17 TV Shows That Will Unlock A Piece Of Your Childhood You Forgot About

Nothing felt more thrilling than The Secret World of Alex Mack, and I loved catching it on SNICK on a Saturday night. The angst of being a middle schooler, coupled with the secret powers she obtains from a chemical spill in her town (thanks to a corrupt plant?) — man, you really felt like you didn’t have to worry so much about your problems, you know?

Oh, how I loved TBS Dinner & a Movie. This just makes me want to crawl onto my childhood couch, my mom following along with the movie while making a dinner to go with it, and just feel all safe and cozy again. No matter what movie was being shown, something about this show’s concept just felt so joyful and fun.

My siblings and I were in love with Smart Guy. Taj Mowry was just so good, and everybody in this show, from the dad and sister to TJ’s brother Marcus and his best friend Mo, was an absolute star. My brother and I still quote this show to each other! It was just one of those perfect ‘90s sitcoms to watch as a family. Bliss.

Just one look at the Gummi Bears in this opening theme and I am transported back in time. Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears just turned 40, and good grief, this was such a perfect ‘80s cartoon. Doesn’t the theme just completely unravel all the tangled-up parts inside of you?

Coach used to show via reruns when I was little on weekday mornings, and my mom once brought me oatmeal in bed while I watched it. From then on, Coach became a comfort show. I barely remember the plot or any specific episodes, but Craig T. Nelson is always a win, and this show is just a classic ‘90s sitcom that makes me feel like home.

I think most of us were introduced to Wishbone when a teacher wheeled a TV into the room, strapped to a cart, and that alone is reason enough to rewatch Wishbone and tap back into your 9-year-old self for just a little bit. It just feels like everything’s going to be OK when you watch Wishbone, you know?

Ghostwriter was a show my older sister, younger brother, and I all watched together, completely enamored. The weird little orb helping kids solve mysteries by using words and letters around them to communicate was basically my idea of the perfect pet. I wanted the independence these kids had and was really inspired by all of the creativity. This is the perfect serotonin boost.

Whether you preferred the books, the show, or a combo of both, something about the opening credits to The Berenstain Bears will unlock a part of you that you haven’t visited in a long time. Just good old classic cartoon antics, but made even more wholesome by the story companions you could grab at any time in your school library.

I have such extremely vivid memories of The World of David the Gnome. It’s the ultimate cozy comfort show from my childhood — just lots of soft, wholesome moments, sweet little characters, and a whole lot of whimsy to get lost in. This is the one that will unlock that magical part of you again.

Another rerun option for me as a kid? Snorks. Sometimes this showed up on Cartoon Network when I was getting ready for school in the mornings, and I was obsessed. I felt like it was just an underwater version of Smurfs, but somehow better. It’s weird and it’s quirky and it just gives me all the feels to hear the theme song.

Just listen to that theme song and go back to a solid afternoon, just a few minutes off the bus, letting yourself into your empty house with nothing to do but watch Who’s the Boss?, eat a pudding, and talk to your best friends on the phone. (Because you can’t go outside to play until Mom’s home, you know the rules. Take the chicken out of the freezer.)

You cannot tell me this song did not immediately propel you back into Monday nights at 9:00, firing up The WB. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was just so darn good, and we need more kick-ass shows of teenagers saving the world, especially if it’s a show both parents and kids are watching together.

They’ve come out with a new version of Muppet Babies since the original, but goodness, this was such a great cartoon. Funny, with lots of amazing pop culture references, and all the same humor and delight from the OG Muppet Show, just in little kid form. Going to watch this one for a while and pretend like the rest of the world doesn’t exist.

You know what really helped with the Sunday scaries? Catching up on Nick News with Linda Ellerbee. Ellerbee made the news less scary by breaking it down into real information that kids needed, making us feel empowered and like we could take action. She didn’t just share headlines, she shared real stories that got us talking and learning. To this day, I still remember the one she did on stranger danger/kidnapping.

I need more of Linda Ellerbee telling me the news, honestly.

A-woohoo! You’re already singing the DuckTales theme, I know, and nothing was better than spending 30 minutes with Huey, Dewey, and Louie. The theme song alone is enough to give you all the good vibes, but once you rewatch even just one episode, it’s like your skin is magically transported to your childhood.

I was the same age as Lizzie McGuire when this show came out, and what a comforting balm it was for my own middle school self. She just got it, fully and indefinitely, especially the part about friends in elementary school becoming people you hardly recognized in middle school. That’s the part that will always propel me back to my childhood when I watch Lizzie McGuire.

Eureeka’s Castle is one of those shows I had completely forgotten about, but then two seconds into the intro and opening credits, it all came rushing back. What a delightfully weird and good show. The bright colors, the deadpan puppet expressions, all of it is perfection.