Throwback to the boob tube’s golden era! Nothing was better than spending your Friday and Saturdays with TGIF and SNICK — and ‘90s television never seemed to disappoint. Whether it was solving crimes with Ghostwriter or being spooked by tales told by The Midnight Society, TV was truly epic back in the day — which has Us feeling nostalgic.
Scroll through to relive the shows you loved growing up, but may have forgot about since.
Credit: Rebel Entertainment/Everett Collection
Throwback to the boob tube’s golden era! Nothing was better than spending your Friday and Saturdays with TGIF and SNICK — and ‘90s television never seemed to disappoint. Whether it was solving crimes with Ghostwriter or being spooked by tales told by The Midnight Society, TV was truly epic back in the day — which has Us feeling nostalgic. Scroll through to relive the shows you loved growing up, but may have forgot about since.
Credit: PBS/Everett Collection
This mystery series featured a bunch of teenagers who solved crimes with the help of an invisible — but highly intelligent — ghost. The show, set in Brooklyn and shown on PBS, ran for three years until 1995. In case you always wondered who Ghostwriter was, Kermit Frazier — who wrote and produced the show — later revealed to The Local that it was the spirit belonging to a runaway slave. If you’re in the mood to binge the series, you’re in luck: season 1 is available on DVD.
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Is the theme song stuck in your head now? Us too! This Nickelodeon show — which began in 1989 but was really a ‘90s staple — revolved around a bunch of pals working at a ranch during the summer. But just because they were on the clock, didn’t mean they weren’t living their best lives making memories! Fans will remember dreamy Ted, played by David Lascher, and the gorgeous Melody, played by Christine Taylor — who later found success with Zoolander and The Brady Bunch Movie. If you feel like catching up with your favorite childhood western, the complete series is available on Amazon and iTunes.
Credit: Nickelodeon/Everett Collection
This show, taped between 1991 and 1993 but shown on Nickelodeon until 1995, was the network’s answer to Saved by the Bell. The show followed a group of Hawthorne High freshman, their principal Mr. Lippman and the school staff, who went by tongue-in-cheek names like Mrs. Eyesore and Mr. McBroom. Although the main characters were your typical lineup (the good-looking schemer, naive jock, attractive popular girl, the funny friend), Welcome Freshman’s comedic skits and the cast’s dry wit was way ahead of its years.
Credit: Nickelodeon/Everett Collection
Nickelodeon’s long-forgotten teenage soap opera revolved around the lives of angsty Hillside High School students, portrayed by a talented cast including up and coming actor Ryan Reynolds. The show, which aired from 1991 to 1993, remains a true throwback treasure, filmed on videotape and introduced by a theme song that sounded like it was plucked from an early video game.
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Were you an Elizabeth or Jessica? Fans of the beloved Wakefield twins from Sweet Valley, California, eagerly gathered after school to watch Brittany Daniel and Cynthia Daniel portray their favorite characters based on Francine Pascal’s book series. The show premiered on Fox before moving to UPN and ran from 1994 to 1997. In June 2015, Brittany — who hinted at the time that there were talks for a SVH reboot — told Us, “I remember when my sister and I found out we booked Sweet Valley High. ... that was a highlight of my life.”
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Most kids growing up in the ‘90s wanted to be a part of The Midnight Society — unless they were, in fact, afraid of the dark. Nickelodeon’s thriller series, which began in 1990 and ran for a decade, featured a group of friends sitting around the campfire, telling frightening tales that took on lives of their own. Nightmares wasn’t all it gave viewers — it also introduced Us to Ryan Gosling, Neve Campbell and Joanna Garcia Swisher.
Credit: Nickelodeon/Everett Collection
Who didn’t want to crash Camp Anawanna? Those stuck at home during humdrum summers can thank Nickelodeon for providing kids the opportunity to get a sense of the shenanigans that occurred at sleepaway camp with bunk mates like Donkey Lips and co. — without the fear of your underwear being flown from the top of the flagpole.
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“I’m the baby, gotta love me!” This kid’s show may have escaped your mind as an adult, but it certainly left an impression on Us as kids: You were either perplexed by the convincing animatronics or amused by the always entertaining characters. The Sinclair clan — dad Earl, mom Fran, son Robbie, daughter Charlene and baby Baby — were a typical family of five, who just so happened to be dinosaurs with the luxury of modern-day surroundings. The show aired on Fox and had a short run: fans only got to live vicariously through the fab five in the pre-historic era from 1991 to 1994.
