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’90s Teen TV Characters: Where Are They Now?

By Judy Berman on

All your friends are getting married. Some of them are having kids. And now, in case you didn’t already feel like an overgrown child whose life is passing him by, Cory Matthews and Topanga Lawrence have a preteen daughter. Yes, for the past week, the internet has been abuzz with the news that a Boy Meets World sequel is in the works. Called Girl Meets World, it will focus on young Riley Matthews and her “edgy friend,” Maya. While we’re not sure that revisiting ABC’s TGIF lineup is the best idea, the update on Cory and Topanga has made us wonder what some of our other favorite ’90s teen TV characters might be up to in 2012. After the jump, we check in on (by which we mean, “we imagine”) what they’ve done since last we saw them. … Read More

Television

10 Legendary TV Halloween Parties

By Judy Berman on

Do you like Halloween parties? Or are you the kind of person who prefers to celebrate at home, watching horror movies with friends or handing out candy to trick-or-treaters? Well, thanks to the magic of television, you can (virtually) do both — experience all the fun of a great shindig with none of the effort. TV has brought us no shortage of spooky and hilarious Halloween parties over the years. Relive ten of our favorites, from How I Met Your Mother’s legendary “slutty pumpkin” party to Buffy’s demonic frat party, after the jump. … Read More

Pop Culture

An A-Z Guide to ‘Beverly Hills, 90210′ Style

By Alison Nastasi on

Tomorrow marks the twenty-second anniversary of the premiere of Beverly Hills, 90210. The show’s soap-style drama was as amazing as its wardrobe — full of trendy, grungy, ridiculous fashions that every 1990′s teen coveted like crazy. Nothing compared to the sideburns and baby doll dresses that Brandon, Brenda, Kelly, Steve, Andrea, Dylan, David, Donna, and friends made us love. Some 90210 staples have never lost their luster, while other designs were embarrassing experiments — but we just can’t resist them. We’ve catalogued the best of 90210 style for you in a handy A-Z guide. See what cropped cuts and denim delights await you, below. … Read More

Television

9 Signs a Teen TV Show Has Exceeded Its Expiration Date

By Judy Berman on

Glee, whose fourth season premieres tonight, is at a crossroads. At this point, the once-revolutionary musical comedy-drama has alienated most of the critics (and, judging by its falling ratings, some of the viewers) who once rallied around its quirky storylines and underdog characters. Perhaps that’s why, during May’s upfronts, creator Ryan Murphy announced that the show will be a bit different this year, splitting its focus to both remain at William McKinley High and follow some newly graduated characters to performing arts school in New York. Whatever the cause behind the change turns out to be, the show is clearly experiencing some growing pains. So, while we hope Glee will get it together in Season 4, we think it’s only fair to provide viewers with a (spoiler-filled) guide to spotting a teen TV show that has exceeded its expiration date. … Read More

Television

10 Fictional TV Duos We’d Like to See Team Up Again

By Emily Temple on

This week we heard a delightful bit of news: apparently, Beverly Hills, 90210‘s Kelly and Dylan — um, excuse us, Jennie Garth and Luke Perry — are rejoining forces to develop a new sitcom, currently being shopped around to networks. Could it be a post-spinoff spinoff? Or a whole new show? Whatever it is, we’ll probably watch it. Inspired by this re-coupling of a classic TV pair, we’ve put together a list of fictional TV duos that we’d really like to see team up again, no matter what the project. Come on, you guys. If Kelly and Dylan can be in it for the long haul, so can you. … Read More

Television

10 Actors Who Couldn’t Shake Their Most Memorable TV Roles

By Judy Berman on

A truly great TV character doesn’t cease to exist when his show ends — he remains entirely real in the memory of fans and, in some cases, the consciousness of a culture he helped shape. Whether you loved or hated Will & Grace, that’s certainly true of Will Truman, who became Middle America’s first gay best friend (an archetype that we hasten to add is troubling in itself) around the turn of the millennium. The question is, can the actor who portrayed Will, Eric McCormack, shake his association with the character to make viewers believe him as neuroscientist Daniel Pierce in the new TNT crime drama Perception? Although we’re pulling for McCormack, we can’t ignore the curse that tends to befall stars who are best known for playing a certain iconic and/or distinct TV character. After the jump, we round up 10 actors who haven’t managed to shake their most memorable roles. … Read More

Television

’90s TV’s Most Memorable Nerds: Where Are They Now?

