I remember watching family TV shows together. We sprawled out on the living room floor with pillows and blankets. Mom sat on the sofa folding laundry or braiding our freshly washed hair.
Dad had “his” recliner that we weren’t really allowed to sit on…except for that one time when I was sick and promised I wouldn’t throw up on it…and then I threw up on it. And then I couldn’t sit on it anymore. And then he died. And then I not only sat on it, but my sister and brother and I practiced diving over it by getting a running start and ramming our bodies into it so that it would flip us over. And then it broke. Sorry about that Dad. Guess you shouldn’t have died.
Anywho, before all that we watched family TV shows together and they had positive messages and fun story lines. They were not only enjoyable for kids to watch, but adults were enamored with them too.
I don’t know what’s happened to TV these days. Where are the family shows?
iCarly. Is. Killing. Me.
We have millions of channels now and yet there’s nothing I’d like to sit down and watch with my kids. Why is this? Am I too picky? Are they old enough to watch the Real Housewives of All Counties yet? Because I could be good with that.
I propose a Come Back And Make A Comeback Channel. We’ll call it CBC and these will be the first ten shows we’ll reinstate:
1. The Cosby Show.
Because Cliff is a nut, Rudy is adorable, and the family lip syncing/dance routines were AWESOME.
2. Saved By The Bell
Does it need to be said? The show just plain never should have ended. They should have stayed in high school forever.
3. My Two Dads
Because who DOESN’T want two Dads? Always good to have a back up I say.
4. Small Wonder
OMG SHE’S A ROBOT!?!!?!
5. Rags to Riches
Glee minus the sex…what’s not to love? My sisters and I were obsessed with this series.
6. Silver Spoons
A mansion. An indoor train. And Carlton Banks. Every child’s dream come true.
7. Growing Pains
Because show me a brother and sister who can’t relate to the love/hate relationship between Mike and Carol. And alsoMike’s best friend’s name is Boner.
8. Who’s The Boss
Because there’s a serious deficiency in hot Italian housekeepers in today’s shows.
9. Charles In Charge
Because there’s a serious deficiency in hot Italian babysitters in today’s shows.
(Did I just call Charles hot? Is he even Italian?)
10. Hey Dude
Because teens spending their summer on a Dude Ranch is just plain rad.
Who am I kidding, that was the worst show ever and pretty much the only thing there was to watch all summer. May it rest in peace.
Now it’s your turn!
Choose a prompt, post it on your blog, and come back to add your name to the link list below. Be sure to sign up with the actual post URL and not just your basic blog URL (click on the title of your post for that URL). For good comment karma try to comment on the three blogs above your name!!
The Prompts:
1.) A list of 10 old TV shows you’d like to make a comeback.
2.) A post your mom would write if your mom wrote posts.
3.) Do you love it or hate it? An open letter to your child’s latest obsession.
4.) We just celebrated America’s Independence! Write a poem about what freedom means to you.
5.) It’s hot, the kids are home and crazy, our pets are panting, the days are long…share your number one Summer Survival Tip.
6.) Milkshakes, smoothies, margaritas and more…create a video showing how to make your favorite frozen drink.
{ 93 comments… read them below or add one }
Love your list! We have some of the same shows…I took off Small Wonder and the Cosby Show….narrowing down to 10 was VERY difficult.
Totally forgot about My Two Dads! #Awesome
PS- Excellent topic choice by the way! :-)
I totally forgot about Rags to Riches! I loved that show.
Hey dude? Seriously? that was a show?
I loved all those shows, but still remember the muppets every Sunday night with the Fam!
Yes the muppets! They were GREAT! Bring the the Muppets for Shore!
Aw, the MUPPETS! I can’t believe I didn’t mention them. Drat!
Oh yeah! We did the Muppets too! Even my parents liked those!
I used my main blog this week (gotta keep you on your toes ;)) and did my Top 10 comebacks too. I agree with many of yours, but they didn’t make my final cut. I’d gladly watch most of those on CBC.
iCarly is so annoying. Along with most of the other shows on right now. I wish Saved by the Bell would come back.
