The 25 greatest cult TV shows

[froodle]

On Nov. 24, 1988, television viewers of a certain cultish stripe will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first transmission from Joel Robinson, Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo from the Satellite of Love. Yes, "Mystery Science Theater 3000" is now old enough to experience early midlife angst! That it has endured as long as it has (with a second season of the Jonah Ray-led reboot on the way) is a testament to the devotion of the viewers who kept "circulating the tapes." In a ratings-driven world, every off-center television show needs a cult following to keep it alive. "MST3K" is one of the lucky ones. Other TV oddities haven't been so fortunate. In honor of Joel and his robot friends, let's celebrate the greatest, weirdest series to ever pervert the airwaves.

Before “Stranger Things," there was “Eerie, Indiana” — and it was so much better. The preciousness that persistently derails the Netflix favorite is delightfully absent from this of-the-Amblin-era kids show created by José Rivera and Karl Schaefer and creatively shepherded by “Gremlins” director Joe Dante. The show centers on the exploits of a teenage boy who comes to learn that the small town into which his family has moved is rife with all manners of supernatural strangeness.