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The Great 2020 All Time Television Draft: The Simpsons is judged the greatest show of all time (2 Viewers)

I don’t think it’s accurate to say John Madden hasn’t transcended football. He was big in the early Miller Lite commercials, he’s had the biggest selling sports video game for forever (and most kids only know him for that), and Frank Caliendo made a whole career out of impersonating him even years after Madden retired as an announcer.
You're right -- I overlooked Madden's Lite beer commercials. There was a time when he was a bigger name for those than he was for broadcasting.

I'm being a stickler about non-television stuff and not giving him credit for the Madden video game franchise (same as me not giving Eucker, Patrick, and Bradshaw credit for their film roles). Point granted, however, about more kids today are exposed to Madden through the game series than anything else.
 

 
I don’t think it’s accurate to say John Madden hasn’t transcended football. He was big in the early Miller Lite commercials ...
I've just gone down the rabbit hole checking out about a half dozen of his old Lite ads. He had a pretty darn good run with those -- much more his early-1980s calling card than his color-analyst work IMHO even though he had been doing games with CBS since 1979.

 
to be a  :homer: again, my favorite "tastes great, less filling" ad was with basketball's Madden, Tommy Heinsohn, being thrown out of the commercial by legendary referee Mendy Rudolph

 
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to be a  :homer: again, my favorite "tastes great, less filling" ad was with basketball's Madden, Tommy Heinsohn, being thrown out of the commercial by legendary referee, Mendy Rudlolph
The one after it with Eucker and Heinsohn checking out Halley's Comet was pretty good, too.

There was one late 80s Lite commercial where they had practically everyone who appeared in the "less filling" spots over the previous decade ... and if memory serves, Madden provides the punchline at the end. I only have a vague memory of the commercial ... trying to find it on YouTube (and no, it's not the 1986 'Lite Beer Open' golf commercial). I think the huge-ensemble commercial I'm thinking of was one of the very last "less filling" ads they ever aired. Thinking circa 1988.

 
I've just gone down the rabbit hole checking out about a half dozen of his old Lite ads. He had a pretty darn good run with those -- much more his early-1980s calling card than his color-analyst work IMHO even though he had been doing games with CBS since 1979.
Yeah I tried not to go into too much detail on the commercials when doing my Madden write up since I wasn’t sure if anyone would take those for the commercial category. Fun stuff to look back on. 

 
Thru 7 categories 

1 --Yo Mama--85

2 --AcerFC--84

3 --Hov34--69

4 --tuffnutt--68

5 --Gally Steiner--66

6 --rick6668--62

7 --jwb--59

8 --Zow--56

9 --Mrs. Rannous--55

10 -KarmaPolice--54

11 -mphtrilogy--53

12 -Tolstoy--50

13 -TripleLayne--50

14 -Doug B--49

15 -timschochet--48

16 -Pitchfork--44

 
If anyone is interested in helping rank the 91-20 supporting man and woman categories, shoot them to me in the next few days. I have mine and mph’s ready, but it’s always nice to get more opinions. 

 
Hey @Getzlaf15, how do you think Stuart Scott would have fared in your sports personality rankings?
Not really sure.  I missed most of his early years because our twins were young at that time, so I didn't watch SC on a nightly basis. Much of my rankings were based on the impact that person had on sports, and I'm not 100% sure what his was.

 
Yo Mama said:
If anyone is interested in helping rank the 91-20 supporting man and woman categories, shoot them to me in the next few days. I have mine and mph’s ready, but it’s always nice to get more opinions. 
I'll help if you still need it.

Oh I just noticed that you guys are both drafters in there, do you have to be drafter to be a judge?

 
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I'll help if you still need it.

Oh I just noticed that you guys are both drafters in there, do you have to be drafter to be a judge?
Not a problem at all. It’s probably better for non drafters to judge. Shoot me your rankings via message and I’ll include them in the totals. 

 
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Supporting Female characters 1950-1970 OK I spent less time on these descriptions, though not on the evaluations. Simply put my judging is largely based on how well these characters are remembered. 
 

These 5 are the least well remembered: 

1 Pt. Zelda Gilroy 

2 Pts. Charnaine Shultz 

3 Pts. Audra Barklay 

4 Pts. Margaret Williams 

5 Pts. Officer Eve Whitfield 

Unfortunately very few people can recall any of these characters. Linda Evans and Ann B Davis are remembered better for other characters (Davis actually won 2 emmys for her role as Charmaine but who remembers the Bob Cummings Show?) Same for the others though they’re ranked in order of notoriety. 

