Category Archives: Daily Countdown

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #6

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#6

Monk

Adrian Monk, the defective detective, slips into the number six slot in our top 10. Monk ran for eight seasons on the USA Network and helped garner star Tony Shalhoub three Emmy Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.

Adrian Monk was a homicide detective who had a series of OCD and other fears. However, when he met his future wife, Trudy, those traits calmed down. Adrian Monk was brilliant, seeing things at crime scenes that no one else could. Tragedy struck when a car bomb exploded, killing Trudy and sending Adrian into a spiral of neurosis and depression.

Adrioan Monk slowly got back to doing what he did best, though the police force understandably doubted his ability to rejoin the force. So Monk would work as a consultant on the cases that no oen could solve.

Monk was both a comedy and a drama, doubling down on the problems Monk faced. He was afraid of heights, crowds, enclosed spaces, as well as milk, bees, germs, needles, mushrooms, lightning and MANY more The show listed 312 phobias that Monk suffered from during the show.

He was also very compulsive, with everything needing to be just right. Everything had its order and Monk spent time vaccuuming and cleaning to make sure everything was as it had to be. Adrian Monk knew how ridiculous he was, but he just could not get past these compulsions.

The best episodes though were the ones where Adrian Monk, despite his massive list of fears and eccentricities, was able to overcome and still be brillaint. Monk showed his own personal determination, even through some of the most harrowing moments for the defective detective.

Tony Shalhoub led the cast which included Bitty Schram, Ted Levine, Traylor Howard, Jason Gray-Stanford, Stanley Kamel, Emmy Clarke and Héctor Elizondo.

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #7

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#7

The X-Files

I Want to Believe.

The truth is out there.

FOX’s paranormal/suspernatural hit, The X-Files, comes in at number severn. I just finished a three year long rewatch of the show this past summer through all eleven seasons. The show even inspired two feature length movies.

The X-Files was created by Chris Carter and was the story of FBI agent Fox Mulder, who looked into cases deemed too mysterious or unsolvable for the FBI. Mulder was in search of the truth, spurning from his sister Samantha’s disappearance when he was a child. Mulder believed that Samantha had been abducted by aliens.

The FBI, afraid of secrets that Mulder might uncover, assigned agent Dana Scully to “debunk” his investigations. Scully, though a skeptic, was also honest and willing to listen to the insane scenarios Mulder would lay out. Scully became the only person Mulder could trust,

The show moved between episodes dealing with government conspiracies to monsters-of-the-week. Some of the best episodes of the series included “Jose Chung’s From Outer Space,” “Bad Blood,” “Home,” “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose,” “Small Potatoes,” “The Post-Modern Prometheus,” and “Humbug.”

The show was the best with the pairing of Mulder and Scully. Over the run of the series, both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were away or off the show and they were replaced by other actors, most notably Robert Patrick, who replaced an abducted Mulder, as Agent John Doggett. Though many episodes were still solid, the show was never the same without Mulder.

The show also had one of the greatest villains ever in the Cigarette Smoking Man. CSM, played by Willaim B. Davis, was a character that I hated SOOOOOO mcuh. I constantly just wished Mulder would shoot him in the head, and I called for that to happen on a regualr basis. CSM has to be near the top of any TV villain list.

The show was revived for a tenth and eleventh season in the mid 2010s. These seasons were shorter and had their ups and downs. Both Duchovny and Anderson returned to their roles for the revival.

The X-Files was one of the most successful FOX shows and transcended television.

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #8

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#8

M*A*S*H*

Based on the 1970 movie of the same name, M*A*S*H was a comedy/drama series (perhaps one of the earliest examples of a dramedy) based in the Korean War. It ran for 11 seasons on CBS. Pretty impressive for a war that only ran for just over three years. Truthfully, much of the show was based on the Vietnam War, which was still going on when the show started.

M*A*S*H was set at the 4077th M*A*S*H, which stood for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, and showed the humor, spirit and dedication of a group of doctors, nurses, coremen who faced death daily and battled while standing in blood. There were moments of complete jocularity, and then deathly serious moments as well. Some times in a matter of minutes.

