What was your “sick and staying home from school” TV lineup as a kid?
Posted by spokomptonjdub@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 156 comments
Posted by spokomptonjdub@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 156 comments
whinniethepony@reddit
Late to this party. If I was home sick from school it was old movies because that was what my mom was watching. The old movie channel with B&W classics. It's why I can pick Barbara Stanwyk and Myrna Loy out of a line up today.
My mom suddenly died 4 weeks ago and I've been thinking about this a lot. My older sisters did not have this experience because they are 5 and 6 years older than me, and were too old by the time the classic movie channel came out to be hanging with mom when they were sick. I got the love of musicals and showtunes. I took her to the traveling Broadway shows when they came to town. I got excited with her when AMC finally broadcast Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in the original theatrical aspect ratio. "See those dancers on the sides! You could never see them before!" I wanted to stay home with her and watch Oklahoma on New Year's Eve when it was being broadcast with the lyrics to all the songs. I got my husband into musicals and after he came along, I'd bring him with me to see the new shows in town. I bought her and my dad tickets to Hamilton when it first toured. My heart aches thinking about this, but I feel so lucky to have had this relationship with her.
And it all started because she made me watch the old movie channel if I was home sick.
bk553@reddit
Matlock and Price is Right
Frosty_Cloud_2888@reddit
I don’t remember Mesothelioma commercials until I was out on my own.
Solid-Hedgehog9623@reddit
Also commercials about taking classes for tv, vcr, and gun repair.
Acceptingoptimist@reddit
Reverse mortgage!
Particular-Crew5978@reddit
Head on apply directly to the forehead...
johnvalley86@reddit
That or Wilford Brimley with the diabeatus
misterlakatos@reddit
Matlock was pure torture. One of my grandmothers loved it. Thankfully my parents hated it.
BeardedPuffin@reddit
One of my grandmas loved Matlock too (and Columbo).
misterlakatos@reddit
Haha yeah same. My other grandma loved "Murder, She Wrote". While that bored me to tears as a kid, I have caught a few episodes in the past 2-3 years and they were pretty good.
After_Match_5165@reddit
When I was in my early 20's my dad and I both had a run of unemployment for a couple months and we had a blast just hanging out, drinking coffee, and watching Murder, She Wrote, haha
misterlakatos@reddit
Haha love this story. That's a great way to spend quality time together.
IpeeInclosets@reddit
I dunno, columbo was always enjoyable for me, but would've been better if roger rabbit guest starred once in a while.
Procrasturbating@reddit
Matlock was a guaranteed nap at Grandma's on the couch. Usually with milk and a big ass cookie.
misterlakatos@reddit
Haha this right here. To this day I cannot watch it.
0peRightBehindYa@reddit
Don't forget Dianetics.
Frosty_Cloud_2888@reddit
$1 Bob!
Wild_Replacement8213@reddit
I loved David The Gnome and Muppet Babies
IceSmiley@reddit
Price is Right, Beverly Hillbillies, Andy Griffith Show. That's funny to think about network TV airing black and white shows in the middle of the day 🤣
Chocolate_Haver@reddit
David the Gnome was my lunch time show at school. I didn't know why but the teacher would show it at school.
CodRare5863@reddit
Stay home sick?
timsea99@reddit
The Price is Right is the correct answer for multiple generations
remnant_phoenix@reddit
The Price is Right
crackedtooth163@reddit
Morning game shows. Lots of 60s 70 reruns.
Miserable-Energy8844@reddit
All of the above
Miserable_Badger_255@reddit
Jerry Springer and The Price is Right.
spokomptonjdub@reddit (OP)
I forgot about the Price is Right. That was always first thing in the morning.
w0lfLars0n@reddit
It was on at 11 am
spokomptonjdub@reddit (OP)
On the west coast it was 10am. I thought it was earlier honestly. I might be associating it with “first thing in the morning” because that was probably the time my mom left for work so I could really lean into the couch + tv (or Nintendo) routine.
Additional-Local8721@reddit
Pluto TV has two TV channels just for PIR. One is all Bob, and the other is all Drew.
gpo321@reddit
Ever watch the Bob channel and try to play along guessing 1983 prices? It’s a game in itself. Amusing to see the cars they gave away back then too!
goat_penis_souffle@reddit
Rod, what’s the next item up for bid?
RelevantFilm2110@reddit
Other than computer and tech stuff, which usually got better and cheaper, I find it almost painful to consider prices of anything before about the mid 90s, when I started to have some basic concept of what money is worth. My part time college job in the 00s would have paid a relatively high wage by the standards of the 80s or earlier, which is just crazy.
gpo321@reddit
How do you forget the greatest midday tv game show of all time?
$1, Bob.
