Things you watched as a kid that you couldn't possibly sit through now

[Peter Paltridge]

Full House -- to be fair, I could still stand some of the episodes today, but the one I'm thinking of in my head right now is the hour special where Rebecca gave birth to twins. The first half was entirely a clip show, and of that, it was mostly slow-motion montages of Michelle while they played "Youuu are sooo beautiful, to meeeeee...." This should have made anyone above the age of 12 crack. Fortunately, I was younger.

Family Matters -- as a kid I liked it, now I look back and shake my head. It was originally supposed to be some kind of Cosby Show ripoff with Carl in the Cos role, but then Urkel appeared in the first season and you know how it went from there. And what the heck...why did we watch this??

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman -- My parents are suckers for shows like these. I had to watch this because at the time I couldn't just turn something on on my own without their supervision. It was sappy, predictable and geared toward girls....not to mention historically innaccurate for the sake of political correctness. It took one episode for the townsfolk to admit an African-American into the public schools. In the 1800's??
It's weird....this was definately a show for the conservative family demographic and the writing was actually very liberal(so I have no idea who it was really selling toward). I remember the store owner barking once, "I hate that guy! I hear he promotes...FREE LOVE!!" Nobody against sexual promiscuity calls it "free love." Come on...

[Gatomon41]

Pretty much anything that was on ABC's TGIF. Loved it as a kid, but when I look back, these shows were extremly medicore.

Power Rangers - I just want to forget I even liked this show. Bad acting, bad scripts, it just horrible.

[Stu]

The He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe movie. Although, it does have great music, but a recent viewing on TV had me leaving the room.

Captain America: The Movie also belongs on this list. Anyone else remember this tripe?

[Matt-a-Tastic]

Pokemon, so terribly scripted, so terrible VA'd, so terrible crap, uhhh

Tots TV, annoying

Power Rangers, those costumes make me cringe, and so fricken corny

My Parents are aliens (earlly episodes), after the first season of this they changed the actor for one of the major charcters, when I was younger I prefered the first season, but know if seen the repeats on Nick I release its the other way around

Pochathuntus and diseny movies in genral: Some of the Diseny movies are great classics (Jungle Book, Lilo and Stich e.t.c) but the ones that arent are utter tripe

[screw on head]

Power Rangers- I haven't been able to sit through the newer incarnations, and I'm not sure I even want to re-watch the episodes I loved as a kid, which span from when the series began to about just before Zeo.

Thunder in Paradise- No, I wasn't watching it just for all the ladies running around in bathing suits on the beach. I thought it was a genuinely cool show. It aired on TNT, but I can't even remember how long it's been since I've seen this. It was basically Hulk Hogan and some other guy who rode around in a high tech boat protecting the Earth from the likes of terrorists and some other supernatural baddies.

M.A.N.T.I.S.- I don't remember how long this lasted, but I thought it was pretty neat. Carl Lumby starred as a superhero who was wheelchair bound out of costume. I was pretty disappointed when it got cancelled.

Hey, Dude!; Clarissa Explains It All; The Secret World of Alex Mack (?); Salute Your Shorts; Any show that was on Snick- I'm afraid to set eyes on any of these shows again. I do have a weird curiousity to see them again, but I'm not sure I want to...

Wishbone- Just reading that name makes the theme song ring incessantly in my head. I don't think I could every sit myself to entire half hour of this.

Eureka's Castle- This is, without a doubt, one show I couldn't ever see myself watching again.


Captain America: The Movie also belongs on this list. Anyone else remember this tripe?
Yep, I own it :D. Haven't watched it in years, but from what I remember, it was quite campy...

[Tapout]

I completely agree with Gatomon41. It the late '80s/early '90s, I lived for Friday nights. Now when I see my sister watching the reruns of that drivel on ABC Family I want to smash her face through the TV.

[DisneyBoy]

I went through a Touched by an Angel phase. Cried every Sunday night when Monica appeared to reaffirm someone's spiritual journey. It didn't last.

[Simpler Simon]

Funny, I was thinking of starting a similar thread today with those TGIF titles in mind. Full House and Family Matters really haven't aged well. Perfect Strangers and Boy Meets World are still pretty decent though.

[Patrick Bateman]

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. I was 9 when that show premiered. Loved it. Now at nearly 21, when I see it when I check for the Spider-Man toon on ABC Family, I shudder.

[Bird Boy]

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. I was 9 when that show premiered. Loved it. Now at nearly 21, when I see it when I check for the Spider-Man toon on ABC Family, I shudder.