Led by Hawkeye Pierce (Alan Alda), the cast of M*A*S*H was amazing. It included Mike Farrell, Wayne Rogers, Larry Linville, Harry Morgan, McClean Stevenson, Loretta Switt, Jamie Farr, Gary Burghoff, William Christopher, and David Ogden Stiers.

Teh first three seasons of M*A*S*H are my least favorite. Don’t get me wrong, these episodes are still very good, but my favorite time of the show was when BJ Hunnicut came to replace Trapper John and Col. Potter replaced Henry Blake. This time frame, while still with Frank Burns, is some of my favorite television ever.

These characters developed and changed over the run of the show. Margaret Houlihan changed the most, going from a one-note antagonist for Hawkeye and Trapper John, to a deep, three-dimensional character that was more than just what she started as.

The series finale was the highest rated shows ever on televison for years. It was entitled “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen.” It showed the final days of the Korean War and the departure for each of the main characters from the 4077th M*A*S*H.

M*A*S*H was one of the most original and brillaint shows on TV. I can sit down today and watch M*A*S*H, enjoying each episode.

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #9

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#9

WandaVision

The first Marvel Studios Disney + TV show is, arguably, the best of them all. WandaVision was not supposed to be the first Disney + show, but the schedule got messed up with Covid and this got moved into that spot.

WandaVision got more popular with each week, as the collected fanbase argued and debated about what was going on and what was going to happen.

WandaVision turned out to be a show about grief and loss, as Wanda had to deal with the loss of her great love, Vision. Of course, she does not deal with the loss well.

Elizabeth Olson and Paul Bettany were amazing in this show, both showing was top line actors they are. Their chemistry was great and their relationship carried the show.

There was also the strange format of the show. The first two episodes were shot in black and white and followed setup of classic sitcoms like MaryTyler Moore Show, I Love Lucy and Dick Van Dyke Show. Following episodes were based on Partridge Family, Brady Bunch, Full House, Modern Family among others. But it was not just the format of the show, it was part of the story.

WandaVision introduced us to the delicious Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness and would spin her off into her own Disney + show, Agatha All Along.

WandaVision gave us one of the most memorable quotes in MCU history. Vision told Wandsa, who was grieving the loss of her brother Pietro, “What is grief, if not love perservering?”

WandaVision ran for nine episodes on Disney + and provided an amazing, self-contained series while still existing clearly in the MCU.

Flourish!

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #10

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#10

Mork and Mindy

Na Nu, Na Nu.

We enter into the top 10 with one of my childhood’s favorite shows, Mork and Mindy. Robin Williams and Pam Dawber starred in this Happy Days spin off that went for four spectacular seasons on ABC.

Mork was an alien from the planet Ork who arrived in Boulder, Colorado and met Mindy McConnell. Mork had his suit on backwards, making Mindy think he was a priest and she gave him a ride. Little did she know that she was getting into a situation that would lead to her having a child named Mearth, who was played by Jonathan Winters.

Mork and Mindy was comedy at its best as the manic and ultra-energetic Robin Williams bounced around the show with amazingly sharp dialogue and thigns that had to be improv. Mork learned about humans and their ways as he slowly became more human every week.

I was obsessed with Mork and Mindy, and by extention, with Robin Williams. As a child, I sent away a letter to Willaims asking for an autograph. He (or someone) sent me an autograph on a post card personalized to me. Sadly, I no longer have that post card, but it was one of my prized possessions as a 10 year old.

Mork and Mindy was a classic and hlped lead to Robin Williams becoming the massive star that he became.

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #11

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#11

Agents of SHIELD

I have just started the 2025 Year in Review at EYG where I compile lists of the year’s best and worst. When I would make lists of the best TV shows, Agents of SHIELD was consistently the number one show. It was number one for several years as I loved this show. Even when it seemed as if it was no longer MCU canon, I loved this show.

Agents of SHIELD was a show that ran for seven seasons on ABC, featuring the adventures of a group of SHIELD agents led by Phil Coulson.

