Dueling Shows: Difference between revisions

Rarely, two dissimilar shows will develop a rivalry. Maybe they're opposite each other in the same time slot, maybe one steals the other's time slot, or maybe there's some superficial similarity that causes viewers to compare the two shows. ''[[Arrested Development (TV)|Arrested Development]]'' had a whole episode full of in-jokes about how people compared it to ''[[The OC]]'', simply because they were both on [[FOX]] and set in Orange County, California.

| ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh]]'' || ''[[Duel Masters]]'' || Anime show about kids/teens engaging in Card Games with the fate of the world at stake. || Yu-Gi-Oh was inspired by ''Magic: The Gathering''. Duel Masters was meant to be an anime version of ''Magic: The Gathering'', but end-up getting its own game. || Yu-Gi-Oh spanned three sequels (and counting) and the card game became even more popular than the one who inspired it. Duel Masters was discontinued in America, but still holds the fort (barely) in Japan.

| ''[[Death Note (Manga)|Death Note]]'' || ''[[Code Geass]]'' || Anime show starring a megalomaniacal [[Teen Genius]] who [[Villain Protagonist|may]] or [[Anti-Hero|may not]] be a villain with a single, specific godly superpower. On the top of that, they even have a [[Secret Identity]]. Features strong [[Black and Gray Morality]]. || Both shows premiered in Japan at roughly the same time, although ''[[Death Note (Manga)|Death Note]]'' was based on a [[Manga]]. The tone of ''[[Death Note (Manga)|Death Note]]'' is somewhat [[Darker and Edgier|darker, grittier and more realistic]] and features [[Shinigami]], while ''[[Code Geass]]'' allows for occasional filler episodes, is [[Lighter and Softer|somewhat more cartoonish]] [[Family-Unfriendly Violence|while still somehow being more violent]] and still quite dark<ref>mostly because ''[[Death Note (Manga)|Death Note]]'' goes [[Beyond the Impossible]] on the grittiness</ref>, and features [[Humongous Mecha]]. || Critics-wise, ''[[Death Note (Manga)|Death Note]]'' was far more influential than ''Geass''. However, while interest in ''[[Death Note (Manga)|Death Note]]'' had diminished with the end of the franchise, ''Geass'''s hype is still strong among otaku fans, fueled by the promise of incoming new material.

| ''[[Pokémon (Anime)|Pokémon]]'' || ''[[Digimon]]'' and ''[[Monster Rancher]]'' || [[Mon]] series about kids [[Walking the Earth]]. Usually involves defeating some sort of [[Big Bad]] too. || All three went off in different directions. Though all three were [[Merchandise-Driven]], ''Pokémon'' become a blatant merch show after its third season, while ''Digimon'' and ''Monster Rancher'' remained plot-driven series. || ''Monster Rancher'' was the first to go, dying quietly right at the end of the [[Mons]] boom of the early 'Aughts. ''Digimon'' soldiered on for a few more years before it too died with the end of ''[[Digimon Frontier]]''. However, it was revived a few years later with ''[[Digimon Savers]]'', and ''[[Digimon Xros Wars]]''. Meanwhile, ''Pokémon'' is still a [[Cash Cow Franchise|massive titan of a franchise]]. The common refrain of the Poké-Digi [[Fandom Rivalry]] is "''Pokémon'' has better games, ''Digimon'' has better animes."

| ''[[Maria-sama ga Miteru]]'' || ''[[Strawberry Panic (Light Novel)|Strawberry Panic]]'' || Show about [[Schoolgirl Lesbians]] set in an [[Elaborate University High]]. || ''[[Portmanteau Series Name|StoPani]]'' borrows many elements of ''Marimite'' but takes the [[Schoolgirl Lesbians]] factor farther. || Both have their fanbases, but ''Marimite'' has the longevity advantage, with nearly double the episode count of ''Panic!''.

| ''[[Kaze no Stigma (Light Novel)|Kaze no Stigma]]'' || ''[[Shakugan no Shana]]'' || Female redhead protagonist, check. Flaming sword, check. Combat schoolgirl outfit, check. Accomanying/obligatory ''[[Zettai Ryouiki]]'', check. || Fanservice-laden supernatural/magical schoolgirl [[Light Novel|light novels]]/shows, with varying degrees of competent male sidekick/love interest. || ''Shana'', sort of: Although the ''Stigma'' light novels came out in January of 2002 and Shana's came out in November of the same year, the ''Shana'' anime was renewed for two more seasons, while ''Stigma'''s wasn't. Both manga adaptations continue, but ''Shana'''s light novel series is also continued and has nearly twice as many volumes as ''Stigma'''s, which stopped at 12. It probably helped ''Shana'' that the author of the ''Stigma'' light novels [[Author Existence Failure|passed away]].

| ''[[Naruto]]'' || ''[[Six Six Six Satan|666 Satan]]/O-Parts Hunter'' || A [[Determinator]] with a demon inside him seeks to rule the place that abused him and makes friends and enemies along the way. || Well, the authors are ''twin brothers''... || ''Naruto'' by a mile.

| ''GR: [[Giant Robo]]'' || ''[[Raideen]]'' || [[Darker and Edgier]], CG-enriched remake of classic [[Giant Robot]] franchises. || It can't be a coincidence that these two shows launched within mere weeks of each other. They're very similar shows in many ways. They're also both very similar to ''[[Rah Xephon]]'', a series that was, itself, based on the original ''Raideen''. || They both flopped, but GR wasn't even [[Fan Sub|fansubbed]].

| ''[[Blade (Anime)|Blade]]'' || ''[[Blood-C]]'' || Two anime about a [[Vampire Hunter]] || Both premiered during the same season and are based on estabilished franchiche - Blood-C is based on [[Blood the Last Vampire]] and Blade is adaptation of [[Marvel Comics]] series || Neither was particularly memorable and both ran for 12 episodes. Though Blade probably comes out slightly more ahead due to keeping pace with its story while Blood-C takes awhile to [[Growing the Beard|Grow The Beard]].

| ''Code: Breaker'' || ''Out Code'' || Superpowered teenaged boys join up with [[Organization Index|The Organization]] and partner with muggle girls and save humanity from equally superpowered enemies. || This appears to blatant copying, with ''Out Code'' being the shonen-er version of ''Code:Breaker''. The main difference seems to be the aims of their enemies: CB's [[Big Bad]] wants superpower supremacy while OC's [[Mad Scientist]] wants to begin a huge [[Bizarre Baby Boom]]. Also, the lead of CB has [[Playing With Fire|fire powers]] while OC's lead is [[Shock and Awe|electric]]. || ''Code:Breaker''.

| ''[[Bokurano]]''|| ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]''|| [[Deconstructor Fleet]] anime from [[Magical Girl|counterpart]] [[Humongous Mecha|genres]] featuring children mentored by small, white non-human beings || || ''Madoka'' has a huge following. ''Bokurano'' is more of a [[Cult Classic]] and isn't as well-known as [[Naru Taru]], a previous work by the mangaka.

| ''[[Babylon 5]]'' || ''[[Star Trek Deep Space Nine (TV)|Star Trek Deep Space Nine]]'' || [[City of Adventure|Adventure Town]] [[Recycled in Space|IN SPACE!]] becomes a hotspot for interstellar politics and an important staging point in a war with [[Scary Dogmatic Aliens]]. || Very different, but with enough surface similarities -- and a documented pre-''Deep Space Nine'' pitch of ''B5'' to Paramount -- to merit accusations of [[Follow the Leader|plagiarism]]. It should be noted that there is little evidence the creators of ''Deep Space Nine'' ever knew about the pitch of ''B5'' to Paramount. Both shows were driven by a central [[Story Arc]], but ''Babylon 5'' was almost purely arc-based while ''Deep Space Nine'' was more episodic, but started shifting more towards arc-based in later seasons. || Both were winners, and so were the viewers. Though ''Deep Space Nine'' is better remembered because it's a part of [[Star Trek (Franchise)|one of the biggest franchises of all time]], both shows are also equally beloved by their fans.

