Remember ABC's TGIF lineup from the late 80's to the mid 90's?

Step by Step
Full House
Family Matters
Boy Meets World
Perfect Strangers

Sure, they were sappy, had bad jokes, and were as corny as hell; but for some reason, many of us (including me) were hypnotically drawn to it.

What was the reason, why was the Friday night lineup so addictive?

Was it Bob Sagat, Urkel, the Olsen Twins, or some other factor?

No matter how bad those shows might look now, they are still 100 times better than ABC's current lineup.

 

to this day, i find myself asking myself "why did i ever watch these shows?" the endings to some of the episodes were so stupid, it had to do with some moral thing. or today's lesson was learned in a matter of thirty minutes.

 

"Sister, Sister"?

 

What ever happened to the other daughter on Family Matters?

 

which one?

 

The younger one, she just dissapered from the show.

 

I don't remember "Perfect Strangers" but I liked those other shows you mentioned a lot.

 

the one who played Stephanie? Jodie Sweeten, who knows what happend to her. there are only like four entrys at imdb. so who knows.

 

Perfect Strangers was awful, yet still a thousand times better than the rest of those shows. I don't think it was ever actually part of that lineup though, it came earlier.

 

I know what you mean, Sithdewd. She wasn't cute enough or something. The little boy (their cousin or something) totally replaced her.

 

Step By Step totally OWNED.

Boy Meets World, too, was a great, great, great show.



Rick McCallum loves you!

 

Ahh, memories!

I loooved Perfect Strangers. Greatest. Show. Ever. Full House and Step by Step were my other obsessions.

Family Matters was pretty cool but I loathed Boy Meets World. It was okay in the begining, but as soon as the dude got together with Topenga, it got even worse, which I didn't think was possible.

I remember there were other shows in the line-up at different points. Baby Talk, Hangin' With Mr. Cooper, You Wish, Teen Angel, and wasn't Sabrina the Teenage Witch on it for a little while?

 

Ah yes. Every Monday morning the girls would be all: "Can you believe Cory and Topanga broke up!?" the the next week, "They got back together!"

But sadly I did love that show...

And Perfect Stangers was hilarious for the first season.

 

Boy Meets World was AWESOME. Rider Strong is a malicious sexual beast that owns my soul.

 

Boy Meets World used to be one of my favorite shows. Topanga got sooo hot. Step by step was awesome too. Cody was funny as hell (when I was 9).

 

I actually saw a Full House episode the other day that Danielle Fishel was on. It was like my two favorite things ever.

 

Jeez, now I feel old, I think I grew out of TGIF just as Boy Meets World started.

The prime lineup was as follows:

8:00 - Full House
8:30 - Family Matters
9:00 - Step by Step
9:30 - Perfect Strangers

Now those shows are just depressing. Except Dinosaurs. God, that show was amazing...I enjoy it a lot more now that I get all the jokes.

 

I can still appreciate Dinosaurs. That show was so freaking cool.

 

I used to like those shows, but looking back I realize how stupid they were. That Dinosaurs show holds up pretty well in retrospect, though. But man, did that "not the momma" thing get old fast.

 

I'm so happy I'll do The Dance of Joy!

Perfect Stranges was my favorite show when it was on. I havn't seen an episode since it ended.

I belive it was already on before TGIF was created. It then moved to Fridays along with Full House, Family Matters and I can't remember the other show.

Does anybody know the original TGIF line-up?

I watched TGIF every Friday night until it went off. I even watch the awful shows like Teen Angel.

Boy Meets World was the wierdest show though. It keep changing and evolving past your typical tv sitcom. It was almost a parody at times.

Does anyone remmember these short live TGIF shows, Camp Wilder, Aliens In The Family, Going Places or the excellent yet it still got cancelled Brother's Keeper?

 

Dinosaurs! Damn, I wish I could see those again. That show was awesome.

"Not the mama!"

The last episode where they killed the sky was depressing.

 

Dinosaurs was fantastic!!! I've got a video of it in storage somewhere, and I'm sure the Disney Channel over here repeats it now and again, I would love to see it again.

 

My 8 year old insists on watching the Full House reruns on Nick at Nite.

I forgot how horrible that show was, and now I'm forced to watch an hour of it every night.

 

I'm going to try and list all the shows that were on the TGIF line-up at one time or another. Please add the shows I have forgotten or didn't remember.

The original TGIF.

Full House
Family Matters
Perfect Strangers
Step By Step
Dinosaurs
Sabrina The Teenage Witch
Sister, Sister
Hanging With Mr.Cooper
Muppets Tonights
Aliens In The Family
Clueless
Teen Angel
You Wish
Brothers Keeper
Going Places
America's Funniest Home Videos
Camp Wilder
Baby Talk

There's more I know but I can't think of them all.

Was the Growing Pains spin-off "Just the Ten of Us" ever on TGIF? I think it was.

 

Random trivia: Family Matters was a spin-off of Perfect Strangers. Harriet Winslow worked on the same newspaper as Cousin Larry. And Urkel wasn't in the first episode...he was just supposed to be the annoying neighbor who pops in every now and then, like Kimmy Gibler on Full House. But he completely took the show over.


We're gonna need another Timmy!