Man, I remember when they ended the one episode with all the rangers looking through this grating and it showed that android dude healing the Green Ranger and everyone was all "OH MY GOD" and it ended and the next week had him as the White Ranger or something. I'm sure it's completely underwelming now, but as a 7 or 8 year old...

Now? I've seen what Power Rangers has 'evolved' into and what the old episodes were--I can't stand any of it anymore. I saw the first Power Rangers Movie again awhile back--I had to leave the room.

As everyones mentioned anything on TGIF. I see Boy Meets World on and I quickly flip channels. I can't stand most of the classic Nick shows now either--though Salute Your Shorts is still fun to watch. Saved by the Bell is pretty turdy now as well...

The shows are about four hundred times better than what passes as childrens entertainment now, but they still are overly sappy.

-BB

[purplehairedwonder]

Now? I've seen what Power Rangers has 'evolved' into and what the old episodes were--I can't stand any of it anymore. I saw the first Power Rangers Movie again awhile back--I had to leave the room.Strangely enough, I still like MMPR, if for the sole reason that it's sooo cheesy to me now. I watch it and just laugh at how corny it is. I sing the song "Go go Power Rangers!" and just have to laugh. It's fun to relive what used to be my most favorite show in the world. Though I never liked it after Kim left, so I still don't like those eps;) Full House I still sit through every now and then.

Some of the obvious things come to mind, like Barney. But also, Family Matters and Captain Planet... and pro wrestling. Went through a WCW faze, but when WCW turned into WWF once more, I quit watching, and now I shudder.

[Sam]

All those stupid movie's (IMO) like: "the beauty and the beast".

[Michael24]

Captain America: The Movie also belongs on this list. Anyone else remember this tripe?
I own it :) It definitely could have been much better, but at least they got Cap's costume right, Red Skull was cool in the first half-hour, and I liked Matt Salinger.

Agreed on FAMILY MATTERS and POWER RANGERS. (Though admittedly, I realized the crapness of PR not long after it started, but kept watching just for Amy Jo Johnson. :D ) FULL HOUSE I can still watch. I can see how cheesy it is now, but I can still get through an episode. There really isn't a whole lot from my childhood that I liked then but can't stand now.

[Robin2099]

I agree, the TGIF shows aren't aging very well at all. I watched Family Matters and Step by Step for a week on ABC Family, and after that I never wanted to see them again. Some episodes are good and hold up well, but most aren't. I can't stand Power Rangers either but I still like watching some of the old one's just to get a nostalgia kick. Here are some others:
-Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends: Saw this again last night and couldn't believe how awful it was.
-He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: I still like watching this show, but after seeing it again, I couldn't believe how crummer the animation was and how stupid Skeletor was in every episode. Still enjoy it though and anxiously awaiting the DVD's.
-Night Man: Technically I was a teenager when this was on and not a kid, but I can't believe how horrid it is now. The second season was even worse.
X-Men: Ok, for a Marvel animated show, but doesn't hold up very well today. Actually the only super hero cartoon from the early 90's that still holds up well is Batman.
On another note, in terms of a show that I didn't like as much as a kid but now do, I love Macgyver. When I was a kid I didn't like it cause he wasn't your basic action hero, but now I enjoy it immensly.

[Zorak Masaki]

Punky Brewster (is it just me or was every other ep a "very special episode"?)
Challenge of the Go-Bots (transformers ripoff thats only notable for one of Phil Hartmans first VA jobs)
ALF (I havent seen the show since 1992, but i doubt it would be any good now)
Growing Pains (how did i EVER appreciate this show? The jokes were BEYOND corny)
OTOH,,Ive seen some eps of a-team and knight rider and still enjoyed them,,but that might be for nostalgia reasons only.

[Tenku]

Welll...


I can't stand any Disney movie anymore. Even though I have pretty much every one that was released on tape...

As for Power Rangers, I got two movies (the original and the awful Turbo movie. Yeesh.) and the... I forgot how tall they are, but I got a set of dolls of the original Rangers, including the Green and White Ranger when I was about 6.
They are probably worth $100's now. :D

But everytime I turn on my tv to watch some, but... I just can't stand it anymore. Not the ones after Zeo anyway.

[Tapout]

I can't stand any Disney movie anymore. Even though I have pretty much every one that was released on tape...Really? The Disney movies are some of the very few things that stand the test of time. The Disney Channel is the second worst channel on TV right after Lifetime, but most of their theatrical movies are still great. I actually pulled out The Lion King about a month ago, and I'm 22.

