I know it’s not Friday. I’m referring to the TGIF of our youth. You know, the one that consisted of Family Matters, Step by Step, Full House… and, well, it seems I can’t place which the fourth was. But, the line-up was always changing, wasn’t it? Second Noah was there for a time (which, I loved. Do you remember that show? With a young James Marsden!). Hanging with Mr. Cooper, am I right? Sabrina the Teenage Witch (eh, I was never entirely impressed with Melissa Joan Hart) and I’m pretty sure even Dinosaurs made the cut for a little while.
I was born in ’84. So, by the early to mid 90’s, I was allowed to watch a few TV shows. I remember looking forward all week long to TGIF. And from, 8-10 was it?, you could be sure to find me in front of the TV. Laura and Urkel (or URK-el if he’d gone through his “cool machine”), Cody who lived in the trailer on the driveway in Step by Step, Stephanie and DJ and how every, EVERY, episode of Full House always ended with some sweet resolution and a cheesy, dubbed in, “Awwww!”
Four shows! Back to back! It was an event! An event of grandeur, I tell you! Call up any of my friends between 8 and 10 o’clock and they’d have been doing the same thing. Everyone watched TGIF. TV doesn’t seem to be an event anymore. Or at least, not an event that parents and kids alike can enjoy (Cosby Show, anyone?? I tell you what… nobody doesn’t like Cosby Show. Is there an equivalent today? No.). And it didn’t stop there. How about, my very favorite, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. Sully might as well have been a god. I was in love. Little Bridget only had eyes for Sully (that crush was matched when my Leo one began!) And I was certain that Jane Seymour was the most beautiful woman to have ever lived.
After Dr. Quinn came Chuck Norris Walker Texas Ranger. (In case you’re wondering, I’m linking ya’ll straaaaaight to those show intros. You are welcome.) Did you watch that one too? Man. Memory lane! It’s something else! Chuck Norris was the man. Shootin’ people, kickin’ them down in one foul swoop. Like a Western Jackie Chan!
Well, I could go on. Alf! Early Edition (Coach Taylor, what what!)! The one with the girl who’s a robot who’s name escapes me at the moment! Under the Umbrella Tree! Baywatch! Fraggle Rock! Which ones am I missing? Shout ’em out! Memory lane, let’s go!
But I won’t go on (anymore, anyway). I will say, however, like so many things of our youth, TV was better then too, wasn’t it? Oooor I had very little discretion. Either way, I miss some of those shows.
Can we get a Dr. Quinn reunion show going? Where are those people anyway?
OH MY GOSH. Dr. Quinn!!! My parents used to watch that, and I remember leaning over the back of my dad's chair thinking, "man, Sully is awesome!" If they put together a reunion show, I would absolutely watch it.
It's funny how many times I have seen TGIF mentioned on blogs lately! I wish it was still on. It would make Friday nights so much better! Even if they just played reruns of those shows on Friday nights, I would be happy.
The robot was Vicki from Small Wonder – I watched too 🙂
@anna, small wonder! that's it!
golden girls and the wonder years. enjoyed by both parents and kids in our family.
for cartoons: snorks, smurfs, and monchichis. Oh boy!
Perfect Strangers! With Balki! I was super excited with the all kid version, SNICK on Nickelodeon Saturday nights… Clarissa Explains it All, Roundhouse, Ren and Stimpy, and Are You Afraid of the Dark. Ahhhh the good old days. We're the same age so I remember it well.
O god I loved TGIF! And during summer vacation I loved watching reruns of the old ERs.
Memories, thanks!
@fit with flash, perfect strangers, yes! and i completely had forgotten about clarissa! but i remember thinking it was the coolest that she had a ladder to her room…
oh! who's the boss! i just remembered that one..
Um, the fourth in the TGIF line-up was Boy Meets World. Please don't diss Topanga like that.
@page, YES. (sorry topanga)
I was born in 85, so I feel ya! I remember even if there was a sleepover on a Friday night, whoever's house you were at, TGIF would be on. I loved them all, especially Family Matters and Full House. T.V. is so different these days!
blossom
BOY MEETS WORLD! great one. Netflix had Dr. Quinn at one point. Yes I will wholeheartedly admit that I rented the first couple DVDs. I should jumnp back on that train! Thanks for the trip down memory lane
ooh just saw someone talk about Snick. remember Hey Dude?? oh man this is too good.
The Wonder Years. Doogie Howser. I don't think these were part of TGIF, but good nonetheless.
Oh I loved Boy Meets World. My friend and I would talk on the phone during the commercials about the show!! And Wonder Years is wonderful! I wish Netflix had Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, I'd love to go back and watch the whole thing from the beginning.
oh, gosh! Today is memory lane day for sure! One of my friends posted the intro to Zoobilee Zoo today. Amazing. Of course there's Boy Meets World, Brotherly Love, Home Improvement (JTT…*sigh*), Growing Pains, Blossom…oh, the good times!