Of course, Phil Coulson had been murdered in The Avengers movie by Loki so there was going to need to be some shenanigans in order to have him star in this show. Clark Gregg reprised his role as Coulson and he brought his natural charm and wit to the show.

The other main agents of the show included Melinda May (aka The Calvary), Daisy Johnson (aka Quake), Leo Fitz and Jenna Simmons, “Yo-Yo” Rodriguez and Mack Mackenzie.

The show’s crossover with the MCU was never quite clear. There were times where it seemed clear, such as a close tie in with Captain America: Winter Soldier, or the appearance of Sif. Other Marvel Comics characters made appearances in this show including Ghost Rider, the Inhumans, Deathlok, Bobbi Morse (known in comics as Mockingbird), Mr. Hyde, Hive, Peggy Carter, and LMDs.

Agents of SHIELD personified the brand of Marvel magic that we saw in some of the earliest movies of the franchise. The show featured sweeping adventure with splashes of humor and clever, witty dialogue from compelling characters. Over the years, the relationships among these characters became the backbone of the series. Several of these characters wound up being introduced into the Marvel comics too.

For me, this is one of my favorite shows of all time, just coming short of the top 10.

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #12

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#12

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Who thought that a TV Show based on a low budget, poorly reviewed film could spiral into seven seasons of television on the WB/CW?

The TV show took the idea from the movie and expanded upon it with Sarah Michelle Geller assuming the role of Buffy Summers. Buffy moved to a town named Sunnydale, which was located on a Hellmouth. This explained the variety of vampires, demons and monsters that would populate the town.

Buffy met and bonded with Willow and Zander, who became her backup and support. As the one slayer, Buffy had to deal with the responsibilities of protecting the world from the dangers of an apocalypse while trying to pass high school.

Buffy and Angel, a long lived vampire who had gotten his soul back, became the IT couple of the show, though fate was very much against them. Angel, played by David Boreanaz, wound up being spun off into his own show.

Rupert Giles was the stuffy librarian at the high school who was, in reality, Buffy’s Watcher. A Watcher would train and provide guidance to the current slayer. Giles quickly became connected with Buffy and the other “Scooby Gang” members, and he was more of a father figure than a trainer. Giles was portrayed by Anthony Stewart Head.

Spike was another vampire that Buffy had a relationship with. Spike was introduced to the series as an antagonist, but his popularity saw him return multiple times and eventually fall in love with the Slayer. It led to Spike regaining his own soul. Spike was just so cool.

There were amazing episodes with a ton of creativity over the seven seasons including one where everyone lost the ability to talk (“Hush”) and another one where Buffy finds the dead body of her mother Joyce (“Body”). Perhaps the greatest musical episode of all time was Buffy’s “Once More with Feeling” which saw a demon summoned to Sunnydale causing song and dance to break out across the city.

There have been talks about bringing the Buffy franchise back to TV with a new version that would include Sarah Michelle Geller in some form.

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #13

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#13

Castle

The third TV series among the Top 100 starring Nathan Fillion is at #13. Castle came after the cancelation of Firefly and before The Rookie. The ABC crime/romance/mystery/comedy series lasted for eight seasons.

Nathan Fillion was the titular character Richard Castle and he starred opposite Stana Katic, as the tough-as-nails police detective Kate Beckett. Castle, a best selling author, was bored with life and was in search of inspiration. After a series of murders that were inspired by his own mystery books, the NYPD approached Castle for any info he could give them. Castle took this over the edge by convincing the mayor that he should be a consultant to the NYPD, specifically Beckett, who he used as the inspiration for his new series of books.

The Castle-Beckett dynamic was what carried the show, but there were some other wonderful traits of this show. Castle was extremely intelligent, though he hid that with his special brand of goofiness. The dialogue and writing of the show was on par with some of the best on TV, clever and funny while informing the characters.

Castle’s family which included his daughter Alexis (Molly C. Quinn) and his diva mother Martha Rodgers (Susan Sullivan) was vital to keeping Castle humanized.