[Fone Bone]

I AM a little surprised at the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers bashing here. I was in my late teens when the show premeired and it was so bad it was REALLY good. Once they turned to Zeo the show was no fun anymore but when they had the original five Rangers I was hooked because I loved how campy it was. Think the Adam West Batman without the intelligence.:D

As for shows I couldn't watch today there are two that come to mind. Small Wonder was a trashy syndicated sitcom in the eighties and a lot like Calvin I would watch ANYTHING on TV regardless of how bad it was. I KNEW I was watching crap every time it was on but I only really had access to like, nine channels. Small Wonder will probably go down in history as the worst TV show ever made.

Another one is Transformers. I couldn't believe how awful this was after I bought some tapes from Rhino for nostalgia purposes. The fact that so many people on this board continue to love it despite the awful animation, simplistic and stupid stories and disturbing images boggles the mind.

[MonkeyFunk]

Another one is Transformers. I couldn't believe how awful this was after I bought some tapes from Rhino for nostalgia purposes. The fact that so many people on this board continue to love it despite the awful animation, simplistic and stupid stories and disturbing images boggles the mind.
Transformers was kind of before my time, but you've got me intrigued... what kind of disturbing images did it have?

[Fone Bone]

Transformers was kind of before my time, but you've got me intrigued... what kind of disturbing images did it have?In the movie one of the Decepticons (Starscream) murders a bunch of Autobots in a graphic manner while heavy metal music plays. I got the impression this was the producers saying "Look kids! Death and destruction! Isn't that COOL?" It freaked me out because this was a children's cartoon AND I used to watch it. The show had many similar corrupt messages in the course of the series.

[Djm912]

Hey, Dude!; Clarissa Explains It All; The Secret World of Alex Mack (?); Salute Your Shorts; Any show that was on Snick- I'm afraid to set eyes on any of these shows again. I do have a weird curiousity to see them again, but I'm not sure I want to...

I can vouch for one show. The Adventures of Pete and Pete has not gotten worse over time. When it was still on 'The N', it was still a lot of fun.

[Tenku]

Really? The Disney movies are some of the very few things that stand the test of time. The Disney Channel is the second worst channel on TV right after Lifetime, but most of their theatrical movies are still great. I actually pulled out The Lion King about a month ago, and I'm 22.
Er, I actually meant the songs and how they were executed. Sure, I sang along, but now, I can't stand the singing breaking dialouge now. >_<

[JustJack]

I can vouch for one show. The Adventures of Pete and Pete has not gotten worse over time. When it was still on 'The N', it was still a lot of fun.
Abso-friggin'-lutely. Pete and Pete is like 30 minutes of comedy heaven. And we're finally getting it on DVD this may! WOO!!

ARTIE!

As for me...uhm....Land of the Lost. I found an old tape of that show. After Jurassic park, seeing those choppy clay dino's just doesn't bring out my inner child like it use to....

[Elven Moon]

Boy Meets World, Full House, Family Matters, and the other TGIF shows (excluding Sabrina: The Teenage Witch). I watch them now and I simply can't get through them - so CORNBALL!

Punky Brewster - Some of it is touching, but after buying it on DVD I've found I simply can't get into it as I did before.

[Kury Wagner]

Full House is only one I can think of right now. I can't see why I liked it so much when I was younger...

I don't understand why people don't like Boy Meets World anymore. Whenever I catch the reruns, I'm never disappointed. I miss that show so much. Sure, it weakened in the last couple of seasons, but I thought it was a good show. =\

[zmanjz]

-Night Man: Technically I was a teenager when this was on and not a kid, but I can't believe how horrid it is now. The second season was even worse.
but..... he had a "Plymouth prowler of Justice"

I should include all the Gimmicky Vehicles shows

Knight Rider
Air Wolf
Viper
The Highwayman (Co-starring Jocko "OY! I-WAY!")
Thunder in Paradise
Mantis


But to be honest I never got over that, and if one of these were on on a weekend afternoon (1PM-5PM), or weekdays between (9AM-11AM)

I'd probably watch any of them, even today... Whenever I catch the A-Team, I can't help but enjoy it... (For Military super team, they had terrible aim with machineguns..... unless someone needed to shoot the head off of a pin at a mile-a-way with a pistol, then their aim would be perfect)

[Zero-V]

nother one is Transformers. I couldn't believe how awful this was after I bought some tapes from Rhino for nostalgia purposes. The fact that so many people on this board continue to love it despite the awful animation, simplistic and stupid stories and disturbing images boggles the mind.
I love how you're catergorising every episode of Transformers as "stupid" especially since you claim you've only seen a few episodes...sounds a little biased and unfair if you ask me

Some of the people who praise it here are more objective to know the series transcended it's negatives at times, and which show HAS'NT had crap in it?

