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I am – Hercules!!
Time just published its “100 Best TV Shows” list, and I’d give it solid B-plus.
I know some will find it controversial! “Battlestar Galactica” made the list; “Babylon 5” did not. “Freaks and Geeks” made the list; “That ‘70s Show” did not. “The Real World” made the list; “The Joe Schmo Show” did not. “Saturday Night Live” made the list; “MadTV” did not. “Gilmore Girls” made the list; “Desperate Housewives” did not. “South Park” made the list; “Family Guy” did not. “King of the Hill” made the list; “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” did not. “Survivor” and “An American Family” made the list; “Breaking Bonaduce” and “The Osbournes” did not. “The Office” made the list; “My Name Is Earl” did not. “Felicity” and “Deadwood” made the list; “Dexter” and “Nip/Tuck” did not.
There are some choices even I find eyebrow-raising. “The Monkees” over “Fawlty Towers.” “Sex and the City” over “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” “General Hospital” over “Alias.” “SpongeBob SquarePants” over “Cupid” and “Veronica Mars.” “Dallas” over “Carnivale.”
Time Magazine’s 100 Best TV Shows:
The Abbott & Costello Show
ABC’s Wide World Of Sports
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
All in the Family
An American Family
American Idol
Arrested Development
Battlestar Galactica
Beavis and Butt-Head
The Bob Newhart Show
Brideshead Revisited
Buffalo Bill
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
The Carol Burnett Show
The CBS Evening News With Walter Cronkite
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Cheers
The Cosby Show
The Daily Show
Dallas
The Day After
Deadwood
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Dragnet
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ernie Kovacs Show
Felicity
Freaks and Geeks
The French Chef
Friends
General Hospital
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
Gilmore Girls
Gunsmoke
Hill Street Blues
Homicide: Life on the Street
The Honeymooners
I, Claudius
I Love Lucy
King of the Hill
The Larry Sanders Show
Late Night With David Letterman
Leave It To Beaver
Lost
Married … With Children
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
M*A*S*H
The Monkees
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Moonlighting
MTV 1981-1982
My So-Called Life
Mystery Science Theater 3000
The Odd Couple
The Office (BBC)
The Office (NBC)
The Oprah Winfrey Show
Pee-Wee's Playhouse
Playhouse 90
The Price Is Right
Prime Suspect
The Prisoner
The Real World
Rocky and His Friends
Roots
Roseanne
Sanford and Son
Saturday Night Live
Second City Television
See It Now
Seinfeld
Sesame Street
Sex and the City
The Shield
The Simpsons
The Singing Detective
Six Feet Under
60 Minutes
Soap
The Sopranos
South Park
SpongeBob SquarePants
Sportscenter
Star Trek
St. Elsewhere
The Super Bowl
Survivor
Taxi
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
24
The Twilight Zone
Twin Peaks
The West Wing
What’s My Line
The Wire
WKRP In Cincinnati
Wiseguy
The X-Files
Your Show Of Shows
Find Time’s explanations here.
DVD, HD-DVD & Blu-ray!!
Blade Runner Ulimate!!
Angel: Complete Series Collector's Set * Battlestar Galactica 1.x [HD-DVD] * Battlestar Galactica: Razor * Chappelle's Show: Complete Series * The Colbert Report: Best Of * Doctor Who 3.x * Dr. Katz: The Complete Series * Entourage 3.x Vol. 2 * The Film Crew: Giant of Marathon * The Film Crew: Wild Women of Wongo * Frasier: The Complete Series * Futurama Movie I: Bender's Big Score * Gilmore Girls: The Complete Series * Gilmore Girls 1.x / Veronica Mars 1.x ($47.99) * Grey's Anatomy 3.x * How I Met Your Mother 2.x * Jekyll: The Complete Series * Jericho 1.x * Looney Tunes: Golden Collection Vol. 5 * Lost 3.x * The L-Word 4.x * Medium 3.x * Michael Palin: Pole To Pole * MXC: Most Extreme Eliminatiion Challenge 3.x * My So-Called Life: The Complete Series * Mystery Science Theatre 3000 Vol. 12 * Northern Exposure: The Complete Series * The OC: The Complete Series * The Sarah Silverman Program 1.x * Saturday Night Live 2.x * Scrubs 6.x * Seinfeld 9.x * Seinfeld: The Complete Series * Smallville 6.x * Smallville 1.x / Supernatural 1.x ($47.99) * The Sopranos 6.x Vol. 2 * Stargate Atlantis 3.x * Star Trek 1.x [DVD/HD-DVD] * Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Complete Series ($304.99) -->
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The list is okay...I guess. No Dead Like Me or Firefly either, but major points for Freaks and Geeks.
