Regardless of quality, nearly every TV show develops some sort of following. But earning the classification “cult television show” requires more than a following. By definition, cultists must be relatively few in number but legion in devotion. They stage conventions in honor of their favorite shows. They dress up as their favorite characters. They communicate in a secret language of quotes and catch phrases. They organize fervent letter-writing campaigns when their favorite shows risk cancellation.
My main issue with Christopher J. Olson and CarrieLynn D. Reinhard’s new book The Greatest Cult Television Shows of All Time is that the writers don’t make much of an effort to engage with the cultiness of the 100 cult shows they celebrate. For each entry, the writers provide a few paragraphs about a show’s production history and a few paragraphs explaining why that show is among the writers’ personal favorites (usually because it’s “sidesplitting,” the writers’ favorite adjective). Most entries end with a line like “and that’s why this series is one of the greatest cult shows of all time,” but a book like this requires more than that, especially since a lot of readers will raise their eyebrows at the notion that certain series Olson and Reinhard selected are cult shows.
Arguably, shows such as Twin Peaks and Twilight Zone require less explanation since the fruits of their cults seem so ubiquitous, but I’ve never thought of series such as Gilligan’s Island, A Different World, Darkwing Duck, Saved by the Bell, and Baywatch—allegedly the most popular show in the world during its 12-year run—as cult shows. Maybe there are Darkwing Duck conventions or drag kings who dress up like Screech, but a book like this should clarify such things to justify the selections and flesh out the discussions. Only on rare occasions, as in their entries on The X-Files and My Little Pony, do Olson and Reinhard really explore the cults that made their book possible.
Arguably, shows such as Twin Peaks and Twilight Zone require less explanation since the fruits of their cults seem so ubiquitous, but I’ve never thought of series such as Gilligan’s Island, A Different World, Darkwing Duck, Saved by the Bell, and Baywatch—allegedly the most popular show in the world during its 12-year run—as cult shows. Maybe there are Darkwing Duck conventions or drag kings who dress up like Screech, but a book like this should clarify such things to justify the selections and flesh out the discussions. Only on rare occasions, as in their entries on The X-Files and My Little Pony, do Olson and Reinhard really explore the cults that made their book possible.
