The week of April 8th, 1991. 30 years ago. I was back in West Hollywood after my semester in Nashville, living with Lane. The best of times.
Monday, April 8th:
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: Will Smith as a streetwise kid from South Philly sent to live with his rich relatives in Bel-Air. Including....sigh...Alfonso Ribeiro as Cousin Carlton.
Blossom: Mayim Bialik before Big Bang Theory as an unconventional teenager in a family of hunks. Including...sigh...Joey Lawrence. Tonight: A woman claims that her baby belongs to Nick (Ted Wass).
Murphy Brown: Candace Bergin as a hard-hitting tv journalist who butts heads with the Reagan administration. Tonight: fluff journalist Corky lands her first tv special.
Designing Women: Dixie Carter as an interior designer and hard-hitting liberal spokesperson, even supporting gay rights. Tonight: she babysits a wild child.
Tuesday, April 9th:
Hey, Dude: Early Nickelodeon teencom about the counselors at a dude ranch, including...sigh...David Lascher. This afternoon: Danny (Joe Torres) becomes a cartoonist.
Who's the Boss: Tony Danza...sigh...as a live-in housekeeper for Angela (Judith Light). Danny Pintauro, who plays her son will come out years later. Tonight: it's late in the series, and the original kids have grown up, so they bring in a new one, Billy
Roseanne: Roseanne matriarch of a working-class family in small-town Illinois, before she got all extremist and weird. More gay inclusivity than any other show on television; even her Mom came out as a lesbian. Tonight: rebellious teen Becky starts dating Mark (Glenn Quinn...sigh).
Wednesday, April 10th:
Tiny Toon Adventures: Babs and Buster Bunny (no relation) and a crew of teen toons are studying comedy at Acme Looniversity. Today: Plucky and Hampton travel to Ireland to deal with a banshee.
Growing Pains: A nuclear family sitcom featuring teen idol Kirk Cameron, before he got all fundy and weird. Tonight: late in the series, Mike (Kirk) and his sister have moved to a crappy apartment in New York.
Thursday, April 11th:
The Simpsons: Back when they were fresh, new, and rebellious, going up against the powerhouse Cosby. Tonight: Mr. Burns hires Marge to paint his portrait. "Thank you for not making fun of my genitals.""I thought I did."
A Different World: Cosby kid Denise Huxtable spins off to Hillman College. Tonight: late in the series, she's long gone. The plot is about it-girl Whitley planning to "lose her virginity" to math nerd boyfriend Dwayne (Kadeem Harison...sigh).
Cheers: A Boston bar "where everybody knows your name." with Sam the Bartender arguing/flirting with Shelley Long, then Kirstie Allie. Tonight, dimwitted bartender Woody (Woody Harrelson, before he became all grizzled and weird) gets a role in a tv commercial.
Seinfeld: Struggling comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his wacky friends, long before they became all mean-spirited and bitter. Tonight: George finds a statue identical to one he broke as a kid, but the new housekeeper steals it.
Friday, April 12th:
Who watches tv on Friday? It's party night.
Saturday, April 13th:
Pee-wee's Playhouse: Pee-wee Herman, before he got all weird, as the star of a homoerotic children's program ("Swish...did someone say swish?"). Today: Jimmy Smits...sigh...visits.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: Joel and the bots riffing at cheesy movies. Today: Ring of Terror.
The Golden Girls: "Thank you for being a friend." Eating cheesecake in small-town Miami at the height of the AIDS crisis. Tonight; Blanche is visited by her dead husband, and Dorothy has two admirers -- 1970s greats Sonny Bono and Lyle Waggoner.
Sunday, April 14th:
Parker Lewis Can't Lose: High school operator Corin Nemec, before he got all craggy and creepy) and his possee, including...sigh...Billy Jayne. Tonight: Mikey (Billy) drops out of school to become a musician.
Get a Life: Chris Elliott before Schitz Creek as a 30-year old man who has "failed to launch," still living with his parents and working as a paper boy. Tonight: Chris auditions for the community theater musical, "Zoo Animals on Wheels."
I did other things that week, of course. I had a job. I went to the gym. I bought books at Different Light. Lane and I went out to dinner, went to a party, cruised at the Faultline, probably brought someone home to "share." But it is the tv we watched that brings those halcyon days most vividly back to life.