| ''[[Star Trek the Original Series (TV)|Star Trek the Original Series]]'' || ''[[Lost in Space]]'' || [[Wagon Train to The Stars]] || One is a classic of popular culture, the other is [[So Bad It's Good|cult kitsch]]. Notable in that Gene Rodenberry originally pitched ''Star Trek'' to [[CBS]], who listened to his ideas on how to pull off a space show on a weekly TV budget, rejected the pitch, then went on to use all the ideas he'd given them to make ''Lost In Space''. || Depends on how you look at it. On one hand, ''[[Lost in Space]]'' cleaned ''[[Star Trek the Original Series (TV)|Star Trek the Original Series]]'''s clock in the ratings and lasted longer. On the other hand, who still watches ''[[Lost in Space]]'' some forty years after the fact? (The 1998 [[Revival Movie]] flopped badly.) We're giving this one to ''[[Star Trek (Franchise)|Star Trek]]''.

| ''[[ER]]'' || ''[[Chicago Hope (TV)|Chicago Hope]]'' || Chicago-based [[Medical Drama]] || Both mixed elements of gritty medical realism with focus on the personal lives of the staff, but ''ER'' emphasized the former while ''Hope'' emphasised the latter. || ''[[ER]]'' lasted [[Long Runners|fifteen seasons]], while ''Hope'' only made it six.

| ''Thief'' || ''[[Heist]]'' || [[Damn, It Feels Good to Be A Gangster!|Glamourous gangster]] drama. || Subtle character drama vs. glitzy action series. || Neither -- both shows had single-digit episode counts; ''Thief'' was a miniseries that never saw renewal, though it did win Andre Braugher an Emmy.

| ''[[Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip]]'' || ''[[30 Rock (TV)|Thirty Rock]]'' || [[NBC]] Behind The Scenes of a [[Variety Show]] titled by its studio's multiple-of-30 address. || ''Studio'' is a [[Aaron Sorkin|Sorkin]] drama, ''30 Rock'' is a straight [[Sit Com]]. Plus, they're on the same network -- [[NBC]], which ''also'' has [[Saturday Night Live|the closest thing to the shows they go behind-the-scenes of!]] || ''30 Rock'' has made it to five seasons and counting, while ''Studio 60'' got the axe. It should be noted that NBC staff couldn't decide which one to greenlight, so they greenlit ''both''.

| ''[[The Chair]]'' || ''[[The Chamber]]'' || [[Kimodameshi]] [[Game Show|Game Shows]] in which contestants were tortured. || ''The Chamber'' was perhaps more torturous; ''The Chair'' had a better known host. || Neither American version lasted 10 episodes, both beaten by the far less stressful ''[[Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?]]''.

| ''[[Beakmans World]]'' || ''[[Bill Nye the Science Guy]]'' || Kids' [[Science Show]]. || Whereas Beakman was a fictional character, Bill was an actual scientist (an engineer to be more precise). Whereas Bill stuck with one topic throughout an episode, Beakman switched topics frequently. Whereas Bill focused on the science almost exclusively (if imaginatively), Beakman also had a small, wacky recurring cast and a little non-science-related zaniness. || Both lasted about 100 episodes, were equally epic and awesome, and kissed Mr. Wizard's ring. Bill might get an edge in that he's still active in promoting science and enviromentalism, but the real winners are kids' report cards.

| ''Kidnapped'' || ''Vanished'' || Serialized story arc about a kidnapping. || ''Kidnapped'' was on [[NBC]], ''Vanished'' was on [[FOX]]. || Both got 13 episodes. ''Kidnapped'' got better reviews, but ''Vanished'' got buzz from [[Killed Off for Real|killing off its main character]], played by Gale Harold.

| ''Real People'' || ''That's Incredible!'' || ''[[Americas Funniest Home Videos]]'' meets ''Ripley's Believe It Or Not!''. || [[NBC]]'s ''Real People'' debuted in 1979 and was a smash hit. [[ABC]]'s ''Thats Incredible'' came out next year and looked eerily similar. The similarity between these two shows was even parodied in a ''MAD Magazine'' satire titled "That's Real Incredible, People!", and by an ''SNL'' sketch called ''Real Incredible People''. NBC's original was primarily devoted to humorous real-world absurdity, a la Dave Barry's; ABC's knockoff tried to have more of a ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' flavor to it and quickly became a bastion of pseudoscience. || ''Real People'' lasted longer, though ''That's Incredible!'' had a later spin-off called ''Incredible Sunday''. Neither aged well at all and are both looked at as quaint and non-shocking years later.

| ''[[The A-Team (TV)|The A-Team]]'' || ''High Performance'' || Action-adventure shows featuring do-gooders for hire. || Another [[ABC]] knockoff of an [[NBC]] smash hit. || ''High Performance'' died after three episodes, while ''[[The A-Team (TV)|The A-Team]]'' lasted five seasons, becoming a pop culture sensation and a [[Fountain of Memes]].

| ''[[The Addams Family (TV)|The Addams Family]]'' || ''[[The Munsters (TV)|The Munsters]]'' ||[[Sit Com]] about an altogether ooky [[Quirky Household|family of freaks]]. || Premiered six days apart. While the Addamses were proudly and extremely eccentric, very little was explicitly supernatural about them. The Munsters, meanwhile, were a couple of vampires, a wolf-boy and a Frankenstein's monster, and considered themselves ordinary. The Addamses were portrayed as well-to-do and WASPy, while the Munsters seemed to be more working-class and ethnic. ''[[The Addams Family (TV)|The Addams Family]]'' generally had the odder storylines and a more macabre sense of humor, while ''[[The Munsters (TV)|The Munsters]]'' was played more as a traditional [[Sit Com]]. || Ended in a stalemate, since they were both canceled in the same week. Even at their ratings peaks, both had the same amount of popularity. ''The Munsters'' has done better in syndication and ''The Addams Family'' had a major revitalization because of two successful movies in the early 90's.

| ''[[Homicide Life On the Street]]'' || ''[[NYPD Blue]]'' || Gritty, inner-city [[Cop Show]]. || Both started in 1993, though ''Homicide'' had the jump on ''NYPD Blue'' by eight months. ''NYPD Blue'' proved to be the bigger hit, although ''Homicide'' was critically lauded for its realistic tone. ''Homicide'' character Det. John Munch subsequently appeared in eight different series, and is now a regular in ''[[Law and Order Special Victims Unit]]''. || ''[[NYPD Blue]]'' by a small margin.

| ''[[Homicide Life On the Street]]'' || ''Angel Street'' || Rival cop shows set in the inner cities (Baltimore in the former, Chicago in the latter) with eerily similar premises. || ''Homicide'' (based on a book by [[David Simon]]) was greenlit first but ''Angel Street'' (shot under the name ''Polish Hill'') hit the airwaves first. A screening of the pilot revealed similarities between the two shows, leading Simon and producer Barry Levinson to consider a plagiarism lawsuit. || ''Homicide'', easily. ''Angel Street'' was canceled eight episodes while ''Homicide'' ran seven seasons and launched Simon's career in television.

|''[[American Guns (TV)|American Guns]]''|| ''[[Sons of Guns (TV)|Sons of Guns]]''|| Somewhat eccentric and abrasive gun shop owners make equally eccentric [[BFG|BFGs]] [[Index of the Week|Of The Week]]. || Oddly enough, ''both'' air on [[Discovery Channel]] ''simultaneously'', just two nights apart. The main differences end up settling on the shops' own specialties and eccentricities, with ''American Guns'' capitalizing on its "[[Old West]]" theme. || ''American Guns'' just started its freshman season, while ''Sons of Guns'' will complete at least two. Rumors and rumblings with production problems concerning ''Sons'' suggests ''American Guns'' may have been picked up as "insurance."

| ''[[Pimp My Ride]]'' (MTV) || ''Overhaulin''' (TLC) || [[Alleged Car|Alleged Cars]] are turned into customized [[Cool Car|Cool Cars]] || ''[[Pimp My Ride]]'' is formatted more like ''[[Extreme Makeover]]'': The hooptie of the week is collected and the show follows the process of [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin|"pimping the car out."]] ''Overhaulin'' goes half-"Makeover", half-[[Punked]], with the car's owner tricked into thinking his/her car has been stolen, impounded, or towed and the show's hosts giving them the run-around while the mechanics do their thing. || While both had long runs (Pimp - 6 seasons, Overhaulin - 5), Pimp was far more popular, spawning several spin-offs and [[Memetic Mutation|memes]]<ref>Yo Dawg! We heard you like hottipes!</ref>.

