The Moesha Universe

It is never uncommon for sitcoms to be a part of a bigger shared universe. One of the largest and most confusing TV universes is the ABC/Disney Channel Universe. Seriously, can you name all of the shows that are apparently connected and explain to me how they're connected? Please? And perhaps the most nonsensical universe is the Dan Schneider Universe, which consists of live-action shows from Schneider's Bakery and Nickelodeon in general. 

But neither of these sitcom universes are as interesting to me as what was subtly established on United Paramount Network, or UPN for short. It never would have happened without a sitcom called Moesha. Not only was Moesha the second of many Black sitcoms to premiere on UPN (thank you, CBS, for rejecting it), but it would also kick off a shared universe that, to this day, a lot of fans of the shows do not realize exists. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I present to you The Moesha Universe, also known by some as The Mara Brock Akil Universe. That is not to say that every show that screenwriter and producer Mara Brock Akil was involved in is connected. Nor is it to say that she did every show that is a part of this universe. The main shows confirmed are the UPN shows Moesha, The Parkers and Girlfriends, and the CW/BET series The Game.

The Spin-Offs

What seems to be a known fact by now is that The Parkers is a direct spin-off of Moesha, and The Game is a direct spin-off of Girlfriends. Moesha and Girlfriends are no different from a lot of other sitcoms, as they each have a very specific episode that is meant to be a backdoor pilot for a potential spin-off. 

Moesha and The Parkers

Kim Parker was one of the main characters on Moesha. She attended Crenshaw High School with her best friends Moesha Mitchell, Niecy Jackson and Hakeem Campbell. And her mother Nikki Parker was a recurring character on the fourth season. In an episode of Moesha called "It Takes Two" (Season 4 Episode 18), Kim and Hakeem attend a college fair at Santa Monica College, where Kim plans to enroll. When browsing, Kim runs into Nikki who had recently gotten her high school diploma. Nikki decides to enroll in Santa Monica College, too, much to Kim's initial embarrassment. During this episode, they meet Tyrell Radcliffe (aka T), Stevie Van Lowe and Professor Stanley Oglevee.

Kim and Nikki left Moesha after Season 4, and were joined by T, Stevie, and Professor Olgelvee on the Moesha spin-off The Parkers. T and Stevie would be recurring characters in Season 1 before joining the main cast in Season 2. Andell Wilkerson, who left Moesha after Season 5, also joined The Parkers in the main cast beginning in Season 2. Hakeem and Niecy made occasional appearances on the show as well. Niecy appeared on "Kimberlale" (Season 1 Episode 7), Hakeem appeared on "Three's a Shag" (Season 1 Episode 6) and "Road Trip" (Season 4 Episode 9), and both characters appeared on "Scary Kim" (Season 2 Episode 7). The latter episode also featured an appearance by my least favorite Moesha character... Moesha. And Moesha's father Frank Mitchell appeared in the episode "A Simple Plan" (Season 1 Episode 17).

Girlfriends and The Game

On an episode of Girlfriends aptly titled "The Game" (Season 6 Episode 18), we are immediately introduced to Joan Clayton's cousin, Melanie Barnette. She is a medical school student who decides to give up an offer of admission to John Hopkins University School of Medicine to follow the career of her boyfriend, football player Derwin Davis, much to the disappointment of Joan, as well as Melanie's parents. Throughout this episode we are introduced to sports agent Tasha Mack, her son Malik Wright (managed by Tasha), troubled married couple Kelly and Jason Pitts, their daughter Brittany and Derwin's publicist Dionne Taylor. 

All characters introduced in that episode of Girlfriends would later star on the spin-off, The Game. Melanie, Derwin, Tasha, Malik, Kelly and Jason would be the main characters, while Brittany and Dionne would be recurring characters. Melanie and Derwin briefly made a guest appearance on an episode of Girlfriends titled "It's Been Determined" (Season 7 Episode 22). Interestingly, no character from Girlfriends ever made an appearance on The Game.

