TV Land lists catchphrases

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TV Land lists catchphrases

NEW YORK - Sometimes it takes only a word, or just a few, to become immortalized in television history. The TV Land cable network has compiled a list of the 100 greatest catchphrases in TV, from the serious — Walter Cronkite's nightly signoff "And that's the way it is" — to the silly: "We are two wild and crazy guys!"

The network will air a countdown special, "The 100 Greatest TV Quotes & Catch Phrases," over five days starting Dec. 11.

"We have found that television is such a huge part of baby boomers' DNA that it makes sense that so much of America's pop culture jargon has come from TV," said Larry Jones, TV Land president.

The greatest number of moments, 26, come from the 1970s. TV Land identified nine moments from this decade. Ten are from commercials, and 28 from comedies, including six from "Saturday Night Live."

In alphabetical order, TV Land's list:

_"Aaay" (Fonzie, "Happy Days")

_"And that's the way it is" (Walter Cronkite, "CBS Evening News")

_"Ask not what your country can do for you ..." (John F. Kennedy)

_"Baby, you're the greatest" (Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden, "The Honeymooners")

_"Bam!" (Emeril Lagasse, "Emeril Live")

_"Book 'em, Danno" (Steve McGarrett, "Hawaii Five-O")

_"Come on down!" (Johnny Olson, "The Price is Right")

_"Danger, Will Robinson" (Robot, "Lost in Space")

_"De plane! De plane!" (Tattoo, "Fantasy Island")

_"Denny Crane" (Denny Crane, "Boston Legal")

_"Do you believe in miracles?" (Al Michaels, 1980 Winter Olympics)

_"D'oh!" (Homer Simpson, "The Simpsons")

_"Don't make me angry ..." (David Banner, "The Incredible Hulk")

_"Dyn-o-mite" (J.J., "Good Times")

_"Elizabeth, I'm coming!" (Fred Sanford, "Sanford and Son")

_"Gee, Mrs. Cleaver ..." (Eddie Haskell, "Leave it to Beaver")

_"God'll get you for that" (Maude, "Maude")

_"Good grief" (Charlie Brown, "Peanuts" specials)

_"Good night, and good luck" (Edward R. Murrow, "See It Now")

_"Good night, John Boy" ("The Waltons")

_"Have you no sense of decency?" (Joseph Welch to Sen. McCarthy)

_"Heh heh" (Beavis and Butt-head, "Beavis and Butthead")

_"Here it is, your moment of Zen" ( Jon Stewart, "The Daily Show")

_"Here's Johnny!" ( Ed McMahon, "The Tonight Show")

_"Hey now!" (Hank Kingsley, "The Larry Sanders Show")

_"Hey hey hey!" (Dwayne Nelson, "What's Happening!!")

_"Hey hey hey!" (Fat Albert, "Fat Albert")

_"Holy (whatever), Batman!" (Robin, "Batman")

_"Holy crap!" (Frank Barone, "Everybody Loves Raymond")

_"Homey don't play that!" (Homey the Clown, "In Living Color")

_"How sweet it is!" (Jackie Gleason, "The Jackie Gleason Show")

_"How you doin'?" (Joey Tribbiani, "Friends")

_"I can't believe I ate the whole thing" (Alka Seltzer ad)

_"I know nothing!" (Sgt. Schultz, "Hogan's Heroes")

_"I love it when a plan comes together" (Hannibal, "The A-Team")

_"I want my MTV!" (MTV ad)

_"I'm Larry, this is my brother Darryl ..." (Larry, "Newhart")

_"I'm not a crook ..." ( Richard Nixon)

_"I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV" (Vicks Formula 44 ad)

_"I'm Rick James, *****!" (Dave Chappelle as Rick James, "Chappelle's Show")

_"Is that your final answer?" ( Regis Philbin, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire")

_"It keeps going and going and going ..." (Energizer Batteries ad)

_"It takes a licking ..." (Timex ad)

_"Jane, you ignorant slut" ( Dan Aykroyd to Jane Curtin, "Saturday Night Live")

_"Just one more thing ..." (Columbo, "Columbo")

_"Let's be careful out there" (Sgt. Esterhaus, "Hill Street Blues")

_"Let's get ready to rumble!" (Michael Buffer, various sports events)

_"Live long and prosper" (Spock, "Star Trek")

_"Makin' whoopie" (Bob Eubanks, "The Newlywed Game")

_"Mom always liked you best" (Tommy Smothers, "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour")

