TVSquad

In the 90s, one of the most popular (and annoying) memes that circulated through the geekier magazines was that we were only a few years away from having "500 channels" on our cable systems. Unlike most tech predictions, this one actually came true. Sure, it took 1200% longer than they thought it would, but that's still pretty good considering most of the stuff Wired talked about in the 90s was made up by the editorial staff after downing a couple of those schizophrenia-inducing Transformers 2 pot brownies.

Having recently installed Verizon Fios, I've spent the last few months ignoring my wife and young son so I could explore what the 500 channel landscape looks like. Like Charlton Heston in the Forbidden Zone, I was shirtless, on horseback, and ready to uncover some sad truths about the world.

Here's the question I've come back with: what if there isn't enough talent for humanity to adequately fill 500 channels?

Everyone seems to recall a series that had a completely off-the-wall premise, about a talking car or a man dressed as a woman or an orangutan in Congrees. The problem is, the shows are so short-lived that they've faded into the murky recesses of people's brains, to the point where people start questioning whether the show actually existed or was just a figment of their imagination.

Well, the web site Television Obscurites knows the feeling. That's why they've put together a list of the ten most outlandish series concepts, including the obligatory listings of My Mother the Car and Cop Rock. But some of the other concepts listed don't seem so outlandish these days; Occasional Wife sounds just like Ned and Stacey, and The Second Hundred Years sounds like a live-action version of Futurama. But there are others that are just plain silly; for instance, no one's attempted to do another nuclear war comedy since the disaster that was Whoops! Thank goodness.