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My after-school TV diet consisted mainly of 80's and 90's cartoons and a few super-entertaining cheesy shows. Most kids today would not have heard of some of these shows, but I can confidently state it would be a great watch.
80s and 90s TV Shows (USA)
I'm not one to get nostalgic about things easily, but I feel the TV programming in the 80s and 90s was far better than the large variety of options we have now. While some of the shows left a lot to be desired, most 80s and 90s TV Shows (USA) had such creativity and scrappiness born out of necessity that the effort clearly came across, making the show amazing.
The practical and special effects they used in this period still act as a guidebook for massive productions across the world to wow the audience with amazing visuals in both series and movies.
These days even all the OTT programming we have on-demand doesn't match up to the select few options we were left with in the 80s and 90s. Here are a few such series that entertained me endlessly.
It's a series with a delightful intro, a simple plot, and good execution. Wholesome entertainment for the whole family. Small Wonder revolves around a typical North American family that deals with nosy neighbors while trying to pass off a humanoid robot as their relative.
The husband has a 9-5 job at a large corporation while the wife takes care of the home and has an adorable son who is witty. Basically, it's the American Dream, minus the robot.
The acting is really on-point and the cast shares great screen chemistry with each other. You can watch the series on YouTube in lower resolution and with passable audio quality.
Tiffany Brissette plays V.I.C.I, or Voice Input Child Identicant, which is an android designed to look like a young girl. (Yes, it does sound like the replicant of Blade Runner fame)
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Jerry Supiran as Jamie Lawson is the smart alec kid who delivers his lines with the precision of a veteran sniper. He is one of the show's central characters along with Vici, who is responsible for most plot points and any adventures or hijinx they get into.
Dick Christie as Ted Lawson does a great job of playing the husband who is constantly immersed in his work to the extent that his wife has to remind him that she exists.
Marla Pennington as Joan Lawson was someone I had a crush on back in school as she represented the quintessential housewife who dotes over her husband while having the most gentle fights possible with him.
Emily Schulman as Harriet Brindle is the nosy next-door neighbor who is constantly more interested in what Jamie and his family have going on than what's happening in her own life. William Bogert as Brandon Brindle and Edie McClurg as Bonnie Brindle play the parents to Harriet, from whom she probably gets her nosy attributes.
Paul C Scott as Reggie Williams plays Jamie's friend ( who also probably serves as the token African American character on the show. )
"Tales from the Crypt" is a horror anthology series that somehow reminds me of the Robert Rodriguez movie From Dusk Till Dawn in terms of general vibe although it is a lot more darker than Tales.
Each episode featured a chilling, often darkly comedic, story with a distinct twist ending. The series was known for its iconic Crypt Keeper, a ghoulish host voice by John Kassir who voiced Scrooge McDuck for a while. The decaying host introduced and concluded each tale with deliciously dark humor. Tales from the Crypt made television horror fun, delivering a blend of suspense, shock, and satire
I never caught many episodes of this awesome show, but I will surely catch up to the episodes I missed in the coming few weeks.
Many movies and series, such as Tron and Pixels, dabble with the concept of humans physically entering a digital world. This is one such series that explores this logically flawed concept where a person fights monsters in a virtual world in a somewhat physical/cyber form hybrid.
This serial was going for an off-brand version of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and I can say they hit the mark with that vision in mind. Just like the MMPR, the SHSS would control virtual vehicles that would join together, and change into a mega robot thing that would fight bigger cyber monsters than itself.
The inside control consoles of the cyber vehicles show the friends with dark-tinted motorcycle helmets - a simple yet highly effective use of props for practical effects. The special effects have been executed well, with many practical effects and forced perspective, which is pretty impressive for the time and budget available.
Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad's jingle was pretty catchy with the team-up sequences being endlessly entertaining. The jingle and even the background music was the one thing they got right for shows of that time. The next episode's summary music is also pretty awesome with the old-school sounds of fast-paced computer beeping meant to represent the data flow on the net.
The banter in the series is super corny and cringe-inducing but the action sequences and mild twists make up for all that.
