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Shitty '90s Nickelodeon sitcoms

post #1 of 61
12/8/09 at 8:16pm
Thread Starter 
No amount of nostalgia can hide the fact that Nickelodeon's output, even during its "golden age", was 99% shit. But we needn't dwell on the negatives. Let's list some of our favorite shows and moments from this magical time in television history.

My favorite of the shitty sitcoms was probably My Brother and Me. Never has a show explored the racial ramifications of being a minority in mostly white suburban environment through the rampant racism afflicting the Parker family in North Carolina. The best example occurs when young Dee Dee attempts to find his racial identity by getting a haircut of his favorite rapper, Cool Doctor Money. Dee Dee comes to realize that racial attributes are constructs created by the capitalist oppressors, and his haircut fails to give him existential satisfaction. Someone has graciously uploaded this seminal moment in television.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9P7g...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGzuo...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpWcM...eature=related
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post #2 of 61
12/8/09 at 8:20pm
Pete and Pete and Eerie Indiana (was that even Nickelodeon) were two of my favourite things as a kid. Pete and Pete, to my infant mind, was one of the cleverest, weirdest, funniest things I'd ever seen and Eerie Indiana actually used to give me the creeps (despite the fact I was watching Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween around the same age)
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post #3 of 61
12/8/09 at 8:22pm
I prefer the episode where Dee Dee is being bullied at school, so at the behest of either Alfie or the immortal Goo, he confronts the bully and yells "Hit me! Hit me!" And then the bully proceeds to beat the crap out of him.

Also, who can forget Goo Punch!
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post #4 of 61
12/8/09 at 8:26pm
Fifteen.

EDIT: God, I can't read. It's not a sitcom. Still shitty, though.
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post #5 of 61
12/8/09 at 8:26pm
Um...Hey, Dude!, Clarissa Explains it All, Salute Your Shorts, those were the golden days...
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post #6 of 61
12/8/09 at 8:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spike Marshall View Post
Pete and Pete and Eerie Indiana (was that even Nickelodeon) were two of my favourite things as a kid. Pete and Pete, to my infant mind, was one of the cleverest, weirdest, funniest things I'd ever seen and Eerie Indiana actually used to give me the creeps (despite the fact I was watching Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween around the same age)
Eerie, Indiana wasn't Nickelodeon, but it was awesome. Always sad that it was so shortlived. It was also one of my first introductions to meta plots when an episode had the main character trapped in the "real world" and being confused for the actual actor on the show (Omri Katz!)

Pete and Pete is still one of my all time favorite shows. Few kids shows were as weird and yet so true to life.
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post #7 of 61
12/8/09 at 8:29pm
Is SNICK open to this or are we limited to daytime, weekday programming like Clarissa and My Brother and Me?
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post #8 of 61
12/8/09 at 8:39pm
I'd include SNICK

Secret World of Alex Mack anyone?
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post #9 of 61
12/8/09 at 8:48pm
Hell yes. I kind of give that show credit for featuring an interracial teenage romantic arc without making a big deal about it.

Also the older sister was hot. I just never got why she got so much shit for taking notes when they tried to send her to college early. College students don't take notes in the Alex Mack universe?
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post #10 of 61
12/8/09 at 8:50pm
My Brother & Me only had like...7 episodes. Yet Nickelodeon ran them into the ground. Speaking of Alex Mack, I always liked how it turned out (in the final episode) that the truck driver Dave knew it was Alex the whole time. He was too nice a guy to turn her in. That scene where they meet was actually sweet.
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post #11 of 61
12/8/09 at 8:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FilmNerdJamie View Post
My Brother & Me only had like...7 episodes. Yet Nickelodeon ran them into the ground.
Man, did they ever. This was true for a lot of their shows. Who knows how many times I saw a given episode of Salute Your Shorts.

Not a sitcom, but I got all of the Are You Afraid of the Dark seasons for a birthday one year and now spend my Halloweens revisiting the wonders of Canadian teen horror.