A fun bit of casting included real life mystery authors  Stephen J. Cannell, James Patterson, Dennis Lehane, and Michael Connelly as poker buddies for Castle. Castle would, at times, bounce ideas off of the writers, looking for how they would write the story, if the case were fictionalized.

Castle was a fun TV show with an amazing cast, including two charismatic leads. It was funny, exciting, dramatic and well written.

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #14

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#14

24

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick…

Kiefer Sutherland was Jack Bauer, an agent with the Counter Terrorist Unit Los Angeles Division (CTU). Jack had to deal with terrorists and dangerous situations to help his country. And every minute counted.

24 had a special gimmick. Every season, there were 24 episodes and each episode was told in real time. So the story unfolded over a 24 hour period and we saw how Jack Bauer and the other agents of CTU responded to these terrorist events.

The gimmick was really cool, but would never have lasted for the length of time that it did without that first season of 24. In the final scene of the first season, Jack discovered that his wife, Teri Bauer, who had been a major role in the season, had been killed by a mole inside CTU. The season ended with Jack cradling the dead body of his wife.

You do not end a season of TV in that manner. The hero does not face this level of anguish in the final scene. It proved to the viewers that absolutely anything was possible during these 24-hour days and that you could not afford to miss anything on the show.

Admittedly, as the show grew older, the show became more played out, and the show did seem to focus too much on Middle Eastern terrorists (accusations of Islamophobia were leveled at the show), but Jack would do absolutely ANYTHING in order to accomplish his goal. There were times when what Jack did was as shocking as anything the terrorist would do.A TV show protagonist just would not do what Jack Bauer did.

24 ran for eight seasons on FOX, which included a TV movie between season six and seven. There was also a new series called Live Another Day, which cut the season in half from 24 hours to 12 (episodes).

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #15

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#15

General Hospital

General Hospital has been on ABC since April 1, 1963. That is 62 years, easily the longest running show in the Top 100.

My mother watched the soap opera General Hospital and I would watch it with her when I was young. I can say that, along with my love of comic books, General Hospital helped to embolden my creativity and my own storytelling skills.

Watching the Luke and Laura love story developing from an ugly rape, the mystery of the Ice Princess and the Cassadines, the arrival of super spy Robert Scorpio, Casey the Alien, the awesome ass kicker Anna Devane, probably my first crush in Holly Sutton (played by the gorgeous Emma Samms), the quarrelsome Quartermaines, Frisco and Felicia, mob kingpin Sonny Corinthos all brought out the best in me.

The show has featured countless actors that have become major stars in other projects that I love. Demi Moore, John Stamos, Rick Springfield, Ricky Martin, Mark Hamill, Jonathan Jackson, Antonio Sabato Jr., Vanessa Marcil, Tia Carrere, Jack Wagner. There were guest appearances from Elizabeth Taylor, Roseanne Barr, Richard Simmons, James Franco, among others.

My favorite characters over the years included:

  • Luke Spencer
  • Anna Devane
  • Robert Scorpio
  • Frisco Jones
  • Laura Webber
  • Lucy Coe
  • Kevin Collins and his evil twin Ryan Chamberlain
  • Holly Sutton
  • Robin Scorpio
  • Bobbie Spencer

The show had a ton of classic villains too including Mikkos Cassadine, Helena Cassadine, Cesar Faison, Heather Webber, Jerry Jacks, Franco, Stavros Cassadine, Caleb Morley, Ava Jerome, Grant Putnam, Frank Smith, and the spy organization DVX.

The show had both the crazy world of spies and mobsters, but also featured serious storylines involving AIDS, breast cancer, natural disasters, mental illness, depression, and substance abuse.

The show gave us one of the saddest storylines you could give: the death of a child. Little Barbara Jean Jones died in a bus accident, and her heart was transplanted into her cousin Maxie Jones, saving her life. The acting performances in this story were spectacularly powerful and painful.

The show would do a yearly talent show called the Nurses’ Ball where the cast members would put on musical and dance numbers. The Nurses’ Ball was always one of my most anticipated episode of the year.