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galactica in HD. that's really really hot.
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Dude, I like Rob Thomas too, but that series was on for, what, one year? On the bright side, we did get to see Paula Marshall in the buff on CALIFORNICATION, so there's that.
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And BSG and the X-Files, so the list passes.
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Too leave off one of the best shows in TV history is just a crime. The Wonder Years owns damn near all the shows on this list.
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Seriously, the fellating of J.J. Abrams has got to stop. Far as I can tell, people only tuned in to see her pretty hair (OOH, PRETTY HAIR, SO PRETTY), because as soon as she chopped it off, no one watched.
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That is, there's some consistantly at least in knowing that apparently every major publication or organization that sees fit to compile a 100 "Best Of" list of anything entertainment related (be it movies, TV, music, etc) is so ridiculously far removed from having their finger on the pulse of what is ACTUALLY quality material in this day and age. Reassuring, no?
Seriously, I'm not sure I can recall one single enterprise tackling such a list in any medium of not having at least half the reasons be so laughably off the mark. -
I don't know how the longest running (drama) show on TV missed the list...
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Looking over the list, I don't know what I would remove to put another show on there...
They should of done 150! -
I'm kinda surprised that didn't make the list, considering how many years it was on and how many spin-offs it created..
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and didn't make the list
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...any sort of placement on any such 'best tv' list, while the other half very much do, so I guess that makes it a half decent list overall (or a half-arsed list depending on your point of view). Meh, whatever.
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A made for TV movie at the height of the arms race between the USA & Soviet Union which won't stand up to the test of time (it would look silly now as it did then really) dosen't belong on the list.
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Is a network not a show. Doesn't belong on the list either.
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As much as I love it and the Peanuts in general, a holiday special is not a show.
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A pseudo Beatles pop group manufactured like so many future boy bands? Spare me.
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Should be on this list. Alias was a convultuted take on an old theme (spies) and made it fresh (at least for the first year and a half. Dexter is the story from the human monster's perspective (and an intersting take on how society regards the current state of our justice system - it sucks) Dr Who belongs on there as it predates Star Trek by three years and has been cancelled twice, resurrected again and still makes an impact (Buffy's first nemisses The Master) Nip/Tuck for pushing the envelope and Rome for it's amazing production values.
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but Survivor and ANY reality show do not have any sort of quality whatsoever. Changing TV isnt the same as BEST TV, so Survivor can die, as can American Idol. And can you really say Angel didnt belong up there with Buffy? Over American freaking Idol? Or Dallas? You think Dallas is better then Angel? Sigh, thats the problem with things being relative i guess.... blah.
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Time did no survey of the masses or some large statistical analysis of viewer ratings or DVD sales. This is just the author's list of stuff they decided to pick. Any of us could do the same.
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That's why it was dumped. Boring show. Not so hot chick. Dad was great though.
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was the best show ever.
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Don't know why they even bothered with token gestures of The Prisoner and Monty Python.... I mean really....The Shield!?! and no Doctor Who...
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3 of the best and most influential network-shows from the last 20 years. But Buffy, FELICITY!?, the overrated run of the mill teenage angst crap "My so called life" and even King of the Boring Hill, Spongebob and tons of reality crap?
I just threw up in my mouth.
If they put a 1 season wonder like Freaks and Geeks on it they shouldn't forget Jim Profit or Space 2063. Without them there would be no Galactica or Dexter.
Oz - The first HBO Drama that set the tone for Sopranos and co.
Rescue Me, Carnivale, Weeds, Scrubs, Entourage, Huff, Curb...?
It's ok to put only one Star Trek Series on the list but in the explanation he should have mentioned the best Trek shows TNG and DS9.
At least he didn't forget the 2 best shows since 2000+. The Shield and Deadwood. -
seriously, Rome should easily be in top 100 or even 50 shows of all time. The only reason it got cancelled was the 2mil per ep. budget.
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Yes, but that's true of *any* 'best of' list.
I wouldn't respect the list if it were a 'survey of the masses or some large statistical analysis of viewer ratings or DVD sales'. A 'survery of the masses' would just be lots of peoples' taste, and what would that prove? Take a look at the 10 most watched shows in the US each week and ask yourself how many of those are great shows? (I think House is the only quality show that makes the list nowadays).
The same applies to 'large statistical analysis of viewer ratings or DVD sales'.
In some ways, the worst of all are the critics rankings like AFI does for films. Much as i respect individual critics for their taste and judgment, the idea that critics are collectively capable of providing some kind of objective ranking of quality is possibly the most bogus idea of all. At the end of the day, an individual's selective list is all we have to go on, so we might as well discuss that than anything else.