| ''[[Grandmas House]]'' || ''[[Friday Night Dinner]]'' || Sitcoms about dysfunctional Jewish families meeting up regularly for a meal. || ''Grandma's House'' focuses on the generational clash and is written by and stars [[Never Mind the Buzzcocks|Simon Amstell]] [[Adam Westing]]. ''Friday Night Dinner'', written by Robert Popper of ''[[Look Around You]]'', focused more on simple [[Fawlty Towers Plot|Fawlty Towers Plots]], with a cast including Tamsin Greig and Mark Heap of ''[[Green Wing]]'' and Simon Bird of ''[[The Inbetweeners]]''. || ''Grandma's House'' came first and has recieved generally better reviews, although ''Friday Night Dinner'' has been fairly well recieved too. ''Friday Night Dinner'' was also the first of the two shows to be picked up for a [[Trans Atlantic Equivalent|US remake]].

| ''[[The IT Crowd (TV)|The IT Crowd]]'' || ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]'' || Socially awkward nerds befriend a woman who knows nothing about technology or geek culture. || ''The Big Bang Theory'' is a fairly straight American [[Sit Com]] with [[Soap Opera]] elements. ''The IT Crowd'' is a surreal British [[Work Com]] more along the lines of Graham Linehan's previous series ''[[Black Books]]''. || Each one is popular in its country of origin. Graham Linehan referenced the supposed feud when he claimed intelligence reports said Bin Laden watched the ''The IT Crowd''... only to reveal it was actually ''Big Bang Theory''.

| ''[[Lexx]]'' || ''[[Farscape (TV)|Farscape]]'' || Space opera shows about a gang of weirdos on the loose in a [[Living Ship]], with a bit more sex and moral ambiguity than usual for the genre. || ''Lexx'' generally stayed pure camp, with a tendency to amateurism that turned off many viewers, while ''Farscape'' achieved much more emotional depth. || Both lasted four seasons, ''Lexx'' ending with a relatively clear finale, while ''Farscape'' got cancelled on an extreme cliffhanger, finally resolved in a [[Grand Finale]] mini-series. Both continue to have loyal fanbases, although ''Lexx'' fans tend to be more defensive about it.

| ''[[Auction Hunters (TV)|Auction Hunters]]'' || ''[[Storage Wars]]'', ''Storage Hunters'' || Reality shows focused on auctioning off repossessed storage units. || The content of the shows are very similar, but the execution varies between them. ''Auction Hunters'' puts more emphasis on testing and appraising their finds, ''[[Storage Wars]]'' puts more focus on the four factions bidding and ''Storage Hunters'' keeps most of the show on the auction grounds unless something needs appraised || Ratings are good for both ''Auction Hunters'' and ''[[Storage Wars]]'' but ''[[Storage Wars]]'' has its own spinoff show ''[[Storage Wars Texas]]''. ''Storage Hunters'' wrapped up eight episodes last summer and is in dead last.

| ''[[Kitchen Nightmares]]'' || ''[[Restaurant Impossible (TV)|Restaurant Impossible]]'', ''Bar Rescue'' || Restaurant or bar renovation reality shows || All three shows have a similar premise and no-nonsense hosts. ''Nightmares'' has a week to get the restaurant going again, ''Impossible'' '''two days''' and a budget of $10,000 and ''Bar Rescue, five days. ''Rescue'' is also different because it focuses more on a business aspect than menu/makeover aspect.|| Unknown for now but ''[[Kitchen Nightmares]]'' has a HUGE head start.

| ''[[Game of Thrones (TV)|Game of Thrones]]'' || ''[[The Borgias]]'' || R-rated premium cable series heavy on medieval political intrigue || Neither series is an original work - ''[[Game of Thrones (TV)|Game of Thrones]]'' is based on [[George RR Martin]]'s ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' novels, while ''[[The Borgias]]'' is based on the historical family. || ''[[Game of Thrones (TV)|Game of Thrones]]'' has the better ratings by far, though both shows are critically acclaimed and have been renewed for a second season.

| ''[[Game of Thrones (TV)|Game of Thrones]]'' || ''[[Camelot (TV)|Camelot]]'' || R-rated premium cable series heavy on medieval political intrigue || Again, ''[[Game of Thrones (TV)|Game of Thrones]]'' is based on [[George RR Martin]]'s ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' novels, while ''[[Camelot (TV)|Camelot]]'' is based on the [[King Arthur|Arthruian legends]]. || Just like ''[[Merlin (TV)|Merlin]]'', ''[[Game of Thrones (TV)|Game of Thrones]]'' blew ''[[Camelot (TV)|Camelot]]'' out of the water.

| ''[[Glee]]'' || ''[[Community (TV)|Community]]'' || Feel-good comedy focusing on social misfits of a school banning together || With ''[[Glee]]'' every episode is the [[Musical Episode]]. ''[[Community (TV)|Community]]'' isn't easily confined to any one genre, doing full episode takes on action movies, [[Zombie Apocalypse]], and [[Spaghetti Western]]. || Too soon to call. ''[[Glee]]'' has received more rewards and has a consistently higher rating, but in the second season has been attacked for a lack of consistent writing and a failure of character development. ''[[Community (TV)|Community]]'' is often the darling of critics but a perennial underachiever in the ratings.

| ''[[Merlin (TV)|Merlin]]'' || ''[[Camelot (TV)|Camelot]]'' || A series based on the stories of [[King Arthur]] featuring an [[Estrogen Brigade Bait]] actor playing Merlin and a beautiful, [[Fake Brit|non-British]], [[Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette]] actress playing evil sorceress Morgan(a). || ''[[Merlin (TV)|Merlin]]'' is based around a cast of mostly young unknowns while the cast of ''Camelot'' is older and more famous (Colin Morgan vs [[Shakespeare in Love|Joseph Fiennes]] and [[Katie McGrath]] vs [[Casino Royale (Film)|EvaGreen]].) ''[[Merlin (TV)|Merlin]]'' is unashamedly [[High Fantasy]] aimed at family viewing while ''[[Camelot (TV)|Camelot]]'' is a [[Darker and Edgier]] [[Low Fantasy]].|| ''[[Merlin (TV)|Merlin]]'' is still filming new episodes while ''[[Camelot (TV)|Camelot]]'' was cancelled after ten episodes.

| ''[[Friday the 13th: The Series]]'' || ''[[Freddys Nightmares]]'' || [[Genre Anthology|Horror Anthology]] show vaguely related to a famous [[Slasher Film]] series || ''Friday The 13th'' had no real connections to the films other than the name while ''Freddy's Nightmares'' actually had Robert Englund reprising his role as Freddy Krueger, although his role was usually limited to serving as the host and narrator of each episode. ''Friday The 13th'' had a [[Myth Arc]] behind the stories and featured a regular cast while in ''Freddy's Nightmares'' the stories were mostly unrelated. || Both of them ended around the same time but ''Friday The 13th'' had lasted one more season, had more episodes and got more respect critically.

| ''[[Pawn Stars]]'' (History Channel) || ''Hardcore Pawn'' (TruTV) || ''[[Antiques Roadshow (TV)|Antiques Roadshow]]'' [[X Meets Y|meets]] ''[[American Chopper (TV)|American Chopper]]'' || ''Stars'' tends to focus more on the customers and items being sold. ''Hardcore'' focuses more on the ''[[American Chopper (TV)|American Chopper]]''-style conflicts.

| ''[[The X Factor]]'' || ''[[The Voice (TV)|The Voice]]'' || Musical talent shows with celebrity judges attempting to challenge ''[[American Idol]]''. || ''[[The X Factor]]'' was made by former ''Idol'' judge and record producer Simon Cowell, and is an adaptation of his British show of the same name (which was, in turn, the successor to ''Pop Idol'', the show that spun off ''AI'' in the first place). || So far, ''[[The Voice (TV)|The Voice]]'' is trouncing Cowell's show in both ratings and critical respect, and is standing toe to toe with ''Idol''.

