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[ tv - shows ]
| American Broadcast Center (ABC) used to be the premiere network for family programs when we were growing up, with shows like "Family Matters", "Full House", and "Family Ties". |
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Show Name: The Wonder Years Running Date: 1988-1993 Cast: Fred Savage, Josh Saviano, Danica McKellar, Dan Lauria, Alley Mills, Olivia d'Abo, Jason Hervey Synopsis: Kevin Arnold in flashback voiceover retells his adolescence during the turbulent 60's and 70's. The show's run follows Kevin from junior high to the end of his high school years. It also spotlights (sometimes a bit too much) Kevin's infatuation and love for the girl next door, Winnie Cooper. |
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Favorite Episode: "Ninth Grade Man" - The introduction of Madeline (whom we liked much better than "Whinie")
and who didn't crack up at Kevin speaking French "Voulez-vous de beurre?" Favorite Quotes: "I remember a place ... a town ... a house like a lot of houses... A yard like a lot of other yards... On a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is ... After all these years, I still look back ... with wonder" Why We Love It: Because Kevin was adorable (pre-Savage brother curse) and we're suckers for voice-over narration. | |
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Show Name: Growing Pains Running Date: 1985-1992 Cast: Alan Thicke, Joanna Kerns, Kirk Cameron, Tracey Gold, Jeremy Miller Synopsis: Jason, Maggie, Mike, Carol, and Ben compose the Seaver family, the epitome of tv families. Watch as devious Mike gets into trouble and makes fun of Carol "The Brain". Then watch parents Jason and Maggie "talk it out" with their kids and resolve all the problems by the end of the closing credits. |
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Favorite Episode: "Ben and Mike's Excellent Adventure" - Ben and Mike race through the city on a mission to buy glue and finish Ben's
school project. Of course nothing is ever as easy as going to the store and buying glue, thus resulting in an excellent adventure (gee I wonder
what famed movie came out around this time... Anyone? Anyone?) Favorite Quotes: "Miii-ke!" Why We Love It: Though a simple family sitcom, the Seavers were actually pretty funny. Mike was cute (what girl didn't have a Kirk Cameron shrine in her bedroom?), until he grew up and started wearing tapered/pleated chinos. While we didn't love the addition of Chrissy Seavor, Leonardo DiCaprio was pretty cute. | |
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Show Name: My So-Called Life Running Date: 1994 Cast: Claire Danes, Jared Leto, Devon Gummersall, A.J. Langer, Wilson Cruz, Devon Odessa Synopsis: Teen angst was never expressed better than through Angela Chase and company. Only on for one season, there will never be another Angela, Brian, Rayanne, Ricky and sadly Jordan Catalano. Man, that guy made putting in eye drops look good. |
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Favorite Episode: "In Dreams Begins Responsibilities" - The show's swan song. Included great lines like
"If you wanna burn this letter, do it. You could burn the whole world down.
You could tell me to go to hell -- I'd go, if you wanted me to. And I'd send you a letter from there"
and a precarious ending that left fans wondering and wishing. Favorite Quotes: "Your hair. Like it's really soft, like in the back. I'm gonna miss it" "We'll have a time" Why We Love It: Teen angst at its best. Angela Chase could use the word "like" three hundred times in a row without sounding like a valley girl. Plus we're suckers for voice-over narration. | |
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Show Name: Alias Running Date: 2001- Cast: Jennifer Garner, Michael Vartan, Bradley Cooper, Victor Garber Synopsis: Sydney Bristow is a double agent for the CIA and SD-6, a counter CIA agency. As Sydney weeds through all the lies, she kicks butt and gets to work with a hotter than hot CIA handler, Vaughn (Vaughn can "handle" me any day!). If all government jobs were like this, then sign me up! |
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Favorite Episode: Any episode where Vaughn works with Sydney or saves Sydney. He can kick some butt himself. Oh, and
when he spoke Italian, it was just too good. This is a guy who can wear leather pants any day. Favorite Quotes: "That sound - you know that boom? That's my mind blowing" "Because I believe in you" and "When you're at your absolute lowest, your most depressed, just remember that you can always, you know . . . you've got my number." (awww Vaughn, we wish we had your number...) Why We Love It: Michael Vartan, Michael Vartan, and did we mention Michael Vartan? Plus Sydney's one tough chick who gets to wear all sorts of disguises and costumes. | |
| National Broadcasting Center (NBC) - home of "Must See TV" |
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Show Name: Friends Running Date: 1994- Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer Synopsis: Six friends living in New York. This is really the show about "nothing" but somehow, the basis for "everything." |
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Favorite Episode: Gees is there any episode that ISN'T great? We read EW's "Friends" special edition with full episode guide and couldn't find one... Favorite Quotes: "The lotion and powder have made a paste!" "PI-VOT! PI-VOT!" "Just so you know, it's not that common, it doesn't happen to every guy, and it is a big deal!" Why We Love It: Because every episode, whether the 1st or 40th time makes us laugh out loud. | |
| Warner Brothers (WB) - home of teen drama |
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Show Name: Felicity Running Date: 1998-2002 Cast: Keri Russell, Scott Speedman, Scott Foley, Amanda Foreman, Ian Gomez, Greg Grunberg, Donald Faison (okay so he wasn't a title character but damn he's hot!) Synopsis: Felicity Porter decides to follow her high school crush Ben Convington to New York University based on what he writes in her yearbook. The show ran for four years, the duration of Felicity's college life. We watched Felicity in the bitter struggle between the age old question, Ben or Noel? The show became more as we watched Felicity cut her hair, grow it back, and be loved by Ben. Frustrating? Sometimes. Heartbreaking? Always. |
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Favorite Episode(this list could go on forever): "Pilot" - The start of it all with the words "I've watched you for four years. Always wondered what you were like...
