The Hub: A Place to Re-Live Your Childhood

Forget all of the new fall shows; I’ll be watching old school programs on The Hub.

I just discovered The Hub on Verizon FiOS a few weeks ago, but already I love it. It’s got some of my favorite ’80s shows, like Jem and the Holograms (which I was completely and totally obsessed with as a child), Family Ties, and The Wonder Years, as well as some new shows that kids of today are familiar with, like Family Game Night and Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?

What makes me so thrilled with The Hub is that it’s airing television shows that haven’t already been repeated to death on other channels. I remember being able to watch Family Ties on Nick at Nite, I believe, but it was never on all the time like some shows. The Wonder Years has never been a ubiquitous syndicated hit, and it feels brand new again because the re-runs didn’t air all the time.

I adored that show during its original run, even though I was pretty young when it premiered in 1988 (I was just four). Taking place in the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was a window into a different time period, and only 20 years in the past when The Wonder Years first aired. I thought Kevin (aka Fred Savage) was so cute, and I always rooted for him and on again/off again girlfriend Winnie. I loved his hippie older sister Karen, his sweet mom Norma, and dorky best friend Paul. I even had a soft spot for harsh dad Jack and jerky brother Wayne. It wasn’t your typical sitcom like everything else that was on ABC in those days, and while there was plenty of humor, it also had its darker moments – just like the actual time period. It felt very real, and I’m sure lots of people who grew up in that era felt a connection with the show.

There are so many programs I used to love that would never make it in syndication, either because they didn’t last long enough (Freaks and Geeks) or it was just too random (how about Out of this World?). What old shows do you wish were on in repeats?