Television history is chock full of long-running shows that rank among the greatest of all time. Cheers. M*A*S*H. Gunsmoke. Cosby. The Simpsons. Then there are some long-running shows that have been recognized for their quality at some point or another, even though they may have had a few final years of mediocrity. ER and Law & Order are falling into this category.But there were some shows... boy, they just wouldn't go away. They were never critically acclaimed, or caught any watercooler buzz; they often didn't even win their timeslots. But for one reason or another, the network saw fit to renew them, year after year, until they started crawling up the list of all-time longest-running shows.
The five on this list led the most remarkable of charmed lives. How can you tell? Well, let's put it this way: the common reaction to these shows isn't "Wow, what a great show," it's usually, "Damn! It was on how long?"
1. The Facts of Life - This is the ultimate Rasputin show. Originally convceived as a spinoff for the Mrs. Garrett character on Diff'rent Strokes, the show ultimately lasted for nine years -- nine years! -- surviving through changes that would have killed off any other show. First, the cast was whittled down from ten girls to four. The girls then eventually graduated high school and moved out, shifting the focus of the show to Edna's Edibles. Then Charlotte Rae left, taking Mrs. Garrett with her. George Clooney came and went. They added a troubled teen. And Tootie sprouted a gigantic rack. Nothing mattered. The show kept going and going, until the point when no one but baby sitters and lonely teenagers home on Saturday nights (ahem) knew it was still on the air.
2. Yes, Dear - CBS has tried to kill off this show a number of times by changing its timeslot, holding it off until midseason, and not even telling its creators when it was coming back (at least that what it seemed like). But here it is, still on the schedule in its sixth season, with no signs of stopping. It's one of those shows that's just kinda there; it's amusing sometimes, certainly a cut above some of the other shows of its type, but nothing that set the world on fire. Which means, of course, that the show will probably go another three or four years, certainly longer than Greg Garcia's other show -- the quirky and hilarious My Name Is Earl -- will more than likely last.
3. JAG - Usually when a show switches networks, it's near the end of its run -- Taxi, Buffy, Diff'rent Strokes -- and trying to squeeze out one more year. But how often does a show get picked up by a network two years into its run and then become a success? Well, ask Donald Bellisario, whose military lawyer drama got canned by NBC after two seasons. After CBS picked it up, it lasted for eight more years, fitting nicely into the Tiffany Network's older-skewing lineup. Again, not a bad show (nothing by the Magnum and Quantum Leap creator ever is), but not exactly buzz-worthy. Maybe Catherine Bell's bikini-clad appearance in FHM helped things along.
4. Wings - This was actually a pretty funny show, but it generally flew under the radar for most of its seven seasons on NBC, ensconced in some favorable timeslots and not burdened with high expectations. It was a bit too similar to its cousin Cheers for many viewers' sakes; many called the show "Cheers In An Airport". But it did do an equally effective job of building its comedy through character development and easy storytelling. Fans of the show rooted for Joe to get together with Helen, laughed at Brian's wisecracks and Lowell's sweet stupidity, and felt bad for lonely cab driver Antonio Scarpacci. It's just that the show didn't have many fans (I was one, though). But, hey, it introuduced America to Monk's Tony Shalhoub and Oscar-nominee Thomas Haden Church from Sideways, so it wasn't all that bad, right?
5. Just Shoot Me! - Seven seasons. David Spade. 'Nuff said.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
11-29-2005 @ 12:38PM
Keith McDuffee said...
Had it not been announced recently that this is its last season, I'd put Alias on this list.
Friends and Frasier also seemed to go on and on forever. Friends actually somehow continues to crawl along in the undead form of Joey.
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11-29-2005 @ 2:32PM
Joel Keller said...
At least Friends and Frasier had critical and/or watercooler buzz. Did anyone care about Just Shoot Me... ever?
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11-29-2005 @ 2:52PM
Keith McDuffee said...
I thought JSM was funny, at least in the first season. I lost interest after that. I liked it, so shoot me (haw!).
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11-29-2005 @ 4:46PM
Ryan j Budke said...
Any show with David Cross playing a pervert "playing" a mentally handicapped man has at least a couple of high points.
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11-29-2005 @ 4:51PM
Joel Keller said...
True, those "Donnie" episodes were highlights (is David Cross ever *not* funny?). Especially when Maya kisses him and he goes "My pants are tight!"