what was going in on your mind all the time that you were so quiet, just thinking, drawing in your notebook. I should've just asked you, but I never asked you...P.S. I would've said 'keep in touch,' but unfortunately we never were in touch." "The Graduate" - Ben proposes to Felicity, there's a tender love scene between the two, and Ben follows Felicity across the country. Oh and they graduate from college, although why was Ben graduating when he should have still had one year left? "Back to the Future" - The last episode, and despite the cheesy title, a very good episode that elicited tears as we watched Felicity remember the past four years, proving the exception to the "flashbacks suck" rule. Favorite Quotes: "You were right, it was my turn to follow you" Why We Love It: Because Ben's smoldering eyes, because the way Felicity says the name "Ben," because the way Scott Speedman would stroke Keri Russell's arm, because of the slow way they talked, as though each word was too torturous to say, because Felicity's painfully honest confessions in her letters to Sally, because we never wept so much and because it gave us something to look forward to each week. | |
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Show Name: Gilmore Girls Running Date: 2000- Cast: Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Keiko Agena, Scott Patterson, Milo Ventimiglia, Jared Padalecki Synopsis: Lorelai Gilmore raises her teenage daughter Rory in the quirky yet picturesque town of Stars Hollow. A show about a mother and daughter relationship more like that of best friends also featuring some hottie guys. That Rory is a lucky girl. |
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Favorite Episode: All of them that don't include Lorelai and Max "Cardboard Man" Medina's relationship, because
Lorelai is meant to be with Rory's dad Chris! Favorite Quotes: "What's wrong with the tomato?" "It was fraternizing with the enemy", "I'm not fighting you. It'd be like fighting an accountant. I'll call you when I need my taxes done. " "What's his CD collection like?" "Don't read into his CD collection...It's a kind of general collection." "Uh oh...Are we talking a dozen soundtracks, a few Beatles, a Bob Dylan, plus a generic fifty? Alanis Morrisette? Dave Matthews? Buena Vista Social Club? Enya?" "I'm gonna hit you." Why We Love It: Because they talk almost as much as we do. | |
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Show Name: Smallville Running Date: 2001- Cast: Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, Kristin Kreuk Synopsis: Clark Kent in his pre-Superman high school years. Apparently high school is an ordeal for even the "Man of Steel". He's best friends with Lex Luthor and head over heels in love with dewy-eyed Lana Lang. He saves a lot of lives, just not in a red cape and briefs. |
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Favorite Episode: "Metamorphosis" - Clark returns Lana's beloved necklace, selflessly reuniting her with boyfriend Whitney. Man of Steel
and proves to be one of Honor as well. Favorite Quotes: Cheesy lines like "Think we'll ever end up like that?" "Trust me, Clark. Our friendship will be the stuff of legends" that remind us of Superman's future. Why We Love It: Tom Welling's 8-pack.. yeah if only guys looked like that when we were in high school. | |
| Music Television (MTV) - The channel single handedly responsible for killing the radio star, although we've recently pondered where the actual music videos are... maybe MTV2? |
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Show Name: Daria Running Date: 1997-2001 Cast: Daria, Jane, Trent, Quinn Synopsis: Cynical high schooler Daria Morgendorffer and her best friend Jane criticize everything about their dinky town (dang, hits close to home for us) including their stereotypical peers, Daria's popular, materialistic little sister, demanding workaholic mother, and kooky, clueless father. Oh, and it's animated. A very smart cartoon (especially considering that Daria was created on "Beavis and Butthead"). |
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Favorite Episode: "Pierce Me" - Daria gets her belly button pierced with Trent, her untouchable crush who makes her blush. Favorite Quotes: "Can we get on with this? I have someplace to go. Television counts as a place." Why We Love It: Because her sarcastic humor. | |
