The 30 Best Bad Shows of the Last 30 Years: #6-1
By the usual standards of excellence, you wouldn’t find the goofy TGIF legend Perfect Strangers, which premiered 30 years ago this week, on anyone’s list of great TV shows. Indeed, some might call it bad. But here’s the thing about “bad”: it has degrees, gradations, nuances within its definition. A series may suffer from uneven writing, absurd plotting, overacting (or all three) — but one function of TV is to provide comfort and escapism, and by those measures, our list of the 30 Best Bad Shows of the Last 30 Years is a hall of fame of some of the warmest, most blissfully enjoyable shows millions of people have ever enjoyed. And so as you read our nominees and our little hymns to their longevity in our hearts during this week-long countdown, bear in mind a couple of things. These are not shows that we “hate-watch”— we love the way they make us feel. And these are not “guilty pleasures” — there can be no guilt, if a show gives you pleasure. Which is what each and every show on this list does for an awful lot of people. See which ones make you smile at the memory of them.
The 30 Best Bad Shows of the Last 30 Years: #30-25
The 30 Best Bad Shows of the Last 30 Years: #24-19
The 30 Best Bad Shows of the Last 30 Years: #18-13
The 30 Best Bad Shows of the Last 30 Years: #12-7
6. Married … with Children (1987-’97, Fox)
Why It’s So Excellently Bad: Sex-obsessed Married, the first-ever series on Fox’s primetime schedule, was mired in crudeness and lewdness, and happily rolled around in its political incorrectness like a pig in… well, you know. The show never met a joke about a stripper, porn, or an oversexed wife it didn’t like. And that won the sitcom a slew of fans — and an 11-season run — even after a Michigan housewife famously called for a boycott of the dysfunctional Bundy family misadventures. Not every joke was funny, and even the most die-hard viewer probably cringed a time or 50 at some of the Bundy antics. But loyal watchers were often also rewarded with genuinely funny, relatable moments, as Ed O’Neill’s struggling shoe salesman Al Bundy kept plugging along, despite many a joke about wanting to just end it all.
Signature Moment: The raunchy bits are aplenty, but for pure laughs, Al’s born loser status was always a reliable topic. Like in Season 5’s “Oldies But Young ‘Uns,” in which Al is going crazy trying to remember the name of one of his all-time favorite songs. In the clip above, he visits Final Vinyl, where the record store’s clerk can supposedly identify any song with just a note hummed or a few lyrics cited. Al’s luck: his “hmm hmm, him” isn’t ringing any bells for the clerk, and just when he thinks karma is playing with him again — because, as he quotes Oprah, God really is a woman — a record drops on the store’s jukebox, and it’s his song. Al dances with joy, but if you think that means a happy ending for him, you need to watch a couple more episodes to catch Married’s vibe. P.S. This episode is also the one that introduced pre-Friends Matt LeBlanc as Kelly’s latest boyfriend, Vinnie, a character who was spun-off into a comedy called Top of the Heap, which had its own spin-off, Vinnie & Bobby. LeBlanc starred in both, but each lasted for just seven episodes on Fox.
Where You Can Watch It: All 11 seasons are available on DVD, and select episodes are available to stream at Crackle.com. —Kimberly Potts
5. Full House (1987-‘95, ABC)
Why It’s So Excellently Bad: Corny storylines, silly catchphrases, and a ridiculous premise about three single dudes moving in together to raise three little girls. On paper, Full House was bad TV from the get-go. And it only got worse when it was moved to ABC’s TGIF lineup and turned into “The Michelle Show.” (Seriously, how’d that “You got it, dude” spewing moppet steal the show? How rude!) But somewhere along the line, we fell in love with the Tanners and their extended clan, so much so that we felt like part of the family. Twenty years later, we’re ignoring the scathing reviews received by the Netflix revival, Fuller House, and gobbling that up, too.
Signature Moment: Jesse and Becky’s Wedding. We could rattle off a list of big episodes (DJ’s fad diet, Stephanie plowing through the kitchen with a car, Michelle’s “big feet” dream), but the Season 4 wedding of Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky (John Stamos and Lori Loughlin) was so epic that it warranted a rare two-parter. Not only did a nervous Jesse skydive and land in a truck full of tomatoes right before his walk down the aisle, but he serenaded his bride with his classic song “Forever,” complete with flashback photos and a gospel choir. Have mercy!
