Old TV shows are an American obsession, and we might as well admit it.
Below are the 50 "classic" shows most asked for by Lycos users for the year ending June 1.
In order to qualify as "classic," a show must have ended its first run before the year 1990. We've disqualified shows if they were also recent movies (Mission: Impossible), books (Little House on the Prairie) or have other 'contaminating' search factors (Baretta is also a gun, Star Trek sequels have been in first run during the 1990s, etc, etc.). That ain't perfect, but it's the fairest system we could devise.
We also didn't count celebrity names which were synonymous with their shows, like Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke. In order to be counted a query had to specify the show, not just the person.
And so: on with the list.
1. Scooby Doo
2. Dukes of Hazzard
3. The Brady Bunch
4. M*A*S*H
5. I Love Lucy
6. Dr. Who
7. Knight Rider
8. Gilligan's Island
9. The A-Team
10. Airwolf
11. The Monkees
12. Rocky and Bullwinkle
13. Speed Racer
14. Bewitched
15. Mighty Mouse
16. Battlestar Galactica
17. Dark Shadows
18. Candid Camera
19. The Twilight Zone
20. Punky Brewster
21. Happy Days
22. Magnum, P.I.
23. All In the Family
24. Miami Vice
25. Bonanza
26. The Partridge Family
27. The Beverly Hillbillies
28. The Andy Griffith Show
29. Leave It To Beaver
30. I Dream of Jeannie
31. Hee Haw
32. Jonny Quest
33. Dynasty
34. Scarecrow & Mrs. King
35. Welcome Back Kotter
36. Fantasy Island
37. Hogan's Heroes
38. Moonlighting
39. The Honeymooners
40. The Munsters
41. Get Smart
42. The Outer Limits
43. Lassie
44. Captain Kangaroo
45. Dragnet
46. China Beach
47. Family Ties
48. Green Acres
49. The Muppet Show
50. Diff'rent Strokes
Scooby Doo is just unbelievably, unbelievably popular. We don't know why. We do note that five of the top 50 shows -- Scooby, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Speed Racer, Mighty Mouse and Jonny Quest -- are cartoons. (We know Bullwinkle was also a movie, by the way, but the movie came after June 1.)
Sitcoms seem to be the most popular genre, with 20 different shows fitting that category (assuming you call Punky Brewster a comedy, that is). I Love Lucy, that old warhorse, is still in the top five nearly FIFTY years after the show debuted. Go figure.
Meanwhile cop shows, one of TV's most dependable genres, has but one entry on the list: Dragnet. Far more popular is the private eye / freelance fighter genre: Magnum P.I., Moonlighting, Knight Rider, etc. Many of those shows also had elements of comedy, which makes you wonder if our love of "classic shows" is really just a love of laughter.
Still: the Dukes of Hazzard? What are people thinking?
For more on classic TV, we invite you to peruse the Lycos Guide to TV Shows.