How are the four shows connected together?

There have been two crossover moments between Moesha and Girlfriends, ultimately connecting all four shows.

Girlfriends and Moesha

On an episode of Girlfriends called "Old Dog" (Season 1 Episode 15), Joan and her best male "friend" William Dent are in a restaurant having a conversation. They meet the sassy Niecy from Moesha who (besides looking to be one of youngest customers) was eavesdropping on their interesting conversation, and asks for their bottles of ketchup and mustard. 

Moesha and Girlfriends

On an episode of Moesha named "That's My Mama" (Season 6 Episode 15), the newest main character Dorian Mitchell (Moesha and Myles' half brother) visits his biological mother Barbara Lee to get to know her. While doing so, he is introduced to Barbara's younger children, and her sister-in-law. The sister-in-law, in question, is Maya Wilkes from Girlfriends. This is when we find out that she is Dorian's aunt by marriage. However, Maya is not aware of this. This is because Barbara kept Dorian a secret from her family. Maya's husband Darnell and their son Jabari are automatically tied to Dorian by marriage, as well. And they were briefly mentioned on the episode.

Outside the Big Four

It would be less of a headache to just say that Moesha, The Parkers, Girlfriends and The Game are the only shows in the universe, due to the fact that some of the characters are related. But it's more complicated when you include shows that you wouldn't expect to be associated with Moesha. Yeah, that's right. The non-Moesha-Universe shows had crossovers with other shows, which had crossovers with other shows, which had crossovers with other shows, which had crossovers with other shows - two hours later - and so on. So to make my life easier, I will only focus on UPN shows that had crossover episodes with the Moesha Universe shows and vice-versa. Believe it or not, there are only two UPN shows connected with the main universe.

Moesha and Clueless

• Clueless - "Scream Again Murray, Scream Again!" Part Two (Season 3 Episode 5)
• While there were no on-screen appearances from any Moesha characters in this episode, Amber Mariens calls out Moesha's name. However, Amber says, "What? It could be a crossover episode," which could have been just a silly non-canon joke. Whether or not this means that Moesha was meant to be a show within Clueless, the reference was deliberately made to promote the upcoming horror film I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, which starred Brandy Norwood (who played Moesha on... well, Moesha lol). So take that reference as you will.
• Clueless - "Prom Misses, Prom Misses" (Season 3 Episode 20)
• Niecy and Hakeem guest star in this episode, dedicated to the week of prom. 
• Niecy is Sean Holiday's prom date, and prior to the prom, she along with Hakeem are visiting Bronson Alcott High School, so that Niecy could use the campus's high-tech photo lab for a portfolio she is working on. Judging by what's on the portfolio, I'd say it's not a school project.
• While Niecy is working on her portfolio and getting to know Sean's friend Murray Duvall, Hakeem sticks around and auditions for a chance to be a possible prom date for either Dionne Davenport or Cher Horowitz. Unfortunately, Dionne picks someone else and Cher picks no one, deciding to not go to the prom.

The Parkers and The Hughleys

• The Parkers - "Who's Your Mama?" (Season 2 Episode 15)
• Business owner Darryl Hughley from The Hughleys shows up in the opening scene of this episode. He owns all the vending machines in Santa Monica College, the main setting for The Parkers. His reason for stopping by the campus is because he needs to speak to recurring character Joe Woody about the lack of money in the vending machines. Unfortunately for Darryl, Joe can't help him due to simply not caring what goes on in the campus. But Joe quickly gets his comeuppance. 
• After seeing how Nikki gets candy from one of the vending machines (in this case: Milk Duds by mistake), Darryl eventually realizes that she has been stealing from the machines. When caught by Darryl, Nikki makes a run for it.
• The Hughleys - "Forty Acres and a Fool" (Season 3 Episode 15)
• Against his own will, Darryl's biological father comes back into his life and meets with Darryl's mother. While Darryl is spying on his parents at a restaurant with his wife Yvonne, Nikki shows up and asks Yvonne if he could borrow him for a couple of minutes to make someone jealous (probably her crush Professor Oglevee, for all we know). 
• Shockingly, Darryl and Yvonne agree to this, and it's clear that Darryl and Nikki don't recognize each other... YET. It's not until they dance very badly while trying to overhear the conversation between Darryl's parents, that he begins to smell Milk Duds on Nikki's shirt, asking "Don't I know you from somewhere?" But Nikki is so oblivious that she might have forgotten about that, as she thinks Darryl is hitting on her. When Nikki holds him too close, Darryl forces himself off of her and she says, "I don't need you anyway. I got a man." No you don't Nikki; not yet, anyway. And she walks off telling Yvonne that Darryl has "mama issues," with which Yvonne agrees.

