TV Poll: What's the Best Fictional TV Program?

A couple options to consider:

- "The Valley", one of the most meta-of all meta-jokes. The show Summer was obsessed with on the O.C., which followed the drama of spoiled people living in "The Valley." Quite simply a brilliant way for the O.C. to make fun of itself.

- "Tiny House": admit it, when you first saw the commercial for GEICO that this was featured in, you thought "Hey, I might actually watch a show about newlyweds living together in a tiny house."

The one you might most actually watch would be "The Alan Brady Show". Or is that not in the spirit of the question, in that there are too many behind-the-scenes-of-tv-shows shows? Do we want only shows that are only watched, not made, within the outer fiction? (I assume all of the "shows" on SCTV are off-limits.)

For meta-wack, Twin Peaks' "Invitation to Love" comes to mind.

Oh, and "Animals Close-Up with a Wide-Angle Lens Wearing Hats". (South Park.)

Also from the O.C.: "Briefcase, or No Briefcase?"

I am with Chaddog on "the Valley." I always loved that part of the show. I loved it especially when they had "The Real Valley" or something like that which lampooned "Laguna Beach" following in the trail of the O.C.

I will also offer up "Terrance and Philip" from South Park. Again, a nice little "mirror" show.

I vote for the "Terrance & Phillip Show" that the kids on South Park are fans of.

Studio 60's late night sketch comedy show, of course!

Man, that show is awful. If it weren't so self-important I might've been able to stand more than 2 episodes.

"When the Whistle Blows" from Extras. Are you havin' a laugh?

"Wrench" from Arrested Development. With Rob Corddry playing Moses Taylor playing Frank Wrench, the rule-abiding detective. "Stop!...sign."

I know they're not TV shows, but all the Shakespeare plays in "Slings & Arrows" really made me want to go to the theater, especially "King Lear" in the last episode.

And I'd definitely watch "The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan" over "Studio 60".

Black Frasier! (30 Rock)

Most definitely Terrance and Phillip. But I also like the Telenovela playing in the background in many Ugly Betty scenes!

Oh man, it's got to be Sports Night! A tv show about...a tv show. It's a floor wax AND a breakfast cereal!

And if we're going to extend "tv show" to "radio show", the Nightcrawler broadcasts on Forever Night were just that right mix of pretentious quasi-Crowleyist philosophy, sentimental drivel, and thought-provoking commentary, in Nigel Bennett's wonderful voice, to make them one of my most (and least) favorite parts of the show.

What about "Worker and Parasite"?

Also, I have to give it up for the Larry Sanders Show. Had to be better than Jay Leno. No flipping...

I totally agree with popslashgirl about LaCroix's "Nightcrawler" radio show on Forever Knight. Hilarious. I would tune in.

And I would extend this to billboards/commercials that appear on shows like Futurama or Firefly/Serenity. How could you not want some Bachelor Chow or Blue Sun after seeing those?

And if you're going to count Itchy and Scrathy, how about the show that they're featured in...the Krusty Show!

Parodying Hal Linden's hosting duties on the 70s kid's show "Animals, Animals, Animals," I recall one of the detectives on "Barney Miller" (Dietrich?) referring to a TV show called "Vermin, Vermin, Vermin."

"Miss Sally's Schoolhouse" from "Oz" and other Fontana shows.

Two words: "Tool Time".

worker and parasite is a fine suggestion, but you're all missing "psycho dad" from married with children. now that's a show.

Had I lived in the Twin Cities at the time, I'm sure I would have preferred WJM's nightly newscast with Ted Baxter over whatever boring "real" news was being broadcast on the "serious" local affiliates.

What about Gumble and Gumble from The Family Guy. Psycho Dad was the one that I 1st thought of.

"Sick, Sad World" from MTV's "Daria." The promos (never saw an actual "episode" that I can recall) for that week's "Next, on Sick, Sad World" always cracked me up.

And wouldn't "Itchy & Scratchy" be a show within a show within a show since they are cartoons shown on the Krusty the Clown Show? Or am I being too picky?

Not that anyone watched it, but "The Comeback" did a really pitch-perfect job of creating a crappy sitcom, "Room and Bored", as the show within the show. It was both cringe-inducingly awful, and entirely plausible as an actual part of, say, ABC's Tuesday-night lineup.

Wouldn't you consider "The Itchy and Scratchy Show" to be a fictional show within a fictional show within a fictional show since it actually airs on Krusty the Clown's afternoon program?

Itchy & Scratchy is a show-within-a-show-within-a-show, true. But it's still within The Simpsons, just as the teeniest nesting doll is still within the big nesting doll. Plus, it's my blog.

Thanks, Heidi, for reminding me of Sick Sad World. Now I need to go see if The N is still rerunning Daria.

And I would *totally* watch Tiny House.

Yeah, in all honesty, GEICO had created the pilot for Tiny House, and ABC chose "Cavemen" for their fall schedule? Morons....(ABC, not the cavemen).