| ''[[Dinosaur Revolution (TV)|Dinosaur Revolution]]'' || ''[[Planet Dinosaur]]'' || SFX-heavy dinosaur documentaries || Released in 2011 around the summer to autumn transition, the first is a story- and character-driven [[Screwed By the Network|animated series-turned-docu]] by the [[Discovery Channel]], the second a serious and science-heavy [[BBC]] show || Both received mixed reviews by the online paleo-community, but so far they seem to be tied, being enjoyed or disliked for different reasons.

| ''[[Good Luck Charlie]]'' || ''[[Raising Hope]]'' || Sitcoms involving the titular infant girl and her family. || ''Good Luck, Charlie'' is kid-friendly, on the [[Disney Channel]], and [[Every Episode Ending|every episode ends with Charlie's teenage sister Teddy recording a video for her]], while ''Raising Hope'' is rated TV-PG to TV-14, on [[FOX]], and is about a 23 year old named Jimmy who finds out that he had a daughter (the eponymous Hope) after a one night stand with a woman who is now in prison. || According to IMDB, ''Raising Hope'' has higher ratings than ''Good Luck, Charlie''. Though the latter series has also been pulling in great ratings for Disney as well plus have a [[Christmas Episode|Christmas-themed]] TV movie. At the current, its a tie.

| ''[[Pan Am (TV)|Pan Am]]'' || ''[[The Playboy Club]]'' || ''[[Mad Men (TV)|Mad Men]]''-[[Follow the Leader|inspired]], [[The Sixties|early '60s]] period dramas about a subset of workers in the era ([[Sexy Stewardess|Pan Am stewardesses]] and [[Playboy Bunny|Playboy bunnies]], respectively). || [[Mad Men (TV)|The inspiration for the two shows]] focuses on the historical changes of the era, as well as breaking viewers' [[Nostalgia Filter]] for [[The Sixties]] by highlighting the injustices (racism, sexism) that were still rampant then. Oh, and it has [[Gorgeous Period Dress]] and depicts its main characters living extravagant, flashy lifestyles. Now, can you guess what the two network copycat shows focused on? || Neither show held a candle to ''Mad Men'' in terms of critical acclaim, though ''Pan Am'' was the better received of the two and lasted a full season before getting the axe. The big loser was ''The Playboy Club'', which attracted a lot of heat from feminists before its premiere for [[Unfortunate Implications|glamorizing and whitewashing]] the Playboy clubs of the '60s, and which got cancelled after only three critically-ravaged episodes (attempts to get the show [[Channel Hop|picked up by Bravo]] failed).

| ''[[Grimm (TV)|Grimm]]'' || ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV)|Once Upon a Time]]'' || The basic premise of both is that the characters live in a world where [[Fairy Tales]] are real. || ''Grimm'' (airing on NBC) obviously focuses on fairy tales specific to [[The Brothers Grimm (Creator)|The Brothers Grimm]], with ''Once Upon A Time''(airing on ABC) covering the whole spectrum. ''Grimm'' also appears to be darker and more like ''[[Supernatural (TV)|Supernatural]]'', with the main character hunting the fairy tale creatures, while ''Once Upon A Time'', while still a drama, is probably much lighter, considering the broadcaster airing it (ABC) and the owners of the company (The Walt Disney Company). || Both shows get good ratings for their respective networks. While ''Grimm's'' ratings are significantly lower than ''Once Upon a Time's'', it airs on Friday and peforms pretty well by Friday standards. It also airs on NBC, which has much lower standards for ratings. ''Once Upon a Time'', meanwhile, is one of the top new dramas of the season. I guess ''Once Upon a Time'' would be the winner, since it does generally get more recognition than ''Grimm'' does, although both shows are fairly successful.

| ''[[The Walking Dead (TV)|The Walking Dead]]'' || ''[[American Horror Story]]'' || Prime-time adult [[Horror]] shows on basic cable. || ''Dead'' is about a [[Zombie Apocalypse]] and is jam-packed with [[Gorn|blood and guts]], while ''Horror Story'' is about a [[Haunted House]] and focuses more on the screwing (both [[Mind Screw|mental]] and [[Hotter and Sexier|physical]]). || Both shows have been record-setting smash hits for their respective networks ([[AMC]] and FX, respectively), though ''The Walking Dead'' seems to get more respect from critics.

| ''[[Cold Squad]]'' || ''[[Waking the Dead]]'' & ''[[Cold Case (TV)|Cold Case]]'' || [[Cop Show]] featuring a team of detectives reopening and cracking cases long forgotten. || Each show was produced by a different country. [[Cold Squad]] in Canada, [[Waking the Dead]] in U.K. and ''[[Cold Case (TV)|Cold Case]]'' in the U.S. || Technically a draw, as each series was fairly aclaimed and held the fort for years in their home countries.

| ''[[Malcolm in The Middle]]'' || ''[[Oliver Beene]]'' || [[Sit Com]] about a [[Dysfunctional Family]] that raises a boy who [[No Fourth Wall|frequently breaks the fourth wall]]. || Another example of dueling shows created by the same network. ''Oliver Beene'' had the same style of humor and direction, but set in a version of the 1960s that basically [[Anachronism Stew|came off as the 2000s in vintage clothing]]. || ''Oliver Beene'', a [[Midseason Replacement]], failed to last even the rest of the season, while ''Malcolm'' lasted seven.

| ''[[The Singing Bee]]'' || ''[[Don't Forget the Lyrics (TV)|Don't Forget the Lyrics]]'' || Karaoke [[Game Show]]. || In a double duel, [[NBC]] announced ''Singing Bee'' for fall 2007. [[FOX]] rushed the ripoff into production for summer 2007, which led NBC to announce an earlier start date before casting a host or taping an episode. The shows premiered on consecutive nights in July 2007. ''DFTL!'' has one contestant and an overall format [[Who Wants to Be Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?|echoing other big money game shows]], , whereas ''SB'' has multiple contestants in an elimination format, much like a spelling bee. ''Don't Forget the Lyrics!'' lasted three seasons on [[FOX]] before being canceled, while ''Singing Bee'' lasted only one season on [[NBC]]. The former went into syndication for a season, and the latter got [[Uncanceled]] for CMT. || ''Singing Bee'', which has outlasted both of ''Lyrics'' ' cancellations.

| ''Ferris Bueller'' || ''Parker Lewis Can't Lose'' || [[Sit Com]] about a [[High School Hustler]]. || Both aired in the very early 90s -- the former on [[NBC]], the latter on [[FOX]]. And they were both an attempt to make a viable show out of the movie ''[[Ferris Bueller's Day Off (Film)|Ferris Buellers Day Off]]''. || ''Parker Lewis'' was generally regarded as being of higher quality, and ultimately got three seasons. ''Ferris'' got one.

| ''[[Blood Ties (TV)|Blood Ties]]'' || ''[[Moonlight]]'' || Short-lived [[Vampire Detective Series]]. || The similarities are probably more due to the nature of the genre rather than direct copying. || Neither lasted more than a season. The lessons learned were applied to the later ''[[The Vampire Diaries|Vampire Diaries]]'' to much better success.

| [[Prime Time Entertainment Network]] || [[Action Pack]] || Big Studio-produced, part-anthologies/part-syndicated networks. trying to emulate the success of [[FOX]]'s launch || PTEN (a joint venture from [[Warner Brothers]] and [[UPN|United Television]]) boasted ''[[Babylon Five]]'' along with ''[[Time Trax]]'' and ''[[Kung Fu]] : The Legend Continues''. [[Universal]]'s Action Pack was led by the one-two punch of ''[[Hercules: The Legendary Journeys]] and ''[[Xena: Warrior Princess]]'' || PTEN lasted four seasons, with only B5 lasting more than two. Action Pack lasted longer (ten seasons) with a much fuller roster of shows.