These amazingly fascinating crossovers confirm that Clueless (the TV show, not the movie) and The Hughleys exist in the exact same universe as Moesha, The Parkers, Girlfriends and The Game. I am sincerely thankful that I kept these crossovers strictly UPN-based, otherwise I would have lost my mind. But if you want to find out about the other shows that Clueless and The Hughleys are connected with beyond the Moesha Universe, y'all can have it. I wish you all the best of luck; you're going to need it. For others that are not willing to give themselves a headache, all you need to know is that The Moesha Universe is most definitely connected to the ABC/Disney Channel Universe, mainly because Clueless and The Hughleys were originally ABC shows before moving to UPN.

And those are all of the UPN shows that exist within the Moesha Universe. 

Single Black Doppelgänger 

If you have made it this far, and have seen most if not all of these shows, you're probably asking yourself, "How can any of these shows be in the same universe, when some characters are played by the same actor?" To some people, this is an issue that makes little sense at all. But I promise you, this is nowhere near confusing, unlike Dan Schneider's obsession with f*** and having his characters exist in a world where they also exist on TV shows within said world. But both the Moesha Universe and Dan Schneider Universe share the same reason for their... choices: doppelgängers!

Doppelgängers are people who look almost or exactly identical, regardless if they are genetically related or not. I'm a doppelgänger, you're a doppelgänger and Moesha is a doppelgänger. Yes, actress Brandy Norwood has played three characters from this universe: Moesha Mitchell on Moesha, herself on the Moesha episode "Moesha Meets Brandy" (Season 4 Episode 1), and Jason Pitts' future second wife Chardonnay on The Game. Since Brandy Norwood was a main actress on Moesha and one of the main cast members on The Game, her multiple roles are the most noticeable, at least in my mind. 

But she's not the only cast member to play more than one character in the Moesha Universe. Her brother Ray J had a guest role on the first three seasons of Moesha as Charles, before returning to the sitcom full-time as Moesha's half-brother Dorian Mitchell. And Mo'nique played Nikki Parker on Moesha, The Parkers and The Hughleys, before guest starring as herself on The Game TWICE (Season 2 Episode 1, and Season 4 Episode 9).

The same thing can apply to many actors who played different minor characters throughout the Moesha Universe's run, including Gabrielle Union, Loretta Devine, J. August Richards, Ja'net DuBois and Kellie Shanygne Williams, to name a few. And yes, that includes Clueless and The Hughleys.

In Conclusion

So to summarize this blog entry, Moesha, The Parkers, Girlfriends and The Game are the main shows that all exist within the same universe. And two other UPN shows that are connected via crossovers are Clueless and The Hughleys.

What I like to know is, why did the Moesha Universe have to get all soap-opera-ish as time went on? I want to laugh, not cry!

And how come Niecy and Hakeem never had a TV show together or individually (especially while Lamont Bentley (who played Hakeem) was still alive), or joined the cast of The Parkers? Unpopular opinion: I have always favored Kim, Niecy and Hakeem over their best friend Moesha. So I may be a little biased. Pray for me, please.

