5 Classic Nickelodeon Series That Need To Be Revived

If you’re a child of the ’90s, than you most likely remember how glorious and fun Nickelodeon used to be.

It was a network that broke barriers, related to kids as if they were adults, and gave us all something good to obsess over.

SNICK was the coolest thing to watch on a Saturday night and Clarissa really helped us to stand up to bullies.

We all wanted a piece of the infamous Aggro Crag, while Hey Dude was basically a daytime soap for kids with life lessons along the way.

All That was Saturday Night Live for pre-teens and jump-started the careers of many comedians, while Are You Afraid of the Dark made us turn off the lights, huddle up with our pals, to prepare for getting the crap scared out of us (except for the Ryan Gosling episode because we were to busy swooning).

All of these shows offered younger viewers good, clean, and innocent entertainment without forcing adult themes down our throats.

This beloved era of kids TV can probably never be imitated, but maybe it can be revived, giving children today quality programming for kids – something that seems to have been left behind in the early ’90s.

Sorry, Disney Channel – but you’re no match for early 1990’s NICK! Are you ready to get hit in the feels with some nostalgia?

Let’s get on with 5 classic Nickelodeons series that need to be revived (as in brought back to prime time television as re-runs or a continuation of the original series)…

Clarissa Explains It All

Clarissa Explains It All starring Melissa Joan Hart as Clarissa Darling was the first show on Nickelodeon to feature a female lead. With such a ground-breaking idea, the series followed through with empowering young girls and actually explaining quite a bit about life in a way that pre-teens could understand.

Clarissa quickly became a quirky role model for many who were even trying to copy her funky style, like not matching is the new matching.

She spoke directly to the camera, making a real connection with the audience and addressing the struggles that every girl her age would encounter.  Each episode had a theme like boys, school, college, first job, getting a driver’s license, getting her first training bra, dealing with bullies, shoplifting lingerie – all of which were presented as real-life situations as opposed to being over-exaggerated for the sake of comedy.

Clarissa taught us that it was cool to be different and smart – that we could honestly do whatever we wanted with our lives. Many actually turned to the show for advice on sensitive subjects we didn’t want to speak to parents about. We could always count on Clarissa to tell us like it is, usually in the most sarcastic way possible.

Her pet alligator named Elvis, her trickster little bro Ferguson, and her ladder-climbing best friend always added comedy to the show, but deep down Clarissa Explains It All focused on what it was like to be a teen with an everyday life. 

Even though times have changed (her video game would certainly be outdated), the basic themes of the series have not. Pre-teens and teens still deal with the same exact issues everyday – so get Clarissa back on the screen to explain it all to a new generation that desperately needs some positive role models.

She helped us grow up…

 

Are You Afraid Of The Dark?

A bunch of kids who called themselves The Midnight Society, sitting around a campfire in the woods, and telling scary stories was the most talked about television show in elementary and middle schools on Monday mornings. Are You Afraid of the Dark? gave us elements of horror and scares that were appropriate for kids and actually dealt with kids as the protagonists. Yes, some of the stories were terrifying but we could still sleep at night without having nightmares or peeing our pants in fear.

In the early ’90s household, kids got together on Saturday nights to watch SNICK (instead of wreaking havoc on the streets), huddled up together, turned off the lights, and prepared themselves for a good scare or two. Some of us even created our own Midnight Societies.

Who can forget “The Tale of the Laughing in the Dark” – the story that ruined clowns for every kid that watched it. Seriously, I hate clowns!

Each episode opened up with a member submitting a story to the society and tossing midnight dust from a sacred leather pouch onto the campfire – which created this eerie smoke. We heard paranormal, supernatural tales of vampires, ghosts, hauntings, demons, magic, and even aliens – GASP!

It was like a cross between The Twilight Zone and Tales From The Crypt, but for kids. The show allowed kids to enjoy horror without crossing the line into adult themes.

