Defining a generation

I am fortunate enough to say that I grew up in the 90's. I am able to say that I have witnessed some great technological, political and historical leaps in my lifetime. I remember what life was like before cell phones and the internet, I remember the fall of the Soviet Union (although I was very young), and I watched the Olympic torch run through my town before the '96 games in Atlanta. I can also say that I grew up during the best time for children's television.

Oh! the 90's, there was always something entertaining to watch on tv. There was a mix of cartoons, game shows, live action series, and animated series. As much as I loved watching Disney Channel, and Cartoon Network on rare occasion, I think it's safe to say that Nickelodeon was the king of children's television. It wouldn't be prudent to list all the amazing shows from the 90's, because honestly there were so many. Among my all time favorite are Doug, Clarissa Explains it All, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and Rugrats, but even this short list makes me feel uncomfortable because I feel like I'm leaving out some really good shows. Anyway....

Recently I had a conversation with my 10 year-old cousin (one of many, for I have a fair amount of first cousins), and we were talking about television shows, and she was telling me which shows she liked and which shows she didn't. Interestingly enough, I know my way around children's television these days to know exactly what shows she was talking about and what they're about. She told me that her favorite show was SpongeBob SquarePants, which she has loved since she was a baby, because I remember watching the same SpongeBob DVD with her every time I went over. This made me stop to think about how long SpongeBob has been on air.

I am sure that around 97% of the American population know who SpoongeBob is and have watched (perhaps unwillingly) the television show at least one. The little yellow charismatic sponge, who lives in a pineapple under the sea, and spends his days going on misadventures with his dim witted pink starfish friend, Patrick. SpoongeBob premiered May 1, 1999 on Nickelodeon, but didn't reach enormous popularity until 2000, and he hasn't stopped there.

SpongeBob Squarepants has helped define a generation. Talk about star power, the show was recently renewed for an 8th season and SpoongeBob merchandise can be found everywhere. His likeness has been placed on soup cans and vegetable bags, because if an item is SpongeBob friendly, kids are willing to give it a try. While my generation was defined by a group of teenagers sworn to protect the world from evil (Power Rangers), this younger generation will look back at their childhood and think of a yellow sponge with an annoying laugh. What has children's television become?

I would like to start by saying that although I consider the 90's the golden age for children's television, not all shows were exactly child friendly. Recently, I rewatched some Ren & Stimpy episodes and actually couldn't believe this was the same show I watched as a child. Oh sure, the show was entertaining, but having a better understanding of the world, I was more in tune to certain sexual comments and innuendos.

I suppose that shows change depending on the time they were created. I use to watch Clarissa Explains it All, while my cousins currently watch iCarly, a show about a girl and her friends who star in their own web show. Having many young cousins I've never stopped watching children's television. I will not use my cousins as an excuse, I watched children's tv because I liked it, it was nostalgic, and I liked having something to talk to my cousins about. I noticed that over the last couple of years I have slowly cut back on my kid programming viewing, not because I think I'm getting to old, or an embarrassed by my programming choices, but because children's programming today has because overly silly and uses slap stick humor.

Shows in the 90's had depth, dealt with serious issues, but remained entertaining. I am a little saddened that kids who grew up/ are growing up in the new millennium do not have good television programming, but I suppose you can't miss what you never had. I find it hard to believe that children have changed so much, that writers believe this is the type of shows they want to watch - silly, slap stickesque comedy. I know I am not the only one who feels that 90's tv remains superior to any programming currently on air. Half the merchandise at Hot Topic is 90's television related, though that could be because most of their current customer base are those who grew up watching said shows.

As a whole I'm rather disappointed at the type of television programming currently on air. Every couple of years a new show pops up that shakes up the woodwork, and with any luck the show will last past its third season. My comfort comes in knowing that with people my age graduating and getting jobs in television and film, sometime soon television shows will reflect the voices of my generation. I'd like to think that we'll all be the better for it :)