Worst TV Shows Ever

The history of television is sprinkled with profound moments…and littered with several times as many awful ones.

Talking horses? Offspring with secret lives as music stars? Spinoffs featuring characters who weren’t all that well-loved in the show that introduced them?

Paring dubious TV moments to a list of 25 all-time stinkers couldn’t have been an easy task, but the Chicago Tribune did its best.

Here’s a sampling:

You’re in the Picture (1961): Started as a Jackie Gleason quiz show, then became a talk show for the rest of its short run.

My Mother the Car (1965-66): Star Jerry Van Dyke’s mother reincarnated as a talking automobile.

Mr. T. and Tina (1976): Starring the mohawked former Rocky villain.

Manimal (1983): Man who could morph into animal form to fight crime.

Life With Lucy (1986): Lucille Ball’s last stab at a network series.

Cop Rock (1990): Police who broke into song on the job.

The Jerry Springer Show (1991 to present): Lowbrow theater of embarrassment.

XFL (2001): An unsucessful blend of pro football and wrestling-style sideshows.

To see the rest, visit ChicagoTribune.com.