Again, we can’t think of anything similar that exists today – so get Are you Afraid Of The Dark? back on the air. We know some people who would kill for some new episodes, using the same exact format – or who just want to watch the same 7 seasons again. Our VHS tapes are worn out and we desperately want to sit around that campfire again…

 

 

Hey Dude

Even though Hey Dude was rather short-lived, it still managed to give us 7 seasons between 1989 and 1991 as the second live-action show on Nickelodeon.

I think we waited all 65 episodes for rich girl Brad to get together with trouble-maker Ted.

The show was supposed to be a Western comedy, but really it was a soap opera about a single dad from New Jersey who bought Bar None Dude Ranch to escape from his busy life – and everyone who worked there over the summer. 

Remember how angry Buddy was because he couldn’t ride his skateboard on the sand? This city kid had such a hard time adjusting to life in the desert. The main cast may have changed with each season, but there was always a hunky misfit cowboy, the girl next door, the friendly Hopi Native American, a prissy rich girl, a father figure with a huge hat, a strict mother figure, and of course Buddy – the bratty kid. We still don’t know what happened to his dog, either! 

The formula and character dynamic worked well to create a relatable campy sit-com full of pranks, silly scheming, and kid-friendly drama. It would be refreshing to see a full-on reboot of this serious, new cast, same main storyline, but updated for today’s audience. Or maybe even take all the electronics away and send some overstimulated kids off to work at Bar None Dude Ranch in the middle of the desert.

Oh, and the cast had impeccable style – I’ll be the first to admit I tied a bandana around my neck and wore a Canadian tuxedo…

 

 

 

 

 

 

All That

If you aren’t singing the theme song for All That right now I don’t know what’s wrong with you. The sketch comedy series wasn’t a first for Nickelodeon (remember You Can’t Do That On Television and Wienerville) but the show spawned the careers of kid comedians – and we can’t forget Nick Cannon, Keenan Thomson, Kel Mitchell, Amanda Bynes or any of the cast because they were so darn hilarious. It was like Saturday Night Live but with kid-friendly sketches and was easily the coolest show on Nickelodeon, ever.

The cast was encouraged to ad-lib and improv for their own skits – most noteably with Good Burger. “Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger, can I take your order?” Only to have Ed (Kel Mitchell) mess up every single order.

The Loud Librarian (Lori Beth Denberg) was always screaming in her own “quiet” library and Everyday French with Pierre Escargot (Keenan Thompson) taught us incorrect foreign languages from his bubble bath.

And we can’t forget the centerpiece of the show – Vital Information. A short sketch in which a cast member stated three deadpan one liners concerning current events and pop culture. 

All That proved that kids are funny and young comedic talent needs a place to be showcased. With that said – let’s get some new kids with raw talent back on the All That set to create new sketches for the sole reason of making other kids laugh out loud. 

Oh, oh, ooooooh this is All That, this is aaaalll that!

 

 

 

Guts

GUTS…do you have it?

Mike O’ Malley and his referee pal Mo, gave us the best obstacle course game show for kids, ever. GUTS (which ran from 92-96) was not easy, we saw kids go down left and right – but when the winner climbed the infamous Aggro Crag and grabbed a piece of that fake rock, we all won. Victory was felt through the masses of kids that were sitting at home in front of their televisions cheering on the contestants.

Move over, American Ninja Warrior – this is Nickelodeon GUTS we’re talking about here! The most hyped and exciting action sports kids show of all time that eventually went global and took over the world. The contestants started with Slam Dunk, The Elastic Jungle, The Slide for Life, and lots of crazy obstacles in the official “rapids” pool. These are real athletes who trained for months to even get on the show. 

Let’s go to Mo…in the video below (starting former Backstreet Boy A.J. McClean) so you can all feel the excitement:

After watching that, I think it’s safe to say that GUTS needs to be revived, maybe with an updated version of the famous Aggro Crag. All kids deserve a chance to get a piece of that thing, considering the trophies are still selling on eBay for a couple thousand bucks…