Some enterprising people have put together a list of the 10 most insane (US) TV shows in history. They are
- Manimal
- Alf
- Mr. Ed
- Cop Rock
- Out of This World
- Dinosaurs
- Mork and Mindy
- Small Wonder
- Herman's Head
- Homeboys in Outer Space
Confession: The only one of those I haven't seen is Homeboys in Outer Space; apparently, the acquisitions teams for British TV channels have some standards, just very, very low ones.
But you'll notice that all 10 are US shows. Anyone want to nominate some British shows or even some shows from farther afield?
How about the follow-up to Treasure Hunt, Interceptor, in which various contestants ran around the countryside chased by a muscle shirt-clad man in a cape who's armed with a laser? I'm sure Robert Popper would like to nominate Gyles Brandreth-hosted melding of talent show and game show, Star Quality, in which lucky winners got to demonstrate their 'talent'. And if Cop Rock gets into the US list, then surely The Ritz and The Continental, delightful tales of gangsters who sing the songs of Cole Porter, need to be in there? Then there was the A Stab in the Dark debacle on Channel 4, Touch the Truck and the forthcoming “Wank Week” to look forward to. Such a potentially long list...
Over to you, then, my friends. Any nominations?
May 19, 2007 | Reply
Funny, I was only thinking of The Ritz the other day. I wouldn't, however, think of it as especially strange, having grown up with Dennis Potter and the like. And I'm pretty sure Touch the Truck was based on an American idea, so I'd hesitate to put it forward as 'our' sort of weirdness.
Hmm. No, I'm drawing a blank.
May 19, 2007 | Reply
"I'm pretty sure Touch the Truck was based on an American idea"
Ah, you're thinking of Hands on a Hardbody.
I didn't find The Ritz especially weird at the time, either. Looking back, it was a bit. Maybe UK TV has a far higher proportion of surreal shows, making insanity far harder to distinguish. There's probably a good case for Spike Milligan's Q or Sapphire and Steel to be insane in their own way.
May 19, 2007 | Reply
Gentle Ben. A boy and his bear. Because bears aren't dangerous, kids. But no no, I get it. He's "gentle".
I will try to think of some good UK examples...
May 19, 2007 | Reply
Gentle Ben was a Black Bear, a species made even more famous last year by the news story in which one of their kind got forced up a tree. By a domestic cat.
(Well, ok, they aren't unilaterally wimpish. But it's still a nice thought.)
May 20, 2007 | Reply
OMG, I loved Herman's Head and I remember being sad when it was canceled.
I was too young to appreciate Alf when it was on the air, but as an adult, I really like the animated series.
I've seen some really strange game shows from Japan.
May 20, 2007 | Reply
Good point. Japanese TV is outlawed from this because it's mostly mental. Takeshi's Castle could be 1-10 by itself.