#TBT: The Best of TGIF

TGIF on ABC was a golden age of television for a child/young teen growing up in the 1990s. “Thank God It’s Friday” (or, according to ABC, “Thank Goodness It’s Funny”) was something to look forward to. Although there was a wide-range of shows on during that time (like adult favorite, Perfect Strangers or the show that moved to Saturday mornings, Hanging with Mr. Cooper), almost all of them revolved around families of some kind; all of them were also comedies. For today’s Throwback Thursday, let’s take a look at some of the best–and our favorite–TGIF TV shows.

I’ll let you in on a secret: the first two fan letters I ever wrote were to Uncle Jesse/John Stamos (I’m still waiting for my reply) and Stephanie Tanner/Jodie Sweetin (her autographed headshot-postcard was one of the best pieces of mail I ever received). Needless to say, I loved Full House. Not only did it leave a lasting legacy of one-liners and phrases (“You got it dude”, “Cut it out!”, “How rude!”, and “Have mercy!”), the episodes always had a good wholesome message of the strength of a family’s love for each other. Cheesey? Yes. Wonderful? Resounding yes!

Steve Urkel (Jaleel White) was legendary. His transformation into Stephan was jaw-dropping. Family Matters was about the Winslow family who lived in Chicago. Since I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, I immediately liked the show. Steve Urkel’s dogged pursuit of Laura Winslow (Kellie Shanygne Williams) was at the heart of the show and made me laugh at least a few times each episode.

Another super Midwest-based family (woohoo for Wisconsin!) was found in Step by Step. Like an updated version of The Brady Bunch, divorced dad Frank (Patrick Duffy) meets widowed mom Carol (Suzanne Somers) and get married. They each bring three kids to the marriage–and, of course, the sets of kids could not be more different. Growing up watching this show, I wanted to be a smart, sassy girl like Dana (Staci Keanan), a beautiful, fashionable girl like Karen (Angela Watson), or the blossoming tomboy like Al (Christine Lakin). The bickering and feuds of the blended Lambert-Foster family grew into one giant supportive household. It was great! (Aside from Cody…that character was beyond annoying.)

Dinosaurs sprung from the brilliant mind of Jim Henson (although it did not become a television show until a year after he passed). A show made up of dinosaur puppets–the Sinclair family–on Friday night prime time was a refreshing change. Baby Sinclair, voiced by Kevin Clash (the original voice behind another famous puppet: Elmo) spawned one of the most mimicked lines from the show: “Not the mama!”

Wishing and dreaming about having magical powers made Sabrina the Teenage Witch a natural hit in my TV lineup. How cool would it be to turn 16 and discover you were a good witch who could cast spells and have a magical talking cat, Salem? As Sabrina (Melissa Joan Hart) navigated the turbulent years of high school, she was able to use magic to help her through. Her aunts, Hilda (the funny Caroline Rhea) and Zelda (Beth Broderick), made for some wonderfully wacky sidekicks slash mentors.

It’s a rare show that follows it’s characters from sixth grade all the way through college. Boy Meets World did it and actually managed to sustain believable plotlines throughout. Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) was pretty much the every-boy so he was easy to relate to. Topanga (Danielle Fishl) wasn’t afraid to be herself. Mr. Feeny (William Daniels) was the teacher we all wanted to have. And, Shawn (Rider Strong)…well, Shawn was the boy we all had crushes on! The show had such a strong following that it recently had a sequel, Girl Meets World.