Last week, I covered one of the best TV series during the ABC Saturday Morning rotation. In the Fall of 1997, ABC Saturday Morning gave way to Disney’s One Saturday Morning and I got Recess, Pepper Ann, Jungle Cubs, The Weekenders, Hercules: The Animated Series, and The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. But the crown jewel was Doug. That brings me to this week’s moment in the Flashback Friday series: the Doug TV series.
How I first came across this moment? My exposure to Doug didn’t start during my binge-watching of ABC on Saturday mornings in 1997. It actually started during spring break in 1993. It was one of the Nickelodeon episodes, where Doug and Patti Mayonnaise were trying to find out who rigged the wheelbarrow race, that lured me in. It was an interesting episode and I was certainly intrigued. I came back to watch it the next Sunday and pretty much every Sunday after that.
What it meant to me then? At the time, I actually related a lot to Doug. Though he was slightly older—he was 11, I was 8 at the time—we had a lot in common from a personality standpoint. I was shy, insecure, and extremely self-conscious. Like Doug, my best friend at the time was the complete opposite of me—a very flamboyant personality. I also had a crush on a girl whom I regularly interacted with. In some respects, I felt as if Doug was the cartoon version of my life.
What it means to me now? I haven’t watched an episode of Doug since December 2007, when I watched a few episodes one of the guys on my deployment had downloaded on his computer. Even today—nearly 10 years since my last watch and nearly 24 years since my first watch—the series still holds significance to me. I still relate a lot to the Doug Funnie character…except there’s no Patti Mayonnaise in my life right now. I know a few years back, Amazon released the entire series on DVD. It may be something I should probably look at acquiring in the future…alongside The Wonder Years, which is kinda like Doug in live action, if you ask me. Anyway, Doug was hands-down my favorite show during the 90s Nickelodeon era. It’ll always have cult status in my book.
