Barry Carter was nice enough to come through this week to talk about not only his show, The iConis Podcast, but also his sitcom crush, ‘Night Court’s’ Markie Post, and her character Christine Sullivan. I wondered what direction to take this week because last week we covered Saturday Morning Crushes, and wrapped up the week with theme songs so I couldn’t have a repeat so soon. So I thought, why not get personal? Below are the sitcom crushes that pretty much shaped my heart growing up.
David Healy, Roseanne
Being that Darlene Conner was one of the earliest memories I have of identifying with a character on TV, I, of course, feel for the same boy she did. David Healy was everything that Darlene wasn’t; sweet, caring, and sensitive. However, they did share a creative bond that I would also seek out in life. And just like with every aspect of ‘Roseanne,’ I liked that David came from a rough start because it reminded me of where I grew up; it was relatable which made it comforting.
Mike Seaver, Growing Pains
Long before we knew Kirk Cameron as a crazed Christian, he was just Mike Seaver AKA one of the coolest characters to spawn from ‘80s TV, and that is where the crush remains. It’s forever wrapped up in that character because outside of that…yeah, no. If you wanna know more about this heartbreak, then read right here.
Uncle Jesse, Full House
Who wasn’t fully in love with Uncle Jesse on ‘Full House?’ I mean, look at that man. Then, now, 20 years from now when he’s 80. Forever and always.
Shawn Hunter, Boy Meets World
As Brittany High coined, if there were a Mount Crushmore – Shawn Hunter from ‘Boy Meets World’ would be in my final four. I think out of all the crushes I’ve ever had on a fictional character, Shawn was the most important in so many ways. Many of which I’ve written about before, but to sum it up – Shawn was a trailer park kid, the poor friend taken in by others, and he wound up finding solace in Angela. To some that may seem like no big deal but to the little girl who rarely saw interracial love on television, it meant the world to see representation on multiple fronts.
Harvey Kinkle, Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Speaking of Mount Crushmore, I’m not sure Harvey Kinkle would get on there overall, BUT if it were just TV characters – I think he’d have a shot because he is just the absolute total package when it comes to a partner. Like, I don’t think you fully understand how much the series finale of this show warms my heart and made me truly believe in soulmates.
Joey Russo, Blossom
Was there any deep reason to love a Lawrence Brother in the ‘90s? I don’t think so. It was more about Joey being the coolest, cutest guy on the show.
Randy Taylor, Home Improvement
When your initials are enough to make a generation of people swoon, you know you’re a crush that goes above and beyond. JTT AKA Jonathan Taylor Thomas is just that. He was so popular that people like Kiki Maroon faked liking him to fit in as a kid. Me though? No faking required, he had me hooked.
Zack Morris, Saved by the Bell
While Mike Seaver definitely planted the “bad boys are cool” seed, it was Zack Morris who helped that seed flourish in the garden that was my heart back in the day. I also think Zack’s iconic blonde hair is the main reason I continue to fall for guys like Homelander from Amazon’s ‘The Boys.’ Bad boy and bleached blonde? Fuck. Me.
Michael Kelso, That ’70s Show
Can we all agree ‘That ‘70s Show’ had one of the most gorgeous casts to ever exist? I think I went through a phase of crushing on every single dude, but growing up I thought Ashton Kutcher was just the dreamiest.
Cody Lambert, Step by Step
Cousin Cody was, to me, so fucking cool. So much so that before I fell for the lie that college was the answer to all life’s problems, I wanted to live in a VW Van by a beach and do absolutely nothing – and you know what? Sometimes I still think that might be the move.
Crushgasm 