26 Best Cult TV Shows Ever
- Thread starter Bouncy Castle
- Start date
Okay, here's Raisindot's definition of a cult film/TV series.
1. When originally released, the thing never made any money or was widely seen by the population at large. Popularity for it grew mainly through word of mouth.
2. At the showing of these things, either in public or in private homes, people often dress up as characters and act out scenes.
3. Being part of the cult creates an aura of cultural elitism--only someone with your superior intellect can fully appreciate something the unwashed public is too stupid to recognize.
4. The 'audience theater' zeitgist that surrounds the showing of the show/film eventually becomes more important than the actual film/show itself (i.e., Rocky Horror)
5. The more the movie/show is derided, criticized, and ridiculed by the mainstream, the stronger its fans circle the wagons to defend it.
6. Quite often, seeing a cult film/show is a matter of cognitive dissonance; you consciously know that what you're witnessing is a piece of sh** that by any normal standard would long ago have been relegated to the ash heap of history (i.e., Ed Wood films), but it's essentially their innate badness that makes it 'good.'
7. It's nearly impossible to convince large numbers of 'mainstream' people why a cult movie/show is worth paying attention to (that's why Star Trek and Monty Python are no longer cult shows/films; they mainstreamed long ago)
8. A true cult show/film has staying power; those that don't simply revert to being bad films or shows (are there truly any large contingents of fans of Harold and Maude, Eraserhead, or Roger Corman movies anymore?)
9. All legitimate film/show cults meet Kurt Vonnegut's definitions of wampeters and granfoolens.
10. The cult shows/films you adore are unfairly maligned classics; the cult shows/films OTHER people adore are useless wastes of time.
1. When originally released, the thing never made any money or was widely seen by the population at large. Popularity for it grew mainly through word of mouth.
2. At the showing of these things, either in public or in private homes, people often dress up as characters and act out scenes.
3. Being part of the cult creates an aura of cultural elitism--only someone with your superior intellect can fully appreciate something the unwashed public is too stupid to recognize.
4. The 'audience theater' zeitgist that surrounds the showing of the show/film eventually becomes more important than the actual film/show itself (i.e., Rocky Horror)
5. The more the movie/show is derided, criticized, and ridiculed by the mainstream, the stronger its fans circle the wagons to defend it.
6. Quite often, seeing a cult film/show is a matter of cognitive dissonance; you consciously know that what you're witnessing is a piece of sh** that by any normal standard would long ago have been relegated to the ash heap of history (i.e., Ed Wood films), but it's essentially their innate badness that makes it 'good.'
7. It's nearly impossible to convince large numbers of 'mainstream' people why a cult movie/show is worth paying attention to (that's why Star Trek and Monty Python are no longer cult shows/films; they mainstreamed long ago)
8. A true cult show/film has staying power; those that don't simply revert to being bad films or shows (are there truly any large contingents of fans of Harold and Maude, Eraserhead, or Roger Corman movies anymore?)
9. All legitimate film/show cults meet Kurt Vonnegut's definitions of wampeters and granfoolens.
10. The cult shows/films you adore are unfairly maligned classics; the cult shows/films OTHER people adore are useless wastes of time.
ingeneral true, though no set in stone. and can still lead to it become widely popular.
Yeah, thats what i was thinking.
This exists in all fandom, but i can't say is ever part of a fandom as a whole. but i know the attitudes you speak of.
Can agree with this for the most part. especially if include conventions into this.
Absolutely
often but not always. there are many instances where the subject actually is very good, but circumstances lead it not being seen till later in instances where that is a factor (IE firefly)
This i disagree with. i think its more to the point that they have just been around SO LONG the word of mouth aspect has had a chance to permeate the general population. but its still more of a being accepted kind of deal, then becoming "mainstream". even then its still often considered a nerdy/geeky thing to be a fan of. lol its just there are more nerds/geeks now (many case BECAUSE of Star Trek ).
Case in point, pokemon. early on it was more of a guilty pleasure for most fans, but looking around online now you see its more accepted, and not treated with the irony or sarcasm it used to be. and thats due to the fact that its been around so long now those that were fans in the beginning are in their 20's and 30's now, and often have kids of their own. so nostalgia has begun to kick in.
true
lol, this i can't comment on
can't argue to much with that
Yeah, thats what i was thinking.
This exists in all fandom, but i can't say is ever part of a fandom as a whole. but i know the attitudes you speak of.
Can agree with this for the most part. especially if include conventions into this.
Absolutely
often but not always. there are many instances where the subject actually is very good, but circumstances lead it not being seen till later in instances where that is a factor (IE firefly)
This i disagree with. i think its more to the point that they have just been around SO LONG the word of mouth aspect has had a chance to permeate the general population. but its still more of a being accepted kind of deal, then becoming "mainstream". even then its still often considered a nerdy/geeky thing to be a fan of. lol its just there are more nerds/geeks now (many case BECAUSE of Star Trek
).Case in point, pokemon. early on it was more of a guilty pleasure for most fans, but looking around online now you see its more accepted, and not treated with the irony or sarcasm it used to be. and thats due to the fact that its been around so long now those that were fans in the beginning are in their 20's and 30's now, and often have kids of their own. so nostalgia has begun to kick in.
true
lol, this i can't comment on
10. The cult shows/films you adore are unfairly maligned classics; the cult shows/films OTHER people adore are useless wastes of time.