| ''[[Wife Swap]]'' || ''Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy'' || Two polar opposite families trade spouses for several days. || [[ABC]] broadcasts ''Wife Swap'' and claims to have done it first, while [[FOX]] aired ''Trading Spouses'' a few weeks before ''[[Wife Swap]]'''s debut in what seems to be a blatant ripoff (though both appeared to rip off a ''[[Chappelles Show]]'' skit that aired one year earlier.) || ''Wife Swap''.

| ''[[Bewitched (TV)|Bewitched]]'' || ''[[I Dreamof Jeannie]]'' || [[Sit Com]] in which a guy tries to live an ordinary life despite having a long-term relationship with [[Magical Girlfriend|a blonde with magical powers]]. || ''[[Bewitched (TV)|Bewitched]]'' had Elizabeth Montgomery, Agnes Moorehead and [[The Other Darrin]]. ''[[I Dreamof Jeannie]]'' had JR Ewing and [[Ms. Fanservice|Barbara Eden in revealing clothing]]. Actually, if you like 1960s sitcoms, these are both pretty good. || Both won -- and so did viewers.

| ''[[American Bandstand]]'' || ''[[Soul Train (TV)|Soul Train]]'' || Teens dancing to the popular music of the day. The day's hottest musical acts appeared as well. || To put it bluntly: ''[[American Bandstand]]'' was for white kids, and ''Soul Train'' was for black kids. Or to be a bit less blunt -- ''Bandstand'' emphazised the music, ''Train'' highlighted the dancing. A difference that was highlighted by both shows' signature segments: ''Bandstand's'' song ratings ([[Memetic Mutation|"It's got a good beat and you can dance to it!"]]) and the Soul Train Line. || Both lasted the same amount of seasons, with ''Bandstand'' having a 13-season headstart and ''Tain'' lasting thirteen seasons after ''Bandstand'''s cancellation. ''Soul Train'' seems to be more fondly remembered, though both have their [[Never Live It Down]] factor: ''Bandstand'' for [[Acceptable Targets|its overwhelming whiteness]] and ''Train'' for its inescapable link to [[Disco Dan|'70s fashion, music and afros.]]

| ''[[Living Single (TV)|Living Single]]'' || ''[[Friends]]'' || A group of twenty-something friends/roommates living in New York City ||The most obvious difference was the main cast: ''Single's'' black, female-dominated cast vs. ''Friends'' ' white, gender-balanced cast. ''Living Single'' also tended less soap opera-ish and slightly more reality-based and avoided ''Friends''' mass-[[Flanderization]]. || ''Friends'' lasted ten seasons. ''Living Single'' lasted only five, though the rerun appeal of both programs remain high. ''Friends'' was a huge success internationally, while ''Living Single'' didn't really show up outside of the US. Also, ''Friends'' spawned a (not very successful) spin-off.

| ''[[Cashmere Mafia]]'' || ''[[Lipstick Jungle]]'' || A group of friends who are all successful businesswomen. || One of them had four women; one had only three. Both were written by former ''[[Sex and The City]]'' writers. || Both of them got screwed over by [[TV Strikes|the Writers' Guild strike]], airing just seven episodes each in their first seasons. Unfortunately, ''Lipstick Jungle'' was the only one that got renewed, a fact that became infinitely worse [[Narm|in the wake of a certain Volkswagen ad campaign.]]

| ''[[Lost (TV)|Lost]]'' (2004) || ''Flight 29 Down'' || Plane crashes on an island; characters must adapt. || ''Lost'' premiered a year earlier and became an overnight sensation. ''[[F 29 D]]'' is "Lost" for kids more or less, though the show was actually based on a book and the concept was pitched before Lost got on the air.|| ''[[F 29 D]]'' was cancelled after two seasons. ''Lost'' is considered the pioneer in [[Noughties Drama Series|21st century mainstream mystery-drama television]].

| ''[[Lost (TV)|Lost]]'' (2004) || ''[[Series/Surface|Surface]]'', ''[[Threshold]]'', ''[[Invasion]]'', ''[[Flash Forward]]'', ''[[The Event]]'', ''[[The River]]'', ''[[Terra Nova]]'', ''[[Alcatraz (TV)|Alcatraz]]'' || [[Noughties Drama Series|High-concept mystery show]] focusing on character development and long mythic arcs. || As seen by the list in the "Clone" column, ''[[Lost]]'' spawned a bevy of imitators trying to replicate its formula for success. || ''[[Lost (TV)|Lost]]'' outlasted them all. Every show in this entry not lucky enough to be called "''[[Lost]]''" was canceled after its first season due to low ratings, and every single one of them ended with a [[Left Hanging]] ending. ''[[Terra Nova]]'', ''Alcatraz'', and ''[[The River]]'' premiered after ''[[Lost]]'' had already gone off the air, however, but they still followed the ''Lost'' formula, and met the same fate as the other ''Lost'' clones.

| ''Extreme Makeover'' || ''The Swan'' || Plastic surgery makeover shows. || Fox's copycat went the Fox Extra Tastelessness Step by putting the women through the hell of plastic surgery and then sent half of them home at the end of the episode while bringing the other half on to a beauty pageant. || Both had [[Family-Unfriendly Aesop|Family Unfriendly Aesops]] and were ultimately canceled. The former has a [[More Popular Spinoff]] in the form of ''[[Extreme Makeover Home Edition]]'', while the latter is a perennial inclusion on "Worst Reality Shows of All Time" lists.

|{{center|''[[House (TV)|House]]''}} || ''[[Lie to Me (TV)|Lie to Me]]'' || [[FOX]] dramas featuring eccentric, wisecracking, and disillusioned doctor/detectives based on real people and played by eminent British actors. || Tim Roth [[Not Even Bothering With the Accent|doesn't attempt an American accent]] and ''[[Lie to Me (TV)|Lie to Me]]'' focuses more on the detective aspect. || ''[[House (TV)|House]]'' has way more awards and higher ratings, while ''[[Lie to Me (TV)|Lie to Me]]'' was canceled after 3 seasons and did not have nearly the critical acclaim.

| ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' || ''[[Charmed (TV)|Charmed]]'' || Young people battle the forces of evil in California. Both were hits for [[The WB]] network. Hot female witches were involved. || The characters on ''Buffy'' were high school and, later, college kids, while on ''Charmed'', the Halliwell sisters were all adults. || ''Buffy'' ran for seven seasons, had [[Angel (TV)|a successful spinoff]] that ran for five, and is today revered as one of the greatest shows of [[The Nineties]]. ''Charmed'' ran for eight seasons, but is typically viewed as more kitschy, often associated with [[Real Life Writes the Plot|the behind-the-scenes struggles]] between [[The Prima Donna|Shannen Doherty]] and the rest of the cast. Still though, ''Charmed'' always garnered better ratings than Buffy and even today, in syndication, the show still gets pretty consistent ratings on [[Network/TNT|TNT]] so much that an episode's been aired at least twice nearly every weekday for the past seven years or so.

| ''[[Virtuality]]'' || ''[[Defying Gravity]]'' || ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' [[In Space|With Girls!]] || ''Virtuality'' is from the writer of ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]'' while ''[[Defying Gravity]]'' was written by a writer from ''[[Greys Anatomy]]''. Both feature space crews of pretty people in a ship for a long duration of time, to unravel FTL-travel and explore every planet in the solar system, respectively. ''Virtuality'' has to deal with a possibly [[AI Is a Crapshoot|unreliable AI]] and possibly a hacker; it's implied that ''Defying Gravity'''s mission was at the behest of unknown forces. || ''[[Defying Gravity]]'' wins by a nose. Although it was canceled after its first season, it still made it farther than ''[[Virtuality]]'', which was nothing more than a failed pilot turned into a TV movie.

| ''[[Leverage (TV)|Leverage]]'' || ''[[White Collar]]'' || Skilled and rather flamboyant thief/thieves are recruited by the good guys to create some [[Asshole Victim|Asshole Victims]]. ||The difference is with their employers - ''Leverage'''s Nate is initially out for revenge and then takes up the charge to fight evil himself while ''White Collar''s conman is employed by the government.

