It’s not clearly said above but the following will be all about the after-school crushes we had as kids in the ‘90s because if it hasn’t been made crystal yet, that’s my jam. It’s when I was the most alive and well (aka void of constant back pain and anxiety), and that’s in part to the entertainment that awaited me once I got home from the bus stop. So let’s get to the shows that were the ultimate after-school crushes back in the day.
Ghostwriter
Where are all my PBS nerds at?! I couldn’t have been the only one who lived for Fridays when ‘Ghostwriter’ was in season. It was one of the first shows I remember seeing where the cast was actually diverse and not just well, you know. On top of that, these kids went and solved whole-ass mysteries with the help of a ghost that could only use words to get its message across. Gotta shout out this show for being part of the foundation of why my heart smiles when it comes to writing.
Eek! The Cat
This was one of the many shows on Fox Kids back in the day and it was fucking weird but in a good way. Eek was your run-of-the-mill good guy cat who loved his girlfriend, but was often terrorized by one of the wildest looking characters of the ‘90s; Sharky the Sharkdog. I think most of us kept tuning in for Sharky.
Figure It Out
A panel of Nickelodeon stars had to figure out what the kids’ interesting, strange, or wild-ass talents and world records were. If they fucked up they got slimed. I mean, it wasn’t rocket science but quite entertaining. I mean, it’s been years and I still think about the kid who had a concave chest…so much so, their little brother ate cereal out of it.
Darkwing Duck
I’m not sure what channel showed ‘Darkwing Duck’ and a couple of other shows on this list where you lived, but for me – it was KCAL 9. Other than these shows, it was the most basic ass channel to me because it only had local LA sports otherwise. Shout out to KCAL for giving me my ducking superhero of choice!
Bobby’s World
Chances are if you say “Dontcha know” to someone in their mid to late 30s, they’ll repeat it back to you in the most North Dakota accent because they watched ‘Bobby’s World’ way too much as a kid.
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
In many ways ‘Are You Afraid of the Dark?’ eased a whole ass generation into horror, and I wrote about just that right here.
Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers
Rodents solving crimes, what’s not to love? Plus, the theme song is top fucking tier. Oh, and they recently made a movie based on it that surprisingly did not suck!
DuckTales
‘DuckTales’ gave all of us this deep yearning to swim in gold coins, and I ain’t mad at it.
Batman: The Animated Series
When I was a kid, this show aired right before another show that we’ll get to shortly and I hated it. ‘Batman’ was too dark for me so I’d often mute it while I played with my Barbies in the living room until my internal clock struck 5pm. Nevertheless, I can’t deny how amazing the voice actors and animation actually are now that I can watch it through the eyes of someone not more invested in the adventures of their Barbie dolls.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
As for what happened at 5pm daily after school? ‘Power Rangers’ was and still is one of the most iconic aspects of ‘90s pop culture. The show blew up, seemingly overnight, and had us invested. We were following the saga of Tommy going from Green to White – evil to good. It was a whole ass thing, and from that show came so many crushes. Some of which we’ve talked about on the show with Miller C. Lashbrook and Josh Stifter.
Crushgasm 