ETA: Holy crap, I was watching that clip Jake posted of Fifteen for some reason and somehow made out a young Ryan Reynolds amidst the bad transfer quality.
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post #12 of 61
12/8/09 at 8:56pm
AYAotD was Canadian? That's strangely depressing for some reason...
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post #13 of 61
12/8/09 at 8:57pm
SHIT.... Nickelodeon dominated my childhood.

Pete & Pete
Clarissa Explains It All
My Brother & Me
Welcome Freshmen
Salute Your Shorts
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
All That
Keenan & Kel
Hey Arnold!
WILD AND CRAZY KIDS!
Hey Dude
The Tomorrow People (Christopher Lee's appearance is my favorite!)
Legends of the Hidden Temple
The Secret World of Alex Mack

I was really big on Space Cases, I think I was the only kid in my school that actually watched this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwYhBWH0wNo

I'm pretty sure I've left out a lot more shows because I practically watched EVERYTHING from 1994-1998.
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post #14 of 61
12/8/09 at 9:00pm
Really, folks?
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post #15 of 61
12/8/09 at 9:01pm
A ton of the early stuff was Canadian.

Speaking of Salute Your Shorts, why exactly did Michael not come back in season two? I always preferred Pinsky, mind you. But Michael was the lead and it was weird at the start of the second year (wound up being the last obviously) him being gone.
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post #16 of 61
12/8/09 at 9:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FilmNerdJamie View Post
A ton of the early stuff was Canadian.

Speaking of Salute Your Shorts, why exactly did Michael not come back in season two? I always preferred Pinsky, mind you. But Michael was the lead and it was weird at the start of the second year (wound up being the last obviously) him being gone.
I didn't get that either. Didn't he come back for one episode? I never saw him in anything after that show.
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post #17 of 61
12/8/09 at 9:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FilmNerdJamie View Post
A ton of the early stuff was Canadian.

Speaking of Salute Your Shorts, why exactly did Michael not come back in season two? I always preferred Pinsky, mind you. But Michael was the lead and it was weird at the start of the second year (wound up being the last obviously) him being gone.

He got the chickenpox, character-wise. Don't know actor-wise. Maybe they just wanted a more dynamic lead? God did these shows dominate my childhood. Sheer repetition is the only way I remember all of this.
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post #18 of 61
12/8/09 at 9:05pm
I remember the chickenpox being the reason. Just wondering if the kid was fired or something. The character was OK, but clearly the stalest one of the group.
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post #19 of 61
12/8/09 at 9:18pm
I actually visited Pete and Pete recently and it is still a decent show.
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post #20 of 61
12/8/09 at 9:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EnemyoftheStamos View Post
ETA: Holy crap, I was watching that clip Jake posted of Fifteen for some reason and somehow made out a young Ryan Reynolds amidst the bad transfer quality.
Yep. He was an angsty little douche, too.

Pete and Pete doesn't belong here because it wasn't shitty. It was weird and funny, and gave us early exposure to Michelle Trachtenberg and Heather Matarazzo. Also, elder Pete portrayed Stewart in the Ameritrade commercials.

Hey Dude was shitty, but it introduced a young and tasty Christine Taylor to the world. So its got that going for it, which is nice.
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post #21 of 61
12/8/09 at 9:58pm
I still stand by my belief that DeGrassi sucked.
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post #22 of 61
12/8/09 at 10:09pm
Wouldn't know. Never watched it. I do remember the scheduling overload of Looney Tunes compilation shows and You Can't Do That On Television. All those animated bumpers too.
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post #23 of 61
12/8/09 at 10:15pm
Even as a child, I remember hating Keenan & Kel. I just couldn't believe that someone could be as literally brain dead as Kel. The kid would do anything for orange soda!