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Show Name: The Real World Running Date: 1992- Cast: Usually a mix of seven of the following stereotypical personalities: the troublemaker, proud black man, naive white girl, hot gay guy (save Dan from Miami), promiscuous slut, annoying chick (there may be several of these in one season), housemate who isolates themselves to the point you wonder "Why did they want to do this show?", drama queen bitch(again, may be several of these), token hottie who reels in the audience with the hope that we'll see a glimpse of his shirtless bod, the player, the naked housemate, and the introspective boring one. Synopsis: Seven strangers picked to live in a house and have their lives taped. To find out what happens when people stop being polite, and start getting real. The Real World... (Dang, is that thing copyrighted? Hope not) |
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Favorite Episode: Any with Danny from New Orleans in that gray sweater (he must have loved that thing as much as we loved it on him!) or
Colin from Hawaii in his swim trunks grinning that dimpled smile and complaining about Amaya (when they got together it made our blood boil!) Favorite Quotes: Why We Love It: Who does't love drama and gossip when it doesn't involve you? Great water cooler material. | |
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Show Name: Road Rules Running Date: 1994- Cast: Usually a mix of six of the following stereotypical personalities: the troublemaker, proud black man, naive white girl, hot gay guy, promiscuous slut, annoying chick (there may be several of these in one season), housemate who isolates themselves to the point you wonder "Why did they want to do this show?", drama queen bitch(again, may be several of these), token hottie who reels in the audience with the hope that we'll see a glimpse of his shirtless bod, the player, the naked housemate, and the introspective boring one. Sometimes a mix of "Real World" characters from above. Synopsis: Six people stuck in a Winnebago for 3 months as they travel across a country competing in "missions" all the whilst, hooking up with each other in the tight quarters. |
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Favorite Episode: Usually whichever one just aired. Lucky for us that MTV reruns them... over and over and over. Favorite Quotes: "They look like bootleg Backstreet Boys" - Campus Crawl Why We Love It: It's "Real World" Gladiator-style | |
| Disney Channel - The single greatest channel on tv due to its addictive cheesy kid shows. |
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Show Name: Even Stevens Running Date: 2000- Cast: Christy Romano, Shia LaBeouf, Nick Spano (gotta include him because he's frequently spotted by Karen) Synopsis: Ren Stevens vs. her brother Louis Stevens. Ren is the total type A and Louis is her crazy brother. We actually prefer the episodes that revolve around Ren and her potential love interests, ie. Bobby Deaver and Matt the Moviesurfer. |
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Favorite Episode: "Strictly Ballroom" - Ren attempts to hook up with her crush, Bobby Deaver, at a party, a hard task to do when she has a fern growing out of her
hair and gets her heel stuck in the toilet. She ends up talking to Bobby for the first time while looking like a drowned rat... Favorite Quotes: "High five!" Why We Love It: Because it's so reminiscent of the family tv we grew up on... Donna Garland (can anyone forget Evie Garland and her amazing ability to freeze time?) is Mrs. Stevens! | |
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Show Name: Lizzie McGuire Running Date: 2001- Cast: Hilary Duff, Lalaine, Adam Lamberg, Jake Thomas, Clayton Snyder Synopsis: Lizzie and her junior high school antics with Gordo and Miranda. In between are cuts of an animated Lizzie (who suspiciously looks like a younger, slimmer Luanne). |
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Favorite Episode: "Sibling Bonds" - Lizzie getting handcuffed to pesky brother Matt who embarasses her in front of hot stud Ethan Craft. "Scarlett Larry" - Lizzie on a date with class nerd Larry Tudgeman. Favorite Quotes: Why We Love It: A cute show that manages not to condescend its teen audience or the banshee audience (although I remember a certain banshee who upon watching the first episode called it the most heinous show to hit ZoogDisney since "The Jersey"). | |
| The Learning Channel (TLC) - With shows like "Wedding Story" and "Pierced Parts Uncovered," TLC is not your average educational channel. |
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Show Name: Trading Spaces Running Date: 2000- Cast: Paige Davis, Frank, Genevieve, Hildy, Vern, Laurie, Doug, Ty, Amy Wynn Synopsis: 2 days, 2 sets of neighbors, 2 designers, $1000 |
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Favorite Episode: Any show with Vern Yip's designs, Ty's spiky hair, or Amy Wynn's sarcasm Favorite Quotes: "Are they trying to prove they can make a bedroom look like a patio?" Why We Love It: What's not to love? Decorating and redecorating. Painting, fabrics, crafts (not the Frank kind) and hunky carpenter Ty if we're lucky. | |