Roscoe_P_Trolltrain@reddit
I still remember when some idiot bet $1 but he was the first bidder. I was like 10 years of facepalming at that guy.
MyNameCannotBeSpoken@reddit
USA Cartoon Express
Dangerous_Midnight91@reddit
100%
johnvalley86@reddit
Thank you! We didn't have cartoons during the day on rabbit ear TV
auto_pHIGHlot@reddit
With Bob Barker!
OkPie8905@reddit
I was at a meeting with a group of 20 somethings and we were asked to guess a number without going over , so I yelled out I bet a dollar bob and got silence. The organizer laughed later about the woosh that went over the kids heads….
Overall_Falcon_8526@reddit
Price is Right for sure.
VoodooDonKnotts@reddit
Gilligan's Island
Price is Right
Inspector Gadget
Heathcliff
MercerCurse2525@reddit
The Price is Right, Charlie's Angels, Bonanza, Brady Bunch, Jerry Springer and soap operas. lol They always had the retro 60/70s shows on after Price is Right. lol I'm probably missing some names.
dishwasher_mayhem@reddit
Price is Right, Card Sharks, and then whatever syndicated shows were on UHF. I mainly recall Hogan's Heros, Brady Bunch, The Monkees, and Car 54
uwu_mewtwo@reddit
Bob Barker is the patron saint of staying home from school sick.
Planetofthought@reddit
None of these cartoons came on during the day. Lol.
CMJunkAddict@reddit
I think around middle school it changed to Comedy Central or there was a channel that showed sitcoms back to back , like “Ned and Stacy” or “ Boston Common”
AlekHidell1122@reddit
PRICE IS RIGHT is the only correct answer
MistressErinPaid@reddit
I remember all of these.
SirLexington81@reddit
Price is Right, Jerry Springer, Gilligan's Island...and on one random day, the epic conclusion of the Branch Davidians fiasco at Waco, TX
Accomplished_Thing77@reddit
Finally, David the Gnome! Followed by whatever animated movie nickelodeon was playing after it. Then the Price is Right.
AngryGingermancer@reddit
I grew up out in the country, and we were too poor to have a satellite dish. (Hell, our shitty antenna only got us about 6 or 7 channels. 4-5 if it was raining.) So aside from The Price Is Right, I watched a lot of PBS mostly.
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Reading Rainbow, 3-2-1 Contact, Cover to Cover, The Art Chest with Mr. Mihuta, The Electric Company, and later on, Bill Nye the Science Guy.
That-Bluejay3533@reddit
Legend of Zelda!!!
Most_Present_6577@reddit
David the gnome slaps
Solid-Hedgehog9623@reddit
Three’s Company, Gilligan’s Island, and What’s Happening.
JohnnyBacci@reddit
Flinstones, Pink Panther, northern exposure, price is right.
No9No9No9No9@reddit
David the Gnome gives me such comfort and nostalgia
roguepandaCO@reddit
If I stayed home sick I was forced to stay in my room alone. No tv.
drinkslinger1974@reddit
Matlock and Murder She Wrote. I was sick for months as a kid, I got cozy with all the old lady tv shows.
RLIwannaquit@reddit
Price is right, #1. whatever else was on was fine, Pup Named Scooby Doo wasn't bad either
anOvenofWitches@reddit
Sally Jessy and People’s Court!
crucible@reddit
This Morning or if you were really bored the schools programming that was on BBC2 and Channel 4…
tempus_fuget@reddit
Jerry Springer and the price is right
Intelligent_West7128@reddit
Morning Sports Center, Price Is Right, Young & The Restless, Sally Jesse Raphael, MTV and BET, evening Sportscenter.
Appropriate-Neck-585@reddit
Because I stayed with my Grandma when I was sick (Mom had to work) it was the Price Is Right...Young & The Restless...Guiding Light...she made me take a nap...and then the 3p - 5p cartoon rerun lineup (Jetsons, Flintstones, etc.).
ofTHEbattle@reddit
Definitely game shows, price is right and whatever else was on. I do remember David the Gnome, and definitely the smurfs. I'm sure there was a lot more that I can't think of.
Cryptonic_Sonic@reddit
Thomisawesome@reddit
Cooking shows in PBS. Justin Wilson, Jacque Pepin, Mary Ann Esposito. I learned so much about cooking whenever I was sick.
Also price is Right and Wheel of Fortune.
Slippery-Pete76@reddit
Game shows all morning - Scrabble, Classic Concentration, and Price Is Right. Then mom would turn on the 12:00 news and watch Bob Ross while I ate some toast for lunch and took a nap.
Wil-low@reddit
First, I’d have to wait out “Good Day NY.” Then “I Love Lucy” followed by “Family Feud” and “Price is Right.” Then I’d have to channel surf until the Disney Afternoon came on.
robkillian@reddit
Switch to TBS in the afternoon after the price is right.