Batman: The Animated Series last two seasons were flat-out bollocks, after watching them again, there are some gems (Deep Freeze, Harleyquinade, Bane, Avatar, Riddlers' Reform) but the remainder is bogged down by crappy sub-standard simplistic fodder, it's still one of the greatest 90's cartoon ever, but it's also another time tested example that NOTHING is perfect.

Power Rangers is bashed here purly by 1990's fans desperate for some of the more fun aspects of the MMPR days, thet can't seem the show has evovled to levels that they WISH Phil of the Future could aspire to

Airwolf: First and second season aside, this series DIED when Bellsario left the series, the dark cold war undertones departed with him and what we got was some occasionally entertaining episodes, but mostly they were very simplitsic, and got worse when Canada financed the mess with the fourth season with a completly new, and badly assmebled cast of crappy actors and obvious stock footage


Captain Planet: Not the early DIC seasons, but the Hannah-Barbera seasons that completly made the series far prechier than the first 65 episodes were (they at least were primarily action-based)

[Fone Bone]

I love how you're catergorising every episode of Transformers as "stupid" especially since you claim you've only seen a few episodes...sounds a little biased and unfair if you ask me What can I do? I saw every episode when I was younger and actually BOUGHT twelve episodes and the movie a couple of years ago. Should I buy the entire series on DVD because other than the twelve episodes and movie I saw it WASN'T crappy, mayne? No, I think I'll save my money for something I'll ENJOY rather than spend another $90 on a series I really dislike. I think for a person who actually spent MONEY on the show I don't really feel anyone can accuse me of being biased OR unfair. I thought the show sucked. I'm glad you enjoyed it and there is nothing wrong with that (at least not morally:p ) but I just don't. Oh well.


Some of the people who praise it here are more objective to know the series transcended it's negatives at times, and which show HAS'NT had crap in it?
People here have ALSO said the movie was the best thing ever and I found it to be utter trash. So I take that with a grain of salt.



Batman: The Animated Series last two seasons were flat-out bollocks, after watching them again, there are some gems (Deep Freeze, Harleyquinade, Bane, Avatar, Riddlers' Reform) but the remainder is bogged down by crappy sub-standard simplistic fodder, it's still one of the greatest 90's cartoon ever, but it's also another time tested example that NOTHING is perfect.
I liked 'em. Maybe this is just another example of differing opinions!;)

[Jave]

I can't believe noone has mentioned the most cheesy, campy, "sitcom" ever made...

THE FACTS OF LIFE

[Style]

Oh well Fone. Count me as someone who likes the Transformers. Sorry you didn't like it though. If I were going to suggest someone try out the show, I would have suggested the first season. That season was better than any of the material that came after. Seasons two and three, (which is what I suspect is what you saw based on how Rhino organized those old tapes,) Was very very, crappy, with few bright spots. (Including "Megatron's master plan, which was a surprisingly good look at media manipulation and degrading good people.)


As for the movie, all I can say is that it's got the GREATEST MOVIE SOUNDTRAC IN THE HISTORY OF EVERYTHING!!! There, I said it. I'm not afraid to admit that the eighties had great music!:p

[Zero-V]

What can I do? I saw every episode when I was younger and actually BOUGHT twelve episodes and the movie a couple of years ago. Should I buy the entire series on DVD because other than the twelve episodes and movie I saw it WASN'T crappy, mayne? No, I think I'll save my money for something I'll ENJOY rather than spend another $90 on a series I really dislike. I think for a person who actually spent MONEY on the show I don't really feel anyone can accuse me of being biased OR unfair. No, you should'nt be called biased and unfair for spending money on episodes that clearly must have come from Season Two, anything that defines commercilism and lazyness is in there, thank god there WERE exceptions to the rule in that season as well. However to catergorise every episode is stretching it.

I'm not sure which ones you saw, prehaps you could enlighten me?

I only went after Batman: The Animated Series also because well...since this site does seem to praise it almost as much as the Kim Possible fans (although they don't go overboard with it), it can have it's fair share of bad apples and I felt it deserved a knocking for once.

Ah well, let the blind lead the blind, that's all I can say, beleive what you will

Season Three...god that had worse animation than Season Two, however, the writing was more or less superior

[Ren]

Wishbone- Just reading that name makes the theme song ring incessantly in my head. I don't think I could every sit myself to entire half hour of this.

