Welcome to CNET Top 5, where each time we meet we count down another hot
CNET list. I'm Tom Merritt.
Next to a talking animal, the robot is man's favorite TV sidekick.
But in the annals of TV robots (And we're counting androids here, too), only a few
outshine the shiny metal of all the others. Adversary or friend, these TV robots must
receive their due.
Let's count down the Top 5 best TV robots.
At No. 5, Rosie the Robot. She was the Jetsons' housekeeper model XB-500. Rosie
was based loosely on the main character of the sitcom "Hazel," and named after
Rosie the Riveter. Her boyfriend was named Mac. Not PC.
Coming in at No. 4, Robot from "Lost in Space." Do it with me everyone. Wave your
arms and shout "Danger Will Robinson." Really, he makes the list just for that iconic
call alone. But what was his full name model and class? Stay with us.
Up to No. 3, The cylon. Whether it's the old centurion, the reimagined scarier
centurion, the raider, or the sultry Caprica 6...OK, it's mostly 6. But don't forget the
cylons mission was to eliminate humanity. I guess that's why they're not No. 1.
Sliding in at No. 2. Bender Bending Rodr�guez and designated Bending Unit 22. He's
your typical alcohol-powered, woman-chasing, gambler robot. The kind you meet
every day. And if you don't like him, you can bite his shiny metal ass.
Before we get to No. 1, it's time for a little trivia. We mentioned Robot from "Lost in
Space" earlier. What was his full model number, class, and robot type? Be one of the
first 10 people to correctly answer at our blog, blog.cnettv.com and you could be the
proud owner of...not only this old school CNET tote bag, but also a copy of Mass
Effect for Xbox 360...which includes robots.
All right. Let's get to our No. 1. The coolest, best robot based on your opinions on
Twitter as well as our board of impartial judges is...
At No. 1, it's...Data
This was overwhelming. He received a full 35 percent more votes on Twitter and
Facebook than any other robot...or android. I could say Data expressed what it is to
be human better than any actual human character ever has. I could say his naivete
and thirst for knowledge inspired us all to remain curious and hungry for learning.
Or I could just say...he was fully functional.
Thanks to everyone on Twitter and Facebook who posted their suggestions for the
list. We had more than 60 robots suggested. Many of them were movie robots. Not
everybody's good at following directions. I will post the full list at our blog,
blog.cnettv.com where you can answer the trivia question and maybe win the tote
bag and Mass Effect game. And what the hey, I'll also throw in this shiny penny. Hey,
the economy's rough.
That's it for this edition of CNET Top 5.
I'm Tom Merritt. See you next time.