Where You Can Watch It: Netflix, of course. But also on Nick@Nite and TBS. —Victoria Leigh Miller
4. Smash (2012-'13, NBC)
Why It’s So Excellently Bad: The songs! The scandal! The scarves! Smash may not have been an especially realistic look at what goes on behind the boards on Broadway, but more realism would have just spoiled the soapy fun. Although the All About Eve-esque duel between rising stars Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy (Megan Hilty) never quite took off — largely because Hilty was clearly more Broadway-ready than McPhee, no matter how strenuously the series tried to argue otherwise — the other conflicts (including Julia and Tom vs. Derek, Eileen vs. Jerry, and Ellis vs. Everyone) provided plenty of ridiculous drama. And the original Broadway tunes, written by actual Tony winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, were legit amazing. No wonder there’s talk of bringing the show-within-the-show, Bombshell, to the stage for real. Here’s hoping its equally great companion, Hit List, opens in the theater next door.
Signature Moment: Nothing says Smash quite like the sight and sound of Hilty and McPhee boogying to Rihanna in Times Square. They should have charged admission.
Where You Can Watch It: Both seasons can be purchased on Amazon Prime or DVD. —Ethan Alter
3. Perfect Strangers (1986-’93, ABC)
Why It’s So Excellently Bad: Even star Bronson Pinchot has admitted that he felt a bit nauseated when he first heard the pitch — an “innocent, exuberant, and full of love" immigrant comes to America — and that was before it was decided that the character would be Balki Bartokomous, a sheepherder from Mypos who shows up at the door of his distant, cynical cousin Larry (Mark Linn-Baker) in Chicago. But revisit the show now, and the laughs still hold up thanks to the comic timing of Pinchot (who received an Emmy nomination) and Linn-Baker, who were perfectly in sync whether they were staging an epic ninja attack, wearing skis indoors, or trying to move after a strenuous workout. Truly, few sitcom duos have been more skilled at physical comedy. And when the music kicks in at the end of episodes to signal that it’s time to learn something about friendship, family, or love, you don’t even mind.
Signature Moment: We should say the Dance of Joy (the ultimate expression of Larry’s affection for Balki was participating in it), but instead, watch the scene above in which Balki and Larry share Balki’s sofa bed. It encapsulates the way Balki’s sweet face and cunning guilt tactics often broke down Larry’s walls. Plus, it’s the introduction of Dimitri, Balki’s stuffed sheep.
Where You Can Watch It: Seasons 1 and 2 are available on DVD. —Mandi Bierly
2. Baywatch (Syndicated, 1991-2000)
Why It’s So Excellently Bad: David Hasselhoff as a buff Los Angeles lifeguard commanding a fleet of hot younger life-savers including the double-beach-balled Pamela Anderson as C.J. Parker: It’s damp campiness at its finest.
Signature Moment: The slo-mo opening credits, with everyone jiggling their chest muscles as they trot through the surf to the tune of “I’m Always Here” sung by Survivor’s Jimi Jamison.
Where You Can Watch It: If you don’t want to splurge on the “complete collection,” which also includes Baywatch Hawaii and Baywatch Nights, try repeats on Cozi TV channel. —Ken Tucker
1. Saved By the Bell (1989-'93, NBC)
Why It’s So Excellently Bad: A group of stereotypical, cartoonish high school characters, a pal-like principal, and a teen Mario Lopez. What’s not to love about this ‘90s teen sitcom? With four seasons, two TV movies, and two spinoff series, SBTB gave us a total of 11 years of half-baked comedy with the occasional serious topic thrown in for good measure. (We were so excited for the caffeine pill episode! We’re still mourning Becky, the duck lost during the football field oil spill.) Forget Mr. Belding; Zack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and his crew ruled the school, and proud geek Screech (Dustin Diamond) loved this place so much he went back to become assistant principal. Consider us Bayside alumni, too.
Signature Moment: Zack’s time-outs. Zack Morris had that breaking the fourth wall thing down. The character’s famous “time-outs” — in which he’d turn to the camera and freeze the action going on around him — were legendary, and they usually gave him enough time to talk things out and come up with a solution. Or at least an escape plan.
Where You Can Watch It: Netflix. —VLM
More from our 30 Best Bad Shows of the Last 30 Years:
Jerry O'Connell Reveals the Checkered History of 'Sliders’ and a Potential Reboot
What It Was Like to Star in ABC’s Family Sitcom 'Dinosaurs’
'The All-New Mickey Mouse Club’ Co-Host Remembers the Epic Pie Fight You Didn’t See
'The Client List’ Creator Reveals the Origin of Lifetime’s Best Bad Show