_"Never assume ..." (Felix Unger, "The Odd Couple")

_"Nip it!" (Barney Fife, "The Andy Griffith Show")

_"No soup for you!" (The Soup Nazi, "Seinfeld")

_"Norm!" ("Cheers")

_"Now cut that out!" (Jack Benny, "The Jack Benny Program")

_"Oh, my God! They killed Kenny!" (Stan and Kyle, "South Park")

_"Oh, my nose!" (Marcia Brady, "The Brady Bunch")

_"One small step for man ..." (Neil Armstrong)

_"Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?" (Grey Poupon ad)

_"Read my lips: No new taxes!" (George H.W. Bush)

_"Resistance is futile" (Picard as Borg, "Star Trek: The Next Generation")

_"Say good night, Gracie" (George Burns, "The Burns & Allen Show")

_"Schwing!" ( Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as Wayne and Garth, "Saturday Night Live")

_"Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy" (Lloyd Bentsen to Dan Quayle)

_"Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids" (Trix cereal ad)

_"Smile, you're on `Candid Camera'" ("Candid Camera")

_"Sock it to me" ("Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In")

_"Space, the final frontier ..." (Capt. Kirk, "Star Trek")

_"Stifle!" (Archie Bunker, "All in the Family")

_"Suit up!" (Barney Stinson, "How I Met Your Mother")

_"Tastes great! Less filling!" (Miller Lite beer ad)

_"Tell me what you don't like about yourself" (Dr. McNamara and Dr. Troy, "Nip/Tuck")

_"That's hot" ( Paris Hilton, "The Simple Life")

_"The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat" (Jim McKay, "ABC's Wide World of Sports")

_"The tribe has spoken" (Jeff Probst, "Survivor")

_"The truth is out there" (Fox Mulder, "The X-Files")

_"This is the city ..." (Sgt. Joe Friday, "Dragnet")

_"Time to make the donuts" ("Dunkin' Donuts" ad)

_"Two thumbs up" (Siskel & Ebert, "Siskel & Ebert")

_"Up your nose with a rubber hose" (Vinnie Barbarino, "Welcome Back, Kotter")

_"We are two wild and crazy guys!" ( Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd as Czech playboys, "Saturday Night Live")

_"Welcome to the O.C., *****" (Luke, "The O.C.")

_"Well, isn't that special?" (Dana Carvey as the Church Lady, "Saturday Night Live")

_"We've got a really big show!" (Ed Sullivan, "The Ed Sullivan Show")

_"Whassup?" (Budweiser ad)

_"What you see is what you get!" (Geraldine, "The Flip Wilson Show")

_"Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" (Arnold Drummond, "Diff'rent Strokes")

_"Where's the beef?" (Wendy's ad)

_"Who loves you, baby?" (Kojak, "Kojak")

_"Would you believe?" (Maxwell Smart, "Get Smart")

_"Yabba dabba do!" (Fred Flintstone, "The Flintstones")

_"Yada, yada, yada" ("Seinfeld")

_"Yeah, that's the ticket" ( Jon Lovitz as the pathological liar, "Saturday Night Live")

_"You eeeediot!" (Ren, "Ren & Stimpy")

_"You look mahvelous!" ( Billy Crystal as Fernando, "Saturday Night Live")

_"You rang?" (Lurch, "The Addams Family")

_"You're fired!" (Donald Trump, "The Apprentice")

_"You've got spunk ..." (Lou Grant, "The Mary Taylor Moore Show")
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Some of those are weak, others are too new. Like quoting Boston Legal and How I Met Your Mother? Lame.

At least that "You are the weakest link" quote isn't on there. Ugh.

What did they miss though... has to be some more good ones.

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Most of them were cool. A few of the newer shows don't really have a right to be up there... we don't know if they'll even last after a few years. Quoting Paris Hilton is never good.

They forgot "Good thinking 99" from Get Smart and "OH! OHH! OHH!! OHH!!" from Welcome Back Kotter. Those are the only ones that come to mind.

What about "by your command" from Battlestar Galactica?

I think "Hello, Newman" should be on there too.

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Or Jack Bauer's "are you telling me (usually something involving terrorism here)?"

Haha, yeah. Or something like "get down!" Not as funny, but then again, Jack is no funnyman. He's either serious or people die.

Only one Simpsons quote. Burns' "exxxxxcellent" would be better than some of the crapola on that list.

