Was Highlander tv show popular in USA when it aired?

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4MuddyPaws@reddit

I watched it religiously. Adrian Paul. But yeah, I didn't know a lot of people who also watched it.

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I loved it! I'm not sure how popular it was among the general population, but I think it was pretty popular among SciFi & Fantasy fans. It was popular enough for conventions: I went to 2 or 3 of those myself. So, I actually met Adrian Paul in person. He was a nice guy and MUCH better looking in person than he was on the small screen. The best line I ever heard at one of those cons came from a Q&A from the producers/show runners: >**Fan**: How do you explain the discrepancies between the first movie and the second?" >**Producer**: ...... >**Fan**: ..... >**Producer** (in cold flat tone): *What* second movie? >**Fan**: uh.... >**Producer**: Next question! (NOTE: Highlander 2 is not only the worst movie of the franchise, it's arguably one of the worst movies ever made and, from this comment, I guess the producers were well aware of that fact....)

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madelmire@reddit

>He was a nice guy and MUCH better looking in person than he was on the small screen. Wait did people not consider him attractive? I mean I was a kid and I never went to any conventions for that, but I always thought he was like... TV good looking.

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spike31875@reddit

No, he was considered very attractive,. But, as gorgeous as he was on screen, he was even better looking in person. You know how they say being on screen "adds 20 pounds"? Well, its true! He was more slender and not as beefy looking in person. His face was thinner too.

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CommonNative@reddit

Highlander: Nerf Balls In The Sky may give Highlander 2 a run for the money.

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sandy_coyote@reddit

No, it was broadcast Saturday afternoons. Kind of perfect for a preteen but not great for ratings in general. I remember it airing after Lightning Force for a couple years: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0101133/

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Legitimate-Error-633@reddit

It was popular but I remember it dropped off when every man and their dog on the show got immortal. (I'm looking at you, Richie).

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11112222FRN@reddit

It was one of those shows in the background of life. You know it exists, but unless your family watches it, you're mostly aware of it from commercials. A significant number of people you met would've been aware of its existence, at least.

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anothercynic2112@reddit

It was in syndication here so you would find it on different stations at different times around the country. I think my local station ran it on Saturday afternoons, along with things like Hercules and Xena. I liked it but there wasn't any major promotion for it either.

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PedanticPolymath@reddit

When I was a kid, USA network would run it in the afternoons. For many years my after-school routine consisted of a bowl of ramen, a TV-tray, and watching Quantum Leap. MacGyver, and Highlander on USA in the afternoon while doing homework.

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Mediocre_Daikon6935@reddit

A good life.

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Weightmonster@reddit

Same.

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LemurCat04@reddit

It ran on USA Network on cable.

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Cold_Elk947@reddit

I named my Highland cow plushie Duncan McLeod.

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Otherwise-External12@reddit

As I remember it was in syndication (not major network/primetime) I remember watching it and enjoyed it. I liked the TV actor better than the film actor.

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ConversationFlaky608@reddit

Yes it was popular for a syndicated show.

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Unusual-Calendar767@reddit

There can only be one

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lawyerjsd@reddit

This will take a bit of explaining, but Highlander was a 2nd or 3rd tier show. At the time it aired, everyone had the broadcast networks, pretty much everyone had basic cable, and some people had premier channels (HBO, Showtime, etc.). If a show as on a broadcast network, it would have a guaranteed audience of several million people. HBO was really good at getting people to watch their shows, and then you have basic cable. Highlander was one of those shows on basic cable. I think it bounced around between the SciFi network and USA. And for the life of me, I don't remember when new episodes aired. I mostly saw the various reruns.

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CocoaAlmondsRock@reddit

With Adrian Paul? I loved it. I don't know if it was popular, but I certainly enjoyed it.

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Trinikas@reddit

Popular enough to run six seasons. It was in an era when there wasn't a ton of scifi/fantasy on TV so anything remotely good could have a decent fanbase.

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browneod@reddit

Not sure how popular, but I liked it. Can't remember if the movie was a hit, but it was good.

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jasonreid1976@reddit

Movie wasn't a hit at all but it developed a big cult following which led to the show. The show itself wasn't that popular but plenty of people I knew enjoyed it. It was certainly one of my favorites at the time.

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taranathesmurf@reddit

I loved it. Watched it or taped it weekly

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consolecowboy74@reddit

I watched it. It was fun.

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trinite0@reddit

We used to watch it at my grandpa's house when we were visiting for the holidays.

