The Best ION Television Shows, Ranked
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Vote up the best original TV shows that have ever debuted on ION.
- 1A highly skilled group of cops works to save lives.
- Premiered: July 11, 2008
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- 2Candid Camera (ABC, 1948) is an American hidden camera reality television series created by Allen Funt. The show involves concealed cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank.
- Premiered: August 10, 1948
Also ranks #4 on The Best TV Shows of the 1940s
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- 3
Durham County
Hugh Dillon, Helene Joy, Laurence LeboeufA police officer moves his family to escape the big city violence.- Premiered: May 7, 2007
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- 4
Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye
Laura Vandervoort, Tyler Posey, Enuka OkumaSue Thomas: F.B.Eye is an American television series that premiered in 2002 on the PAX Network. The show ended in May 2005 due to PAX's decision to halt the production of original programming. It was one of the two highest rated shows on the network.- Premiered: 2002
- 5Supermarket Sweep is an American television game show. The format combined an ordinary team-based quiz show with the novel concept of a live, timed race through a supermarket. In the timed race, cameras followed the teams with shopping carts through a large vacated supermarket with several aisles; the value of items thrown into the cart determined the winning team. The original show was broadcast on ABC from December 20, 1965 to July 14, 1967. Revivals aired on Lifetime from February 5, 1990, to May 26, 1995, and later from April 3, 2000, to May 23, 2003, with reruns airing until March 26, 2004. ABC's Supermarket Sweep was broadcast from Food Fair supermarkets, mostly around New York City. For the Lifetime version, a mock supermarket was created at Hollywood Center Studios. It was modeled after a Hughes Family Market until April 2000, when it was remodeled again after a Unified Western Market. The PAX version was staged in the same set and studio as the Lifetime version. Beginning in September 2001, the show moved to NBC Studios. The host for the ABC version was Bill Malone.
- Premiered: 1965
- 6
Flipper
Jessica Alba, Laura Harring, Gus MercurioFlipper, is an American revival television series of the original 1964 Flipper television series. The first two seasons aired in first-run syndication; seasons 3 and 4 aired on the PAX network. The 1995 version brought back Bud Ricks as a scientist doing marine research in Florida. The dolphin Flipper was one with whom Dr. Ricks was working. This TV show is available for online viewing on hulu in the United States and at Rogers On Demand in Canada. Although the show was set in Bal Harbour, Florida, it was largely filmed in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. However three episodes during the first season, including the pilot, were filmed in Pigeon Key, Florida and at the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, Florida.- Premiered: 1995
- 7
Mysterious Ways
Rae Dawn Chong, Adrian Pasdar, Alisen DownMysterious Ways is a Canadian/American television science fiction/drama series that was produced in-house by what was once PAX TV, in association with Lionsgate Television and CTV. The show first aired in the United States in 2000 on PAX. NBC, which had a minority interest in PAX, aired the show during the summer months. Mysterious Ways was created by Peter O'Fallon, but was written and directed by a number of people. It was cancelled in 2002 after two seasons. Mysterious Ways currently airs in syndication on VisionTV in Canada.- Premiered: 2000
- 8
Little Men
Michelle Burke, Spencer Rochfort, Corey SevierLife in a boys' home.- Premiered: November 7, 1998
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- 9
America's Most Talented Kid
Lance Bass, Mario Lopez, Dave CoulierAmerica's Most Talented Kid is an American television series that originally aired on NBC on March 28, 2003. In each round, three age groups of talented children would perform songs, dance numbers, magic, and other forms of entertainment in front of head judge Lance Bass and other guest celebrity judges, such as Sisqo, Maureen McCormick, Jermaine Jackson and Daisy Fuentes. Host Mario Lopez led the highest scorer from each round until only three children were left to compete in the grand finale. In the end, Cheyenne Kimball was crowned the grand champion. The final NBC episode featured senior citizens competing in a special "America's Most Talented Senior". A limited-run series on NBC to compete with the growing talent-show trend in reality television, it would later move to the PAX Network, the title pluralised to "Kids", with Dave Coulier as a host and judged by Daryl Sabara, Scarlett Pomers and Bobb'e J. Thompson. Unlike the NBC version, however, each show would crown a $1,000 winner plus the chance to keep in the finale. The Grand Champion of this season of "America's Most Talented Kids" was then 13-year-old rock violinist/singer/songwriter Antonio Pontarelli.- Premiered: 2003
- 10Beat the Clock is a Goodson-Todman game show that aired on American television in several versions since 1950. The original show, hosted by Bud Collyer, ran on CBS from 1950 to 1958 and ABC from 1958 to 1961. The show was revived in syndication as The New Beat the Clock from 1969 to 1974, with Jack Narz as host until 1972, when he was replaced by the show's announcer, Gene Wood. Another version ran on CBS from 1979 to 1980, with former Let's Make a Deal host Monty Hall as host and Narz as announcer. The most recent version aired in 2002 on PAX with Gary Kroeger and Julielinh Parker as co-hosts. The series was also featured as the third episode of Gameshow Marathon in 2006. Ricki Lake hosted while Rich Fields announced. In 2013, the show appeared in TV Guide's list of the 60 greatest game shows ever.
