"TV Guide's" Best and Worst Trivia Quiz

Answer: Seinfeld

"TV Guide" named the eight-season adventures of Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louise-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards the No.1 show on the Best list. Not bad for a show "about nothing"!

Answer: The Jerry Springer Show

"TV Guide" considered Jerry Springer's show (on since September 30, 1991) the nadir of the talk-show genre.

Answer: Cheers

"Cheers" ended its successful 11-season run in 1993, but its spinoff, "Frazier", starring Kelsey Grammer, and debuting the same year, was still going strong when the list came out!

Answer: M*A*S*H

For 11 seasons, "M*A*S*H" defined quality TV. But in 1983 "AfterM*A*S*H" (EEEWWWW! That title!) was a smirch on the careers of Jamie Farr, William Christopher and Harry Morgan (Corporal Klinger, Father Mulcahy and Colonel Potter) The other spinoff, "Trapper John, M.D." was a little better.

Answer: McLean Stevenson

Stevenson's character on M*A*S*H died when the plane he flew home in was shot down, but then he shot down his own TV career when he joined 1979's half season "Hello, Larry!"

Answer: Casablanca

"M*A*S*H", at least, improved on the original Robert Altman movie. But Bogie probably spun in his grave on learning of the 1983 six-month travesty starring "Starsky And Hutch" star David Soul. (What, Dave, the wife-beating trial and abortive singing career weren't enough?)

Answer: Jackie Gleason

Gleason's Ralph Kramden blustered his way into America's heart in "The Honeymooners". But for one week in 1961, he hosted the ill-fated game show "You're In The Picture". How sweet it WASN'T!

Answer: Lucille Ball

America loved Lucy back in the Fifties when "I Love Lucy" ruled the airwaves. But her last series "Life With Lucy, lasting two months, in 1986, lacked the magic of her Best show. WAAAAHHHH!

Answer: Bonanza, Gunsmoke

Who could forget James Arness' Matt Dillon facing down outlaws on Dodge City streets? (In the original radio series William Conrad voiced Dillon) Or "Bonanza's" lively Livingston-Evans theme song? ("Gunsmoke" lasted two decades, '55-75, and "Bonanza" 14 years, '59-73)

Answer: PBS

"Sesame Street" has set the standard for quality kid's TV since 1969 (and also popularized the Muppets). But it's also cheek by jowl with that dopey-voiced, smarmy purple dinosaur Barney (Name cribbed from a certain caveman!) who debuted in 1992!

Answer: true

February 5, 1969 was the only time ABC's ill-advised "Laugh-In" knockoff "Turn-On" was ever seen. A decade later, on February 4, 1979, came CBS' turkey "Co-Ed Fever", an "Animal House" ripoff. And on February 15, 2000, Fox unleashed "Who Wants To Marry A Multi-Millionaire?" The title is self-explanatory, but Darva Conger no doubt wished she said "NO!" to it after learning about intended Rick Rockwell. (A former flame, it leaked brought a restraining order against Rockwell)

Answer: Howard Cosell

Back in 1975, Cosell hosted ABC's "Saturday Night Live". That's right! The same year NBC debuted its groundbreaking Saturday night show (which later took the same name), ABC gave Cosell this show to host. The fact it lasted hardly half a season speaks for itself.

Answer: Taxi

"Taxi" switched from ABC to NBC around the middle of its 1978-1983 run. It made stars of Judd Hirsch, Marilu Henner, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Tony Danza and Andy Kaufman.

Answer: Twenty-One

Remember the scandal back in the Fifties when it came out contestant Charles Van Doren was given the winning answers? It was shown in Robert Redford's "Quiz Show".

Answer: Nightline

"Nightline" began by reporting the Iranian hostage crisis back in the 80's and is still on today.

Answer: two

"Hill Street Blues" ('81-87) and "Law And Order" (on since 1990), which combines cops and lawyers.

Answer: one

After "Blues" Phillip Bochco created "Cop Rock" the MTV-styled musical (HAH?) cop show (and bombed!) in 1990.

Answer: two

"St. Elsewhere" ('82-88) and "ER" (on since 1994), both light-years from "Ben Casey" and "Dr. Kildare".

Answer: Dick Van Dyke

Jerry Van Dyke sometimes co-starred on big brother Dick's show. Then in 1965-66 he starred in "My Mother, The Car" (about a rein-car-nated relative) and drove to oblivion. (He did appear in "Coach", though.)

Answer: Ed Sullivan

Since 1948, Sullivan gave America a "Really Big Shew!"

Answer: The Ugliest Girl In Town

Peter Kastner played the title role; he donned drag to be near his English girlfriend from 1968 to 1969. (At least Farr's Klinger tried to get out of the Army on an insanity charge when he donned panties!)

Answer: Donahue

Back in 1969, Phil Donahue pioneered the kind of talk show that Oprah Winfrey, Maury Povich and even Jerry Springer now practice. And he's about to launch a new cable show.

Answer: Star Trek: The Next Generation

The original "Star Trek" hardly lasted three years. Then came the successful movie. But this 1987-1994 spinoff really kicked off the franchise of TV shows and movies and made stars of Patrick Stewart and Johnathan Frakes.

Answer: Chevy Chase

After leaving "Saturday Night Live" Chase cut his own throat by hosting his 1993 turkey. A string of movie bombs followed.

Answer: True

Pink Lady (a.k.a. Mitsuyo Nemoto and Keiko Masuda) was the duo on "Pink Lady and Jeff" (Jeff Altman was the co-star). A blot on Japanese culture best forgotten from 1980.