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Kanya_Mkavry@reddit

I was a huge Highlander fan.

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luckygirl54@reddit

Didn't the Highlander win the Oscar!

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largos7289@reddit

1st movie fantastic, 2nd movie was a bomb, 3rd movie wasn't terrible but not good either. I can't remember if there was a 4th or not. There was one where it passed the torch from duncan to connor but i can't remember which. I mean it wasn't a bad show but it got progressively weirder each season. They got those watcher people and it just went downhill fast. I think around that time i was in HS and then found cars and girls so that occupied most of my time.

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MacSteele13@reddit

I watched it

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r2k398@reddit

There can be only one!

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RhizobiaPhobia@reddit

Dad would have strict rules that we record the episodes on VHS while he was working. He was a long haul trucker, and we would be gone for 3-4 days each week. That show, Hercules, Xena, and Star Trek. God forbid we fudged it up.

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IneffableOpinion@reddit

My friend was obsessed with the Highlander movies so we watched the show. I preferred the show to the movies. We knew it had a niche audience. We were into watching b-level stuff

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Astute_Primate@reddit

It aired in syndication and at weird times, but it was a sleeper hit. I watched it religiously in high school. I'd put it on the same level of popularity as Xena or Stargate. It was a lot better than most of the syndicated sci-fi/fantasy schlock that was being churned out at the time. If you were to name drop the Quickening or say the line, "There can be only one!" most Americans would get the reference, I think

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AdVisual5492@reddit

A lot of people I know watched it. It was pretty decent, good storyline. Good staff, good actors, actresses. Had a pretty decent sized market. Just never quite got that breakover, and take everything

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1MrE@reddit

Not at the top of the list, but up there for sure.

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Adorable_Dust3799@reddit

It was all popular enough that many Highlander pick-up trucks still have the sticker. I probably see one most weeks

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MeTieDoughtyWalker@reddit

Fuckin A it was! Used to talk about it all the time at school with my friends.

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Impressive_Star_3454@reddit

I have a very old jacket with the embroidered Highlander logo and sword on the back. I think it was part of a promotion for the VHS tapes or something. I only wear it during conventions. I did watch the show, low budget as it was, but that was part of the charm back then.

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HurlingFruit@reddit

I'm going to guess not because I have never heard of it.

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devilscabinet@reddit

It did fairly well, but wasn't on regular network TV, so the audience wasn't as large as regular TV shows. I loved it, and rewatch it on occasion.

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PineappleFit317@reddit

It was on a cable channel that aired mostly reruns of syndicated sitcoms and police procedural shows. It did moderately well considering it got six seasons.

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distracted_x@reddit

I know as a millennial born in the mid 80s I remember this show growing up. "There can only be one!" So at least popular enough for me to remember after all these years.

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Medical-Pace-8099@reddit (OP)

i am millenial myself. Young Millenial

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braidedrosebuds@reddit

Millennial this, millennial that. The only millennial i care about is Methos.

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cometshoney@reddit

There can be only one.

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Repulsive_Repeat_337@reddit

I watched it mostly to see who would show up from one week to the next. Flick on the TV looking for some sci-fi fantasy, and I'm like, "Holy shit! That's Roger Daltrey."

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BaronSaber@reddit

Shows that aren’t popular don’t get renewed

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kapoopa-the-poopah@reddit

Every Saturday afternoon my family watched it, along with the A-Team and Renegade. It was probably syndicated as it was the early 90.

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curiousleen@reddit

I absolutely LOVED it! So did my ma. I had the whole set o vhs

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Subliminal_Kiddo@reddit

I think, it ran for years in both local syndication and as an early primetime staple on the USA Network. It also got at least one spin-off after it ended - if I remember right. Studios don't like to invest in shows that aren't pulling viewers and local stations and networks don't like giving airtime to programming that's not pulling in advertisers. So it would have had to been a hit to go on so long. I mean, to give you an indication, in my market Highland ran in the same late night Saturday block as Baywatch and Baywatch Nights. Baywatch Nights did not last long at all while its parent series and Highlander kept on going.

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Weightmonster@reddit

Yes. Highlander the Raven.

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Weightmonster@reddit

I watched it every week. It was on Saturday afternoon, like around 3pm. But maybe it also aired later?

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StretPharmacist@reddit

I mean, times were different. The audience needed to keep a show on the air wasn't as large. It had an ok audience size, didn't cost a ton to make, and filled air time. I think people are more fans of the idea of Highlander than the actual media. So much of it isn't good, but I really want it to be.

