Top 10 Worst TV Shows

If you watch enough TV, you occasionally will be hit by this thought: “What drug-addled group of Hollywood idiots, psychopaths and pedophiles green-lighted this disaster of a show?’ Your next thought might be, “If TV shows this awful can be made and make people rich, maybe I chose the wrong career.”

These thoughts will probably roll through your mind as you peruse our worst TV show concepts below. Some of these shows lasted less than a year, and some incredibly even had multi-year runs. But trust us: In all cases, these shows completely sucked.

10. The Fall Guy – ABC (1981-86)

Our longest-lasting mess of a show on the list! This stupid show concerned a film stunt man who in his free time liked to work as a bounty hunter. You know, to pay the utility bills. This show was full of really bad and obviously faked stunts, including falling into piles of empty boxes, and fake punching in the face that you and I could do more realistically.

9. Beauty and the Beast – CBS (1987-1990)

Most of us remember the Beauty and the Beast as the classic Disney cartoon from the early 1990s, right? Unfortunately, this was not the first iteration of the Beauty and the Beast concept. No, it was predated by this terrible show starring Linda Hamilton of Terminator fame, and some guy in an ugly costume. The idea was that they were in love and lived in New York, solving crimes. How this dreck went 3 seasons astounds us.

8. Bosom Buddies – ABC (1980-82)

Other than the fact that it helped to launch the career of Tom Hanks, this show is completely forgettable. It wasn’t funny at all. All we can say is that Hanks is very lucky his career choices improved so dramatically with Big in 1988, otherwise he’d be as forgotten as everyone else that was associated with this crappy show.

7. The Master – NBC (1984)

Demi, what were you thinking, dear? Well, this was pre-About Last Night we think, so we suppose she was desperate. This show told the story of a white ninja? who used his incredibly awesome ninja skills….to train another white ninja.? They used their awesome powers around the country to help people they didn’t know fight various injustices.

6. The Greatest American Hero – ABC (1981-83)

So this high school teacher named Ralph was bequeathed a red superman-type suit by aliens that allows him to fly. Still with me? And the aliens also gave him some really powerful weapon never specified. I guess the show got cancelled before they worked that out.

5. BJ and the Bear – NBC (1979-81)

This show appeared to try to cash in on the wave of car/truck chase movies in the 70s, such as Smoky and the Bandit and Convoy. BJ and his ‘best friend Bear’ traveled about the south, getting in trouble with the law, having sex with drifters, and learning a moral lesson of some sort along the way. Another show that I actually remember and thought was good. Again, I was 9 years old, ok?

4. Quark – NBC (1977-78)

The fascinating thing about this breathtakingly awful show is that it actually is very unique on our list: It was nominated for an Emmy! Which makes me wonder, are the drug-addled TV execs who greenlighting these idiotic shows the same people voting on Emmys? Anyway, this show was about a crazy crew on an interstellar dump truck, we think. They got involved in mishaps, hi-jinx, space crime and the starring women looked exactly like Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders from that era, and had about as much clothes on.

3. The Misfits of Science – NBC (1985-86)

This stupid show was about a team of wacky, crime fighting mutants with powers that were pretty stupid and powerful. One guy was seven feet tall and could become 7 inches tall. Ok. Another could channel electrical current after accidents with a guitar amp. Did we say these abilities were stupid?

The only saving grace of this show is it helped to start Courtney Cox’s career. I guess it says something about her abilities that being affiliated with this show didn’t destroy her professional career.

2. Automan  – ABC (1983-84)

This crapfest was about a programmer who came up with a super cool computer programmed to help him solve his many problems in life. The really, really cool thing about this program was that when it was given enough electrical power, it would actually appear as a character in the real world. It looked super fake, with very bad special effects but had perfect blow-dried hair. This is a show that did Knight Rider a favor – it made that show look well planned.

1. SuperTrain – NBC (1 season in 1979, mercifully)

The only mystery and suspense we can summon regarding this complete ‘trainwreck’ of a show is: Who the hell greenlighted this project??? This show lasted a mere 6 months. It reportedly was rushed in production, cost the network millions and was a total disaster in the ratings. This show survived a mere 9 episodes. Its main claim to fame is as one of the biggest disasters ever on TV.

I actually remember this show being on and looked forward to it. I was 9, so be gentle on me, okay?