| ''[[Supernatural (TV)|Supernatural]]'' || ''Night Stalker'' || A pair of humans investigate paranormal and demonic activity while looking for clues about a particular demon. || ''Night Stalker'', a remake of ''[[Kolchak the Night Stalker]]'', starred [[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen|Dorian Gray]] and was canceled after one season. || ''Supernatural'' is still around and torturing its two leads for our viewing pleasure.

| ''[[Supernatural (TV)|Supernatural]]'' || ''[[Reaper (TV)|Reaper]]'' || Supernatural dramas focusing on hunting monsters from hell. || Both aired on [[The CW]] at the same time, with ''Reaper'' premiering during ''Supernatural's'' third season. ''Reaper'' replied on comedic elements more heavily than ''Supernatural'', which was much [[Darker and Edgier|darker and gritty]], and focused more on drama. || While both have strong, cult followings, ''Reaper'' lasted only two seasons, while ''Supernatural'' is currently entering it's eighth.

| ''[[Robot Wars (TV)|Robot Wars]]'' || ''[[Battlebots]]'' || Demoliton Derby with tricked-out, remote controlled robots. || [[Battlebots]] actually was created to compete with the British version of the original Robot Wars. ''[[Robot Wars (TV)|Robot Wars]]'' was strictly about the robot-on-robot violence. [[Battlebots]] tried to emphasize the human element - with more time given to competitor backstory and announcer wackiness. || ''[[Battlebots]]'' debuted near the end of ''[[Robot Wars (TV)|Robot Wars]]' '' run, so they went out at about the same time. ''[[Robot Wars (TV)|Robot Wars]]'' is much more fondly remembered. '''Bots'' is remembered mostly for [[Myth Busters|Jaime Hyneman, Adam Savage and Grant Imahara]] being competitors.

| ''[[The First 48]]'' || ''The Squad'' || [[True Crime]] shows [[X Meets Y|merging]] ''[[Cops]]'' and ''[[Homicide Life On the Street]]'' || ''[[The First 48]]'' covers two cases from different cities like Miami, Dallas, and Memphis. ''The Squad'' follows the Indianapolis PD's Homicide squad exclusively, going more in depth with the cases.

| ''[[Family Matters]]'' || ''[[The Fresh Prince of Bel Air]]'' || Family [[Sit Com|Sitcoms]] staring black families.||Both shows debuted a year apart from each other. Both have the fathers working in law and had heart attacks, annoying [[Drop in Character|drop in characters]], [[Hollywood Nerd|Hollywood nerds]], the mothers' original actors quitting and [[The Other Darrin|being replaced]], babies who developed [[Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome]] and characters that are not in the intermediate family became the most memorable.|| Both are fondly remembered and were very successful, although thanks to stronger characterization ''Fresh Prince'' got more respect critically.

| ''[[Victorious]]'' || ''[[How to Rock (TV)|How to Rock]]'' ||Two Kid Coms, one about a girl at a performing arts school, the other about an [[Alpha Bitch]] who [[Fallen Princess|loses her popularity]] and joins a pop-rock group at her school. || Like the above, both shows usually involve wacky situations. As mentioned, Victorious often involves singing, plays, and other various skits, while How To Rock mostly features music and devotes the non-musical scenes to exploring the [[True Companions]] relationship between the members of Gravity 5 and Kacey's struggling not to fall back into her old ways. ||Victorious has experience on it's side, but some fans feel that the show is starting to slip. How To Rock is relatively new, but has consistently pulled in strong ratings. Which show will come out ahead remains to be seen.

| ''[[The O Reilly Factor|The O'Reilly Factor]]'' || ''[[Countdown With Keith Olbermann]]'' || Hour-long opinion shows featuring hosts with wildly-inflated egos. || Olbermann is the liberal, O'Reilly is the conservative. || Unsurprisingly split among party lines: More conservatives watch O'Reilly's show, while liberals tended to go for Olbermann. In terms of viewership, O'Reilly consistently won, while Olbermann got more Internet buzz. ''Countdown'' was cancelled on MSNBC in 2011 and quickly picked up by Current TV. It enjoyed great success, despite being on an independent and hard-to-find cable network, but in 2012 Olbermann was fired from Current and is [[Incredibly Lame Pun|currently]] off the air. So technically O'Reilly won, but Olbermann's protégés at the two networks ([[The Rachel Maddow Show|Rachel Maddow]], Lawrence O'Donnell, and [[The Young Turks|Cenk Uygur]]) are doing well enough on their own to be considered legacy victories.

| ''[[I Carly]]'' || ''[[Sonny With a Chance]]'' || [[Kid Com]] including a [[Show Within a Show]] || [[Ms. Fanservice|Carly]], [[Dogged Nice Guy|Freddie Benson]] and [[Jerk Sue|Sam]] run their own webshow, and deal with growing up. [[Hilarity Ensues]]. [[Fish Out of Water|Sonny Monroe]] joins the cast of a sketch comedy show, and tries to deny falling in love with [[Awesome McCoolname|Chad Dylan Cooper]]. [[Hilarity Ensues]] || Rumours persist that [[Sonny With a Chance]] was ripped off a pitch for what eventually became ''[[I Carly]]''. Whilst Disney's [[Sonny With a Chance]] isn't bad, Nick's iCarly wins ratings wise, and attracts a huge following outside the usual demo's due to constantly [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]], and has a huge Internet following. The latter, however, due to [[Demi Lovato|the lead's departure]], ended up having its [[Show Within a Show]] to be [[So Random (TV)|defictionalized.]]

| Mike Nelson's ''[[Riff Trax (Podcast)|Riff Trax]]'' || Joel Hodgson's ''[[Cinematic Titanic (Web Video)|Cinematic Titanic]]'' || ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000 (TV)|Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' alumni do their best to Hollywood's worst || ''[[Riff Trax (Podcast)|Riff Trax]]'' started the post-[[MST3K|MSTie]] [[Alternate DVD Commentary|film commentary]] revival by making audio-only downloads that take aim at more mainstream films than MST3K had access to. Soon after, Mike's predecessor started his own similar project, but as DVDs that stick more closely to the original formula: more obscure (and license-able) B-movies, silhouettes in front of the films, and sketches. || ''[[Riff Trax (Podcast)|Riff Trax]]'' has a larger catalog (due to its head start and faster production process) and more mainstream appeal, while ''[[Cinematic Titanic (Web Video)|Cinematic Titanic]]'' seems aimed at old-school fans. Many say that there's room for both to be winners.

| ''[[Modern Family]]'' || ''[[Parenthood (TV)|Parenthood]]'' ||Comedy series about the different kinds of families in the 21st century (straight, gay, step, single-parent, interracial, young, experienced), all found under one extended family headed by classic TV patriarchs [[Married With Children|Al Bundy]] and ''Coach'' ([[The Incredibles|Mr. Incredible]] or [[Blades of Glory (Film)|an redemption-seeking ice-skating coach]] to you young'uns), respectively. ||''Parenthood'' had the undignified burden of being the first 10pm show to try to fix the damage [[Jay Leno]] wrought on the NBC schedule, but has the credentials of Ron Howard producing and a who's who of the best actors and actresses of the last three decades; ''Modern Family'' has Ed O'Neill returning in front of the camera (ironically, playing a role originally intended for Craig T. Nelson who now stars in ''Parenthood'', ''[[Frasier]]'' alumni Scott Levitt and Christopher Lloyd (no, not [[Christopher Lloyd|that one, actually]]) behind it, rave reviews so far and having two if its stars in the ''Maxim 100'' (including Sofia Vergara being on it for three years straight). || Too soon to tell, but ''Modern Family'' is the clear ratings winner for the time being.

| ''[[Big Time Rush (TV)|Big Time Rush]]'' || ''[[I'm in The Band|I'm In the Band]]'' || Shows about young men who rather arbitrarily end up in the music industry in bands. Tween [[Sit Coms]] premiering at around the same time. || One has FOUR young adults for the male audience to look up to and the tween (and teen) girls to swoon over (hence the [[Boy Band]]), while the other only has one (and he's [[Putting the Band Back Together]]). One show has more music production ([[Big Time Rush (TV)|Big Time Rush]]) || Big Time Rush; they've made small dents on Billboard and iTunes while I'm In The Band has yet to make an impact. And at least Big Time Rush doesn't use the [[Laugh Track|laugh track]].