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hntr20@reddit

Idk,but it's on Tubi

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KikiCorwin@reddit

You just made my day.

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hntr20@reddit

Your welcome

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direwolf106@reddit

I loved the highlander tv show! My favorite episodes were Revelations 6:8 and Comes a Horseman. Great episodes!

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KikiCorwin@reddit

Methos was one of my tv boyfriends.

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direwolf106@reddit

He was a great character.

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la-anah@reddit

I watched it in the 90s. But it was late at night, not on network TV fare, not popular with general audiences. Some quality as the Forever Knight vampire cop show.

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KikiCorwin@reddit

Now that was also a high school favorite

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KikiCorwin@reddit

My sister and I loved it and the sequel series. Hell, I have an idea for a new YA series in the universe.

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Ok_Present_6508@reddit

It was so popular, not a day went by in the 90s that I didn’t hear, “There can only be one Highlander!” Directed at me because I’m a MacLeod.

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gumdrop83@reddit

It ran for 6 seasons and a movie of its own and launched a spinoff series, although that didn’t last. So, was it a massive cultural touchstone? No. Was it significant enough to have VHS and DVD releases, a paper merchandise catalog, online chatrooms hosted by the show’s production company, conventions, fan clubs, and articles in the sci-fi magazines of the era? Yes

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Cute-Concert-5183@reddit

My family watched it weekly, but it certainly wasn't a top tier show.

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Medical-Pace-8099@reddit (OP)

It wasn't top tier yeah. But it was enjoyable

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rcowie@reddit

I re-watched it recently and some of those episodes did not age well. Still a great series. I heard there was a new movie being made but haven't heard of anything else about it.

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Medical-Pace-8099@reddit (OP)

Henry Cavill will be lead

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rcowie@reddit

Is it going to be a remake or telling a new story? I loved the first movie the sequels were trash.

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DNSGeek@reddit

There were no sequels. There can be only one.

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Medical-Pace-8099@reddit (OP)

Reboot

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Hwy_Witch@reddit

No, it's a new story

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King_Wataba@reddit

Not only that the director is the guy who did John Wick

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DifferentWindow1436@reddit

I think they mean it wasn't top tier in terms of positioning and popularity. It was a known show, but not something everyone watched on prime time tv.

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gardengrowsgreen@reddit

I’ve never heard of it.

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nathanwilson26@reddit

It was a syndicated show in the US so it aired depending on the local tv stations. If I recall it was on the USA network a lot on reruns. But it was not a big hit, but popular enough that you could buy/rent the vhs/dvds.

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HeyPurityItsMeAgain@reddit

It was on cable. Sci fi/fantasy fans watched it.

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groundhogcow@reddit

Yes. Though the later seasons changed the mythos and it lost popularity,

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Dr_One_L_1993@reddit

I watched it when it was on ( I was in grad school at the time) and have recently re-watched it. I'm a fan of the first five seasons (up to "Forgive Us Our Trespasses"), the 2 Duncan-less episodes of season 6 (even though I like Duncan; those were just the 2 best-written eps of the season) and the 2-part series finale. I pretend the rest did not happen, esp whatever was going on with that weird demon plotline. I attended one Highlander-themed convention and was on the Highlander fan email list-serve (hey, it was the 90s -- the early days of online fandom/social media). I might possibly have written a piece of crossover fanfic that included Highlander characters... As many have noted, it aired on syndicated networks so never attracted the fanbase that something on network TV did, plus it was a fantasy series which general has a smaller fanbase. It did well enough to last for 6 seasons which at the time is actually pretty good for a syndicated series.

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ScoutAndLout@reddit

I think it was on TBS, not mainstream network TV. So it never could have been a major hit.

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Medical-Pace-8099@reddit (OP)

Not major hit like X-Files, Twin Peaks or Buffy as i understand in 90s.

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shelwood46@reddit

All three of those were on various broadcast networks during prime time (8-11 pm, or 7-10 depending on time zone). Highlander was syndicated and on cable networks, like Xena and Hercules and some of the Star Treks, so more of a second tier -- not unheard of or even unpopular, but you had to seek it out (and probably one of the first group of shows that were often taped on VHS). Although of those syndicated shows, Highlander is probably the least enduring, with Star Trek: Next Generation at the top of the heap.

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AssiduousLayabout@reddit

It was definitely syndicated on network TV. I never had cable and I watched the entire series.

