4 1990s Sitcoms That ’80s Kids Still Remember (But Are Almost Impossible to Watch Now)

It almost feels like everything from the ‘90s has been discussed, but there are some 1990s sitcoms that are, well, not remembered too fondly. Most people from that generation probably know about these shows, but they also probably won’t want to watch them again. Overall, that era brought a lot of great entertainment, and there was a special sauce to it that doesn’t seem to exist in modern series, sadly.

The funny thing about these shows is that they are still incredibly easy to remember. Maybe there was one standout character. Maybe the theme song hooked you. Or maybe the premise sounded great on paper. Heck, you might even remember thinking it was one of the coolest shows on television. But then you watch an episode as an adult and realize something painful. Maybe the show wasn’t actually that good. Maybe you were just eight years old.

4) “The Jersey”

The Jersey might be one of the most 1990s ideas ever put on television. A group of teenagers discovers a magical jersey that lets them switch bodies with professional athletes. That’s the entire hook. Put on the jersey, become whichever famous athlete you want. And of course, they must learn some kind of lesson, and eventually go back to being themselves. The concept is definitely interesting, but maybe it would have been better if it was a cult movie from the ’90s instead.

As a kid, this probably sounded incredible. Who wouldn’t want to become one of their favorite professional athletes for a day? The problem is that the premise is doing almost all of the work. Once the novelty wears off, you’re left with a pretty basic kids’ show. The stories are predictable, the lessons are obvious, and the humor rarely feels as clever as it probably did when you were watching it after school. It isn’t necessarily a bad memory. It’s just a better memory than it is a television show.

3) The Famous Jett Jackson

The Famous Jett Jackson had a premise that was genuinely cool if you were a kid. Jett is a teenager who plays a television action hero while also trying to live a normal life. Although it sounds simple enough, it is a surprisingly complicated meta situation. Kids got a show about a fellow kid who is famous for playing a kid who is famous. It was basically television inside television, before that became a much bigger thing.

The problem is that Jett Jackson looks like an action show until you actually watch it and realize how little action there is. The dialogue can be stiff. The stories can move slowly. Even the big adventures have the unmistakable feeling of a children’s show working with a children’s-show budget. There is still something likable about it, especially because Lee Thompson Young brought real charm to Jett. But the older you get, the more you realize that you weren’t necessarily watching it because it was great. You were watching it because you were a kid, and being a kid was great.

2) Cousin Skeeter

Cousin Skeeter is difficult to explain without making it sound like someone made up the idea as a joke. Bobby gets a new roommate who is his cousin Skeeter. But here’s the thing—Skeeter is also a talking puppet. And everyone is apparently fine with this. It seems hard to imagine a reasonable explanation for how that show’s premise ever got a green light. It’s the type of show that tried something unique, but probably would have worked better if it was a cult cartoon from the ’90s.

The strange thing is that the show doesn’t really treat Skeeter like a puppet at all. He’s just there, making jokes and getting his cousin Bobby into trouble. That means the show has to rely on Skeeter’s personality to carry everything—but that gets old quickly. The jokes are loud. The situations are broad. Almost everyone seems to be operating at the same volume. It probably felt hilarious when you were ten. Watching it now, you can almost hear your childhood self laughing from another room.

1) Teen Angel

If the other shows on this list make you question your childhood taste, Teen Angel makes you question the entire television industry. The concept is definitely morbid, but with a ‘90s fantasy twist. A teenager dies and comes back as his best friend’s guardian angel. When you’re a kid who has a tight best friend, it sounds like an amazing scenario. From there, the show turns that idea into a sitcom.

The problem is that almost nothing about the show works as well as the people making it seem to think it does. The supernatural premise gives the writers an excuse to make practically anything happen, but that doesn’t make those things funny. Even when it aired, critics weren’t exactly impressed, and some were particularly harsh about the show’s humor and performances. And yet, this is exactly the kind of show people remember. The show only lasted one season, with 17 episodes airing on ABC between 1997 and 1998.

Unfortunately, these shows don’t belong in the same class as other ’90s TV shows worth watching from start to finish. That’s the strange power of childhood television. You don’t remember whether something was good. You remember that it was yours. Then you grow up, watch it again, and discover that nostalgia has been doing some very heavy lifting.