Feeling nostalgic? We rounded up some of the best fan answers to the question of what TV shows not very many people remember, but they used to love. How many of your favorite shows made this list?
The Caveat
This is another one of those TV show lists where we had to stop at some point, leaving so many great options out. And while we’re on the subject, these shows were picked because they came up most often… Which I guess means that some people do remember them after all!
The Elephant Show
Skinamarinky dinky dink, skinamarinky doo… I love nostalgic 90s shows too! The song may live on, but sadly this Canadian music trio (and their show) is no more.
3-2-1 Contact
Sometime between Sesame Street and Sid the Science Kid, we had what I’d argue to be the golden era of entertainment. 3-2-1 Contact was one of the earlier science-focused shows, running for 7 seasons from 1980 to 88.
While you may not remember it, it’s likely thanks to shows like this that we got other hit educational series’ like Bill Nye the Science Guy and Magic School Bus.
Today’s Special
Another Canadian-made show, Today’s Special, was set in a children’s department store that comes to life at night. Assuming you didn’t watch this one on TVO (TV-Ontario) like I did, you might remember catching Today’s Special on Nickelodeon as a kid.
Pirates of the Dark Water
You probably haven’t forgotten about Bugs Bunny or The Flintstones, but do you remember this early 90s Hanna-Barbera show? Created by David Kirschner (the man behind Child’s Play, Fievel Goes West, The Pagemaster, and Titan A.E.) and featuring a celebrity voice cast, the reason you probably don’t remember Pirates of the Dark Water is because it had such a short run.
I fall into the “not many people remember” category for Early Edition, and I’m sorry I missed this show when it was airing! The premise is simple: a guy named Gary starts getting the next day’s newspaper delivered to his home. With this future knowledge, he embarks to save as many people as possible from tragic headline events.
Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat
More cartoons! This one I do remember; it’s a cute show based on the book of the same name. Set in China, Sagwa ran for 40 episodes starting in 2001. Despite the relatively short series, reruns of this show ran for a while after its release.
Ghostwriter
A collaboration between BBC Television and Sesame Workshop, Ghostwriter was originally created to help kids build reading and writing skills beyond the preschool age. Besides the educational value, Ghostwriter was groundbreaking in its depiction of realistic and diverse people in the stories.
I included Ghostwriter on this list because it came up often, but people do actually remember it! The show was rebooted for Apple TV in 2019 and is currently in its 3rd season.
Dead Like Me
One of my favorite TV shows that I love, but not many people remember, Dead Like Me, is a hilarious 2 season comedy with a cult following.
If the name doesn’t ring a bell, the story goes like this: A young woman is killed when a toilet seat falls from the sky. After she dies, she’s given the job of grim reaper.
Eureeka’s Castle
Another one from your childhood, Eureeka’s Castle, was featured on the Nick Jr. block of Nickelodeon. Like many early 90s shows, the cast was made up of puppets living in a magical world. In this case, it was a giant’s castle-shaped music box.
Whether you remember this show or not, you’ll be interested to know it was written by children’s horror author R. L. Stine.
Freakazoid
Silly and self aware, shows like Freakazoid are probably why the 80s and 90s kids have such a love for “random” and fourth-wall breaking comedy. The reason most people missed this show is because it had airing issues. That is to say; they kept changing the time slot!
Parker Lewis Can’t Lose
Very of its time, this 1990 teen sitcom stars a guy (Parker Lewis) who seems to have everything going for him. The character and show were heavily influenced by Ferris Bueller’s Day off and it definitely shows in the writing.
At the time it was pretty popular, but seems to be forgotten alongside so many other great 90s shows.
Wishbone
I’m really not a dog person but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love Wishbone. There were 50 episodes of Wishbone created, and chances are if you watched TV in the mid-90s you caught a few yourself.
Besides being an amazing introduction to classic literature for kids, Wishbone won a slew of awards including 4 Emmys.