- Premiered: March 23, 1950
- 11
Just Cause
Lisa Lackey, Richard Thomas, Shaun BensonAlex DeMonaco tries to regain her life and her child after five years in prison.- Premiered: September 15, 2002
- 12
Twenty One
Jack BarryTwenty One is an American game show which aired in the late 1950s. While it included the most popular contestant of the quiz show era, it became notorious for being a rigged quiz show which nearly caused the demise of the entire genre in the wake of United States Senate investigations. The 1994 movie Quiz Show is based on these events. A new version aired in 2000 with Maury Povich hosting, lasting about five months on NBC.- Premiered: 1956
- 13
Faith Under Fire
Lee StrobelFaith Under Fire is a television series that aired every Saturday at 10pm EST on PAX TV and was hosted by Lee Strobel. In the main segments, two guests would discuss current issues related to Christianity. In segments following commercial breaks, people on the street were interviewed on the same topics. Guests included Randy Alcorn, Michael Shermer, Deepak Chopra, Shabir Ally, Tovia Singer and Julia Sweeney. Its final episode aired June 14, 2005, less than a month before PAX TV changed its name to i: Independent Television on July 1, 2005. When the network underwent some turmoil, it cancelled production of all of its original programming including Faith Under Fire.- Premiered: 2004
- 14
Balderdash
Bill Engvall, Elayne BooslerBalderdash is an American television panel game show that aired on PAX TV from August 2, 2004 to February 4, 2005 with repeats airing until April 22. It was hosted by Elayne Boosler and announced by John Moschitta. The game was based on the board game of the same name.- Premiered: 2004
- 15Hollywood Showdown is an American game show that aired on both PAX and Game Show Network from January to November 2000, then returned solely on GSN in early 2001 and ran until April 2002. Reruns aired on GSN again from September 2004 to April 2005 plus June 2006 and June 2007 on TV Guide Network. Todd Newton served as host, with Randy West announcing. Produced by Sande Stewart, the game was similar to Jackpot!, whose creator/producer Bob Stewart is Sande's father.
- Premiered: 2000
- 16Shop 'til You Drop is an American game show that was on the air intermittently between 1991 and 2005. Four different series were produced during that time, with the first premiering on Lifetime on July 8, 1991 and the fourth series airing its final episode on May 27, 2005 on PAX TV. Pat Finn hosted the first three editions of Shop 'til You Drop, beginning in 1991 and ending in 2002. The announcers for those series were Mark L. Walberg, who announced from 1991 to 1994 and served as an on air assistant; Jason Grant Smith, who was the original announcer for the second series in 1996 and 1997; and Dee Bradley Baker, who announced and co-hosted from 1997 until 1998 and again from 2000 until 2002. The fourth series, which saw the show undergo a significant overhaul and format switch, was hosted by JD Roberto with Don Priess announcing.
- Premiered: 1991
- 17
The Emeril Lagasse Show
Emeril LagasseThe Emeril Lagasse Show was a weekly talk show starring Emeril Lagasse. It aired on Sundays at 5:00PM Eastern on Ion Television. The program originally premiered on April 18, 2010, airing at 8:00PM. The announcement of the show was made by Emeril on Martha in late January 2010. The show was filmed live before a studio audience and has featured a similar format of Emeril Live and also featured celebrities making guest appearances. A band plays music and interact with Lagasse and guests, plus the show has featured field pieces shot in and around New York City where the show was taped. The show featured house band Dave Koz & The Kozmos, featuring Dave Koz, Jeff Golub, Philippe Saisse, Conrad Korsch, and Skoota Warner. This was Ion TV's first American original show since its short-lived original drama Palmetto Pointe in 2005. For reasons unknown, it was cancelled in July 2010.- Premiered: 2010
- 18
The Reel to Reel Picture Show
Peter MarshallThe Reel-to-Reel Picture Show is a game show that aired on PAX from August 31 to October 2, 1998. Peter Marshall was the host and Bill Armstrong announced. It was the network's first game show, debuting the day the network launched. The show was based on a Canadian board game, and the show was developed as a marketing tool to help sell it. Before the bonus round, Marshall showed the game to the home audience and gave a toll-free number to order it from.- Premiered: 1998
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Dirty Rotten Cheater
Bil DwyerDirty Rotten Cheater is a game show that aired on PAX from January 6 to April 14, 2003. The show's gameplay combines elements of Weakest Link and Family Feud along with the BBC game format The Enemy Within, with a contestant being privy to answers in each round and trying to elude detection by fellow contestants and the studio audience. The PAX version, of which 13 weekly episodes aired, was hosted by Bil Dwyer, produced by Jonathan Goodson, and shot at CBS Television City in Hollywood. Different versions of the show also aired in other countries.- Premiered: 2003