All of these shows are admittedly very stand-alone that it's easy to miss crossover episodes. The most obvious stand-alone show would be The Game, despite a cameo from Maya's mother from Girlfriends (Season 4 Episode 9). Ask anyone if they knew that Maya had a brother who was married to Dorian's mother, Niecy went to the Bronson Alcott High School prom and inserted herself in an A and B conversation between Joan and William, the Santa Monica College vending machines are owned by Darryl Hughley, or Melanie is Joan's cousin. Chances are that people will say, "No," to all of these facts.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this piece on how Moesha, The Parkers, Girlfriends and The Game connect, along with Clueless and The Hughleys. I know for a lot of people, the Moesha Universe is something that they never knew existed. And that could be because UPN was nowhere near as massive as ABC, CBS or NBC, but that's another story for another day. It was fun watching the shows again after so many years, especially Clueless as that show NEVER airs in the United States anymore (both Clueless and Moesha were two of many acquired shows to air on TeenNick, back when the network was called The N). 

Feel free to trivia your friends with this cheat sheet, and I'll catch you guys later.

Also: JUSTICE FOR NIECY AND HAKEEM!

Blocks from the Past - Nick (Blog) on CBS

When you see the term E/I, it means you're reading a blog that's educational and informational.

A Warm Up 4Kids

When people think of Saturday Morning Cartoon blocks that premiered in the 2000s, probably the only two that come to mind are the constantly rebranded (and ripped apart) anime blocks that were owned by 4Licensing Corporation, better known by the majority as 4K!DS Entertainment. The first block debuted on Fox in 2002 as Fox Box, was rebranded as 4K!DSTV in 2005, and ended by the end of 2008. The second block from the company launched on The CW in the spring of 2008 as The CW4K!DS, and ended its run in late 2012, when it was known as Toonzai. To be honest, I didn't really watch these blocks for two reasons: 

1. I didn't care for  90% of their shows, and was slowly outgrowing Saturday morning cartoons at a very young age.
2. Beginning with the first block's third year (during which it was called 4K!DSTV), I was basically a pre-teen (later teenager) attending school six days a week. 

So yeah, I rarely made any time to watch their shows. Every now and then, if I didn't have to go to school on a Saturday, I would catch an episode Bratz, Cubix, Viva Piñata and Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight. Pretty good shows, if I say so myself. I never cared to watch the really popular ones like Yu-Gi-Oh! or Sonic X. Sorry. But thanks to the classmates I had within those ten magical years, I know enough about 4Licensing. The responses to the company - whatever you want to call it - have been rather scathing, to say the least. The most popular offenders were how the anime shows were badly dubbed, poorly censored/edited, and way too Americanized. I won't get into further detail about that because it's been asked and answered many times in many ways by many people via the internet. What I will say is this: 4Licesning had a lot of controversy and financial troubles that not even its rebranding from 4K!DS Entertainment to 4Licensing Corporation could save it. As of 2017, the company is officially dead.

In the end, I was fine with the aforementioned four shows that I did watch on those two blocks. I still watch them online to this day, and enjoy them a lot more as an adult. And if you were to combine both blocks as one (because they were basically the same), it would have been an active block for ten years (2002 - 2012). However, 4GoodnessSakesTV pretty much overshadowed every other 2000s kids block that came and went under our noses. One of those blocks in particular is the REAL topic of this blog. It's a block that was not as flawed as 4-Blah-Blah-Blah, but was definitely not without its own share of flaws.

Nick Jr. on CBS

Do you even remember Nick Jr. on CBS? What about when it became just Nick on CBS? No? Didn't think so. I don't really remember much of it myself, as the only show that I cared to watch was The Brothers García. Little did I know that the day I (barely) watched Nick on CBS would be the final season before it returned to its roots as Nick Jr. on CBS. It is very common for Nickelodeon to have blocks that are so incredibly short-lived that we either never heard of them or forgot about them. But unless six years classifies as short-lived, Nick (Jr.) on CBS was not exactly short-lived at all. Though it could've lasted as long as that damn 4by4TV, it certainly managed to outlast its very strange very 90s predecessor CBS Kidshow, formerly known as... Think CBS Kids and simply CBS Kidz... Oh my. Even CBS itself has a lot of shows and blocks (even well-known programs) that fly under the radar, then and now; including its own kids blocks.

