never really watched it. I think my brother did though. It airs on SPACE now.

Anyway, as for my pick, the first that comes to mind is "Odyssey 5". It was a Showtime original sci-fi series that was really good. It was about 5 astronauts (one is a scientist, one is a reporter, and two are father and son) who witness the Earth explode while they are in space. They are saved from death by a mysterious alien force that sends their current consciousness back into their bodies from 5 years ago. Thus they have to relive the last 5 years of their lives with full knowledge of the fact that the world will end in 5 years unless they figure out why it happened and how to stop it. All the while they naturally try to do-over things that went wrong in their own lives, and try to get along with each other because they are the only ones who can save the world, even though they don't always get along.

The funny thing is that "Odyssey 5" was apparently Showtime's highest rated original program, but they canceled it before finishing the first season because the executives didn't want the network to be known for science fiction. :roll:

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 11:19 pm
by Rei
I have no idea how many people've seen Kenneth Branagh's film version of Hamlet, but it's spectacular and it finally came out on DVD recently.

Re: Your Favourite TV That No One's Ever Seen

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 11:59 pm
by zeroguy
"Sliders" - Not too obscure, but no one other than my sister and I ever seemed to watch it. Parallel universes and all that jazz.
I've at least heard of this, and have meant to watch it for awhile.

The only thing I can think of is recently I've noticed practically nobody I know has seen "Banzai", formerly on Fox, now only shown on G4, I think. Silly Japanese-style (but made in America or Britain, or something, I think) betting-on-random-s*** kinda show. Most amusing.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 12:24 am
by wizzard
The only show I can think of is Corner Gas. I don't know how big it is in Canada, but I've never found anyone else in America who's even heard of it. One of my friends is originally from Canada, and she had the first season on DVD. We watched the entire season in a few sittings. That show is hilarious.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 2:40 am
by Dr. Mobius
"God, the Devil and Bob"

I liked it but evidently I was in the minority because it only lasted about five episodes before it was canceled.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 2:51 am
by BonitoDeMadrid
I watched "Sliders". It was good until Fox dropped it and then Sci-fi picked it up, and suddenly every episode was about the evil Cromags who took over Earth-Prime. It went from interesting what-if scenarios on parallel worlds to cheesy battling alien invaders.
It's like you read my mind: I too watched it, and until the Cromags came, it was actually a very good show. (Until (spoilers) they killed Arturio! the bastards! (/spoilers))

A few years ago, I downloaded an anime show, called Hunter X Hunter. It's really, really good, filled with action and adventures and etc. but nobody heard about it besides me, I'm afraid. -_-

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 6:18 am
by Syphon the Sun
Given the love of most things science fiction around here, I won't be surprised if anyone has seen (and/or loved) these. But, the population at large are pretty much in the dark on these.

Red Dwarf -- British science fiction comedy. The opening lines of every episode in the first season sum it up pretty well. "This is an S.O.S. distress call from the mining ship Red Dwarf. The crew are dead, killed by a radiation leak. The only survivors are Dave Lister, who was in suspended animation during the disaster, and his pregnant cat, who was safely sealed in the hold. Revived three million years later, Lister's only companions are a life-form who evolved from his cat, and Arnold Rimmer, a hologram simulation of one of the dead crew." The wackiness ensues.

Firefly -- I just had to say it. Because, as much as we all love it, it's mostly ignored by everyone else.

Sliders -- I loved it. Granted, I've only seen the first three seasons, but it was great, at the time.

The Pretender -- Opening narration: "There are pretenders among us. Geniuses with the ability to be become anyone they want to be. In 1963 a corporation known as the Centre isolated a young pretender named Jarod and exploited his genius for their research. Then one day their pretender ran away..." One of my favorite shows of all time. A genius was kidnapped as a young boy and forced to create "simulations" of new ways to save lives in certain situations. The Centre (the organization that kidnapped young Jarod) then sells those simulations to criminals who use them as a basis for their operations. When Jarod finds out his plans are being used to hurt people, he escapes. He spends the next four seasons trying to figure out who he is, find his family, stay out of the reach of the Centre (who are always chasing him), and help people in need. It was nothing short of amazing. Loved it.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 10:01 am
by RandomMaker
-Sliders, of course. I saw it for the first time on cable, actually, and I was hooked. Unfortunately, I don't have cable, so it took me years to manage to see more of it.

-Tour of Duty (1987-1990). Amazing show, set during the Vietnam war. It follows some American soldiers through their time in Vietnam. It also had some really great music in it, but the DVD versions have a different soundtrack than the original did. The opening sequence used to be to "Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones, whichh fit really, really well.

