As a late 90s kid, there were a plethora of quality TV shows for me to watch. That is, there would have been, if I had had cable. Seeing as I was deprived of shows such as Hannah Montana that were shown on Disney Channel, I’m often accused of not having a childhood.
“You didn’t watch Lizzy McGuire? You didn’t have a childhood.”
“You didn’t watch Ed, Edd, and Eddy? You didn’t have a childhood.”
I always laugh at these comments, like, “Oh, yeah, you’re right, stupid me.” After admitting I missed out on this prime television, my friends normally ignore me and return to their own conversation. They laugh and bond over whatever silly gags abounded in whatever show they were reminiscing on, leaving me sitting awkwardly listening with nothing to contribute to the conversation.
As a small one, I would often run home from school, embittered that I did not have access to the wonderful realm of cable TV. I would give pitch after pitch to my mother, trying, rather unsuccessfully, to convince her that in order to be happy, I needed cable. Alas, such a luxury was not in my future, and I was reduced to watching PBS and other off-brand shows that our bunny-ear antenna could pick up.
That being said, I can now look back fondly on the shows that I did watch. Read Between the Lions? Great (Cliiiiif Hangeeeer. Hanging from a cliff! Yes? No? Okay). A show centered around a talking Siamese cat? Why not! Sagwa is cute, and you can find full episodes on Youtube, if you are so inclined. My all-time favorite was Cyberchase. I can still remember their names, Jackie, Matt, and Inez, without having watched the show since early middle school. That was a quality emission, and I have yet to meet anyone who watched it and didn’t like it.
Whenever I meet someone who did watch the same shows as me, it instantly takes me back to my childhood. I return to a time when there was a max of thirty minutes of homework (ah, the days). I’m plunked back down on my floral couch watching Arthur with my brother. And, as it turns out, there is a meme culture centered around Arthur the Aardvark. So while, yes, I did miss out on some of the *cool* shows, I have minimal regrets. The PBS programs that I grew up on are still with me today, and if I want, I can watch 5 hours of Kim Possible, because a) what else is college for? and b) the internet is a magical place.