| ''[[Tosh 0 (TV)|Tosh 0]]'' || ''[[Web Soup]]'' || ''[[The Soup]]''-[[Follow the Leader|inspired]] snarky weekly rundowns of viral videos. || [[Comedy Central]]'s ''Tosh'' sticks mostly to [[YouTube]] stuff and viewer submissions and its signature "Web Redemption" segment. G4's ''[[Web Soup]]'' is more ''[[Attack of the Show (TV)|Attack of the Show]]'''s "Epic Fail" segments [[X Meets Y|meets]] ''[[The Soup]]'', using AOTS-style graphics. || It really depends on your style of comedy, with ''Tosh'' being more straightforward, while ''[[Web Soup]]'' delves into sketch comedy and absurdist comedy. It also has the all-important Blessing of McHale, along with Chris Hardwick, who has been on TV for years and has built a good Internet following.

| ''[[Two Broke Girls|2 Broke Girls]]'' (CBS) || ''[[Don't Trust the B In Apartment 23|Don't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23]]'' (ABC) || [[Hair of Gold|Likeable naive blond girl]], suddenly faced with adverse economic circumstances, becomes roommate with cynical dark-haired opposite. || ''2 Broke Girls'' has a [[Laugh Track]] and the two [[Work Com|work at the same diner]] in Brooklyn, trying to raise money to start a cupcake business; ''Don't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23'' is set in Manhattan, with [[Dawsons Creek|James Van Der Beek]] [[Adam Westing|playing a camp version of himself]] as a supporting character. || Too soon to tell. Both shows have been renewed for a second season.

| ''[[American Country Countdown (Radio)|American Country Countdown]]'' || ''[[Bob Kingsleys Country Top 40 (Radio)|Bob Kingsleys Country Top 40]]'' || Radio countdown program of the week's top country music hits. || ''ACC'' was created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany and Tom Rounds in 1973 as a country music spinoff of ''[[American Top 40]]''. Hosted today by Kix Brooks (half of country music's mega-duo [[Brooks and Dunn]]), the show was hosted for years by Los Angeles radio personality Bob Kingsley (who began as the show's producer during original host Don Bowman's run). When ABC Networks decided to take the show in a different direction and Kingsley balked, he was given his walking papers. Kingsley quickly took his vision of the format – which had worked for 27 years – and took it to Jones Radio Network to begin the ''Country Top 40''. || Still a tie, as both programs continue running strong. ACC has a slight advantage with Brooks' weekly column in ''Country Weekly'' and an online television show; plus, ACC is one of radio's longest-running, uninterrupted-run programs, having run every week non-stop since October 6, 1973 (more than 38 years). Kingsley is well known for his professionalism and honest presentation of the week's top 40 hits, a tried and true formula that has worked for going on 34 years (dating to his ACC days).

| ''[[American Country Countdown (Radio)|American Country Countdown]]'' and ''Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40'' || Other radio countdown programs – including ''CMT's Country Countdown USA'', ''The Crook & Chase Countdown'' and ''The Weekly Country Music Countdown'' || Radio countdown program of the week's top country music hits. || See above for ''ACC'' and ''Country Top 40''. ''Country Countdown USA'', hosted by journalist Lon Helton, debuted in April 1992. Each program co-hosted by a current country music artist, who provides insight into the songs and artists. ''Crook & Chase'' – hosted by longtime country music television personalities Charlie Crook and Lorianne Chase – is a fixture in medium to small markets, and premiered three months before ''Country Countdown USA''. Along with their homespun humor, this program includes interviews and other songs. ''The Weekly Country Music Countdown'' debuted in 1981 and was the first major rival to ''ACC''. Hosted by Chris Charles, this program presented the top 30 songs of the week as ranked by ''Radio & Records'' magazine; in addition to an artist profile (two of a current artist's older hits per hour), features included interviews with other artists, the "calendar" (with birthdates and important milestones in country music) and for a time, the "Dusty Diskfile" (the top 5 songs from that week in a past year). || Depends on the market. ''ACC'', ''Country Top 40'' and ''Country Countdown USA'' are the top runners, in a virtual tie. ''Crook & Chase'' is a stalwart but has held its own, and is popular mainly in medium and smaller markets. RIP to honorable mention ''Chris Charles' Weekly Country Music Countdown'', which held its own for nearly 20 years but ultimately ran short of affiliates by the early 2000s.

| ''[[The Simpsons]]'' || ''[[Family Guy]]'' || Cartoon about a [[Dysfunctional Family]] with a stupid and obnoxious father, a patient and loving wife, two kids and a baby. || [[Dueling Shows]] made by [[FOX|the same network]]. || ''[[The Simpsons]]'' came first, has [[Long Runners|lasted longer]], and is overall the most successful, while ''[[Family Guy]]'' now typically gets higher ratings than ''[[The Simpsons]]'' (although this can vary from week to week). Parodied on this [http://images.paraorkut.com/img/funnypics/images/f/family_guy_simpsons-12654.jpg Mad Magazine cover].

| ''[[South Park]]'' || ''[[The Three Friends and Jerry (Animation)|The Three Friends and Jerry]]'' || Animated comedies centering around 4 boys and rife with [[Comedic Sociopathy]]. || ''South Park'' was aimed at the 18-34 crowd on [[Comedy Central]], while ''The Three Friends and Jerry'' was a kids' show on ABC Family (then known as Fox Family). Trey Parker, the co-creator of ''South Park'', happens to lend his voice to both shows, oddly enough.|| ''South Park'' lasted much, [[Long Runners|MUCH longer]] than ''The Three Friends and Jerry'', which was forgotten as soon as it came.

| ''[[WITCH (Animation)|WITCH]]'' || ''[[Winx Club]]'' || [[Animesque]] [[Sentai]] show with [[Magical Girl|Magical Girls]]. || Somewhat similar shows that both originated in Italy, except ''[[WITCH (Animation)|WITCH]]'' has a bigger budget and scripts with less [[Filler|fluff]]. Many of the similarities were introduced through the adaptations. || In America, the Winx had broadcast TV coverage from day 1 while the Guardians started on cable, so the Winx ended up clobbering them [[Ratings]]-wise and have now outlasted their dueling counterparts. On the other hands, the popularity of ''[[WITCH (Animation)|WITCH]]'' as a comic book series completely eclipses that of ''[[Winx Club]]'' as a cartoon series.

| ''[[Drawn Together]]'' || ''[[Total Drama Island (Animation)|Total Drama Island]]'' || [[Animated Series|Animated]] [[Reality Show]] parodies. || ''[[Drawn Together]]'' is modelled after ''[[The Real World]]'', and the reality premise takes a secondary role to the characters and jokes. ''[[Total Drama Island (Animation)|Total Drama Island]]'' is modelled after competition shows like ''[[Survivor]]'', and the reality aspect is crucial to the series. Also, while ''Total Drama Island'' is for younger viewers, ''[[Drawn Together]]'' most assuredly is NOT. || ''Drawn Together'' had three seasons and a movie; ''Total Drama Island'' has three seasons and a planned fourth. However, the fanbase for ''Total Drama Island'' outweighs its competition, especially since it is still ongoing.

| ''[[Saber Rider and The Star Sheriffs (Anime)|Saber Rider and The Star Sheriffs]]'' || ''[[Bravestarr (Animation)|Bravestarr]]'' and ''[[Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers (Animation)|Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers]]'' || [[Space Western]] [[Animated Series]] with [[Mechanical Horse|Mechanical Horses]]. || ''Saber Rider'' was the first of these shows; its original Japanese version, ''[[Sei Juushi Bismarck (Anime)|Sei Juushi Bismarck]]'', aired in 1984. In America, ''[[Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers (Animation)|Galaxy Rangers]]'' came first in 1986, with the other two shows following in 1987. ''[[Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers (Animation)|Galaxy Rangers]]'' was [[Darker and Edgier]] than its competitors and seems to have the biggest fan following today, although none of the series did very well in America. || ''Bravestarr'' is the best known of the three outside of the animation fandom, but ''Rangers'' is the most popular within that fandom.

