If you grew up in the ‘90s, and were lucky enough to have cable, Nickelodeon was a staple. It featured such a variety of programming aimed at kids and what would become known as tweens, that almost anyone could find something they liked. You enjoy animation? Check. You enjoy game shows? Check. You enjoy more typical live action scripted shows? Check and check.
Today, we’re going to rank the best and most memorable of Nickelodeon’s live action shows that aired in the ‘90s. Don’t worry, we’ll cover those other types of shows as well, just in different posts.
8. Kenan and Kel
Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell were staples of the ‘90s era of Nickelodeon, starting out on All That, and eventually getting their own show together — creatively named Kenan & Kel — in 1996 since everyone loved their chemistry. The series featured the guys in their typical personas, where Kenan was the main character instigating get rich quick schemes, and Kel was his dimwitted best friend who often foiled those plans inadvertently. The show lasted four seasons and got a TV movie as the series finale called Two Heads Are Better Than None.
7. All That
Yeah, yeah. You may think that All That deserves to be higher up, but honestly, it’s a bit of a rip off of Saturday Night Live, just featuring a young cast. I mean, one of its most popular bits was Vital Information, which is basically just Weekend Update. And they had a musical guest every episode as well. Of course, there are some bits we still remember today, mostly Good Burger, but overall it’s not a show we really have a desire to go back to like the rest on the list.
6. The Secret World of Alex Mack
Larisa Oleynik starred as the titular Alex Mack, a teenage girl who gets doused with a chemical that gives her strange powers — including being able to turn herself into a puddle in a very Terminator-esque fashion. Alex spends a good portion of the series evading the evil clutches of the company that created the chemical she was doused with, afraid of what they might do to her, along with letting her sister Annie run various scientific tests on her. And did you read any of the accompanying book series that featured original stories? Sure, the concept is a bit ridiculous, but it was a fun show that made all the kids wish they had some cool powers.
5. Hey Dude
Hey Dude was set at the fictional Bar None Dude Ranch, and was basically about the goofy owner, the teenage camp counselors, and the owner’s son Buddy causing havoc. It was one of the more corny shows during this time period, and you may think it only lasted a couple seasons, but it actually lasted for five seasons. While a lot of Nickelodeon series got actual closed endings, Hey Dude was left open-ended. An interesting fact? The ranch was built on the property of Tanque Verde Guest Ranch near Tucson, and many of the buildings are still standing today, though in pretty bad disrepair.
4. The Adventures of Pete & Pete
The Adventures of Pete & Pete, or Pete & Pete as you probably call it, was not your typical show. It started out as minute-long shorts that aired between other programming, which eventually led to five half-hour specials, and then the TV series itself. The show featured two red-headed brothers, both named Pete, in the somewhat surreal town of Wellsville. Quirky, with comedic side characters and a soundtrack provided almost exclusively by the band Polaris, Pete & Pete is still recognized today as one of the most creative and innovative indie TV series.
3. Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Submitted for the approval of The Midnight Society, we bring to you Are You Afraid of the Dark? in spot three. The horror anthology series was based around a group of kids joining up to tell scary stories, which we’d then see play out before the episode would end back with the kids around the campfire, dousing the flames to head back to their lives. The stories were often creepy, but usually had a “happy” ending so that it didn’t totally traumatize the kids watching. This show was likely many kids’ safe introduction to the horror genre, with some essential moral lessons thrown in.
2. Clarissa Explains it All
Credited as Nickelodeon’s first series featuring a female lead, Clarissa Explains It All‘s popularity debunked the idea that shows starring girls would only appeal to girls. Starring Melissa Joan Hart, a sweetheart of the ‘90s thanks to her roles as Clarissa and later, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Clarissa was a spunky, cool, and fashion-forward teen. She often spent time dealing with her annoying little brother Ferguson, or hanging out with her best friend Sam, who’d climb up to visit her through her window (accompanied by that signature guitar chord). The show lasted five seasons, was one of the most popular on the network, and almost got a spinoff series (for more on that, see the Five Fast Facts section below).
1. Salute Your Shorts
Though Salute Your Shorts only lasted two seasons, it’s still the show everyone gets the most nostalgic for. It’s also one of the hardest to find and actually watch nowadays. Only 12 of the 26 total episodes are available to watch on Amazon as of early 2021, and who knows if the rest will ever be released. Salute Your Shorts was about a group of teens at a summer camp, oftentimes spending their days outwitting the camp counselor, Ug. It was the second highest-rated cable TV series for its target demographic in its second season, and really only got the axe because the studio wanted to move production across the country to Florida, and the cast and creator couldn’t agree on terms. Such a sad, sad, shame when it comes down to that and not because it wasn’t doing well in the ratings.
What was your favorite live action show on Nickelodeon in the ‘90s? Let us know in the comments.
- Hey Dude was technically the first sitcom to be produced by Nickelodeon, though some of the Pete & Pete shorts were made earlier.
- A pilot for a follow-up series to Clarissa Explains it All was filmed for CBS, but not picked up – it aired twice on Nickelodeon after the original series ended.
- All That originally aired from 1994-2000, was relaunched with a new cast from 2002-2005, and was revived again as of 2019.
- Are You Afraid of the Dark? originally aired in Canada on YTV in 1990 – the pilot aired on Nickelodeon in the US a year later in 1991, and the rest of the show didn’t premiere until 1992.
- Danny Tamberelli and Mike Maronna, who played Pete & Pete, have been hosting a weekly podcast together since 2013 called “The Adventures of Danny and Mike.”
- Hey Dude was technically the first sitcom to be produced by Nickelodeon, though some of the Pete & Pete shorts were made earlier.
- A pilot for a follow-up series to Clarissa Explains it All was filmed for CBS, but not picked up – it aired twice on Nickelodeon after the original series ended.
- All That originally aired from 1994-2000, was relaunched with a new cast from 2002-2005, and was revived again as of 2019.
- Are You Afraid of the Dark? originally aired in Canada on YTV in 1990 – the pilot aired on Nickelodeon in the US a year later in 1991, and the rest of the show didn’t premiere until 1992.
- Danny Tamberelli and Mike Maronna, who played Pete & Pete, have been hosting a weekly podcast together since 2013 called “The Adventures of Danny and Mike.”