The next two are more well known, but they were good and I still miss them:

-American Dreams (2002-2005). A family in Philadelphia in the '60s. Good stuff.

-Joan of Arcadia (2003-2005). It got a little bit strange and dark at the end, but until then it was pretty cool. Basic premise: girl talks to God.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 12:44 pm
by Eaquae Legit
If they're well-known, they don't count. Image

Little Mosque on the Prairie - (2006-07) Small prairie town has to deal with the correspondingly small Muslim community in their midst. Said Muslims have to find their place in said town. Big-city Imam gets thrown into the mix. Very funny for all, every faith gets its good moments and its facedesk moments. But it got picked up for a second season, so yay! Someone must have been watching it!

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 3:03 pm
by RandomMaker
If they're well-known, they don't count. Image
Ok, ok... :D
How about Hogan's Heroes? I know maybe 2 people who have heard of this (apart from the 6 or 7 of my friends that I dragged to my house to watch it). Then again, maybe more people out in the big wide world have heard of it than people around where I live... who knows.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 3:45 pm
by Luet
I thought Hogan's Heroes was a fairly famous show? I can't say that I watched it because it was on in the late 60s but I've definitely heard of it.

I did watch Slider's and Pretender.

The one show I watched a LOT and rarely find people who know it (but I bet you Canadians will), is You Can't Do That on Television.

Also, I filler show that was on in between main shows on PBS in the late 70s to early 80s, starring Bill Cosby, called Picture Pages. He drew pictures with a bee shaped pen called Mortimer Ichabod and there was a cool song he sung (I'd sing it for you if you could hear me). Anyone?

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 5:01 pm
by Jayelle
Sometimes I swear I must have dreamed Camp Cariboo, Out of this World and Size Small.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 5:06 pm
by Eaquae Legit
I have vague but definite memories of the first two of those, Jan.

I also remember The Pretender, which I loved and someday will get in DVD.

And I remember "You Can't Do That on Television," but not too much, because I wasn't allowed to watch it.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 6:53 pm
by endercoaster
The best TV that I've seen and nobody else hasn't is an HDTV in a safe in my basement. The reception isn't great in there, but it's worth it to be able to say that nobody else has seen it.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 7:41 pm
by Rei
How about Hogan's Heroes? I know maybe 2 people who have heard of this (apart from the 6 or 7 of my friends that I dragged to my house to watch it). Then again, maybe more people out in the big wide world have heard of it than people around where I live... who knows.
I know that I've seen some of it. Although we never watched it much.

And Jan, I remember seeing adverts for Camp Cariboo, although I honestly can't remember if I ever watched it.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 8:22 pm
by Bevis
Little Mosque on the Prairie sounds like a great idea. I'm going to have to look for that. Hogan's Heroes was a very famous show in it's day. There's a disturbing biography of the show's star (Bob Crane) called Auto Focus with Greg Kinnear Willem Dafoe.

As for my own peculiar tastes, I enjoyed the few episodes Fox aired of Wonderfalls. It was about a lady who worked in a gift shop & believed inanimate objects talked to her.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 8:32 pm
by Young Val
Dead Like Me - Girl cops attitude. Girl dies. Girl becomes Grim Reaper. Girl cops attitude while taking people's souls before they die.

Ok, there's waffles, too.



I LOVE IT. I think Kirsten and I are the only two on the board who've seen it, yeah? It's so worth it.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 8:34 pm
by Eaquae Legit
I've seen a handful of episodes. :) My (other) sister has them on DVD.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 8:36 pm
by starlooker
Dead Like Me - Girl cops attitude. Girl dies. Girl becomes Grim Reaper. Girl cops attitude while taking people's souls before they die.

Ok, there's waffles, too.



I LOVE IT. I think Kirsten and I are the only two on the board who've seen it, yeah? It's so worth it.
You're kidding.

Other people must see it. That's the only reason I didn't post it, I assumed everyone on here was way cooler than me and had seen it ages before I had :)

It's AWESOME.

It also spurred my several-months long now oatmeal with raisins phase.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 8:45 pm
by caretgraff
Of course, Dead Like Me! It's so brilliant! Healthy dose of snark and perspective in every episode. :) I wish they'd bring it back to life.

And this isn't a little-known TV show, but I do wish they would at least air reruns somewhere of the Muppet Show. They used to, like... I don't know... 10 years ago, on Nickelodeon. It's so great though- I'd like to see some contemporary stars in the Muppet world.

