TV schedules were once packed with light family shows that everyone seemed to seriously love watching after dinner. Sadly, lots of them disappeared over the years. Here are ten forgotten TV shows that families once watched. Which one of these did you use to watch at home?
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The Hogan Family (1986–1991)
The Hogan Family started off with Valerie Harper, but then everything flipped after she left & sued the network. They renamed it and brought in Sandy Duncan. The show continued going like nothing happened, yet it somehow slipped through the cracks. And that was even though it featured future Hollywood star Jason Bateman.
Out of this World (1987–1991)
In Out of this World, Evie was a teen who could stop time by pressing her fingers together. The show ran in syndication & wasn’t on a big network. As such, this made it easy for people to miss later on, even though it had nearly 100 episodes.
The Torkelsons / Almost Home (1991–1993)
Originally, NBC aired The Torkelsons for a season, then they completely reworked it into Almost Home. It had a new location & shuffled cast, but the same basic idea. Audience members complained at the time that the sudden change was rather confusing. Since it only lasted two seasons total, it essentially vanished after its original run.
Teen Angel (1997–1998)
ABC had a TGIF lineup every Friday night, and Teen Angel was part of it. But only very briefly. The show was about a kid whose best friend dies from eating a bad burger & then becomes his guardian angel. Yet a plot as strange as that wasn’t enough for Teen Angel to stick around for very long.
Meego (1997)
Bronson Pinchot played a friendly alien in Meego who ends up living with a suburban family & it aired during the same TGIF block. However, ratings fell fast. ABC pulled the plug early, and the show never built much of a fanbase, so it soon became forgotten. Most ‘90s kids will struggle to remember anything about it.
The Jersey (1999–2002)
The Jersey was a slightly weird show on the Disney Channel. It was about a magic football jersey that let kids trade places with real athletes, including NFL & MLB stars. Surprisingly, the show ran for four seasons. But it’s nowhere on Disney+ today, which is why so many people don’t remember it.
Wishbone (1995–1997)
Those who grew up in the ‘90s may have watched Wishbone, which featured a talking Jack Russell Terrier dressed as Robin Hood or Sherlock Holmes. The dog acted out classic stories while kids learned the plot. While the show won awards, music & issues with rights have kept it off the big streaming apps.
Shining Time Station (1989–1993)
Shining Time Station introduced Thomas the Tank Engine to America. Ringo Starr & later George Carlin played Mr. Conductor, with the show airing on PBS as a mixture of live action & train stories. Families loved it. Sadly, you can’t open Netflix to find it now because it’s mostly stuck on old VHS tapes.
Square One Television (1987–1992)
Square One Television had songs & skits, as well as a detective parody called “Mathnet.” Yes, kids actually looked forward to it & teachers showed it in classrooms. But when it ended, the show disappeared from our screens. And apparently from our collective memory, too.
American Dreams (2002–2005)
NBC tried to mix family drama with ‘60s pop culture in American Dreams, and it worked for a while. They even released a special DVD set with extended music rights. Yet clearing all those old songs for streaming was quite the challenge, so it never quite made a comeback in the modern world.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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