By Judy Berman on

Hollywood can be notoriously hard on child actors; one day they’re America’s pint-size sweetheart, and the next they’re heroin-addicted has-beens knocking on Dr. Drew’s office door. But the kids who play TV’s most recognizable geeks may have even more trouble finding their place in the industry as adults, because outside of a few sitcoms like Community and The Big Bang Theory, their archetype is far rarer in shows about adults — and unlike the jocks and cheerleaders who are their teenage cast mates, they don’t generally have the superhuman good looks that will translate to leading roles. So, as a recent article about Freaks and Geeks‘ head geek Stephen Lea Sheppard got us wondering, what has become of all those memorable ’90s TV brains that we grew up with? We check in on everyone who isn’t Alyson Hannigan (because we’re sure you know what she’s up to) after the jump. … Read More

Television

Adult TV Characters and Their Kid Counterparts

By Judy Berman on

Well, TV fans, the die is cast. Last week, The CW green-lighted The Carrie Diaries, that Sex and the City prequel network television has been threatening to inflict on us for years. Set in the ’80s, the show will follow Carrie Bradshaw’s high-school years in Connecticut, where we’re sure she’ll be asking a whole new, teen-focused slew of pseudo-profound questions (“What does ‘going steady’ really mean?”) and lusting over shoes at Contempo Casuals. But forgive us if we don’t intend to watch the show for long enough to find out. Like Mary Elizabeth Williams at Salon, we’ve had our fill of Carrie. In fact, the only good thing we can imagine coming from the prequel is that it inspired us brainstorm some adult TV characters who already have kid equivalents on other shows. Find out who Zack Morris grew up to be, and which kid reminds us of Downton Abbey’s Dowager Countess, after the jump. … Read More

Television

When TV Appropriates Cult and Indie Culture: A Retrospective

By Judy Berman on

When word spread that Gossip Girl was going to set an episode at New York’s cultish “immersive theatre” production Sleep No More, fans of the show — who have been known to develop wallet-crippling addictions to it — were not happy. Would their favorite secret spot soon be overrun by teenyboppers keen on re-enacting Serena and Blair’s melodramatic intrigue? Would Gossip Girl give away any of the Macbeth-inspired experience’s secrets? Well, the episode aired last night, and we learned far more about Chuck Bass’s libido (or newfound lack thereof) and Ivy’s ex-boyfriend than Sleep No More. To commemorate this supremely odd moment of convergence, we’ve rounded up some of the best and strangest moments that have found TV shows appropriating cult, underground, and indie culture, from Saved by the Bell‘s rave to Roseanne‘s riot grrrls, after the jump. … Read More

Television

Watch a Supercut of TV’s Worst “Very Special” Episodes

By Caroline Stanley on

Where were you when Jessie Spano had her epic caffeine pill freakout? Or Stephanie Tanner was almost bullied into trying a cigarette in the girl’s bathroom? Do you remember those speed-fueled dance moves that Carlton Banks whipped out at the prom? Children of the ’80s will recognize many of these clips pulled from “very special” episodes of classic shows like Saved by the Bell, Full House, and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air — unless you had the kind of super strict parents who wouldn’t allow you to watch Steve Urkel getting drunk the first time around. Either way, many thanks to Pleated Jeans for making this Monday afternoon a little more bearable with their fantastic compilation. Let us know in the comments which of these hilariously dramatic warnings — which, if we’re being honest, often traumatized us back in the day — is your favorite. … Read More