General Hospital influenced me more than just about any show of my youth and it belongs on this list. I do not watch GH regularly any more, but I am aware of things that happen on the show, and my mom still watches it daily.

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #16

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#16

All in the Family

It was truly ahead of its times….

One of the funniest, most controversial show on TV was All in the Family, which ran for nine seasons on CBS.

Featuring the Bunker family, the show was led by bigot, loud-mouthed, abrasive Archie Bunker. Played by Carol O’Connor, Archie said things that you never thought he could get away with, and yet, he was a beloved character. Married to the essential airhead Edith, Archie was a husband from the old days. His daughter Gloria and her new husband Mike, aka “Meathead,” lived with Archie and Edith too. Archie and Mike collided constantly over their differing political values.

Archie was never short on opinions and it drove the show. Archie’s thoughts on President Nixon, the war in Vietnam, homosexuality, feminists as well as many other topics of the day.

Based on a British TV Show called Till Death Us Do Part, All in the Family was a huge success.

Carol O’Conno rplayed Archie. Edith was played by Jean Stapleton. Gloria was played by Sally Struthers and Mike was played by Rob Reiner.

There were two huge spin offs of All in the Family: Maude and The Jeffersons. You could mention that the show continued on after season nine by transforming it into Archie Bunker’s Place, where Archie bought his bar hangout, Kelsey’s, after the death of Edith.

Personally, I related to All in the Family because Archie and Edith were very much like my own parents, only with the volume turned way up. Mom and Dad were never as over-the-top as the Bunkers, but they defintiely shared traits.

All in the Family was a groundbreaking TV show that was controversial, topical, challenging and… above all else…hilarious.

Boy the way Glen Miller plays….

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #17

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#17

Loki

One of the best Marvel Studios Disney + shows is next on the countdown as we reach Loki, starring Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson.

After Avengers: Infinity War, it looked as if we had seen the last of Loki in the MCU. “No resurrections this time” Thanos said as he cracked Loki’s neck. Fortunately for us, Thanos was not quite right.

While that Loki would not be back, we learned about the multiverse and the unlimited number of Loki variants, one of which would become our protagonist of this series.

Grabbed by the TVA (Time Variance Authority), Loki was recruited by Mobius to help with the apprehension of another rogue Loki who was causing all kinds of trouble. We would come to find out that the rogue Loki was, in fact, a female Loki who named herself Sylvie. Loki and Sylvie had a real weird relationship that carried this show through its run.

But truthfully, the key relationship of the show was Loki and Mobius, played by Owen Wilson. This bromance was apparent from the first scene they had together. Hiddleston and Wilson had amazing chemistry and made an amazing duo.

Loki and Sylvie confronted the man at the beginning of time, He Who Remains, who turned out to be a variant of Kang the Conquerer. This was easily the best moment for that character in the MCU as Kang ended up being defeated by ants. However, this version of Kang was an omnious force over both seasons of Loki.

The writing was extremely clever and funny. It was also a major event in the MCU, with the finale changing things massively with ripples we are still waiting to discover.

Who would have guessed back in the first Thor movie that the antagonist of that movie and the major villain of The Avengers would have one of the best TV shows from Marvel?

Loki went for two seasons.

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #18

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#18

Ted Lasso

This is the show that many people made an account to Apple TV + for. Ted Lasso had three seasons on the streamer and was some of the best TV you were going to find.

Ted Lasso was a American football coach who was hired to move to England and coach football (aka soccer to us Americans), despite the fact that he had never coached the sport before.

There has never been a character like Ted Lasso on TV before. I binged the first couple of seasons because I was catching up with all the hype, and I can remember multiple times thinking to myself, “I wish I was more like Ted Lasso.” The constant positives and the humor that he faced every situation was inspiring.