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ABC’s TGIF lineup produced so many iconic staples — and this show about a blended family is no different. The sitcom was Brady Bunch-esque in the sense it featured two families coming together after the respective heads of the family (played by Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers) fell in love and married, but the teenagers (including Christine Lakin, who played pretty tomboy Al) had more realistic personalities — and issues.
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This NBC show, created by the writers of Saved by the Bell, followed the California Dreams, a band consisting of siblings Matt and Jenny Garrison, their pals Tiffani and Tony and their well-to-do teenage manager Sly. Although the first season showed promise during their initial run on Saturday mornings, producers shook up the cast in the second season — and the show ended in 1996 after four years on the air.
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If you were born in the ‘80s, there’s a good chance you were dying for the chance to compete on this game show a decade later. The Nickelodeon series, which aired from 1993 to 1995, featured six teams of teens competing on an Indiana Jones-inspired set that also featured the all-knowing Olmec, who advised teams on how to navigate the temple’s 12-room challenges. The game had everything: fun physical activity and an educational Jeopardy-inspired segment challenging teams competing to make it to the temple. Fans’ nostalgia helped bring the show back in 2016 — in the form of a Nickelodeon movie.
Credit: Nickelodeon/Everett Collection
This original game show, hosted by Summer Sanders between 1997 to 1999, featured celebrities as panelists trying to guess the contestants’ talents by asking a variety of yes or no questions. The audience was also able to get into the action too, thanks to the Secret Slime Action segment, where the panelists could trigger a green gooey onslaught by doing secret actions (like touching their nose) unbeknownst to them. The show was such a hit that it was revived in 2012 — but ended a year later.
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This Nickelodeon show followed the antics of two brothers, Big Pete (Michael C. Maronna) and Little Pete (Danny Tamberelli), who had their differences, especially in the margin of their ages, but still had a lot of love for each other. The redheaded brothers started giving insight on sibling rivalry in 1993 before the series ended in 1996.
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The red-caped criminal originated from popular ‘80s video games and spawned multiple variations, including PBS’ game show which ran between 1991 and 1994. The point of the show was to find out where Carmen was based on provided clues — but it also educated viewers on geography. Fans of the original series will have something to look forward to in 2019: Netflix is bringing back the iconic character (voiced by Gina Rodriguez) in an animated series.
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Larisa Oleynik became a household name thanks to this innovative show, where she played a teenager exposed to GC-161, a chemical that gives her an interesting set of powers. Alex Mack’s newfound abilities allowed her to move things with her mind and transform into a puddle — which came in handy while dealing with bullies, one of whom was played by a young Jessica Alba. The Nickelodeon show ran for four years on the SNICK lineup before sadly ending in 1998. But Oleynik’s career flourished: she later starred in 10 Things I Hate About You and The Babysitters Club.
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Another iconic SNICK show was this sketch comedy for teenagers that aired from 1992 to 1996. The energetic series, known for its diverse and talented cast, was recorded live in front of a studio audience and featured dance-offs, educational lessons and comedy galore. Roundhouse, commonly compared to In Living Color and Saturday Night Live, gave young viewers the opportunity to know they could put their talents to use instead of hiding behind them.
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Every blonde needs a brunette! This ‘90s teen drama, consisting of five seasons, originally aired on Showtime and then ran on The Disney Channel. The long-forgotten show featured two best friends — Amanda (Laura Bertram) and Busy (Lani Billard) — from different sides of the tracks trying to balance their friendship while dealing with inter-personal struggles. While the ending was a bummer for loyal viewers (spoiler alert: Amanda leaves Busy behind to find her place in the world without her best friend by her side) it was real, and that’s why it resonated with the masses.
Credit: Nickelodeon/Everett Collection
This quirky Nickelodeon series featured star Marc Weiner portraying different funny puppets. Fans of Wienerville — which was in production for one year but was in syndication for a few years after — will remember dear old mayor Dottie, nose-picking Big Pops and Baby Jeffrey.
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