I used to LOVE TGIF. the idea of trying to make plans to, ya know, see other people on a Friday night was WEIRD back then. I also loved "One Saturday Morning"- on abc I think.. lineup of cartoons. I was always so sad when I slept too late and missed it.
these days my TGIF lineup includes a shameless TLC marathon of Say Yes to the Dress, I Found the Gown, Randy to the Rescue, etc.etc.(because if I don't have plans by mid week, I'm not makin' any– I love these shows THAT much.)
I just saw the comment about Hey Dude! That reminds me of all those great Nick shows! Salute Your Shorts! Wild and Crazy Kids! That game show about the Hidden Temple… !! This is too fun. I definitely don't think TV is as good as it was when we were kids.
Boy Meets World was on TGIF! don't forget that! the BEST SHOW EVER
I think you'll appreciate this 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPK04KtyjwI
@c.curley, had the hugest crush on jtt.
AND i forgot breaker high and sweet valley high! anyone else?!
I love all of these! And then I got really into that trashy-goodness 90210
Loved TGIF! I've actually wished that they would create something like that again…a few reasonably wholesome shows that, yes, are somewhat cheesy, but that the whole family could watch together and everyone would be pretty okay with that. We did like you and Steve, though…we no longer have any channels, just netflix.
Perfect Strangers (Larry and Belkie!) was also on TGIF for a while.
I loved TGIF! I was born in 85 so we had very similar tv tastes. Did you watch Kids Incorporated after school? I could usually catch the tail end of the Mickey Mouse Club complete with Ryan Gosling, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Britney Spears. I remember watching the series finale of Full House. I always knew my bed time because it was after Full House. But the finale was an hour long, so it was a big treat/deal that my parents let me stay up the extra 1/2 to watch the end.
P.S. Love this post/trip down memory lane!
I grew up on the other side of the world in South Africa and what a trip down memory lane you just took me.
We had all the same shows but ours were scattered throughout the week and not just on Friday nights.
Friday nights was Touched by an Angel nights and Tuesday nights was 21 Jump Street!!
The Cosby show is currently on a rerun here on a Friday night at 23:00 and I stay up every week just to watch it.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane and a reminder of the tv shows that brought such happiness, giggles and laughter to our home.
@KLF, yes! i remember the theme to kids incorporated still. and ryan gosling was on mickey mouse club?! did not know that!
@sophie, too funny. floppy disks and mario and luigi… ohhh the 90s.
Oh goodness. So many good ones! So totally loved the intro song and all the hotties in the Baywatch intro!
@heather, the baywatch intro song is like… really good isn't it??? (hangs head in shame)
Oh yeah…since you mentioned Coach Taylor, I thought I would share this etsy find:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/104295109/dillon-panthers-t-shirt
My husband and I loved FNL and watched all of the seasons on Netflix. I got him a Dillon High tee with Tim Riggins number on it for his birthday (so, you know, the shirt is really for me too! 😉 The seller will also customize the back for you with "Clear eyes…"
I remember as a kid my mom said Saved By the Bell was to mature for me. Now it would be one of the cleanest shows on tv!! The Cosby Show?? Its like a teacher's dream, there were always episodes I could relate to my classes. And I even named my daughter Olivia after Raven's character on the show.
Seriously, people, we had some quality television shows back then! I miss these classics. I loved the mention of SNICK. I used to love Hey Dude and be TERRIFIED of Are You Afraid Of The Dark. 🙂
My family used to watch this all together, sometimes stay up til 10, sometimes 9. My parents really enjoyed it.. mostly bc the shows were well written with some adult humor.
One show I remember that my older sister loved was Little House on the Prairie. I did not really enjoy this show, as Nellie was a huge put off for me.. she would get downstairs first on weekend mornings and this would be on and since she got down there first, that's what we'd watch at least 4 episodes of. She also loved Dr. Quinn.. and though I watched it, I don't remember too much about it.
Also we cannot forget about Saturday morning shows.. including City Guys, which anytime I hear the word City I think, C-I-T-Y you can see why.. blah blah the intro song. Hilarious that we remember all the intro songs, yes?
Thanks for the walk..
I think, "I really like Bridget." And then I see this post and I'm all, "Holy night! I freakin love Bridget!" Friday nights were so awesome.
STOP. i just sent that TGIF intro around my office and i can hear the girls laughing from their desks. so good.
I am so happy you posted this! I had the biggest smile on my face during that video, and scrolling through all the old tv show names. I was born in '85, so I'm right there with you on all of these!!
Cheers!
@dancing branflake, well i really like tiff – the feeling's mutual!
@grace, hahaha that is so funny. and when i was writing this last night, i forgot about that intro. i remembered all the shows but forgot there was an actual INTRO song to them. weird, right? then, when i played it, the words came out like it was yesterday.
Boy Meets World was my favorite part of TGIF!
I also loved Dr. Quinn, sigh. Such a beautiful show.
I was also deeply in love with Road to Avonlea.
Man I watched a lot of tv as a kid…
there was a guesthouse in nairobi that we'd occasionally stay at when we were in the city for some reason that had tv, and dr. quinn was on, even there (probably a couple of years behind, but who cares!? it was tv!!). i would have married sully in a heartbeat. i adored that man and for years thought that attractive men had to have long hair and beard shadow.