I hardly ever watch TV, but when I do it's usually the stuff on USA (Monk, Psych, House reruns, Law & Order)... and since that's not Grey's Anatomy or Ugly Betty, no one at work knows what I'm talking about. I'm apparently perpetually out of touch with my coworkers. :roll:

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 9:00 pm
by Gravity Defier
Add The 4400 to Monk and Psych for me. I heart USA.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 9:21 pm
by Jayelle
Dead Like Me - Girl cops attitude. Girl dies. Girl becomes Grim Reaper. Girl cops attitude while taking people's souls before they die.

Ok, there's waffles, too.



I LOVE IT. I think Kirsten and I are the only two on the board who've seen it, yeah? It's so worth it.
Me! Remember? I like it too!

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 10:27 pm
by Young Val
:::melodramatic smack of hand to forehead:::

I'm sorry, Jan! How could I have forgotten?

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 11:51 pm
by zeroguy
A few years ago, I downloaded an anime show, called Hunter X Hunter. It's really, really good, filled with action and adventures and etc. but nobody heard about it besides me, I'm afraid. -_-
I've heard of this, and even seen a few seconds of the show. It's been recommended to me by someone else; it's on my growing "to-watch" list.

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 1:10 am
by Syphon the Sun
I'm still upset I missed the last half of the 4th season of The 4400. :(

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 7:53 am
by NWS
The only show I can think of is Corner Gas. I don't know how big it is in Canada, but I've never found anyone else in America who's even heard of it. One of my friends is originally from Canada, and she had the first season on DVD. We watched the entire season in a few sittings. That show is hilarious.
I have the first 3 seasons. Actually, loaned season 2 to someone this weekend. In the states, WGN started airing it earlier this year, but I haven't yet met anyone who watches it that didn't get it from me or the same Canadian that gave it to me.

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 12:18 pm
by Luet
I'm adding one for my husband that he thinks no one will have heard off. It's called G-Force: Battle of the Planets (Gatchaman in Japan), some anime from the late 70s/early 80s I think? Anyone?

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 12:26 pm
by seamusz
MST3K

It was on the a couple of different networks during the 90's, including the sci-fi channel, and an episode will pop up here and there from time to time... great show.

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 1:18 pm
by wizzard
MST3K

It was on the a couple of different networks during the 90's, including the sci-fi channel, and an episode will pop up here and there from time to time... great show.
Is it really unknown? Almost all of my friends at least watched it, and a couple of them have it on DVD.

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 1:48 pm
by seamusz
MST3K

It was on the a couple of different networks during the 90's, including the sci-fi channel, and an episode will pop up here and there from time to time... great show.
Is it really unknown? Almost all of my friends at least watched it, and a couple of them have it on DVD.
I don't know about everywhere, most people I mention it to don't recognize it by name anyway...

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 2:09 pm
by Amka
Have to chime in on the Dead Like Me. We found it in the middle of the second season, sadly. We bought the DVD.

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 4:01 pm
by Luet
Among my friends and family, MST3K is very known.

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 5:03 pm
by RandomMaker
I thought Hogan's Heroes was a fairly famous show? I can't say that I watched it because it was on in the late 60s but I've definitely heard of it.
That's the thing about a lot of the shows I like... I'm not entirely sure that they count as "shows that nobody knows," since they were pretty popular when they were on. It's just that people my age have never heard of them, so it feels like no one knows them. I clearly need to spend more time comparing TV show interests with my madly-awesome teachers at school... though not all of them are old enough to have seen them when they were first on.

I've seen some MST3K for sure, but not as much as some of my friends.

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 6:03 pm
by Noodle
I'd say that Hogans Heroes was a very popular TV show, since it's been in reruns for as long as I can remember. I used to watch it when I was in elementary school, and it's still on regularly today 20 years later. They don't do that for just any show. But as Schultze would say "I Know Nossink... NossinK!"

I also have vague memories of Tour of Duty. But I always got that show and China Beach mixed up. Both ran about the same time, and both were Vietnam shows that I wasn't really in to when I was 9.

Also, I just wanted to say something about You Can't Do That on Television. "I Don't Know" **Watches out for slime**

MST3K has to be at least somewhat well known since nobody here has referenced the actual name of the show, just calling it by an abbreviation - yet we all know what you are talking about.

As for shows that I liked that nobody remembers - Dangermouse. The Tick (Both animated and live action versions), Arrested Development, and Andy Richter Controls the Universe.