Cs_Got_Degrees@reddit
The Price Is Right, Mama's Family, 227, CHiPS
SilentJoe27@reddit
Nothing. In 12 years of school, I had only one sick day. Unless I could prove I was sick and was contagious, mom would make me go… even if I was coughing up a lung (this was decades before COVID).
Separate-Succotash11@reddit
Gilligan’s Island.
🎶A two hour tour. A two hour tour🎶
Brazident@reddit
Price is Right followed by Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.
L3g3ndary-08@reddit
The Price is Wrong Bob!
cerealfamine1@reddit
Supermarket sweep, under the umbrella tree, ricki lake. Only had rabbit ears vision.
Scary-Ad9646@reddit
Yan Can Cook.
elmoosh@reddit
Whatever was on channel 25 out of Hagerstown. Unless it was raining in which case whatever was on channel 26 out of DC (and it was PBS so I got to watch Sesame Street).
gpo321@reddit
Price is Right at 11, news at noon, boring soap opera tv until 4 when DuckTales and TaleSpin came on.
whoatemarykate@reddit
Live with Kathy & Regis. Phil Donahue. Price is Right. News. Danger Bay. Wok with Yan.
Positively_Eric@reddit
Flintstones, Inspector Gadget, Heathcliff, and Top Cat
Starbreiz@reddit
PRICE IS RIGHT!!
arcenciel82@reddit
The price is right, I love Lucy and Larry H Parker ads.
Pinkkorn69@reddit
Whatever my mom allowed that day, normally Matlock, Murder She Wrote, Days of Our Lives.
TexasNatty05@reddit
Before cable: Price is Right, All My Children (I didn’t know what was going on but that was my mom’s Soap when she stayed home with me, then the 3-5 cartoon lineup
Cable: start with Real Ghostbusters reruns on USA, flip it to TBS for a couple hours of Beverly Hillbillies and Gilligans Island, move into Cartoon Network for some Scooby Doo, then head over to Nick in the afternoon for some Double Dare, Wild and Crazy Kids, Salute Your Shorts, Hey Dude, What Would You Do and Legends of the Hidden Temple.
We were Kings and Queens and had no concept of our bounty.
VectorJones@reddit
All game shows. TPIR, Card Sharks, Scrabble, Super Password, Press Your Luck, Tic-Tac-Doigh, Supermarket Sweep
po_ta_toes_80@reddit
Since most comments cover things from when I was a bit older, I have very early memories of Belle & Sebastian and Adventures of the Little Koala.
Thin_Cable4155@reddit
Uhg, David and the Gnome. I would suffer through that show sometimes to get a little bit of animation, but would usually just turn it off. I'm sure it's a perfectly good show, but as a child it just bummed me out I guess.
cajerunner@reddit
I was never sick. Wish I would’ve been. These shows are great.
Justinterestingenouf@reddit
Bold of you to think i ever got tonstay home sick!!
JuliusSeizuresalad@reddit
Price is right, chips, little house on the prairie, the nothing but you can’t do that on televisions and double dare
Groundbreaking-Fee28@reddit
Sally Jesse Raphael @9:00am. Muppet Babies @10:00/10:30am. Price Is Right @11:00am. Time for something to eat, meds, and a nap. Gumby @2:00pm. Jerry Springer @3:00pm.
FittedSheets88@reddit
If I was too sick for school, I was too sick to choose the channel. So it was Mad About You and Will And Grace. Decent shows though.
Z0na@reddit
What? Nobody has said The A-Team?
user08182019@reddit
Murder She Wrote, Days of Our Lives boring boring, baby stuff on Nick Jr. The lineup was so bad I wasn’t motivated to fake being sick.
uncertia@reddit
We didn’t have cable - so literally the only options were talk shows, Matlock, Murder She Wrote and The Price is Right. Watched a lot of those 😂
piscian19@reddit
Im man enough to admit golden girls and designing women were definitely in my lineup. God I loved supermarket sweep.
CDJMC@reddit
Same!!!
CDJMC@reddit
Back-to-back episodes of I Love Lucy at 9am and 930am. Divorce Court at 10am, I learned so much! Price is Right at 11am only because nothing else was on. The Young and the Restless was 1230-130 I think. I hated fuckin’ Pinwheel, it took up the whole afternoon on Nickelodeon. Good stuff came back on around 3pm. I loved Lifetime for reruns of Golden Girls and Designing Women.
valhallaswyrdo@reddit
Star Trek TNG. It was on spike all day or something.
EarlBeforeSwine@reddit
Whatever was airing on Fox, CBS, NBC, CBS, and PBS… because those 5 channels were all we got until I got into high school and suddenly we picked up UPN, too.