Ahhh I love it! My husband grew up without a T.V. so when I make references to shows he has a blank stare on his face. So sad. We watched the Wonder Years and the Cosby Show in my house.
Dinosaurs was my JAM! "not the baby!" I also had the doll, haha! I was a huge Full House and Boy Meets World fan. Great shows. I looked forward to TGIF too!
Ah, TGIF…I miss it as well. Boy Meets World is still one of my all time favorite shows! It seems there definitely aren't a lot of shows that the whole family can enjoy like those! It's either a grown up show or a kids show…though I'll admit there are a few kids shows my hubby and I enjoy too…like Good Luck Charlie;)
Boy meets world! And step-by-step! I used to watch it at Mo's and have sleepovers on Fridays! But for me when 20/20 came on it always meant bed, I hated Barbra Walters growing up.
Saved by the Bell! Lois and Clark! Goof Troop! Darkwing Duck! Tailspin! Duck Tales! I feel like I can't stop. I also loved Second Noah and totally forgot about it until you brought it up. Short lived, but so good. I always love reminiscing about the 90s with other 80s babies.
I think the last show was America's Funniest Videos at one point. Loved TGIF, it was the highlight of my week as a dorky kid. I had a special pj outfit and everything :-). Also- Boy Meets World is still on TV, it's on MTV2. I follow Danielle Fishel, Ryder Strong and Ben Savage on Twitter.
@jennifer, i love that you follow them on twitter.
@kelly l, hahahaha. hated barbara walters. that's so funny.
Awesome post! My brother and I talk about our Friday nights with TGIF and Saturday night SNICK on Nickelodeon all the time.
What about Out of this World…I loved Evie Garland!
Does anyone remember Just the Ten of Us?? It was a basketball coach and his ten kids? They lived in TX?? I loved that show! Yes! TGIF brings back many memories!! Thanks for the stroll
Boy Meets World? Hangin' with Mr. Cooper? LOVED TGIF!!!!
Ryan Gosling was on Breaker High too!!!
confession: Kurt & I own every season of the Cosby show…and have never regretted it. Also, his sweaters are coming back in style. It's PERFECT.
Under the Umbrella Tree! Totally. If we are going back that far I will bring Eureka's Castle to the table. Also Zoobilee (sp?) Zoo, anyone? Maya the Bee…oh it was better days.
@maggy, eurekas castle!! loved that show!
@c, he was?!?
@nicole, dont remember that one!
Ah, this brings back so many memories! And I was thinking about how the greatest thing in the world used to be to stay home on Fridays to watch TGIF (and I'm a nerd and always watched 20/20, too–my parents didn't really monitor my TV watching). One of my friends was talking about Dr. Quinn on facebook yesterday–she brought up the change in Colleens. I remember watching the very first episode; I thought it was a Movie of the Week or something, and I became so excited when it came on again the following week! (I mean, I was seven and still trying to grasp the idea of regular TV shows versus specials versus movies. *lol*) But didn't Full House come on on Tuesdays? Maybe it just did where I lived because I remember my great aunt Grace always asking me if I was going to watch "the three little girls" on Tuesday!
I remember recording the final episode of Full House – and I remember how for most of the show I did NOT understand that Michelle was played by twins. I was like, "Why are there TWO NAMES?" Brilliant.
I also remember being traumatized when I saw Wedding Crashers and JANE SEYMOUR WHY DID YOU AGREE TO THIS ROLE, YOU ARE DR. QUINN MEDICINE WOMAN.
Does anyone remember what cartoon it was that had a little blue koala and a pink one?
Also, My Little Pony Tales. And Gummi Bears. Sometimes David the Gnome if I was bored.
Yes yes yes!! I'm so glad you posted this. This was totally my siblings Friday night as a kid. My parents splurged on pizza and watched with us or got a babysitter while they went out. Man, where have family nights like this gone?
I miss the 90's.
I always watched TGIF!!! Cosby show, Step by Step(oohh, baby), Full House, Boy Meets World( I think that was on that channel). And other shows I'm sure that was on it but I forget. I've never watched Dr.Quinn Medicine Woman though.
But gosh, those were good times. There just isn't tv like that anymore. Especially for the whole family to watch shows like that.
My whole family sat around the tv every friday night and my mom made brownies & ice cream for all of us as we watched all 2 hours of TGIF! I have to say my favorite will always be Boy Meets World. Eric was hilarious, heck they all were!
Two "corrections" haha: Cody from Step by Step lived in his funky van in the backyard, not in a trailer in the driveway (lol!). And the "awwww" on Full House was actually from the live audience that it was filmed in front of! No dubbing in needed! 😉
Yes as others have said Boy Meets World still plays on tv and we have watched it for the last couple of years whenever it's on in the mornings and we're up!
Wasn't that show Perfect Strangers with Balky & Larry one of the shows for awhile? I think my parents really liked that one. I don't remember it, except that Balki was some French guy that was pretty funny…
Best post ever. I was born in the early 90's and even I agree there is nothing like these old awesome shows. Also, Cosby Show marathons are my favorite thing ever.