Well, if at first you don't succeed, try try again. And try try again, CBS did. 

Nick (Jr.) on CBS

After reaching an agreement with Nickelodeon to air preschool content from Nick Jr. every Saturday morning, CBS premiered Nick Jr. on CBS on September 16, 2000. From that day to September 15, 2001 (oof, three hundred sixty-four days), the programs featured were Blue's Clues, Dora the Explorer, Little Bear, Little Bill, Franklin, Kipper, Maisy, Maggie and the Ferocious Beast and The Early Show. Wait, what? The Early Show? Yeah, that's right. The Early Show was technically a part of Nick Jr. on CBS, and would be on for two hours every Saturday morning. So despite a rather solid lineup, it seemed like things were already off to a rocky start. So that is flaw number one. Lord, have mercy. And on September 22, 2001, Little Bear, Kipper, Maisy, and Maggie and the Ferocious Beast were removed from the schedule, and replaced by Oswald and Bob the Builder. This schedule would remain until September 7, 2002. 

Much like the predecessor CBS Kidshow, Nick Jr. on CBS met the infamous E/I requirements from the Children's Television Act. For those unaware, E/I stands for "educational and informational". The best way I can describe the E/I rules is that basically any show airing during the daytime syndication hours has to have some educational elements even on a not-so-educational show, or something like that, I don't know. It just has to be educational to a certain degree. I personally didn't have a problem with the whole E/I thing since I'm a PBS Kid, and still don't. But the cartoon fanbase hated this and would continue to hate it to this day. 

Still, the content on Nick Jr. on CBS was educational by nature, making the block's second identity quite questionable honestly. More questionable than The Early Show in the block's slate.

Nick(elodeon) on CBS

In an effort to cater to a wider underage audience, Nick Jr. on CBS was retooled as Nick on CBS on September 14, 2002. While most found this era for the block to be triumphant, it would prove to be a very risky move as well. Unlike Nick Jr., the Nicktoons were far from educational or informational. The only Nick Jr. shows to return directly from the block's previous season as Nick Jr. on CBS were Blue's Clues, Dora the Explorer, Franklin and Oswald, along with that doggone Early Show. Joining these shows in the lineup would be the Nicktoons Hey Arnold!, The Wild Thornberrys, As Told By Ginger and Pelswick. Relatable shows? Well yes, although I wouldn't know about Pelswick; never saw that show in my life. Educational? Mmm... not really, but you can still learn something, I suppose. After all, these are slice-of-life cartoons, so surely it counts. Eh whatever. 

This lineup would only last until November 23, 2002 (just two months), as Franklin, Oswald, Pelswick and As Told By Ginger were removed. You literally had to be a teenager to really get into As Told By Ginger for what it was, or maybe that was just me. As for Pelswick, I guess no one really cared for that show, or maybe that was just me. Taking their place from November 30, 2002 to January 25, 2003 was NFL on CBS. I promise I'm not making this up. 

From February 1, 2003 to July 26, 2003, Rugrats and Chalkzone were added in the mix to fill the gap left by NFL on CBS. And on August 2, 2003, Rugrats was gone, and Little Bill returned to the block, making it the fifth series (sixth, if you count The Early Show) to return from the block's early years as Nick Jr. on CBS. And then Little Bill and The Wild Thornberrys were removed after March 6, 2004. Taking their place on March 13, 2004 would be All Grown Up! and The Brothers García, the latter being the only Nickelodeon series in the block to be entirely live-action. These would be the very last shows to be added for the Nick on CBS schedule, before this era made its final curtain call on September 11, 2004. 