IMO, the list is good but not great. I like that Wiseguy made it on, as well as Buffy, Lost, BSG, South Park, the Shield, and the Prisoner (also the West Wing, but i think there was never any doubt about that).
But Veronica Mars, TNG, Alias all belong on the list. So does ER, despite the fact that it's been in decline for something close to a decade now. -
No Doctor Who? Chuck that list in the bin. Idiots.
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What kind of moron puts Beavis and Butthead above Daria? And The Simpsons above Futurama?!?! SACRELIGE!
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This isn't Time's list of the 100 greatest TV shows, this is one dudes list who just happened to con Time into publishing the list on their website. And many of his rules are insane, and he even admits it saying like show like Seinfeld and Curb Your Ethuiasm are the same yet includes both versions of The Office. The he disallows shows that just started lasy year may go down hil but what's to say any other show still in production won't go downhill? And seriously, the show are even ranked. Ehy bother making a list of anything and not rank them? This may be the most worthless list ever.
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Admittedly, Doctor Who, Faulty Towers, and a few shows were noticeably absent. That said, I have to credit them for at least two of their choices...WKRP and Freaks and Geeks! KRP usually gets some respect, but not always, and Freaks and Geeks was under-appreciated, or unseen by many. That's what happens when(in 1999)you start a show on network tv on Friday night. That was the first mistake NBC made. At least it got 18 episodes. Gone are the days of network shows being a success on Friday nights. That shit worked when Dukes of Hazzard, the Hulk, and Dallas were on Friday night many moons ago, but not in the modern age. Firefly anyone? Ultimately, this list really means nothing except to get people talking, so, mission accomplished. hehe
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Seriously, Think of each title with a booming voice saying "OF ALL TIME." It really heightens the impact. I just don't see how anyone can think that Veronica Mars is one of the 100 best shows OF ALL TIME. I mean, c'mon. That being said I like the list.
Surprised that no one has mentioned Six Feet Under yet..easily one of the best shows OF ALL TIME! -
Yes!! One of a few TV shows guaranteed to make you laugh out loud.
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6 Feet under was a truly great show, other then the fact it was basically (A Show about Assholes). As Seinfeld was about nothing, that show was about assholes. Think about it there was almost NO likeable characters on that show... everyone was a dick, and no one was kind really, even Claire who was HOT AS HELL was a snot rag to her mom. And truly, Beavis and Butthead, Veronica Mars had no business on this list... im sorry they really didnt. Fan following or NOT. Im the biggest Browncoat on earth and Firefly didnt belong on this list, although I would make a case for The Muppet Show :D
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Not to mention MISFITS OF SCIENCE?!?!
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Where's Northern Exposure? The Bill Moyers Journal? Colbert? Two an a Half Men? Reba? Girlfriends? BJ and the Bear? The Golden Girls? Everwood? Hidden Hills? John From Cincinatti? Follow That Food? Rachel Ray? The Greatest American Hero? The Black Donnelys? My local weather report?
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So I get why the original Trek would make the list and not the dramatically superior Deep Space Nine.
At least he was smart enough not to put the original Battlestar Galactica on the list. -
maybe even DS9.
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Sep 08, 2007 11:12:10 AM CDT
No shows that start with letter N. Where's NIGHTCOURT?
by george newman
I thought Bullw as great when i watched (couldn't been older than 7 or 8)
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While the original Battlestar doesn't deserve to be on the list, I didn't think it was all bad. B. Rogers, Galactica 80, etc. would definately be a lot worse. On another note, I would also make the case for the Muppet Show. That show captivated viewers from toddlers to seasoned citizens. B.J. and the Bear??? I watched that old cheesy classic, but it has no place on the list. hehe Doesn't keep us from giving a shout out to Greg Evigan, Deputy Perkins, the Pistol Packin' Mamas, and the memory of Claude "Sheriff Lobo" Akins. hehe
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This guy should have tried harder. There are significant gaps in this list.
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This should most definitely be on that list.
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better than american Idol, Dallas, and whatever other trendy crap that's on that list.
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I used to think Felicity was annoying tripe, but that was before I actually watched an episode. In my opinion, it's JJ's best work -- and most consistent in quality considering how crappy season 4 of Alias was (season 5 was just OK). Lost is good, but I don't love it.
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...scripts and acting didn't cut it for a Top100 list.
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Except for the CGI and Byron.
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Can't the old man catch a break?