I couldn’t do the tv show topic because there were too many to choose from! Magnum PI, The Wonder Years, Doogie Houser, Animaniacs, the list is endless!
Hey Dude? Rags to Riches? Why don’t I remember those shows? But the rest I loved!! What about Family Ties, that is the only one missing.
I haven’t heard of those two either… and i agree with family Ties; the days when MJ Fox was a cutie pie!
x
Family Ties! That’s a good one!!
This was a fun writing prompt!
So sorry about your dad and his chair…
But in them meantime you reminded me of a few shows I’d forgotten that I loved, especially The Cosby Show. Bill Cosby was so funny!
Kids shows these days are so formularised or too “teen” for the under-tens.
Dare i admit that we watch Survivor together as a family? Makes for some great discussions… about the rights and wrongs of things and the crazy things Phillip does (we are probably way behind here in NZ; I don’t want to know who wins Redemption Island)
Thanks for the fun writing prompt!
x
I thought on much the same lines. I totally forgot bout Small Wonder and Hey Dude! Those were the days. The days when kids shows were really kid shows and family friendly. *sigh*
I wish Saved by the Bell would come back too. But the original one, not the New Class. Great list! I loved those shows too!
The New Class was terrible…how dare they replace our favorite characters!
Thanks for the rundown of my childhood. Oh how I wish there were so many good shows for our kids to remember. I’d just have to add Punky Brewster and Webster. Oh, and Blossom. Hard to believe there were so many kid-centered shows back in the day….
Punky was a huge favorite of mine too. Let’s add Different Strokes too!
Some of these I never heard of but I certainly liked The Cosby Show (minus the dancing), The Wonder Years. I’ll have to do this prompt too, but another day.
This was also the prompt I chose. Obviously by your choice of shows, you’re much younger than me!! But we both agree that there are no decent family shows on tv any more. So sad!
See, you picked mostly all shows that I knew everyone would pick, so I went a totally different route. Had to go real obscure on this prompt, and dig deep into my subconscious for the real gems. I hope you can stop by to read it!
Loved doing this one. Yay!
Angela Bower was my hero – a real role model. I wanted to go into advertising because of that woman. HA!
Yes! My kids would totally dig all those shows. I’d feel a little less guilty about putting the t.v. on while I pass out from exhaustion to make them JUST SIT STILL FOR A MINUTE! Thanks for your prompts…I have a ton of fun working with them!
I had totally forgotten Rags to Riches. In fact, I have to go to Netflix to try to remember the premise of the show–but I do remember loving it!
I loved most of those shows too! Yup, there aren’t any good, family friendly shows on television anymore.
But, wasn’t Carlton Banks on Fresh Prince?
He was Carlton on Fresh Prince, but he was a friend on Silver Spoons…I forget what his name was. Alfonso??
I remember sitting at home on a Friday night and couldn’t wait to watch all of the shows on TGIF. Full House was one of my favorites, I’d love for that one to come back. Saved by the Bell would be pretty amazing too.
Me too! Although I got really annoyed when they introduced that weird Dinosaur show…remember that baby dinosaur always screaming “Not Da Momma” at the dad dinosaur? I hated that show.
I loved most of these shows! But, I don’t remember Rags to Riches or Hey Dude.
Great list! And while I’d wish most for Cosby, my kids, natch, would wish for Saved by the Bell, even if it never even remotely resembled high school. We’d all put in a vote for Roseanne, too!
Wait, you have Small Wonder but not Perfect Strangers???? ;)
Oh that Balky was a hoot, wasn’t he!?!
Great list – I loved Small Wonder!!
My. Two. Dads.
FUNNY! Totally forgot about that show! I would love to see a “where are they now” photo of those 3 ;)
Great list but holy cheese, look at the hairdos and clothes on these characters! Gotta love the 80s.
Who’s The Boss was one of my favorite shows for the obvious reason (hot Italian housekeeper). Even as an old-ish kid I could appreciate a good looking dude.
What about a new TV channel called HIM! (Hot Italian Men)?