If you were just as confused as I was about the slate changes to Nick on CBS, I honestly do not blame you. It took me a long time to understand what came, what went, and what was never a part of the schedule. I am under the impression that Nick on CBS, the way it was, was always destined to be a great big mess. The schedule changes were probably very irritating for a lot of viewers. And while there are cartoons that (in their way) teach life lessons, most of Nickelodeon's shows - sans the Nick Jr. shows - don't scream "educational and informational". So I can't help but wonder how this Nick on CBS era was even approved to begin with. Flaw number two. 

There is one particular show that should have been a part of Nick on CBS, but I will get to that momentarily. For now let's move on to the next-ish era.

Nick (Jr. is Back) on CBS

So the Nicktoons era was dropped and the block went back to its roots as Nick Jr. on CBS on September 18, 2004, which saw the return of full-time (if you will) educational programming on the block for the first time since September 7, 2002. Once again, this left Blues Clues, Dora the Explorer and The Early Show as the only shows to return directly from the block's previous identity as Nick on CBS. It also marked the return of Little Bill into the lineup after a second hiatus, and this time it would remain on the slate until the block's discontinuation. 

Rounding out the schedule was LazyTown, Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends and The Backyardigans from September 18, 2004 to September 10, 2005. On September 17, 2005, Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends was replaced by Go, Diego, Go!. From that day until September 9, 2006, the block's up final lineup was LazyTown, Go, Diego, Go!, The Backyardigans, Dora the Explorer, The Early Show, Little Bill and Blue's Clues, in that order. This was once again a solid lineup for Nick Jr. on CBS; something that Nick on CBS couldn't maintain, if its life depended on it.

For anyone who was actually a fan of the previous Nick on CBS era, it was a blow that the revamp to Nick Jr. on CBS meant there would be no more Hey Arnold, Chalkzone, or whatever else that was a Nicktoon/TEENick series. Anyone who wanted to get their fix of TV-Y7/TV-Y7-FV/TV-G Saturday morning cartoons, had to watch Kids' WB, ABC Kids, or 4NothingTV.

On January 19, 2006, after the split between Viacom and CBS (over a decade before they would merge for the second time), it was announced that Nick Jr. on CBS would be no more. Taking its place on September 16, 2006 would be a new kids block that was owned by DiC Entertainment and would go through three identities of its own: KOL Secret Slumber Party (2006 - 2007), KEWLopolis (2007 - 2009) and finally Cookie Jar TV (2009 - 2013). But that's another block for another blog entry. Still, how could anybody resist DIC? DIC is irresistible! Surely, it's the only type of DIC that all genders like.

Nick (Flaws Revisitsed) on CBS

The Early Show

This flaw is an obvious one: The Early Show airing on Nick Jr. on CBS, Nick on CBS, and Nick Jr. on CBS. I'm sure most would agree when I say, "Why?" Hey, I enjoy watching the news as much as the next Black guy. Not a day goes by that I don't watch The Today Show on NBC or the KTLA 5 News (KTLA is a Los Angeles affiliate for The CW). But upon researching the history of Nick Jr. on CBS, I couldn't help but laugh at the fact that The Early Show, of all shows, would even air in the middle of the block, instead of before the block. 

Wouldn't it had made more sense if Nick News with Linda Ellerbee aired on the block, rather than The Early Show? That could have helped strengthen the educational content of Nick Jr. on CBS, and would have been the most educational show on Nick on CBS. Speaking of which...

Nick('s Wasted Opportunities) on CBS

Brace yourselves. I know I'm going to get a lot of hate for saying this, but the Nick on CBS era was so flawed and weird. Sure, one can learn a few things here and there from watching The Brothers García, The Wild Thornberrys and Rugrats. But I never would have guessed that Hey Arnold, All Grown Up, Chalkzone or As Told By Ginger were even remotely educational, because they're not. Neither is any Nickelodeon show that isn't made for Nick Jr.