 
6 Pts Catwoman 

Julie Newmar had some great dialogue with Batman, but it was too short-lived. 
 

7 Pts Sally Rogers 

8 Pts Jane Hathaway 

9 Pts Uhuru

All classic TV characters, just not quite as much a legacy as those above them. 
 

10 Pts Alice Nelson 

11 Pts Kitty Russell 

Legends of television. 

 
16 Pts Endora

15 Pts Ethel Mertz 

14 Pts Aunt Bee

13 Pts (tie) Ginger and Mary Ann

11 Pts Kitty Russell

10 Pts Alice Nelson 

9  Pts Uhuru

8 Pts Jane Hathaway 

7 Pts Sally Rogers 

6 Pts Catwoman 

5 Pts Eve Whitfield 

4 Pts Margaret Williams 

3 Pts Audra Barclay

2 Pts Charmaine Schultz 

1 Pt Zelda Gilroy 

 
16 Pts Endora

15 Pts Ethel Mertz 

14 Pts Aunt Bee

13 Pts (tie) Ginger and Mary Ann

11 Pts Kitty Russell

10 Pts Alice Nelson 

9  Pts Uhuru

8 Pts Jane Hathaway 

7 Pts Sally Rogers 

6 Pts Catwoman 

5 Pts Eve Whitfield 

4 Pts Margaret Williams 

3 Pts Audra Barclay

2 Pts Charmaine Schultz 

1 Pt Zelda Gilroy 
Nice work on these Tim

 
9 Pts Uhuru

All classic TV characters, just not quite as much a legacy as those above them.  
Fun fact for you: Nichelle Nichols stated in an interview that she wanted to leave the show but MLK himself told her to stay and continue to provide a positive role model for the AA community. I'm not much of a social activist normally, but you can't deny the character being iconic and important, arguably THE most important female supporting character of her era.

 
16 Pts Endora

15 Pts Ethel Mertz 

14 Pts Aunt Bee

13 Pts (tie) Ginger and Mary Ann

11 Pts Kitty Russell

10 Pts Alice Nelson 

9  Pts Uhuru

8 Pts Jane Hathaway 

7 Pts Sally Rogers 

6 Pts Catwoman 

5 Pts Eve Whitfield 

4 Pts Margaret Williams 

3 Pts Audra Barclay

2 Pts Charmaine Schultz 

1 Pt Zelda Gilroy 
Really strong list.  I think I would have put Ethel at the top, Aunt Bee next, then Endora but hard to argue that order. To break the tie clearly Mary Ann is better than Ginger :P

 
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9 Pts Uhuru

All classic TV characters, just not quite as much a legacy as those above them.  
Fun fact for you: Nichelle Nichols stated in an interview that she wanted to leave the show but MLK himself told her to stay and continue to provide a positive role model for the AA community. I'm not much of a social activist normally, but you can't deny the character being iconic and important, arguably THE most important female supporting character of her era.
I have to agree.  This should have been number one for it's real world impact.

And it's Uhura.

 
Let's Do TV Detective:

My criteria was a mix of how good of a character they are/were, how memorable they are, legacy, etc. Since the allure of a TV detective is doing the job, I also factored in detective work - how much do I want this person solving a case that matters to me. Cops and PI's got equal treatment.

Notable people not drafted / not in this list:

Patrick Jane

Andy Sipowicz (I took him as a leading man)

Raylan Givens (not sure how much of a "detective" he was, but he was a great character - hope he got drafted somewhere)

Carl Kolchack might have stayed off the bottom as well.

I'm putting the finishing touches on these, but should have em all out by lunch.

 
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TV Detective - The underpaid four

1 Point: Barney Miller

He’s the show’s namesake, but hardly a great detective. Maybe he was at some point, but by the time we see him, he’s more an administrator than anything.

2 points: Scooby Doo

Rut Ro!! I’m happy Scooby got picked somewhere in this draft, but he wasn’t even the best detective in his own misfit group. Plus, you had to give him a snack to get anything out of him. Still, he was in the field solving crimes instead of sitting at a desk, so he gets a point over Barney.