I could get on board with a channel called HIM!
Haha! Bring on HIM!
Hey, Dude! was pretty terrible. I only watched a few episodes. The one kid in it was kind of 80s hot, though.
I have several of the same shows on my list and a few of your other ones, I had really considered.
I’m with you. There is just no quality TV programs out there any more worthy of the whole family. There is cursing, sex, just inapropriate topics for my children to be watching. I’ve been complaining about this for years. I wish someone out there in the TV world would listen! Family values and morals haven’t slipped away in every family.
OMG! Small Wonder! I totally forgot about that show!!
What about Wonder Years? Or Mr. Bellevedere? (LOL, spell check says Bellevedere should be ‘delivered’)
Mr. Bellevedere was on my list! I took it off because I have a post in my drafts dedicated only to him. :)
I love the dancing Cosbys!!! And My 2 Dads!!! Forgot about that one. Good choices!
When I saw that prompt I was thought, oh that is a great post idea… but then I couldn’t think of any TV shows. Once I saw your choices a flood of memories came over me. We used to make sure we were home to see the Cosby Show (you know before DVRs). The whole family loved watching it together. And (looking both ways… shhh) I’ll still turn on Saved By the Bell reruns and actually watch them in the early a.m. Now that you’ve triggered memories I would bring back Dukes of Hazard and OMG remember Kids Incorporated? Thanks for the memories!! -Laverne from Kindred Adventures
Wow, memories! I had forgotten about many of these. I wonder what shows are children will miss when they are our age!
My kids loved Saved by the Bell and I loved Who’s the Boss and I also hated when Seventh Heaven was cancelled. Wasn’t that a great show?
I can not even believe that you don’t have Dukes of Hazzard on this list. {smh}
The one show that I enjoy watching with my kids is Good Luck Charlie. I love it. The mom is hilarious, the kids are normal, the baby is cute. I think it is a great show.
Hmm, I’ve never heard of Good Luck Charlie!
And Dukes of Hazzard was awesome!!
Did you know you can watch Charles in Charge on NBC.com? They have a ‘Classic Shows’ section in the menu and it is awesome. Thank you for the list. I love writing with you every week.
I had no idea!!! That’s so cool! :) I know what I’ll be doing all weekend now…
There is nothing on TV that I can watch with my kids, unless you count Word Girl. But that’s a kids’ show and so I really don’t watch it with my kids. Honest!
Love Hey Dude! But you are right it should be put to rest. Great list!
I miss Growing Pains (young Leo!) and Hey Dude! Excellent shows! Remember Salute your Shorts?
Yes!! Hahaha! Forgot about that one!
I LOVED Hey Dude…I so wanted to go work there. A girl named Brad? Get out of town.
Brad! I couldn’t think of her name!!
OMG I totally forgot about “My Two Dads.” I loved that show! One serious, one funny?
Delightful.
I loved, loved Rags to Riches and have spent many hours discussing the show if my girlfriend. Miss it terribly. And I completely had repressed Hey Dude, so thanks.
I loved this prompt! I did the TV one as well! It got me thinking about shows I used to watch all the time and reminded me how terrible most of the stuff on TV is now :)
And now I feel old! Reminiscing over my childhood favs has made me realize how many years have past. And also how much family viewing has changed. And mostly for the worst ??
Hey. Don’t forget about the Wonder Years!
I’m in the middle of moving & would have LOVED to write about this topic, but I’m super busy. So instead I turned it into a discussion with the husband. I had 7 out of your 10!! My kind of girl!! I thought I may be the only chick on Earth who missed Rags to Riches. Absolute favorite! And I don’t know what’s more depressing, missing these shows or hearing my husband say, “Silver what??? Never even heard of it!” Day what?!?! That is a boy who missed out on televisions finest!
That’s so funny! So what were the other three you had??
I pee’d a little when I saw Rags to Riches! I thought I was the only person who watched that show ;)
Loved the list. Thinking I am much older…was thinking Bewitched, Little House on the Prairie. Which is why I did not choose the TV list.