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jessek@reddit

Yeah it aired on a local independent where I lived, the same station showed Baywatch

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ScoutAndLout@reddit

Maybe I just caught the TBS reruns in the 90s.

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_WeSellBlankets_@reddit

My buddy was really into it. But we had very different tastes in TV shows.

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Lovebeingadad54321@reddit

It had a following amongst fans of the movie

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Electrical-Let-6121@reddit

There can only be one

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indicus23@reddit

Not as popular as the big network mainstream sitcoms and such, but it definitely had a strong cult following.

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Dio_Yuji@reddit

Heeeeeeere we are!!

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PBandBABE@reddit

Born to be kings

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MoonieNine@reddit

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

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Crayshack@reddit

It wasn't the biggest hit ever, but it certainly had a solid following.

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PhilRubdiez@reddit

My mom loved it. She would have named my sister after the main character, had she been a boy.

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freedraw@reddit

It was very popular for a show on basic cable. But the difference in audience between basic cable and network television in the 90s was fairly wide. It had a pretty dedicated fanbase.

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ParadoxicalFrog@reddit

It was pretty popular. Not a Huge Freakin' Deal, but a lot of people watched it, and the tagline ("There can be only one!") still gets referenced to this day. It's kind of a cult classic. You can still find it on late-night reruns.

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Jops817@reddit

It was corny in that 90s action way but I still watched it with my mom every week.

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cometshoney@reddit

My psyche is still scarred from Season 1 Joan Jett in a teddie, so I skip that episode, but I, personally, loved that show. I could live without the movies they made to wrap it up, though. I bought the DVD set when it was finally released. The Raven was just meh. Adrian Paul had been in the brief remake of Dark Shadows, and I loved the Highlander movies, so him being the Highlander was a win/win as far as I was concerned.

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KJHagen@reddit

I never watched much television, but I saw a few episodes of this and enjoyed it.

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Penguin_Life_Now@reddit

You leave out what is perhaps the worst movie sequel of all time, Highlander II The Quickening 1991 which came out the year before the TV show. As to how it was viewed in the US, it was one of those late night TV shows, that was not shown in prime time, and tended to have a cult following, but not much else

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ElectricalTwist4083@reddit

Hell yes it was

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pineapplemansrevenge@reddit

It was on every week.

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eyetracker@reddit

It was popular among a sort of nerdy fandom. I watched it a little bit but not regularly, but it wasn't something you'd admit to your middle school classmates.

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Fangsong_37@reddit

My older brother loved it. He watched everything in the Highlander franchise. I don't think it was highly popular but had enough audience to last as long as it did.

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KingDarius89@reddit

Considering it got a spinoff, yes.

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CockroachNo2540@reddit

Not really.

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Otney@reddit

It was a niche show in cable. For some reason I’ll never understand, I loved it. But it was a small show on cable. Most ppl probably never heard of it.

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Antitenant@reddit

Wouldn't say it was so popular, it was popular in my household (though I never watched it). My parents also took me to the movie that came out 2000. I can't say I've heard anyone mention it in many years.

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GrlInt3r46@reddit

I adore it and own the whole series. And all the movies.

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KillBologna@reddit

I AM IMMORTAL, I HAVE INSIDE OF ME, BLOOD OF KINGS! YEAH! I literally just referenced the highlander in r/projectzomboid yesterday.

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TheMainTony@reddit

I only remember the show with a vagueness, in the same way I remember Xena and Hercules. Same sort of syndicated production that I didn't watch. I do remember the name Adrian Paul (actor? character?) because of the number of times my best friend mentioned, "I'd let Adrian Paul do things to me!"

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jessek@reddit

It probably was pretty popular for a syndicated tv show like Baywatch, but it wasn't a major cultural phenomenon.

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Melora_T_Rex714@reddit

Oh, HELL YES! I liked the show more than the movie. Duncan was my *man!*

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Practical-Ordinary-6@reddit

It was certainly watched in the US but there's so much to watch here that it was never a standout show that "everybody" watched.

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mspolytheist@reddit

Not hugely popular, but the people who like it are VERY enthusiastic about it, like going on themed trips to Scotland, etc.

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cmhoughton@reddit

It was popular enough they had conventions. I went to one in the late 90s in Denver because my sister was a huge fan and I was in Greeley, which is close to Denver. It was more to spend time with my sister, but I was there for like three days…

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poisonedkiwi@reddit

I've heard the name before, but I couldn't tell you anything about it or what it even really is.

