In a recent article TV Guide updated its list of the 'Top 30 Cult TV Shows' and in so doing renewed a controversy about the very nature of what constitutes a 'cult' TV show. Can a 'cult' show be a popular, decades-long series like The Simpsons or does it have to be a short-lived show that reached only a small but passionate audience like Freaks and Geeks? According to TV Guide it can be either -- in fact, judging from the impassioned pleas on the Web for shows that didn't make the list, it appears to be very difficult to come up with objective criteria to determine a show's 'cult' status. Only one thing is certain, there are surely more than 30 'cult' TV series.
For retailers the key is figuring out which 'cult' series actually manage to spawn tie-in merchandise, and even more importantly which ones inspire their fans to buy that merchandise. Then, there is also the longevity factor. Even with continual reruns on cable channels, even the most potent 'cult' series runs out of merchandising steam unless new spin-offs keep the property in the public eye. Still it is important to get a snapshot of what industry analysts like the TV Guide staff considers the top cult TV series of 2007. In the three years since TV Guide produced its last 'cult' TV roster a number of new series joined the list including Lost,
TV Guide's top ten includes Star Trek, The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Farscape, Lost, Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Prisoner, The Simpsons, The Twilight Zone, and Xena:Warrior Princess.
The second tier contains Jericho, Pee-Wee's Playhouse, Mystery Science Theater, Battlestar Galactica, Family Guy, Babylon 5, Beauty and the Beast, Veronica Mars, Quantum Leap, and the 1960s Avengers, while the final ten includes Freaks and Geeks, Doctor Who, Dark Shadows, Twin Peaks, Firefly, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, H.R. Pufnstuf, Stargate SG-1, Absolutely Fabulous, and Strangers With Candy.
While plenty of arguments could be made about the rankings, think about the number of shows that didn't make the cut! The TV Guide list does not include Futurama (as important as Family Guy in raising the viewership of Adult Swim), Highlander, Scooby-Doo, The Monkeys, The Muppet Show, Batman, The Outer Limits, Angel, Alias, Thriller, Roswell, Le Femme Nikita, Supernatural, Wonderfalls, Buck Rogers, Wonder Woman, The Greatest American Hero, Knight Rider, The A-Team, Arrested Development, MacGyver, Smallville, Monk, The Lone Gunman, Dark Angel, Dead Like Me, My So Called Life, Forever Knight, Charmed, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Land of the Lost to name just a few that come to mind.
