Old Nickelodeon Shows

One of the best networks to come around in a long time, and one of the classic pre-teen programming lineups in history, Nickelodeon came onto the scene with a bunch of great shows, most of them starting in the early 90's.

The Adventures of Pete and Pete

A clever, quirky show that features two brothers as they try to make sense of the world around them.

Featuring Mike Maronna as the older Pete and breakout star Danny Tamberelli (also featured heavily on All That) as the younger Pete, the show went on for nearly 40 episodes. Several other Nickelodeon (current and future) stars appeared on the show, such as Michelle Trachtenberg and Larisa Oleynick.

The show has interesting origins, because it began as a series of shorts that were only a minute or so in length. About twenty or so of these were produced. The concept proved so popular that five specials were made. Then it got picked up for a regular series. Even beyond that, a movie was going to be made, but by the time the deal was done, the actors had not only moved on to other things but had aged beyond what would work for the show.

If you want it on DVD, you're in luck. One of the few Nickelodeon shows produced on DVD as of this writing.

All That

Nickelodeon's answer to Saturday Night Live, All That was an extremely popular show, and even though it started later than a lot of the other Nickelodeon shows, it lasted for a whopping 10 seasons. From 1994 to 2005, All That brought zany antics from larger-than-life child stars to our homes.

The series was responsible for the launch of several acting and comedy careers, as well as spinoff movies and series.

Supposedly DVD releases will never happen because of music rights.

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Join the Midnight Society for creepy tales of fright from this very popular Canadian-produced show. A Twilight Zone for kids, this show, like the popular Goosebumps show, was a mainstay in homes across North America.

The series centers on a group of kids who meet every week in the woods to tell ghost stories. Each member gets a turn, and the stories range from creepy and heartwrenching to downright chilling. It's all done with a lighthearted atmosphere, though.

Many child actors who would grow up to play major roles first started out on this series... watch closely and see if you can spot them!

The entire series has been released on DVD in Canada and can be easily ordered in the United States.

Clarissa Explains it All

This is the show that made Melissa Joan Hart a household name in the 90's. Starring as Clarissa Darling, the quirky title character went through power struggles with family members, went through the different phases of growing up, and brought her own sense of humor and style to each and every situation.

Clarissa Explains it All was produced from 1991 to 1994, for a total of 65 episodes (5 seasons). Most episodes take place in her house or in her room, even though they reference events that take place outside of it frequently. Most of them deal with her friend Sam and her arch enemy, her brother Ferguson.

Good luck trying to find episodes of the series, although reruns are rumored to be starting again soon and season one IS available for DVD.

Doug

Doug was a popular Nickelodeon cartoon created by Jim Jinkins. It premiered in 1991.

The series focuses on young boy Doug Funnie and his dog Porkchop, and their various adventures in Bluffington. At the beginning of the show, Doug is brand new to Bluffington, and the plot focuses on his adjustment to a new area.

Other characters include his best friend Skeeter, his theatrical sister Judy, his neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Dink, his love interest Pattie Mayonaise, and the school bully, Roger.

The series was known for its clever and off-beat humor, as well as its quick storylines (each 30-minute episode usually consisted of two complete stories).

The show was so popular that a movie, called Doug's First Movie, was produced.

Later on, in 1996 (after a few years of no new episodes being produced), the show went to ABC, and new episodes were produced, with various changes to the designs and other elements of the show. This incarnation of "Doug" proved to be quite a bit less popular than the Nickelodeon version, and the show was eventually cancelled.

Doug was voiced by none other than Billy West, a famous voice actor.

Episodes of Nickelodeon's Doug can be bought from Amazon, iTunes, and Zune Marketplace.

Looking back on it now, Doug was kind of a nerd.

Hey Dude

Many of Nickelodeon's older shows are cult classics, particularly the ones produced in the late 1980's and early 1990's, but this one brings it to a whole new level. There are some incredibly rabid Hey Dude fans out there!

