I'd rank Firefly a bit higher and Buffy a tad lower- maybe around 15 and 5, respectively. In my (admittedly not-all-knowing) experience, Firefly has a smaller fanbase, but far fewer casual fans.

Interesting ranking. I'd think that Lost was too mainstream to be considered "cult," but maybe I'm using a different gauge than they. Same with Family Guy or the Simpsons.

kishi | June 29, 12:52 CET

I doubt 'Doctor Who' qualifies by numbers either (it normally gets around 7-10 million watching in the UK or about 35% of the available viewers - the kind of figures any US show would kill for these days).

Likewise Ab Fab was a big hit in the UK so I suspect it's strictly based on US viewership (and agreed, 'Lost' is more just genre than cult).

(and though I liked Xena i'd certainly put BSG higher, maybe move 'Firefly' and 'Doctor Who' up and 'X-Files' down a bit)

Saje | June 29, 13:20 CET

I think that in lists like these, Angel almost always kind of falls under the Buffy umbrella, given the shared mythology and the fact that the shows' fanbases are composed of probably about 90% the same people.

jlp | June 29, 14:45 CET

Shows such as Forever Knight and My So-Called Life, though previously ranked among the top 25, we decided simply have not withstood the test of time,

ZOMG, WTF, etc. After the recent talk of a re-release I'm watching my original dvd set of MSCL again at the moment and it still utterly rules. How anyone can claim it's not withstood the test of time makes no sense to me at all.

eviltobz | June 29, 16:31 CET

Jericho above Firefly? Whaa? I'm not even talking in terms of quality; I've never seen one episode of Jericho. In simple fan terms...yes, fans got Jericho back, which is actually pretty amazing, but the network was this close to wanting it back. I'd say Firefly fans are more devoted...

And now I realize I'm having a rant over which fandom is crazier which just makes me, well, other than absolutely 100% nerdy, insane.

UnpluggedCrazy | June 29, 16:47 CET

I read somewhere that Doctor Who averages 18 million viewers so I have to agree with Saje about it being US viewings, in the UK its pretty mainstream.

feigenbaum7 | June 29, 16:55 CET

Well, maybe 18 million US (at the current exchange rate of 2 to 1, ooh *snap* ;). The actual figure's a bit lower than that feigenbaum7 e.g. 'The Sound of Drums', last week's episode, had about 6.9 million but that's still a 38% share of the audience so very healthy.

And now I realize I'm having a rant over which fandom is crazier which just makes me, well, other than absolutely 100% nerdy, insane.

Yep, way more insane than those 'Jericho' fans, that's fer sure. We're number one, we're number one ... ;).

Saje | June 29, 17:18 CET

Jerico's an entertaining, well done show that kept getting better and I'm glad it's coming back. But comparing it to Firefly? And higher on the list? Bah Humbug.
And I think BtS should absolutely positively undebatably undeniably be number one.

Shey | June 29, 17:22 CET

My-So Called Life doesn't withstand the test of time? Huh?

keysersoze | June 29, 20:06 CET

Buffy could definitely stand to be a bit lower on the list. I don't agree with it being number 3, but top 10, sure. BTVS was very popular, but even though X-Files was as well, BTVS appealed to a wider range of audience, versus X-Files, which often had disturbing imagery that was geared more toward adults.

Star Trek is a cult hit mostly because it was still one of those bizarre scifi things only "geeks" watched. X-Files was one of those as well, and I still love X-Files more than any show I have ever watched. Yes, I believe that would be blasphemy without adding that BTVS and Firefly are both second on my list.

Jericho is simply too new to have achieved cult status, the same with Lost. Plus, Lost has so many fans that it is such a mainstream thing - the only "cult" exception is that if you watch Lost, you are devoted because casual fans can't possibly follow such a complicated show. That alone makes it "cult."

CaffeinatedSquint | June 29, 20:40 CET

Aww, poor underrated, underloved Angel. It's still my #1.

sistakaren | June 29, 22:45 CET

They may also be factoring in classic Who in their determinations. The new series is awesome and shiny, but many fans are as (or more) devoted to the previous incarnations. :)

[ edited by swanjun on 2007-06-29 20:26 ]

swanjun | June 29, 23:26 CET

IMinsufficientlyHO, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the best show, and Firefly just needed either (A) 4 1/2 years or (B) Dr. Who-level permanence to rank up there near it.

Pointy | June 30, 03:39 CET

I think that in lists like these, Angel almost always kind of falls under the Buffy umbrella, given the shared mythology and the fact that the shows' fanbases are composed of probably about 90% the same people.
jlp | June 29, 11:45 CET

Actually approx 75% of Angel fans never watched Btvs and vice versa. I actually truly hate that Angel is treated so dismissively and lumped in with Btvs. It's a seperate show and stands extremely well on it's own two feet. I personally find it quite insulting that Angel is quite often treated in this way. It is in many ways superior to Btvs and that should be acknowledged.

JuliaL | June 30, 04:20 CET

Actually approx 75% of Angel fans never watched Btvs and vice versa.

Where did you get this figure?

Nebula1400 | June 30, 04:56 CET

I'm sad that Angel isn't on the list, but I can live with it. I'm also irked that Heroes didn't make the list, although maybe it needs more time. But it seems like it already has a firmly established following, and Lost doesn't have that big a head start. Also, Futurama should be on there.

By the way, what fell off the list? There are six new shows, so something from last time must have gotten the ax.

And congrats to Veronica Mars. It lives on in the hearts and minds of children.

alpha5099 | June 30, 08:00 CET

I second Nebula1400's question. I find it hard to believe that fans of Buffy wouldn't watch Angel, and visa verse :)

Shey | July 01, 11:43 CET

82% of all statistics are made up. ;)

NickSeng | July 02, 12:45 CET

sorry, duplicate post

[ edited by NickSeng on 2007-07-02 09:46 ]

NickSeng | July 02, 12:45 CET

It's OK, 64% of all posts are duplicated anyway.

Saje | July 02, 13:00 CET