| ''[[Xiaolin Showdown (Animation)|Xiaolin Showdown]]'' || ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender (Animation)|Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' || [[Animesque]] martial arts shows influenced by Chinese mythology and the classical elements. || ''Avatar'' was more mythological and story driven with well-developed characters, while ''Xiaolin Showdown'' was more merchandise driven. || Although both shows were quite good and lasted for the same amount of seasons, ''Avatar'' is the clear winner, with a larger fanbase, more episodes, better writing, a [[The Last Airbender (Film)|live action movie]], and a [[Sequel Series]] in ''[[The Legend of Korra (Animation)|The Legend of Korra]]''.

| ''[[The Super Hero Squad Show]]'' || ''[[Batman the Brave And The Bold (Animation)|Batman the Brave And The Bold]]'' || Silver Age esque kiddy-shows with a focus on lighthearted fun. || ''Brave and the Bold'' is still quite close to the comics in characterisation, except much more far-out in its storylines, whereas ''Superhero Squad Show'' is extremely OTT and whacky in everything that happens. Also, BTBATB focuses almost exclusively on [[A Day in The Limelight]], prioritizing characters like Clock King and Green Arrow over The Joker and Robin. || Both shows are quite popular, but so far ''Brave and the Bold'' is slightly more popular. ''Superhero Squad Show'' will likely make more money thanks to being [[Merchandise-Driven]], however.

| ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 (Animation)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987]]'' || ''[[Street Sharks]]'' || A group of mutated antropomorphic animal brothers fight against a power-hungry madman and his two incompetent lackeys. || There were many, '''MANY''' TMNT [[Follow the Leader|imitators]] but ''[[Street Sharks]]'' is the most prominent. || ''Ninja Turtles'', no doubt. ''Street Sharks'' was actually decently popular during its time but it never got any continuation and is pretty much a [[Anyone Remember Pogs|joke]] today.

| ''[[Spongebob SquarePants]]'' || ''[[Coconut Freds Fruit Salad Island]]'' || An eternally cheerful super-optimist in a nautical-themed world of anthropomorphic sea creatures/fruit annoys his fussbudget neighbor while having wacky adventures with his dim-witted best friend. || ''Fred'' premiered on Kids' WB at the height of SpongeBob's popularity, and the main characters of both shows act and sound extremly similar. The main difference was that Fred was a talking coconut who lived on an island with other talking fruit. || SpongeBob by a light year; it is one of the most successful cartoons of all time, [[Cash Cow Franchise|the cornerstone]] of [[Nickelodeon]]'s empire and has lasted for more than ten years. ''Coconut Fred'' was hated by critics and canceled after half a season.

| ''[[What a Cartoon Show]]'' || ''[[Oh Yeah Cartoons]]'' || [[Animated Anthology|Animated Anthologies]] ||[[Cartoon Network]]'s ''WACS'' and [[Nickelodeon]]'s ''Oh Yeah'' both featured stand-alone shorts and recurring series. Several cartoons from both shows spun-off into full series (Including ''[[My Life As a Teenage Robot (Animation)|My Life As a Teenage Robot]]'', ''[[Dexters Laboratory (Animation)|Dexters Laboratory]]'', [[The Powerpuff Girls]], and [[The Fairly Odd Parents]]). They even shared one cartoon series: ''[[Mina and The Count]]'', which debuted on ''WACS'' and moved to ''Oh Yeah''. Both were developed by the same man, Fred Seibert.|| Both series are equally well-remembered. Which one is the "winner" depends on which of the various spinoffs you preferred.

| ''[[Ka Blam]]!'' || ''Oh Yeah! Cartoons'' || Nickelodeon animated sketch comedies that presented about four shorts an episode. ||Both aired on Nick in the 1990s|| Tie, both had little tie-in merchandise and ran for four years ([[Ka Blam]]!: 1996-2000, Oh Yeah! Cartoons: 1998-2002), however ''[[Ka Blam]]!'' is more remembered across the internet.

| ''[[Spongebob SquarePants]]'' || ''[[Fish Hooks]]'' || Cartoon about underwater creatures living human lives. || ''SpongeBob'' is set in an ocean and stars a sponge working in a fast-food restaurant, while ''Fish Hooks'' is set in a pet store/TV repair shop and stars a group of fish [[Stealth Pun|going to high school]]. [[Fish Hooks]] is also much more realistic in plot, fish locomtion, food, and scale, while [[SpongeBob]] is quite surreal. || [[SpongeBob]], obviously. It is one of the most successful, well-known, and well-recieved cartoons of all time, and pretty much is to Nickelodeon as Mickey Mouse is to Disney. Fish Hooks, on the other hand, is relatively obscure, hated by many, and not as successful.

| ''[[Archies Weird Mysteries]]'' || ''[[Martin Mystery]]'' || About a gang dealing with supernatural activities in their normal lives. || Both of these works are [[Lighter and Softer]], and by the way, they are based on comics. || While Archies only have two seasons, Martin has three seasons, making it the winner.

| ''[[Batman Beyond]]'' ([[Kids WB]]) || ''[[Spider Man Unlimited]]'' (FOX Kids) || [[Merchandise-Driven]] [[Spin-Off|Spinoffs]] of [[Batman the Animated Series]] and [[Spider Man the Animated Series]] respectively, released in 1999. Both shows centered on familiar heroes with new [[Powered Armor]] costumes with [[Invisibility Cloak]] powers, in a [[Dystopia]]. || [[Batman Beyond]] was set in a [[Bad Future]] [[Dystopia]], centered upon a teenager trained by Bruce Wayne in the [[Batman]] role and somehow developed into a [[Darker and Edgier]] show than its predecessor, particularly in [[The Movie]] that was based on it. [[Spider Man Unlimited]] - which was originally planned to be a [[Animated Adaptation]] of [[Marvel 2099|Spider Man 2099]] - eventually came to be about Peter Parker in an [[Alternate Timeline]] [[Dystopia]], where [[Beast Man|Beast Men]] ruled the Earth. || [[Batman Beyond]], which lasted for three seasons and inspired [[The Movie|a full-length animated film]]. [[Spider Man Unlimited]] was canceled after one season.

| ''[[Captain Planet and The Planeteers]]'' || ''[[Widget the World Watcher]]'' || Saving the environment through use of superpowers. || || ''Captain Planet'' is generally more remembered than ''Widget'', although their critical reception was quite similar for both of the shows.

| ''[[Denver the Last Dinosaur]]'' || ''Dink the Little Dinosaur'' || Animated series about dinosaurs having adventures and a [[Green Aesop]] or two. || Denver had a one-year head start, aired in syndication and was set in modern-day while Dink came a year later (inspired partly by ''[[The Land Before Time]]'', released inbetween the two shows), was aired by CBS and took place in the Stone Age. || Both shows ran two seasons but ''Denver the Last Dinosaur'' is more fondly remembered and had more episodes (50 vs. 21) than ''Dink''.

| ''[[Action Man]]'' (2000 CGI reboot) || ''[[Max Steel]]'' || [[Merchandise-Driven]] CGI cartoons about young extreme sports athletes who gain super powers and fight international criminals with the help of a shadowy organization and a quirky group of friends. || While Max was a high schooler who gained more traditional "brick" powers through unstable nanotechnology, Alex Mann was an adult celebrity whose powers were more akin to [[Awesome By Analysis]] taken to [[Up to Eleven|ridiculous levels]]. Also, ''[[Max Steel]]'' was animated more realistically while ''[[Action Man]]'' looked stylistically similar to ''[[Beast Machines (Animation)|Beast Machines]]''. || Arguable: While ''[[Max Steel]]'' lasted longer, even getting animated by ''[[Action Man]]'' producers [[Mainframe Entertainment]] once the latter show was cancelled AND getting 3 additional TV movies to boot, ''[[Action Man]]'' is tied to a long-running toy franchise (even if only as it's [[Canon Dis Continuity|red-headed stepchild]]), and, ultimately, BOTH shows have been largely forgotten.