And why not? This quirky western comedy with a heart of gold, featuring the kids and ranchers of a dude ranch in Arizona, is a top-quality show. It's the characters, writing, and situations that make it incredibly entertaining and incredibly endearing at the same time. The show also featured actors and actresses who would go on to have success in the television/movie world, such as David Lascher and Christine Taylor (who married Ben Stiller).

65 episodes were produced, making it a prime candidate for syndication. It was shown in reruns for nearly ten years after the show ended.

If you're looking for it on DVD, well, keep looking, but you can buy some episodes off of digital distributers.

Legends of the Hidden Temple

Legends of the Hidden Temple was the coolest game show around. The host, "Kirk Fogg", guides teams of players through various games with ancient Mayan themes. After three brutal rounds of elimination, one team out of the original starting six get a chance to face the ultimate challenge.

The talking statue head in front of the temple is called "Olmec". The final team gets a countdown timer, and has to run through a giant temple, solving puzzles and avoiding temple guards along the way. If they're resourceful, they'll find the hidden treasure and make it out of the temple in one piece, and earn a fantastic grand prize!

Legends of the Hidden Temple ran from 1993 to 1996, for a total of 120 episodes. Despite the relatively short run (for a game show), Legends remains one of Nickelodeon's most beloved shows.

Ren and Stimpy

1991 was a big year for Nickelodeon... it was the year that it debuted its first three "Nicktoons". In fact, they all three debuted on the same day (the originals were Rugrats, Doug, and Ren and Stimpy). They were all successful.

Ren and Stimpy was had more mature content than the other two, however. The creators consistently pushed the envelope with their potty humor, cartoon violence, and off-color jokes. Nevertheless, it remained on the network for nearly five years and survived on other networks even beyond that.

The title characters were Ren, an insane chihuahua, and had a crazy voice which kids all over America loved to imitate. Stimpy is a fat, friendly cat. Not too much in the brains department, though.

Billy West, known best as Doug on Nickelodeon, voiced Ren AND Stimpy at various points (the voices changed slightly over the years).

The show is known for some of its music, mostly the song "Happy Happy Joy Joy." Three albums were released as tie-ins to the show: Crock O'Christmas, You Eediot, and Radio Daze.

Ren and Stimpy has enjoyed a fairly complete release on DVD... fans of the show should check out reviews of sets though because some episodes are edited or incomplete.

Rugrats

Follow the adventures of Tommy, Chucky, Phil, and Lil as they scoot around and tap their imaginations to make sense of the world around them. Rugrats, first airing in 1991, became a smash hit for Nickelodeon and produced episodes for 12 more years.

The series was so successful that it spawned three movies: The Rugrats Movie (in 1998), Rugrats in Paris (in 2000), and Rugrats Go Wild (in 2003). The latter was a crossover with another show, The Wild Thornberrys.

It also spawned two spinoff series, called Rugrats: All Grown Up! and Angelica and Susie's Pre-School Daze.

Rugrats was produced by Klasky Csupo.

Salute Your Shorts

Another popular live action show for Nickelodeon was Salute Your Shorts, which is rare for a show of that time because of the fact that it was actually based on a book.

The show, which aired in 1991 and 1992, is about a group of campers at Camp Anawanna. The title comes from a gag where boxer shorts are stolen and raised up the flagpole.

Only 26 episodes were produced, and only a handful is available at digital media outlets. Collecting the whole series may take awhile, although with the popularity of The 90's Are All That we may be able to see some of them.

Also -- people familiar with Los Angeles will recognize that several of the outdoor scenes were actually shot in Griffith Park!

The Secret World of Alex Mack

This insanely popular show starring Larisa Oleynick ran for four seasons, and is unique in the sense that it actually got a final episode (most Nick shows and kids shows at that time were just cancelled or dropped without any final storyline). The show centers around young Alex Mack, an average girl who gets doused with chemicals and gets extraordinary powers.

Alex must keep this secret from everyone because the chemical plant that created the compound wants to find her and destroy her. Only her sister Annie and her best friend Ray know the truth about her.

Alex Mack was an entertaining show that featured special effects ahead of its time for television (watch the cool "morphing" effects) and strong writing and acting.

Only Season 1 has been released on DVD, probably because it's got a bit part by Jessica Alba in it.