As an ageing Millenial (but please don’t call me that) I revisited a cultural institution that I grew up with, ABC’s Friday night family block of programming known as TGIF. Although these recaps start off poking fun at the inherent goofiness of these shows, by the end of the project I started to feel wistful for a gone-away world where something like TGIF could exist–along with a coherent cultural fabric that everyone would simultaneously experience. Well, except for Boy Meets World: I gave that show a righteous beating. Enjoy!
“Did I Do That?” TGIF Revisited: Introduction
If you had the luck to have spent your childhood in the 1980s and 1990s, you probably have fond memories of the wonder that was television programming in those decades: with cable television becoming popular in the 80’s, entire generations of children and young adults would spend…
Family Matters – “Life of the Party”
It’s a rare condition, this day and age, to read any good news on the newspaper page. At least that’s what the catchy theme song to Family Matters says. Then again, this is the same show that gave us the Urkelbot, Stefan Urquelle, and The Urkel Dance…
Perfect Strangers – “The Lottery”
Sometimes the world looks perfect, nothing to rearrange; sometimes you just get a feeling like you need some kind of change. Well, standing tall on the wings of my dreams (whatever that’s supposed to mean), Perfect Strangers became the anchor show for TGIF in 1988 in its fourth…
Dinosaurs – “A New Leaf”
As has been mentioned on this blog and in many other places, the 1990s was a weird time for television. Thanks to the booming economy in America, money was shooting out of everyone’s ears and more money was thrown at ideas that could potentially make…
Step By Step – “J.T.’s World”
To call Step By Step stupid is an insult to stupidity: this lazy rehash of The Brady Bunch is about a blended family, thanks to the overzealous and impulsive marriage between two people (Suzanne Somers and Patrick Duffy) after they meet on vacation. Thing is, both of them have a shitload…
Boy Meet World – “If You Can’t Be With The One You Love…”
Boy Meets World is an inexplicably beloved show from the TGIF lineup, although I can’t see why: it’s cheesy, preachy, and worst of all cringey. I don’t know if that makes it a really good and accurate show about being a teenager…
Just the Ten of Us – “Strangers in the Night”
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Just the Ten of Us. After reading its Wikipedia, I feel like I have but I don’t really have any memory of it. It only lasted two seasons and 47 episodes and was cancelled a month after I turned 8, so I’m reasonably sure that whatever memories I’ve…
Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper – “Father Fairest”
In keeping with the theme of “shows I vaguely remember” in this little project of mine, Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper is one of them. It only aired on the TGIF lineup for three seasons, having been bounced up from Tuesday nights after its first season and then bounced down…
Camp Wilder – “Boy Loses Girl”
I don’t think I’ve ever watched one episode of the short-lived sitcom Camp Wilder before. It only aired for half a season on TGIF from September 1992 to February 1993 before being cancelled due to low ratings. Thanks to my new best friend Wikipedia, I’ve gleaned this synopsis of the premise…
Mr. Belvedere – “Triangle”
Streaks on the china/Never mattered before/Who cares?/When you drop-kicked your jacket/As you enter the door/No one glared/But sometimes things get turned around/And no one’s spaaaared! I know the whole damn theme song of Mr. Belvedere by heart…
Sister, Sister – “First Dates”
Sister, Sister was a squeaky-clean family sitcom that I haven’t seen in, oh, 20 years or so; however, I’m nearing the end of this little distraction of a project and am trying to put off watching and recapping an episode of Full House…
Sabrina The Teenage Witch – “Pilot”
Let’s talk about Melissa Joan Hart for a moment: after her breakthrough role as the star of Clarissa Explains It All on Nickelodeon, a show which I still have fond memories for, Hart made the logical jump to a major network show…
Full House – Honey, I Broke The House”
Well, it’s come to this: recapping an episode of the much-beloved, much-hated show Full House. I’ve been dreading this, since I absolutely cannot stand this show and never have been able to. Oh sure, I watched it when I was a kid but would also rage at the TV when it was on because I…
TGIF Revisited: Conclusion (America In The 1990s)
Well that was…something. Having watched 12 different episodes from the TGIF lineup that spanned both the beginning and end of my childhood (1988-1996, or from 6 to 14 years old in my life), I can honestly say that…
14 Forgotten TGIF Shows
While in a previous series of articles/recaps I hit all the major shows that aired on TGIF (well, and Camp Wilder), there were a lot of shows that didn’t take off on the programming block. Here are the forgotten TGIF shows that ran for only one or two seasons and nobody remembers. Early Duds…
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