In fact, none of the shows that premiered during the Nick on CBS era were educational to begin with. They were just very popping shows at the time, and that is totally fine. Some still are... as far as pop culture is concerned, that is. They just happen to barely meet the E/I requirements, no matter how weak the educational elements were. Something tells me that some episodes of each non-Nick Jr. show was skipped entirely if it wasn't even 10% educational. 

It's almost like a religious network whose collection of shows, while wholesome to a sometimes cheesy degree, are very secular and non-religious. I'm looking at you, BYUtv and UPtv.

Some say that Nick on CBS would have been better and more relevant if Rugrats had stuck around longer. Even more would say that it would have been twice as better and relevant if more popular shows like SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents were a part of the lineup. After all, the message of The Fairly OddParents is, "Be careful what you wish for." And who already knew about the word 'barnacle' before watching SpongeBob SquarePants? We'll wait. I disagree, though. Neither cartoon would last a minute on the block; at least not on the watch of the Children's Television Act. So besides Nick News, as long as Nick on CBS had to follow the guidelines of E/I, why didn't they air, oh I don't know, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius? 

Granted it's not as hot as Rugrats, SpongeBob SquarePants, or The Fairly OddParents, but you cannot tell me that The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius did not meet the E/I requirements in some capacity; absolutely no way this was not considered. The many episodes that were made and topics covered for the show make it clear that this cartoon didn't need much to prove that it belongs in Nick on CBS. Jimmy Neutron would have fit in with the Nick on CBS block much easier than a bunch of babies, a couple of fairies and a dim-witted sea sponge ever would. He's a genius, a know-it-all and a scientist. MISSED OPPORTUNITY!

Also, if Nick on CBS lasted longer before going back to its Nick Jr. days, another show that could have made the cut would have been Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. Whether or not your middle school years were a piece of dog crap, this show was basically any kid's escape from the harsh reality of being a teenager. With so many different amazing off-the-wall ways of surviving middle school, it would have been something special to have this on Nick on CBS. But again, that is if the Nick on CBS era lasted longer than just two years.

Heck, even live-action shows that were on Nickelodeon or Noggin/The N at the time, such as Caitlin's Way, Taina, Romeo!, Sponk!, A Walk in Your Shoes, and Degrassi: The Next Generation, would have helped The Brothers García stick out less. A lot of kids, teens, and even families could relate to several of the characters and the topics covered. Almost in a similar fashion to a slice-of-life cartoon. But maybe this is just a personal bias. Still, this era of the block was called Nick on CBS, not Nicktoons on CBS.

So, yeah...

Again this is from the perspective of someone who's only seen Nick on CBS once, just to watch The Brothers García (I love that show). You could say that the biggest flaw for the Nick on CBS era is that they left out a lot of Nickelodeon's most popular shows as a result of the E/I policy, with the obvious exception being Rugrats. Who even watched Nick on CBS for educational content anyway? I know I didn't; I had PBS KIDS and Noggin (before it became a preschool network) for that. But like it or not, this is what needed to be done, in order for Nick on CBS to be a thing, and it just didn't work. It doesn't even sound like anyone tried to make it work, and if they did, I am not convinced.

I thank them for giving me a chance to see The Brothers García on a Saturday morning, instead of the usual Sunday night. But at the end of the day, maybe the Nick on CBS era wasn't something that really needed to happen. Then again, everybody doesn't have cable. Everyone didn't have cable back then, so Nick on CBS was a blessing for them, as well as a curse if they wanted to watch SpongeBob SquarePants.

If the Children's Television Act never existed, maybe things would have been less ridiculous for Nick on CBS, and all the other kids blocks that were affected by it for the next ten years. But as long as it was around, Nick on CBS was easily expendable. If you really cannot bring yourself to take as much time as possible to sort out which shows are actually (or at least remotely) educational and informational, and therefore eligible enough to be on Nick on CBS, don't worry about it and just stick to Nick Jr. on CBS. PBS KIDS and Discovery Kids on NBC could have had quite the competition.

Maybe.

It certainly beats watching 4Score&7YearsAgoTV, that's for sure.