Rounding out the bottom tier are two guys who are good, but not great. Neither of these characters really grabbed me:

3 Points: Shawn Spencer

I thought Patrick Jane did it better, so Shawn’s not even the best quasi-psychic detective out there. Maybe if I didn’t watch The Mentalist first I’d like him better.

4 Points: Harry Bosch

I can’t find anything bad to say about Harry, but I can’t find anything superlative, either.

 
Let's Do TV Detective:

My criteria was a mix of how good of a character they are/were, how memorable they are, legacy, etc. Since the allure of a TV detective is doing the job, I also factored in detective work - how much do I want this person solving a case that matters to me. Cops and PI's got equal treatment.

Notable exceptions:

Patrick Jane

Andy Sipowicz (I took him as a leading man)

Raylan Givens (not sure how much of a "detective" he was, but he was a great character - hope he got drafted somewhere)

Carl Kolchack might have stayed off the bottom as well.

I'm putting the finishing touches on these, but should have em all out by lunch.
Would Gil Grissom have counted as detective. Wanted to get him in but wasnt sure

 
Would Gil Grissom have counted as detective. Wanted to get him in but wasnt sure
I think so. There wasn't any real criteria given, so prettymuch anyone having a big hand in solving crimes/etc would fit (I mentioned Kolchack, who was a reporter). Off the top of my head, Gil would have landed around where Bosch is, or maybe the next group.

 
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TV Detective: They solve the crime, and (mostly) collect their fee. 

It wasn't that tough to get my bottom four, but it started getting harder from here on out. These are good characters and good shows, and I somewhat dislike having to keep them in the bottom half, but that's the way it works.

5 points: Joe Mannix

Quintessential late 60’s /early 70’s detective. Tough guy, no-nonsense, took a beating while dishing one out too, and solved the crime.

6 points: Veronica Mars

This is a decent show, but there are other detectives I want if my life depended on it.

7 points: Jake Peralta

Not really a serious detective, but it’s a fun show. As you'll see by the next few tiers, there's not room for him to go any higher.

 
He must not have watched the entire series. VM was an awesome show and she was an awesome detective. Not going Gally but this is a low score despite how many heavy hitters there are left
I did not. What I did see I liked, though. I think she's fairly slotted. There are some pretty good detectives left.

 
TV Detectives: These folks are good - they should work more

These next three gave me trouble  They are all excellent character portrayals: one a classic character, and two new. But all have an issue with series longevity (through no fault of their own - it's how their show was structured/presented). It keeps them under the top tier, because the people ahead of them are also iconic/excellent, and also far more prolific.

8 points: Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch)

This is a fine portrayal of a classic character. The “classic” part I have to ignore though (Holmes has been around forever), and judge it on the 13 episodes. This is where he fits.

9 Points: Jane Tennison

Helen Mirren is excellent here. If you haven’t watched this British version of Prime Suspect, you should. 

10 points: Rhust Cohle

Same issue as far as longevity. I loved this character, and want to rank him higher, but he doesn’t have enough screen time to rank him over the people above him. Still, he's tops in this tier for me. 

 
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Was hoping for a Bosch fan.. for me it's one of the top Amazon shows... oh well, V-Mars was my other choice snagged right before me so....

 
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TV Detectives: The cool and the quirky

These next two are simply very interesting characters. They are both really unique, from very different time periods, and have very different approaches.

11 Points: Adrian Monk

Quirky, funny… just a fantastic character. I didn’t get too much into awards in this list, but Tony Shalhoub has won a bunch of Emmys here.

12 Points: Lt. Theo Kojak              

Who loves ya baby?? Is it because he’s bald? Is it the lollipops? Who knows, but we all loved Kojak in the 70’s. He gets one point higher than Monk based on more recognition.

 
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TV Detectives - The two fun guys

Now we have the two fun guys. Iconic, decade-defining characters and great shows both.

13 points: Jim Rockford

Rockford was cool and fun. He wasn’t glamourous, and the bill collectors called a lot, but it was the 70’s. Everyone was broke.

14 points: Thomas Sullivan Magnum III 

Magnum was even cooler and more fun than Rockford. Of course, existing in the technicolor 80’s over the gritty 70’s helped. So did living in Hawaii. 

Magnum was my pick. Hope nobody has a problem with this ranking. I've judged in a ton of these, and will usually penalize my own pick some to eliminate my own bias. I did not do that in this case, because I think he's fairly ranked. 

 

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