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Me and 32,010 IMDb users think it fucking rocks. There are other miniseries on the list, why the hell not BoB?
Or is it something we geeks hate and I'm not told? -
Where the fuck is Columbo? You suck, arbitrary list maker!
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Glaring omissions.
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LOL. In case I wasnt clear, I wouldnt say its in the top 100 shows (firefly) not because of quality, but because its 14 Episodes. i would say that a show shoudlnt even be CONSIDERED unless its at least 2 seasons. But if I didnt put that self restriction on, then HELL YA, it belongs in the top 100. Top 10 sheesh. So Shuttle. Wrong again shuttle.
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That first paragraph of your pointing out what did and didnt make the list told me gave me hope. All the ones you pointed out that DID make it, deserved to. Every one of the ones you pointed out DIDN'T, well.. they didnt make it cuz they do in fact suck (except My Name Is Earl).
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wtf?
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way to post an "article" as nothing more than an excuse to post a list of amazon links to try to get you guys some $$
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your dead moms house with 900 cats, so pathetic.
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The one comforting thing about TV lists is while there's always going to be some variety, nearly all of them give props to the Wire. The ratio of praise-to-viewers on that show is just wrong. Seriously, people, watch it.
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The lack of Columbo is definitely a huge gaping hole. Plus missing out Fawlty Towers purely because John Cleese was in Monty Python is a little unfair - completely different things.
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Most overrated stupid ass show ever. White people eat it up like Dave Matthews Band. I am white and still don't get the obsessions!
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That should def. be on there!
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Western Civillization (nay) Humanity for all time. I'm with ya' Judge Briggs, I don't get it either. The only impact that it had was influencing vapid whores to mimic Jennifer Aniston's hairstyle.
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I love the orignal Brit show but isn't it a list for American shows? They could've used that slot for something worthy like Damages. Gilligan's Island, even....
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That was some mindblowing TV. I don't care if critics think it's too much Buffyverse. It was one the best shows of ALL time. Also, I can't take any Top 100 list seriously that has Felicity on it.
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And look at all the god damn Spelling shows... oh, wait, there aren't any at all are there
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...you Herc on linking each show on the list page by page as they are presented in the article you are reporting on. Instead your "article" is nothing more than yet another long list of Amazon links. I actually thought for a second you were pretending to be a journalist instead of an Amazon whore. My bad.
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...shouldn't even crack top 200...
Greg -
For Buffy & Sex and The City but where the hell were 3' Company, Golden Girls and especially Once and Again??? I knew fuckin friends would be on the list but general hospital?! Youve gotta be kidding me with that bullshit.
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Roseanne, Beaver and Married w/ Children were also welcome sights to see on the list.
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give us better results. Rating whores like American Idol would end up being in the top 10. The only way it would work if every person polled watched every show ever made.
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Unless it's a list of the Top 100 Most Overrated Pieces of Shit. Seriously, I'd rank Beverly Hills 90210 about 183,282 slots above Friends. Hell, even Miss Cleo infomercials rank higher than Friends...
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Although i enjoy the Sopranos it always pisses me off the plaudits that gets over HBO's far superior OZ. Angel shouldve been up there too. And Curb.
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lol. Friends, the biggest comedy of the last 15 years is crap becuase you dont like it. We were all wrong. Millions of us. Glad you told me, otherwie I might never had known.
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I know it kind of mellowed out during the last seasons, but at the time it was the most popular show on TV, it seemed.
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Harry you're Amazon's bitch.
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Those shows were well-written, well-acted and still hold up against any of the shows that are out there today.
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I mean, if you have to show the best moments they could do a lot better....I mean that is NOT the funniest moment from Arrested Development, and the Twin Peaks clip is an unfortunate choice-I didnt like the little man dancing on the bed!! He was there for no reason! I the showed BOB shouting "what happened to Josie?!" it would be grand but the Little Man was inappropraite for that scene! GRRRR!!!!!
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It's always left out by critics for some reason.
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C'mon, how about props for the show that revolutionized the way we think about men in drag.
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Simon MacCorkindale was wronged....
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Where's the love?
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What the heck??
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Sweet, the first season was a surreal confection of burlesque and a corrosion of traditional, linear storytelling (one minute, Bud and Lou are kvetching on stage; the next minute, they're in Africa searching for Bingo the Chimp's parents). But the list is guilty of one GLARING omission: the classic SGT. BILKO sitcom, also known as THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW (still hilarious). I'm pissed about this error but delighted that Bud and Lou are not forgotten.
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GRARGH!
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Of course raving idiots on every list.thank God this list was unranked otherwise we would have seen double the ranting that exists in here
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