Little House on the Prairie is timeless!!! Loved that show!
Love your shows! Awesome and I love the humor you’ve added there…
Love your list! There was a few I didn’t know, but most I can totally remember sitting down together and watching! TV is not what it used to be, even Disney Channel’s shows I have to monitor and discuss certain situtations. It’s crazy! Bring back the CBC!
I agree!! I love all of those shows…I’d actually forgotten about some of them!
We watch reruns of The Cosby Show religiously. I love that the girls love it as much as their dad and I do (although I suppose they may like less how we will recite entire episodes). And I can still sing the entire theme song to Charles in Charge. I miss Cheers.
I had forgotten many of these. What a fun memory walk!
I watched almost all of them. But “Hey Dude”?? Never heard of it! lol
I used to LOVE ‘rags to riches.’ Not that many people have heard of that! Awesome :)
I’m SO with you on “The Cosby Show”. Oh how I wanted Cliff to be my dad!
I think you and I must be really close in age, because those were some of my faves too. Add in Full House and I’d be set. I LOVED Rags to Riches…the youngest was on that Just the Ten of Us Show too. I used to get mistaken for her all the time…guess I was a doppelganger during my bangs phase.
I had completely forgotten about a few of these shows but The Cosby Show was one of the best shows to ever grace the television screen!
How about Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire, Salute Your Shorts, Clarissa Explains It All, Are You Scared of the Dark?, Goosebumps, Eerie PA, Daria, 90210 the original show (not this lame-o attempt at a new series), Home Improvement (I heart JTT forever!), Friends.
Love the prompts this week!! And so glad that I am not the only one who fully accepted “small wonder” as good television!!!!
you get serious points for the Rags to Riches reference. I taped EVERY episode of that show. My cousins and I were obsessed and decided we WERE the characters on the show. I was Rose! Anywho, love this list!
What a walk down memory lane! I had little mini-flashbacks to being plopped on the couch together as a family … actually being entertained and taught about life (in a good way) all at the same time!
Thanks for hosting this week again!
Fun list! I thought about doing this prompt but a) wasn’t sure I could think up 10 shows and b) knew the shows I did pick (“Emergency 51,” anybody?) would seriously date me!
We used to watch TV as a family when I was growing up too. Remember the shows on TGIF? Full House, Family Matters…. it was awesome.
Family TV today sucks. I would LOVE for all the shows you listed to come back.
so many good shows mentioned. Loved Cosby, the Muppets, Sunday night of Disney and Little House on the Prairie.
loved the cosby show! i’d bring back boy meets world, too.
OMG!!! I love your list. I totally forgot about rags to riches. I watched all of these shows and your right Hey Dude was the only thing on all summer :-) I’m really late with this prompt. I need to get on my list.
O.M.G.
Alright, so every single one of those shows definitely needs to make a comeback. But what about “Out of This World?”
I WAS going to put Out of this World, but I thought for sure no one would remember that one!! So funny that you called it out!
Love Bill Cosby, and I might have to try that Rags to Riches series. I love all the very old ones. There will always be a special place in my heart for good, clean, moral sit coms!
I chose the same prompt, but I realize that I’m in the generation after you. None of those shows were on my list!
Ah, thanks for these blasts from the past! I think your list is almost identical to what mine would be, but I would add Family Ties. Small Wonder freaked me OUT. Silver Spoons – Ricky Schroeder – my first love. (Michael J was my second.) Glad to find your blog!
We all watch iCarly together. Weird I know lol. I remember watching a few of those with the family when I was a kid. I think now that all the kids have their own TV’s in their rooms they just focus on one age group for tv?
There are just too many good shows to choose from, so I decided to go with some perhaps more obscure ones that people may not remember or have even heard of…Today’s Special, Fifteen, Swan’s Crossing…and more with a surprise ending ;)
Saved by the Bell, Small Wonder, and Dude Ranch. Yah. They were cool. I think I would add “The Wonder Years.” I mean, a cute boy’s troubles all because of a cute girl? Classic.
I agree with most of your shows, but i guess you forgot Full house.