REMEMBER THIS?
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You may, but the Internet does not, judging by how Space Cases is never mentioned in the countless nostalgia articles, listicles, T-shirts, references (etc) found throughout the web. I have taken it upon myself to correct this cosmic Internet wrong. The popular shows that us 90's kids all remember were great, but these forgotten shows were great too. What were they? Put on your rose-tinted nostalgia goggles and let's take a look.
Space Cases
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Started: 1996
Ended: 1997
Plot: A bunch of crazy space kids (not all of the same species) wind up on a space ship and go on adventures. As always, hilarity ensues. Danny Tamberelli was in an episode.
Notes: "Catalina" (Jewel Staite) was Kaylee in Firefly. "Radu" (Kristian Ayre) voiced the owl in the Little Bear tv show. "Harlan Band" (Walter Jones) played the black ranger in the first incarnation of Power Rangers.
Other Thoughts: Radu's Ears!
Radu's ear:
Here's Radu making out with some scaly alien female.
Hey Dude!
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Started: 1989
Ended: 1991
Plot: A NYC accountant moves out to the country and buys a ranch. He brings his annoying son along. Some even more annoying teens spend their summer at there employed as ranch hands.
Notes: "Melody" (Christine Taylor) ended up marrying Ben Stiller.
Other thoughts: Any time myself, my sisters, or my friends heard the intro to this song, we groaned. Hey Dude wasn't our cup of tea. Apparently, it wasn't anyone else's as it only lasted 2 years. However, perhaps that was because it was too ahead of its time. Hey Dude catered to a teenage demographic, one that didn't exist yet for Nickelodeon but would become huge for them as time went on.
Some of the more sordid moments from Hey Dude...
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They'd never get away with any of this today.
My Brother and Me
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Started: 1994
Ended: 1995
Plot: Usual kids sitcom BS. Not really any "story arc" to speak of.
Notes: There was a kid nicknamed "Goo" in the show. Nickelodeon's first show to feature an all-African American cast. A video of "Alfie" (Arthur Reggie) rolling a blunt on YouTube surfaced years later.
Other thoughts: I enjoyed this show as a kid. It had potential.
"Alfie" today.
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He's the one with the blunt.
Here's an episode:
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The Secret World of Alex Mack
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Started: 1994
Ended: 1998
Plot: Girl accidentally gets blasted with some kind of magic, space-age chemical. She gets superpowers from the accident including the ability to morph into metallic ooze not unlike the T-1000 from Terminator 2 (except with way worse special effects).
Notes: "Alex Mack" (Larisa Oleynik) would later have roles in Hawaii Five-0, Mad Men, and 3rd Rock from the Sun.
Other thoughts: Arguably one of the best-made, non-animated Nickelodeon shows of the 1990s.
An episode:
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The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo
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Started: 1996
Ended: 1998
Plot: A character who's way younger than the actress playing her goes around solving mysteries.
Notes: MR. MIYAGI!
Other thoughts: MR. MIYAGI!
The Journey of Allen Strange
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Started: 1997
Ended: 2000
Plot: An alien with magic powers gets stranded on earth and finds refuge with an American suburban family. Sounds a lot like E.T.
Notes: "Allen" (Arjay Smith) would later act in Malcom and the Middle and The Day After Tomorrow, among other things.
Other thoughts: Not too many. Wasn't a big fan of this show, I just put it on here because nobody ever really mentioned it on their nostalgia trips back to the 1990's.
100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd
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Started: 1999
Ended: 2002
Plot: A bully gets turned into a dog and can only change back if he does 100 good deeds. As an added kicker, only the last kid he last bullied can hear him talk. To everyone else, he just barks.
Notes: Seth Green voiced the dog.
Other thoughts: This show always freaked me out.
The first episode:
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In conclusion...
I hope this list of shows has rekindled the dimming embers of these shows to brightly burning flames within your memory. People from our generation will always remember Rugrats, Clarissa Explains It All, Legends of the Hidden Temple, and so many other shows. However, the ones listed above (and perhaps even a few more) were never quite as popular as these mega-hits and therefore are doomed to be forgotten if the internet world isn't periodically reminded about them. I hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane, even if it may have been a bit foggy due to the obscure subject matter.
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