But that's two episodes (and a relatively funny first half-season) out of 130. Not a good ratio.
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11-29-2005 @ 5:35PM
Anna said...
If it were a longer list, I'd also tack on Will and Grace, The Cosby Show (I loved it in the early years but then who the hell was Pam?), and The West Wing. But, I'd have to agree with your choices for the top five.
What about the original Law & Order? Is it even remotely interesting anymore? All I ever see are the reruns on TNT.
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11-30-2005 @ 9:43AM
Keith McDuffee said...
If we extend into spin-offs, I'd dare say Star Trek tops the list as a series that just would. Not. Die.
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11-30-2005 @ 10:30AM
Lacey said...
Unfortunately, even though it is my #1 favorite show, i'm going to have to say that I would have added That 70's Show to this list.
When your main character leaves, that's usually a good time to end the show, I'm kinda glad it's still around because I love it, but I think they're trying to drag on a good thing just a little too long.
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11-30-2005 @ 10:39AM
Emily said...
The ones that finally died that I thought never would but have come back to haunt unsuspecting people on ABC Family are Full House, Family Matters and Home Improvement. The absolute worst IMO is 7th Heaven, what a crappy show and it has been on forever. Did read here on TVSquad that it has been cancelled, but it will live in repeats forever. Ug
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11-30-2005 @ 10:43AM
Elliott said...
This is not the "shows that lived past their prime" list, it's the "show's that lasted even though they never had a prime" list. Thus, it is not the list for Friends, W&G, or L&O. Kudos for excluding daytime soaps, that would be taking the easy way out.
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11-30-2005 @ 10:51AM
Dorv said...
I'm pretty sure JAG was only on NBC one season before moving.
My dad was addicted to the show, and being forced to view it enough times, I finally warmed to it myself. Catherine Bell was.... Uh... Fun to watch, but she got pretty interesting down their twords the end when you began to wonder if Harm was good enough for her (or, at least, she did)
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11-30-2005 @ 10:58AM
Jamie said...
Stargate SG 1 hasn't been compelling in years, yet it is coming back for a tenth season and has a spinoff.
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11-30-2005 @ 11:15AM
Mike said...
Yeah, 7th Heaven needs to be added to the list. That show was never good. It certainly should not have lasted into Simon's young adulthood. Plus, isn't anyone even remotely fazed that the show was called "7th Heaven" because it's 7 family members (2 boys, 3 girls, 2 parents) and then they added some and the show never changed it's name, but just kept chugging along? Get that on the list! At the top preferably!
Law and Order earned its longevity. The reason it's such a quality re-run show is because it has lasted so long so you often see repeats that are "new to you".
How about Dharma and Greg?
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11-30-2005 @ 11:32AM
Mike said...
Ooo Ooo! I know! Charmed! Has that show ever been good? It's been on since 1998 and it's survived a casting change or two, right?
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11-30-2005 @ 11:44AM
Mase said...
Beyond my complete agreement that horrible "7th Heaven" should be on the list, I'd only add "Walker: Texas Ranger" -- 10 seasons of that crap!
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11-30-2005 @ 11:44AM
Guido said...
How can you miss the beauty that was the The Hogan Family?
Starting out as Valerie's Family in 1986 and ending as The Hogan Family in 1991 .. that's a painful few years too many.
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11-30-2005 @ 11:56AM
Mike said...
Mase - Walker is a huge call. HUGE. But the unintentional comedy there was enough to keep that bad boy going.
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11-30-2005 @ 11:57AM
Craig said...
Drew Carey made some sort of deal with the devil. His show ran forever. They even had to burn off some episodes in the summer.
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11-30-2005 @ 11:59AM
SamMalone said...
I was thinking you'd have to put JAG on this list. I liked the show, but it was so full of sexual tension that never paid off. At least they were able to keep a military drama going for this long, most die after a year or so.
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11-30-2005 @ 1:21PM
Patrick said...
I'll throw in extra votes for Charmed, 7th Heaven, and JAG. Until recently I didn't even know those shows were still being made. I mean, I remember when 7th Heaven first debuted and I thought it was such a piece of crap, thinking "Ha ha, let's see that get more than 2 episodes..." Now here we are. 2005 and the damn thing's still on the air.
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