Nostalgia at its finest

7:28 pm · Posted in Entertainment

There are certain memories that we all have that we carry with us through our lives. Even memories as simple as watching a favorite t.v. show as a kid - can leave an impression on us even through adulthood. I was browsing Youtube yesterday evening, looking for interesting videos, when I accidentally stumbled upon one of my favorite classic t.v. shows from the 90’s…Are You Afraid of the Dark?

It aired on Nickelodeon Saturday nights at 8:00 (at that time it was known as SNICK) and my mom and I would huddle on the couch in the dark with some popcorn and enjoy the show together. I remember watching and being truly mesmerized…it really got my imagination going, and I think that’s what made me enjoy it so much. It took some pretty serious and very real situations and portrayed them in a way that kids could understand and relate to them. Even someone as young as I was at the time (I think I was around 7 or 8 years old when this show was popular). Let’s not forget about the other classic Nick shows of the time - The Secret World of Alex Mack, Clarissa Explains it All, Pete & Pete, Ahhh! Real Monsters, just to name a few. Does anyone remember Stick Stickly? Ah, those were the days…

It makes me wonder though, what kids these days (including tweens…ugh, hate that word) have to look forward to for entertainment. The mindless drivel of the Naked Brothers Band? The fabrication of ‘real-life experiences’ in Zoey 101 and Unfabulous? I’m not sure what has happened to these kids channels these past few years, but it seems to me like the imaginative ideas that made those shows so popular has died, and has been replaced with shows that try to portray a perfect world - where no one is ever hurt, sad, or depressed. No crimes are ever committed, and all your problems can be worked out in a 30 minute (or sometimes a whopping hour!) time slot. I remember Clarissa Explains it All - that show actually dealt with real-life adolescent problems and worries: zits, relationships, sibling rivalry, and even sex. Zoey, on the other hand, doesn’t really delve into those subjects, that I’ve seen anyway. I really truly feel like kids these days are being dumbed down by these shows and I believe it’s possible that they can develop a false impression of what life will be like for them as they get older. Bottom line: it makes me sad. :( (Although, I will admit that I can’t resist the slapstick humor that is Spongebob Squarepants!) At least shows like Are You Afraid of the Dark pushed the limits of what was real and what was imaginary - it really made you think: “Could that really happen? Could that be real?” The shows directed for the same age group today have answered those questions for us: No, nothing bad ever happens, and everything is worked out in the end. No one ever dies, and the worst injury you can ever get is from…I don’t know…falling off a bicycle or something. Please…just spare me the earbleed from listening to Jamie Lynn Spears talk about the ups and downs of adolescence, and bring back the classic Nick shows!

So tell me, what were some of your favorite t.v. shows as children?

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