80% of Success Is Showing Up

It's that time of year when fans of bubble shows worry whether their fav show will be picked up for another season. Of course, E! is running its annual Save One Show Poll. If you're worried, go vote.

And this whole process got me thinking. I wondered which shows aired the greatest number of times without ever having an episode finish in the top 20 in the weekly Nielsen ratings. I reckoned a show that couldn't ever finish in the top 20 couldn't last very long.

I looked at shows that premiered in the last 25 years on The Big Three (ABC, CBS or NBC), and I found 13 series that aired at least 100 times without cracking the top 20. Any guesses? I only got one correct — "Profiler." Here's the list:

• 334 airings: ''Boy Meets World'' (best rank: 21)


• 171 airings: ''The Commish'' (best rank: 25)


• 170 airings: ''Sisters'' (best rank: 33)


• 149 airings: ''Hope & Faith'' (best rank: 37)


• 148 airings: ''Picket Fences'' (best rank: 22)


• 139 airings: ''Less Than Perfect'' (best rank: 26)


• 124 airings: ''West 57th'' (best rank: 34)


• 112 airings: ''Promised Land'' (best rank: 21)


• 109 airings: ''Tour of Duty'' (best rank: 35)


• 107 airings: ''The Young Riders'' (best rank: 40)


• 103 airings: ''Profiler'' (best rank: 39)


• 102 airings: ''The Office'' (best rank: 23)


• 101 airings: ''Wife Swap'' (best rank: 23)