Ted Lasso was played by Jason Sudeikis with such a perfect balance of zeal and down-home-charm. The rest of the cast around Ted was great as well. This included Hannah Waddingham, as team owner Rebecca Welton. Her story arc as the evil owner felt right out of “Major League,” except it took an entirely different path, completely unexpectedly. Bret Goldstein was Roy Kent, aging superstar player who had to come to terms with his skills slipping way. The relationship with Roy and Keeley Jones, played by Juno Temple, was one of the best storylines on the show.

Others on the show included Phil Dunster, Nick Mohammad, Brendan Hunt, Jeremy Swift, James Lance, Andrea Anders, Sam Richardson, Anthony Head, Cristo Fernandez, Annette Badland, Billy Harris, and Keeley Hazell.

Much like the Tick, Ted Lasso became known for his quotes, dubbed Ted Lasso-isms. Here are some of my personal favorites:

  • “Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse, isn’t it? If you’re comfortable while you’re doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.”
  • “If that’s a joke, I love it. If not, can’t wait to unpack that with you later.”
  • “I always thought tea was going to taste like hot brown water. And do you know what? I was right.”
  • “You know what the happiest animal on earth is? It’s a goldfish. You know why? It’s got a 10-second memory.”
  • “This woman is strong, confident, and powerful. Boss, I tell you, I’d hate to see you and Michelle Obama arm wrestle, but I wouldn’t be able take my eyes off of it either.”
  • “Sam was more open than the jar of peanut butter on my counter.”
  • “You beating yourself up is like Woody Allen playing the clarinet. I don’t want to hear it.”
  • “It’s just a group of people who care, Roy. Not unlike folks at a hip-hop concert whose hands are not in the air.”
  • “Your body is like day-old rice. If it ain’t warmed up properly, something real bad could happen.”
  • “I promise you there is something worse out there than being sad, and that’s being alone and being sad.”
  • “There’s two buttons I never like to hit: that’s panic and snooze.”
  • “I shouldn’t bring an umbrella to a brainstorm.”
  • “Don’t fight back. Fight Forward”
  • “He thinks he’s mad now, wait till we win him over. He’ll be furious.”
  • “I’m like an incomplete list of Madeline Kahn’s best films. I ain’t got no clue.”
  •  “Well, fellas, if you’re looking for a pep talk from me, you’re in trouble. ‘Cause I’m like Michael Flatley at 11:59 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day, I’m tapped out.”
  •  “I’ve had more psychotic episodes than Twin Peaks.”
  • “I do love a locker room. It smells like potential.”
  • “I’ve never been embarrassed about having streaks in my drawers. You know, it’s all part of growing up.”
  • “If the internet has taught us anything, it’s that sometimes it’s easier to speak our minds anonymously.”
  • “You two knuckleheads have split our locker room in half. And when it comes to locker rooms, I like ’em just like my mother’s bathing suits. I only wanna see ’em in one piece, you hear?”
  • “Here’s an idea that’s gonna help a little or hurt a whole lot. Who needs a drink?”
  •  “Well, as my doctor told me when I got addicted to fettuccine Alfredo, that’s a little rich for my blood.”
  • “Guys have underestimated me my entire life. And for years, I never understood why. It used to really bother me. But then one day, I was driving my little boy to school, and I saw this quote by Walt Whitman, and it was painted on the wall there. It said, ‘Be curious, not judgmental.’ I like that.”

Daily Countdown: TV Show #19

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#19

The Tick (animated series)

This is the third time that The Tick has made it on to this list. His live action show on FOX was first, then his live action show on Prime was next, and now is the show that, for me, started it all.

Yes, I know the Tick was from comics, but I had not owned any Tick comics when he debuted on FOX Kids Saturday mornings. My introduction to the character was from that animated series and it made the Tick, along with the other eccentric and wild characters from this world, one of my favorite shows ever.

Spooooooooooooooooooooon!

From sidekick Arthur to Chairface Chippendale to Man-Eating Cow to Barry, the characters were so fun, so funny and worth the time. This is the last time we would see Die Fledermaus and American Maid, as these characters did not appear in live action because of legal reasons.

