Here's a great example of a "cult" TV show.
When I was a teenager in the late 1970's, I wouldn't go out(much to the annoyance of my then girlfriend) 'till both Fantasy Island and The Love Boat were over on Saturday nights. Now, living in the Central Time zone, where prime time started at 7pm, as opposed to 8pm on the East, you still had plenty of time to do things, and be home before the parents got mad.
++SPOILERS++
Probably the best example of "escapist television" ever made. You didn't have to be an Einstein to follow the paper thin plots. The basic premise was that the mysterious Mr. Roark would grant guests to his island any wish that they wanted. Fame, fortune, love, whatever. However, according to his trusty helper, Tatoo, one could only visit the Island, only once.
The guests were pretty, the scenery was gorgeous, and you usually felt happy when the show ended.
Paired with "The Love Boat" this was a ratings winning pair for the ABC television network. After it was cancelled, it was replaced by a sort of similar feeling show, "Finders of Lost Loves", that lasted just one season.
As of July 2003, "FI" was running on TVLand.
When I was a teenager in the late 1970's, I wouldn't go out(much to the annoyance of my then girlfriend) 'till both Fantasy Island and The Love Boat were over on Saturday nights. Now, living in the Central Time zone, where prime time started at 7pm, as opposed to 8pm on the East, you still had plenty of time to do things, and be home before the parents got mad.
++SPOILERS++
Probably the best example of "escapist television" ever made. You didn't have to be an Einstein to follow the paper thin plots. The basic premise was that the mysterious Mr. Roark would grant guests to his island any wish that they wanted. Fame, fortune, love, whatever. However, according to his trusty helper, Tatoo, one could only visit the Island, only once.
The guests were pretty, the scenery was gorgeous, and you usually felt happy when the show ended.
Paired with "The Love Boat" this was a ratings winning pair for the ABC television network. After it was cancelled, it was replaced by a sort of similar feeling show, "Finders of Lost Loves", that lasted just one season.
As of July 2003, "FI" was running on TVLand.