The Tomorrow People, though not a sitcom, really kicked my ass as a child. That show was nuts.
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post #24 of 61
12/8/09 at 10:17pm
Kennan & Kel had Ken Foree as the dad. That automatically gives it a pass. Plus it never reached the awfulness of All That.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dranbon View Post
The kid would do anything for orange soda!
....
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post #25 of 61
12/8/09 at 10:23pm
Very true. All That didn't even come close to the greatness of Roundhouse.
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post #26 of 61
12/8/09 at 10:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EdHocken View Post
I still stand by my belief that DeGrassi sucked.
Dr Cox would like a word...
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post #27 of 61
12/8/09 at 10:34pm
Pete and Pete is the only one of these shows that holds up. Well, early All That is still pretty funny, but 90 percent of that is nostalgia. Pete and Pete works because you get how "subversive" it was for a kids show (starting with the theme song that's actually about Kent State), and you realize that a lot of cool people were on the show. Iggy Pop. Janene Garafalo. Michael Stipe as the depressed ice cream man. Buscemi.
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post #28 of 61
12/8/09 at 10:53pm
Dammit, I was just about to mention Iggy Pop and Buscemi. I own the dvds of Pete and Pete and have given it a second life outside of my childhood and it still works.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Dranbon View Post

The Tomorrow People, though not a sitcom, really kicked my ass as a child. That show was nuts.
Yeah. I was really young when this was around so I only have broken memories from it, but I can remember seeing the same 2 or 3 episodes all the time and never knowing when it was actually on or if there were going to be new ones. And I've never heard of it or seen it since. Weird show. Something with killer bugs and mosquitoes, I'm still really foggy on it.
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post #29 of 61
12/8/09 at 11:07pm
Being a huge R.E.M. fan, I'm biased to Pete & Pete. That and it had Artie! The strongest man! In the wooooooooooooooooooooooorld!
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post #30 of 61
12/8/09 at 11:08pm
Plenty of Tomorrow People episodes on this guy's page: http://www.youtube.com/user/iamghostwriter2
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post #31 of 61
12/8/09 at 11:12pm
A lot of these shows took up my hard drive space back in college, and of all the shows listed only PETE AND PETE and early ROCKO'S MODERN LIFE really hold up today. I'm still amazed at how much ROCKO was able to get away with.

The thing about THE TOMORROW PEOPLE was that there only seemed to be about three seasons worth of episodes and they just played on an endless loop forever and ever. Same problem plagued MY BROTHER AND ME.

Oh yeah, and UtoU
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post #32 of 61
12/8/09 at 11:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Luscious Python View Post
Plenty of Tomorrow People episodes on this guy's page: http://www.youtube.com/user/iamghostwriter2
Sweet. Going to revisit, might regret it but I'll report back. Was this the show with Monsoon Man?
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post #33 of 61
12/9/09 at 12:05am
Holy shit, someone else remembers ROUNDHOUSE on here? I always thought that show was a fever dream from my youth.

I remember THE TOMORROW PEOPLE, only because I only seemed to catch the middle episodes, and never the beginning or the end. I vaguely remember the bad guy being a Boss Hog type.
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post #34 of 61
12/9/09 at 12:06am
I think I remember "Roundhouse" ..it was pretty clever-compared to whats on the tube now...
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post #35 of 61
12/9/09 at 5:10am
I think Cousin Skeeter was technically a 90s show, right?
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post #36 of 61
12/9/09 at 5:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by FilmNerdJamie View Post
Being a huge R.E.M. fan, I'm biased to Pete & Pete. That and it had Artie! The strongest man! In the wooooooooooooooooooooooorld!
It also had some pretty cool guest stars pop up like, Steve Buscemi and Iggy Pop.
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post #37 of 61
12/9/09 at 5:38am
Back in the 90s here in the UK, when Sky (the main satellite TV subscription service) was a rare and treasured luxury and I had to go round a friend's house to see it, Nikelodeon was the main channel we watched. Mostly devouring the delights of Clarissa Explains It All, Pete and Pete, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Kenan & Kel, The Monkees, The Odyssey, and Rocko's Modern Life. Occasionally turning to Sky One for The Simpsons and MASH. Good times.
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post #38 of 61
12/9/09 at 10:58am
I watched Clarissa all the time. I watched Pete and Pete once in a while. And I know it spanned the end of the 90s to early 00's, I also watched The Amanda Show with Amanda Bynes. It was pretty funny.
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post #39 of 61
12/9/09 at 11:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Anthony View Post
A lot of these shows took up my hard drive space back in college, and of all the shows listed only PETE AND PETE and early ROCKO'S MODERN LIFE really hold up today. I'm still amazed at how much ROCKO was able to get away with.
The first two seasons of Ren and Stimpy are still unparalleled, terrifying genius.