There are a couple of notable episodes that I will never forget with minor characters (if you can call them that) that absolutely were sensations. Little Wooden Boy was Tick’s sidekick after a spat with Arthur. I wanted my own Little Wooden Boy, so badly. Then, there was Tick’s pet, Speak, the “dog” who was named because “that’s what you do.” Speak was actually a capybara, which is a rodent.

Blowhole, the Terror, Proto the Clown, El Seed, Dinosaur Neil, Thrakkorzog, the Breadmaster, Filth, The Evil Midnight Bomber that Bombs at Midnight… so many creative and extremely clever characters, some adapted from the comics, some seen first time on the animated show. The group of super heroes running around The City was as great too.

There were three seasons of this animated show and I waited patiently for each one. I loved this show so much. It gave me a character that I could completely relate to and it was as funny as any show on this list.

Creator and EYG Hall of famer Ben Edlund was behind the show, in all its forms. With all due respect to both Patrick Warburton and Peter Serafinowicz, the classic and all-time Tick performer was Townsend Coleman, who voiced the animated version in this show. Coleman’s voice was perfect for this character and was what helped this show become the cult classic that it is.

Because of this show, I spent many years finding Tick comics from New England Comics (thanks Todd) and the Tick is one of my favorite comic book heroes of all time.

The animated show provided some of the best quotes of all time… some of which I still use in real life.

“Gravity is a harsh mistress”

“You’re not going crazy. You’re going sane in a crazy world!”

“Four yaks and a dog. Laxative log. Susan.“

“You know, Arthur, when evil is afoot, and you don’t have any arms, you’ve gotta use your head. And when evil is ahead and you’re behind, you’ve gotta do the legwork. But when you can’t get a leg up, you gotta be hip. You gotta keep your chin up, and kick some-…”

“Eating kittens is just plain… plain wrong! And no-one should do it, ever!“

“Yeah, well, don’t count your weasels before they pop, dink!”

“Yes, destiny has her hand on my back, and she’s pushing.”

“Mucal invader, is there no end to your oozing?”

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #20

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#20

The Big Bang Theory

As we enter the Top 20 remaining in our Daily Countdown, we come to a sitcom that ran for 12 seasons on CBS.

Bazinga!

The Big Bang Theory was the story of a group of four geeks, all incredibly smart scientists, engineers and physicists, who love geek culture, playing D & D, and comic books. We follow these four men, Leonard Hofstadter, Howard Wolowitz, Raj Koothrappali and Sheldon Cooper, through their lives, loves and shenanigans.

There are people I know who hate The Big Bang Theory because of their portrayal of the main characters as geeks. They say it is insulting to the geek community. While they are welcome to that opinion, I disagree. It is a sitcom and the characters are exaggerated. It’s like saying that detectives should be mad about Monk or that doctors should be offended by Doogie Howser.

The center relationship of the show is Leonard and Sheldon, who are roommates. Sheldon is, let’s say, difficult to deal with, yet Leonard continued to put up with his craziness. When Penny (no last name) moves in next door, Leonard fall for her hard. Other love interests were introduced into the show as regulars: Bernadette Rostenkowski, who would wind up marrying Howard, and Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler, whose relationship with Sheldon would be a major focus of the last half of the show’s run.

The relationship with Howard and Bernadette, for me, really saved the character of Howard, who I disliked for much of the early seasons. He was so creepy so often that I just did not understand why the others wanted him around. Still, Howard had his moments and became one of my favorites as he became a husband and father.

The show had a regular set that was a comic book shop, which I always find awesome. The comic book shop owner, Stuart, eventually became a regular, and is reportedly part of a spin off of the show coming sometime over the next year or two.

The cast included Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik, Melissa Rauch, and Kevin Sussman. Recurring actors to appear on the show included such stars as Kathy Bates, Bob Newhart, Sara Gilbert, Sean Astin, Wil Wheaton, Jerry O’Connell, Teller, and Stephen Hawking. There were also a bunch of cameos of people as themselves including Stan Lee, Leonard Nemoy, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye, Levar Burton, Kareen Abdul-Jabbar, James Earl Jones, Kevin Smith, Nathan Fillion, and many more.