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There's a good bit on Extras (the show by the guys who made the Office) about how he didn't want his new sitcom caught up in catchphrases, wigs and glasses, but that's exactly what it ends up being. I have to admit, shows with catchphrases are usually the lowest common denominator. At least if that's all people watch the show for, it's true.

Weakest Link would be an example of that.

Well I see lame catchphrases something like "what you talkin' about Willis" rather than "Norm!". Depends if it's hacky or not and just used for pandering to the camera and hoots from the studio audience (or laugh track.)

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You can make a whole top 100 list of just Seinfeld catch phrases, and another 100 of just simpsons.

and "suit up?" I say "Legendary" is better. But why quote something so new? and who actually WATCHES boston legal? Is it good? Good enough to quote?

My dad loves Boston Legal. It's like the only show he watches.


"Norm!" is a good one... but it doesn't strike you as a catchphrase, you know? It's like... what people say when he walks in the room. That kind of stuff happens in real life... but when it's like "Ze Plane! Ze Plane!", then you know you're watching crap.

I think a catchphrase can be one word. Like Fonzies "heeeey" or whatever.

The "Norm" one is classic. It was in nearly every episode of Cheers. It has to be the one most said ever by far.

I'd like to see a list of memorable movie catchphrases.

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uh oh, do i hear a new thread a-brewing?

I could add in like 10 right now.

Post it

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where, here?
start a new one.

Movie catchphrase thread, start one in the Movies section....

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FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE

umm what about "did I do that?" from family matters. I know when i was little i used to say that all the time.

and if tv comercials count what about "I've fallen and I can't get up."

Oh man, Steve Urkle was the shiznit, for rizzle.

I hated that stupid show so much, it angers me to this day. Nerdo built a robot or whatever. So lame.

I heard that the sister on that show ended up doing porno.

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Haha, it's true, she was the porn star known as "Crave"... apparently she stopped though.

I'm so off topic, it's not funny.


"Did I do thaaaaat?"

More cheese pleeeze!

Ok, which actress from Family Matters are we talking about here? The one who played Urkel's girlfriend???

Sylvester Stallone did porn too. So did Arnold Schwartzenegger. Who else?

This is juicy!

No, the younger sister. She was like 12 or something.

12 on the show, of age when doing the porno, just to clarify.

Never seen it, just saw some E! show I think and it was on. Normally I don't watch that channel but when I flip by and hear about porn I naturally stop to listen. It's just common courtesy.

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i saw that. it was a "child stars, where are they now" kinda show on E!

Remember when that Family Matters had another sister or something? Wasn't there a character that all of a sudden left? Or was it this younger sister?

Yeah, there was an aunt and a kid that were like gone or something. Not sure, hated that damn show. That and Full House made me ill.

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oh man, I used to watch Full House. WHY IN THE WORLD IS IT ON NICK AT NITE? Why can't they throw out shows like Roseanne and Fresh Prince and F.H. and actually play CLASSICS like Welcome Back Kotter, or I Love Lucy, the Honeymooners, or even Mr. Belvedere

Haha, Belvedere was dope.

I liked Fresh Prince when it was first on, got old for me.

When I was a lad, it was all about Three's Company, Family Ties, Night Court, Moonlighting, Growing Pains, Too Close For Comfort, One Day At A Time... the bomb.

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I hated one day at a time. that lame plumber schneider or schmoopy or whatever. LAME. And what's with the lady in the bowl haircut? I liked growing pains, TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT (omg, remember the elevator episode HA!) HATED night court, loved family ties, moonlighting, i actually watched gimme a break. I want Belvedere back. i want honeymooners back. i want head of the class back. Where is MR. MOORE when you need him?

I watched Gimmie A Break too.

Schnieder was the f'n man! Don't hate.

Head Of The Class was retarded. All these smarty kids making lame observations and never actually learning anything. Then the teacher fella from WKRP In Cincinnati left and that funny Scottish comedian was the teacher and the cut most of the cast.

That reminds me, Taxi was one of the best shows. "What do you do at a yellow light?"

"Slow down."

"Whaaaaat.... dooooooo.... you..... do... at... a yellow.... light."

"Slow... down."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat..... doooooooo...... yooooooouuuuuuuuu...... doooooooo...... aaaaaaaaaat.... aaaaaaaaaaa..... yellllloooooow... liiiiiiight."

"Slow! Down!"

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat..."



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AHHHH i loved Taxi. Thaaaat should be on nick at night. man, what else did i watch?

heck, are you and i the only ones with no lives that we're the ONLY ones posting? sad

Speak for yourself.

I have softball later... I have plans okay!

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