Before seltzers this was the standard drink for girls at the parties. The boys were allowed one. I liked them more than beer but the attacks were too much and they were too sweet to want more anyway.
Before streaming there was a time when you sat through shows you didn't even like because you knew a show you did like would be on after - I think that builds character. As a kid, shit like Doug, CatDog and The Wild Thornberries were cartoons I did not like but saw every episode because it is what was on Nickelodeon. Ren & Stimpy (John K being a piece of shit aside), Rocko, Hey Arnold, Invader Zim and early Spongebob are the best nicktoons.
One thing I miss about linear TV was lineups. In the 90's and early 2000's Fox Sunday nights were a motherfucking event. Futurama at 8PM, KOTH at 8:30PM, The Simpsons at 9PM, Malcolm at 9:30pm, and The X-Files at 10pm. You'd look forward to it all week, and you'd sit the entire 3 hours every single week.
The Fox Sunday Night lineup rocked but I would get so mad as a kid when the NFL ran late and everything got screwed up. I think Futurama would straight up not air a new episode and The Simpsons would come on super late
As a kid, I remember looking forward to TGIF, even though as an adult I think none of those shows have aged particularly well.
Must See TV NBC Thursdays were also great with Friends, Seinfeld, ER, and Fraiser/Will & Grace/Mad About You at certain points. It never really had that fourth great sitcom that put it over the edge. It was always ER, 3 great sitcoms, and then something bad that got canceled after 2 seasons.
Lost and whatever Lost ripoff ABC was trying in the following slot that season was a fundamental part of my junior high/high school years.
I just miss the consistency of every weekday night turning on the tv knowing you're getting Jeopardy, syndicated Simpsons re-run, 7pm local news, Entertainment Tonight, sitcom, sitcom, sitcom, sitcom, hour long drama, 11pm local news, late night show, late night show, infomercials.
Speaking of Jeopardy, it airs at 3:30 in the afternoon in the Chicago area, which has never made a lick of sense to me.
Yeah or like some goofy game show or something. Linear broadcast TV is ass now. NBC has a night where it's just three straight hours of those Chicago shows back to back to back.
I’ll again say that I miss communal shows, even though some still exist. I’m getting through “Fallout” right now and there’s going to be very little to discuss with my friends because they all binged it the week it came out and moved on.