I'm happy to say, except for You Can't Do That On Television and the occasional episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark, I avoided most of this shit like the plague after trying about two episodes each.
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post #40 of 61
12/9/09 at 12:15pm
What about Hi Honey, I'm Home? It was a short lived sitcom that was based on cheesy old shit like Leave It to Beaver.
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post #41 of 61
12/9/09 at 12:19pm
Back in grade school, my best friend and I quoted Ren & Stimpy. A lot. Particularly the episode Fire Dogs (best one imo) and Rubber Nipple Salesmen.

"Call the policeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
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post #42 of 61
12/9/09 at 12:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenndawg View Post
Dammit, I was just about to mention Iggy Pop and Buscemi. I own the dvds of Pete and Pete and have given it a second life outside of my childhood and it still works.
I watched the Pete and Pete DVDs a couple of years ago, the episodes that still held up really well for me were the one with the ringing phone, the Orange Lazarus, and the epic battle between Dad and Steve Buscemi (who I believe was Ellen's father). And ANYTHING with Endless Mike Hellstrom, he was fucking outstanding. "You hit the "Go" button."

As far as stuff that's most likely garbage now, as a kid I always loved the Salute Your Shorts episodes with Zeke the Plumber and the Capture the Flag game.
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post #43 of 61
12/9/09 at 2:44pm
As a kid, I didn't have cable, so I was jealous of the kids that were able to watch Nickelodeon. Seemed like it was all "Pete and Pete this" and "Pete and Pete that." I'm not gonna lie, I still kinda think you guys all suck.
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post #44 of 61
12/9/09 at 2:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Syd View Post
Holy shit, someone else remembers ROUNDHOUSE on here? I always thought that show was a fever dream from my youth.
I can still sing the theme song.

Also Pete & Pete was marvelous stuff. I would love to re-watch it.
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post #45 of 61
12/9/09 at 2:54pm
Pete and Pete holds up very well. You can probably pick it up on DVD for cheap.
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post #46 of 61
12/9/09 at 3:38pm
Something tells me 'Are you afraid of the Dark?' is still awful.

Though not a sitcom, Nick Arcade remains one of the worst gameshows ever. "Yes, now stand in front of this green screen and jump over the Wizards lightning bolts and look awkwardly off-camera!"
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post #47 of 61
12/9/09 at 4:08pm
I used to love Salute Your Shorts. As a 13 year old I always gave the stuck up chick a pass because I thought she was hot.

And yes, Nick Arcade was the worse show of all time, with the terrible gap-toothed lispy host who was seemed to be hopped up on Red Bull 10 years before it was invented. The kids seemed like they wanted to bail on the show halfway through and go on some more rides at the Park.
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post #48 of 61
12/9/09 at 4:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rando View Post
Something tells me 'Are you afraid of the Dark?' is still awful.
It's actually a lot more fun now when you see just how shoddy some of the episodes are. One of my favorites is an episode featuring Tia and Tamara Mowry from Sister, Sister. It involves evil chameleons. But of course the show decides to forgo using actual chameleons and the whole thing is done with iguanas.

There's also an ep from like the first season about a leprechaun that's just too goofy for words.
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post #49 of 61
12/9/09 at 4:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott View Post
Pete and Pete holds up very well. You can probably pick it up on DVD for cheap.
Agreed I have the first two seasons on DVD but those bastards decided not to release the third for some reason.
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post #50 of 61
12/9/09 at 6:34pm
Yeah...Kel was a crack-head for orange soda. "I do. I do. I do. I D-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO."
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