Matthew Lawrence as Sam Collins plays the boy next door, the superhero with a quiet and unassuming alter ego. His online persona is called Servo who is a digital samurai on the lines of Tron. He is the central hub to the spokes of this series and plays his role as a chocolate hero well.
Glen Beaudin is the weasely villain who reminds me of Dr. Smith in the Original Lost in Space in that he puts up an affectation of being posh and a smidge of a British accent. He together with KiloKahn creates cyber monsters who destroy virtual infrastructure, affecting his arch nemesis Sam Collins.
Tim Curry as Kilokahn as expected is pretty epic giving the villainous voice a lot of depth and body. Considering that the Big Bad decides how heroic the hero can be, Tim Curry made Matthew Lawrence look pretty good as the hero.
Jayme Betcher as Jennifer Doyle is the geeky and smart friend in the group who is a friend to the male lead even if she looks great. Doyle is the SHSS equivalent of Betty in the Archie comics.
Troy Slaten probably is closest to Turtle in "Entourage." who is an awkward goofball up for anything as long as he has company.
I have spent many a happy hour reading Goosebumps books in school while munching on some snacks. The books were just scary enough to be entertaining but not morbid enough to leave you scarred. Reading those books was like watching a great series of which I had an unlimited supply, then came the series!
An almost fitting tribute to the books that did a lot with their limited budget, the Goosebump series had a really cool intro sequence for the time. It showed the back profile of a man intended to be R L Stine walking over a hill with a suitcase full of papers that spread a creepy aura over an entire city.
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The style of R L Stine can be described as a cross between H H Munroe (Saki) and H P Lovecraft that is slightly watered down to appeal to younger readers. It almost always involved a supernatural element and suspense in every single story which kept me hooked reading the book till the end.
The graphics in the show left something to be desired, but the plot made up for it along with the background music, and the teen actors who gave it their best.
5. Xena Warrior Princess ( 1995-2001 )
Looking like a good knockoff version of Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, Xena the warrior princess is easily way cooler than Diana Prince, at least better than Godot. Xena was the first taste of a female superhero I had as a child - at least one that kicks some serious a$$.
According to Lucy Lawless, Xena: Warrior Princess is set in Bulgaria, Thrace which is basically ancient Greece in 1876 BCE. Based on Greek mythology, Xena is born a skilled fighter to redeem her previous birth where she picked on the innocent, hence in this life, she fights for the defenseless, battling for the greater good.
What's really cool about Xena is that the character started off as a three-episode arc in "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys," which the showrunners turned into a spin-off as the audience loved it so much. Its cult following to date is pretty impressive. The success of this show is in no small part due to the acting prowess of Lucy Lawless and how she wore the role like a well-fitting glove. Renee O'Connor played Gabrielle, a simple farm girl who starts off naive but matures in character with time, helping Xena more with each passing episode.
Xena is based in a world where people lived in tiny settlements such as villages and towns and were plagued by arrogant Greek Gods who ensured their prayers kept coming at the price of the people's fear and awe. You get to see Aphrodite, Ares, and a few other key Greek deities with respectable special effects that you can enjoy to date.
The plot in this series is pretty substantial and retains a sense of humor through the twists and turns that the lead character takes with her faithful sidekick. It is one of the few TV shows of the time that portrayed a strong female lead which is admirable considering it wasn't just pandering to the audience.
What I loved about this series was the various fighting styles and combat stances and even Xena's battle cry was unique to the show. Even Xena's weapons were unique such as a circular throwing weapon called a chakram ( which sounds Indian in origin ). It is basically a circular throwing star with a circular sharp edge.
Lawless is a New Zealander and significant portions of this TV show were filmed in New Zealand, with similar shooting locales as LOTR.
Should You Watch These Shows? Yes!
While Xena and Small Wonder are a great watch even today, Tales from the Crypt, Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad, and Goosebumps, might be an acquired taste for some or most of you. Either way I suggest you give all of these shows a try even if it is to make fun of the cheesy special effects, the over-acting, and more!