Popfilter Vs Our Childhood

In which we reminisce about childhood entertainment, then go back and watch it and re-assess.

ERIN WILSON

VS

ROUNDHOUSE

Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen of the show “Portlandia” are right–the ‘90s were full of possibility.  I also remember the ‘90s (yes, the nineteen-nineties) as a time of dancing and unironic enthusiasm.  A lot of that probably has to do with a little show called “Roundhouse” which aired during Nickelodeon’s golden age.  My memory of the show is plenty hazy by now, but it was basically a family sitcom filmed in front of a studio audience.  Except it was cast entirely of late teens and twenty-somethings who would break into post-modern song and dance in between scenes (along with the house band!), and it all took place with minimal set design inside a studio modeled after a train station roundhouse.  See what I mean?  You could just DO this shit on children’s programming during the ‘90s, and people didn’t think it was weird, they just thought it was awesome.  And it WAS awesome!  I remember rolling around and spasming on the living room carpet as I tried to imitate their sweet moves.  And that’s pretty much where my memory cuts off.  I don’t remember details from any of the episodes.  I don’t remember any of the actors’ names, except for Crystal Lewis.  (True story about her, by the way, she went on to be a Christian pop singer, and I got to sing back-up on one of her albums with my semi-pro choir during my teens.  Sometimes, I can’t help but wonder if God has erased my future-heathen self’s voice clean off the master track.)  What I do remember is young adults exuding real positivity without being condescending or pious.  They did a good job of convincing me that everything was going to be okay.  Alright, there’s gotta be an episode on Youtube somewhere…

INTERMISSION

Okay, so maybe they dress like people in the photographs of a middle-school math textbook.  But holy crap, these kids are talented.  They can all dance, sing, and perform rapid-fire sketches without screwing up!  And, die-hard fans of “Goodburger” forgive me, but this show is way more happening than “All That” could have ever hoped to be.  The writing on “Roundhouse” is top notch–smart, snappy, and timely.  Forget children’s programming, it quite easily blows the majority of television period out of the water.  “All That” was widely considered to be the Saturday Night Live for children–and the format of the show does resemble the NBC staple more closely than “Roundhouse.”  But the jokes in “Roundhouse” certainly give “All That” a run for its money.  (And I suppose it stands to reason, seeing as one of the creator-producers, Buddy Sheffield, used to write for “In Living Color”).  The episode “In Trouble” parodied the Encyclopedia Brittanica commercials, there was a pretty excellent Eddie Vedder impersonation (except you could understand what the hell he was singing about), and–  OH MY GOD, DID THEY JUST GET AWAY WITH A WAYNE’S WORLD “SCHA-WING” JOKE?  AND A JOEY BUTTAFUOCO JOKE??  It really is a trip to see the stuff that got past the censors in Nickelodeon’s prime.  (I remember my father and I cackling with glee over “Ren & Stimpy” while I was in elementary school.  No way in hell would that show even air today on ANY children’s network.)

I’ve always felt that some of the most enjoyable shows are those created for children, but easily enjoyed by adults.  “Roundhouse” is one of those, and it’s aged pretty damn well.  Surprisingly, it’s actually better than I remembered it.

That blond guy’s gotta do something about that haircut, though.  For real.-EW