Funny, I just got a couple DVDs of Whishbone from the library, just for myself, no little kids, watched it and was rather entertained. I even like the theme song, still. :sweat:

For me, I can't believe I liked all those Jonathan Taylor Thomas movies, like Man of the House and Tom and Huck. Especially Wild America, which I own.

That and Care Bears.

[Conekiller]

the other day 3 Ninjas came on tv. I watched out of morbid curiosity, and was appalled. I was appalled at the horrid acting. I was appalled at the stupid dialogue. I was appalled that I knew EVERY LINE OF DIALOGUE * goes off to the corner to cry*

[Mek]

Beast Machines
I'll admit, I like a few episodes from season 1, but that's it. After rewatching some S2 episodes, now I remembered why I fell out of love with the series in the first place. And let it be said here and now... I still hate Botanica more than I do Rick Wheeler from 'F-Zero: GP Legend'. And that's saying *alot*.

Muppet Babies
Go ahead, lynch me now. It was cute for its time and I did like it... but now I kinda, well... grew up. The songs are so corny now. (Yet, this is coming froms omeone who has a host of 'Fraggle Rock' MP3s that rival her F-Zero collection...)

Sesame Street
I loathe what it's become. Cookie Monster having to eat vegetables now was the final nail in the coffin for me.


... And pretty much all the TGIF shows from the '90s. BLEH.

[Zero-V]

It's not that hard to hate Beast Machines, it ruined the mythology of Cybertron being a purly cybernetic world, and it transformed Optimus Primal into a dirty hippie during most of Season One

As for Muppet Babies, I paid more attention to the hilarious parodies of Star Wars and other films than I did the songs

[bluedeucedodge]

I would have to say Arthur, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and wrestling. I would get up early to watch Arthur and Buster on their adventures. God that sounds so fruity. Those and Rocket Power. I swear, I wish that I could erase those from my memory.

[Fatneck]

Yes, put me down as another person who grew to hate TGIF shows as well. I found Family Matters to be the most dissapointing. I mean, for a show that exuded brillance in the form of "Do the Urkel" and Waldo Geraldo Faldo I couldn't believe that this was the same show I liked as a melonhead. But then again I thought Speed and Face-Off were the best movies ever made.

[Shark]

I remember watching Captain Planet as a kid, thinking this was the greatest show ever (second only to TMNT). Last summer, I had to get up early for work, and I would always catch it for the 5:30 showing. Good Lord, this was the most leftist show I had ever seen in my life. Most of the villians were lame, and every epidose was "Save the environment, or you're evil!"

Oh well. I still remember enjoying it as a kid, and I suppose that's what counts.

[J. B. Warner]

The Bob Saget or John Fugelsang and Daisy Fuentes "America's Funniest Home Videos". I can't believe it took me until the Tom Bergeron era to realize those three twits aren't funny.

[halinar]

Humm... lets think back

Airwolf - with it's same 3 explosions over and over.

Starblazers - I loved that one in middleschool and I rushed out and bought the first 2 DVD's when they came out... oh wow! some memories are better left alone. Besides I can't call it the wave motion gun any more after watching the subtitled movies. Ungulation gun all the way!

Have to agree with Transformers also. I picked up one of the boxed sets for my son and we watch them together... now it's painful for me but it's together time.

[Simpler Simon]

The Bob Saget or John Fugelsang and Daisy Fuentes "America's Funniest Home Videos". I can't believe it took me until the Tom Bergeron era to realize those three twits aren't funny.
I don't think I ever found him funny, not even as a kid. It was just a matter of putting up with his lame jokes until the next set of videos came on. Nowadays, those aren't that funny either...

[Peter Paltridge]

As a kid I thought Bob Saget was funny....

[AdamYJ]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- The original cartoon series. I still enjoy the movies and the new series. Even some of my old Archie comics still hold up. However, I recently watched one of the old videotapes I got from a Burger King giveaway. It was just so cheesy in a bad way. Also, Bebop and Rocksteady are not funny.

I'm also finding I have less and less patience for the X-Men cartoon from the '90s. The drama is so over-the-top. Storm's big speeches. Jean's "damsel in distress" fainting spells. Wolverine's overused "tortured loner" act. I also can't believe just how much lamer Jubilee seems in this series compared to the comics. The one thing that I have managed to enjoy more now that I'm older is how they handled the whole "sneaky scoundrel" thing for Gambit in some of the earlier episodes. There are some lines I just love hearing him say because he sounds like such a smooth bastard. Then it would be ruined by some exchange where he starts talking about himself in the third person.