The ‘V’ List: Top 10 Single-Letter & Acronymical TV Shows

Tonight ABC premieres V, its ambitious remake of the accidentally campy 1983 sci-fi series about seemingly attractive, well-intentioned aliens who are anything but, on both counts. The show follows in the footsteps of the recent incarnation of Battlestar Galactica, another remake of an accidentally campy sci-fi series, that improved hugely on the original -- though ABC is probably hoping it will get better ratings. While this may then be the perfect occasion to rattle off a list of the best TV remakes or the best sci-fi shows or the best middling sci-fi shows that haven’t been remade or even the best Thomas Pynchon books to transform into TV programs, we’re not gonna do any of that! Herewith, a list of the ten best television shows to have a solo letter or acronym in their titles, in no particular order.

1. The A-Team (NBC, 1983-87): In TV land, A is for A-Team, a series that’s actually about a rag tag group of ex-soldiers on the run for a crime they didn’t commit, but has gone down in our collective memories as the show where Mr. T wore lots of amazing gold chains and said “I pity the fool.” This dude will play that part in the upcoming A-Team movie, without bling, but with the fauxhawk. We wish him luck.

2. The X-Files (Fox, 1993-2002): The creators of V probably go to sleep at night wishing their show could be as successful and obsessed over as this beloved series about how long two good looking adults who have the hots for one another can put off banging. The show also sometimes touched upon aliens, abductions, freaks, monsters, conspiracies, Cher and the truth being out there. 

3. The Man From U.N.C.L.E (NBC, 1964-68): One of the original spy shows, about two slick, if pasty, secret agents (Illya Kuryakin and Napoleon Solo—Han’s likely namesake), who work for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement, a secret, international agency, started out as a fairly serious, black and white affair. Then it got a sillier, living up to its title.

4. The O.C. (Fox, 2003-07): If you’re looking for proof that really good things can inspire really bad ones, we present excellent teen soap The O.C., which spawned some truly mediocre shit in its short life (in addition to Mischa Barton’s “career.” Ba dum dum). It was the spark behind MTV’s Laguna Beach, a reality show about life in “the real O.C,” which went on to birth The Hills, The City, Speidi, Lauren Conrad’s clothing line and Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Orange County and all its satellites. The O.C also established “Welcome to the [fill in the location], bitch,” “whatever happens in Cabo stays in Cabo” and Chrismukkah as things regular people sometimes say. Still, it was good.

5. The PTL Club (PTL Satellite Network, 1975-87): Tammy Faye Baker rules. The Praise The Lord Club was a daily broadcast hosted by Tammy Faye and her televangelist husband Jim Baker, until he was busted for a not very Christian extramarital relationship with Jessica Hahn. (Later, it was also revealed he had embezzled millions of dollars from the church). Because of Tammy Faye, The PTL Club was one of the first evangelical organizations to talk, respectfully, about AIDS. You can watch her groundbreaking interview with a gay, HIV positive Christian from 1985 here.