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JacobDCRoss@reddit

It would get shuffled around a lot, and sometimes they would just seem to go weeks without showing it.

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BoldBoimlerIsMyHero@reddit

I loved it but I didn’t know anyone else who watched it

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Merkkin@reddit

Not massively popular but it has a good amount of fans including me.

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CowabungaShaman@reddit

Loved it. Watched it with my dad. The spin-off series, we didn’t care for.

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sneezhousing@reddit

Popular enough but niche

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weedtrek@reddit

I was a young child and the guy had long hair and a katana, so I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I was so annoyed when i finally saw the movie and was like "who the hell is Connor, where is Duncan?"

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Altril2010@reddit

I watched it. I remember setting timers because it came on at an odd time in the mornings.

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Altruistic_Relief189@reddit

It was syndicated. It was popular enough to have a decent run but it's hard to track the ratings like a network show.

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RedditWidow@reddit

I remember it being fairly popular. Not X-Files, Seinfeld or Friends levels of popular, but back then there wasn't as much interest in "nerdy" fantasy stuff as there is now.

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0le_Hickory@reddit

My dad watched it but I got the impression that made him a nerd at the time. lol

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Puzzleheaded_Tie8077@reddit

I loved it as a kid but I wouldn’t say it was popular. None of my friends really knew about it or liked it.

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Medical-Pace-8099@reddit (OP)

I guess it had a cult following but not something that was like everybody knew it as i understand

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Puzzleheaded_Tie8077@reddit

I mean it did well enough here. I remember by friends mom took us to a convention and we met some of the cast. That was fun

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a_bounced_czech@reddit

I was obsessed with that show. I think I bought season 1 on VHS

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Educational_Impact93@reddit

I knew about it, but it wasn't super popular. I was in high school when it came out, and people weren't really talking about it all that much, though one of my real good friends (a martial arts type, or he thought he was anyway) loved it. As opposed to say a Star Trek Next Generation, where all the geeks at school would talk about it and even some of the non-geeks would.

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DesertWanderlust@reddit

I remember it, but even my dad and sister - who both like fantasy - didn't watch it.

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ToeLimbaugh@reddit

It seemed more popular than the movies for a minute. Prob didn't help that the movies were complete trash after the first. It was a cult hit of a show, just like the first movie.

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dobbydisneyfan@reddit

What is it?

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Dustteas@reddit

Most of my friends and I watched it. We liked it better than the movies!

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General_Ad_6617@reddit

Not sure on popularity, but I watched all the movies and the TV show.

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Ok_Buy_9703@reddit

Was on of the house favorites in college.

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AKA-Pseudonym@reddit

Plenty of people watched it but it was syndicated (Meaning that local stations purchase it and air instead of airing as part of a national broadcast) and I only saw it late at night. I had it on in the background a lot while I studied for college but I never really sat down and watched it

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Brandonjoe@reddit

My in laws are obsessed with it but I don’t know anyone else who has seen it.

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DesignByChance@reddit

I loved it! What a great show

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AssiduousLayabout@reddit

I think a lot of people knew of it, and it certainly had its fans (myself among them) but it wasn't the cultural phenomenon like The Simpsons, The X-Files, and others.

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ParkerGroove@reddit

I watched it with my boyfriend every week. Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacCleod was 🔥

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dontlookback76@reddit

I loved it as a kid. I've built multiple Highlander characters (immortals who only die by losing their head) in my head over the last 35 years lol. As terrible as the movie was I frigging loved it. One of my favorite movies of all time. I made sure to catch the TV show every week. I hadn't even heard of the film yet when the star from the movie did a guest spot on the show.

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tuberlord@reddit

I remember it being on at like 11 PM on Saturday nights on the local ABC affiliate, which probably meant it was syndicated. Based on that I'm going to guess it wasn't very popular.

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Isgrimnur@reddit

Popular enough to spawn a [Collectible Card Game](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander:_The_Card_Game).

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jollytoes@reddit

I don't know of any Gen X who aren't aware that THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE.

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Carinyosa99@reddit

My husband really liked it.

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DebutsPal@reddit

I watched it. Films and TV. Ws not alive for the films coming outs but the TV show yes, My dad watched it which meant I watched it with him

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YoshiandAims@reddit

Yeah. A lot of my friends moms and dads, and grandparents loved that show. I don't think many of my peers watched beyond that their parents did. Not that I recall anyway.

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