Hopefully, many of you share my excitement upon revisiting some older shows from classic Disney and other various channels. As we venture throughout college, we forget about all of the cute shows we watched that taught us valuable life lessons. The messages were simple, the characters were hilarious, the crushes were real, and the friendships were close. If you did not watch these shows, some of them are available through streaming; so give them a shot. But if any of you say that you have not watched at least one episode of each of the following, you are either lying or truly missed on some great entertainment!
1. Lizzie McGuire (2001-2004):
Who could forget Gordo, Miranda, and Lizzie? They were the best of friends and went though everything together during the tough years of middle school. Then, there was Lizzie’s competition, Kate Sanders, who made her life miserable, and her crush, Ethan Craft, who she just never really meshed-with. Lizzie’s parents were nerdy and nutty, and her brother, Matt, was quite the little devil. As viewers, we felt as if we were there as her friend watching her life go by. We saw her through getting her first bra, going to her first dance, and even got a glimpse of her adventures in Rome.
2. Boy Meets World (1993-2001)
Cory, Shawn, Topanga, and Eric. These characters were the heart of the show throughout all seven seasons. We were with Cory Matthews from middle school to marriage with long-time love, Topanga, in college. Coincidentally, Matthew’s neighbor and local school teacher, Mr. Feeney, always got a job at whatever school/level the protagonists were attending. We saw Shawn’s heart break for Angela. Then there was always Eric to save the day, making a fool of himself and never ending up with Rachel. In the college years, we met Rachel and Jack, who were essential and hilarious to the the gang’s lives. The finale of the final season made us sad to see them all off and making their own decisions, but we cherished the crucial moments throughout the show’s run. The reboot was alright, but by no means was on the same level as the original.
3. That’s So Raven (2003-2007)
A young psychic, Raven Baxter, lived with her parents in San Francisco, along with her mischievous little brother, Cory. Her best friends, Eddie and Chelsea, helped to keep her grounded, yet she always seemed to be scheming. Raven was sassy, told people how it was, and never let anyone tell her she could not do what she wanted. Some of the more memorable episodes included a visit from her favorite band, Boyz N Motion, her cooking battle against “Chef-man,” and any plot that included her love interest, Devon Carter. The reboot so far has been pretty promising, but we will have to see what is yet to come.
4. Sister, Sister (1994-1999)
Tia and Tamera were twins separated at birth, adopted by single parents, Ray, and Lisa. They all moved in together when the girls meet by-chance, and Lisa’s fun loving personality clashed with Ray’s up-tight and stricter way of living. Although the early years were quite awkward for the girls, we as viewers still wanted to hang out with Tia, Tamera, Roger, and the rest of the crazy, fun characters. We saw the girls grow from high school up until the end of college. We saw them go through love and breakups—Tia and Tyreke, and Tamera and Jordan— and face tough changes that inevitably come with older age. This is definitely one of those guilty-pleasure shows that makes you reminisce about the past and anticipate the reboot to come soon!