So, basically, during the day on a school day? Soap operas, Jerry Springer, and game shows
misterlakatos@reddit
I remember FOX back then aired old sitcoms all day. There were other independent channels that were similar. Both ABC and FOX near me had afternoon kids blocks, while NBC and CBS were pretty much soap operas and talk shows all day.
FelixMcGill@reddit
I'd be at my grandma's house on those days. So that would be drinking coffee and watching local news for a little bit until The Price is Right came on. Then USA to watch whatever rerun cartoons they had, which seemed to be The Littles most days. Maybe David the Gnome on Nick. Then back to the news and a bowl of cereal. Then at 1, that was her show, so the soap opera Another World, which i admit I got really into the drama of Bay City and Carl Hutchins' bullshit.
After that, Fox and/or Disney kids depending on which one was running new episodes until the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather.
Then I'd walk across the street to my aunts house for dinner and a B12 shot, then finally to my house.
I never really played my SNES on sick days, but once PSX got in the mix... i wouldn't leave my room. Either Gran Turismo or FF7.
Nipplasia2@reddit
Muppets Babies for the win
misterlakatos@reddit
I watched it on Saturday mornings at a super young age and again on weekday afternoons and Nickelodeon. Gonzo, Rowlf and Fozzie were always my favorites.
Rygaaar@reddit
David the gnome was a banger.
misterlakatos@reddit
The episode where David tricks Pot and he turns into stone was pretty freaky as a kid.
I definitely loved "David the Gnome" despite some of its darker elements.
Sufficient-Narwhal80@reddit
Lmao no cartoon mum needs to watch Young and the Restless Bold and the Beautiful
Alarming-Mongoose-91@reddit
David the gnome was a mid day cartoon also if i recall correctly.
omega_manhatten@reddit
Andy Griffith, Gilligan's Island and Price is Right. Not that my parents ever let me stay home from school.
misterlakatos@reddit
I remember TBS Superstation was basically old syndicated sitcoms and Hanna-Barbera shows. What I remember:
The Andy Griffith Show
The Beverly Hillbillies
Gilligan's Island
The Jeffersons
Sanford and Son
Three's Company
Yogi Bear and Friends
The Flintstones
I remember watching a lot of TBS and specifically remember watching the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons on weekday afternoons.
omega_manhatten@reddit
Yep, and mid 90s TNT was mostly monster movies and pro wrestling. It was excellent.
misterlakatos@reddit
Haha yes - I remember those days, too.
I also remember during the daytime TNT showed stuff like "Dynasty" and "Knots Landing", so it was always worth avoiding unless there were cartoons, movies or sports.
dirtyracoon25@reddit
Cartoon wise - scoobie doo, smurfs, he-man, gi-joe
Adult shows i'd watch with dad - sanford and son, 3 stooges, married with children
bgva@reddit
Game shows and cartoons.
misterlakatos@reddit
USA used to air an afternoon block of classic game shows. I remember always watching Hollywood Squares, Press Your Luck, Scrabble and the 10,000 Pyramid.
bgva@reddit
Yes! I lived for the USA rerun block.
misterlakatos@reddit
Yeah those game shows were great. I also loved the USA Cartoon Express.
horusthesundog@reddit
The price is right and what ever soaps were on that my mom watched. I went to my room once the price is right was over.
ZeldLurr@reddit
Price is right, reruns of Sanford and Son, Charles in Charge, Good Times
sowokeIdontblink@reddit
Little House always snuck in there somewhere. Michael Landon was even more perfect dadish when you're at home running a fever.
misterlakatos@reddit
My mom and aunt loved Michael Landon, so I definitely had exposure to "Bonanza", "Little House on the Prairie" and "Highway to Heaven" growing up.
judasmitchell@reddit
Muppet baaaaaaybiiiiieees
shewholaughslasts@reddit
We make our dreams come truuuuuuue.
1radgirl@reddit
The Price is Right, and then whatever soap opera my mom was into at the moment.
Deep-Interest9947@reddit
As the world turns, guiding light, Oprah, Murray povich, and the price is right
Crusader1865@reddit
General Hospital.
gummi-demilo@reddit
The babysitter I had in the early 90s got me into Young and the Restless, though I was much more into Days of Our Lives as a teen
0peRightBehindYa@reddit
The Price is Right and soap operas. If I was lucky I got to catch some Judge Wapner. Cartoons didn't come on until the afternoon.
Soniquethehedgedog@reddit
Price is right, Andy Griffith reruns and fishing the west
BeardedPuffin@reddit
Pretty much exactly that, but add in The Price Is Right and Eureka’s Castle.
Traditional_Nebula96@reddit
These!! Mostly Mr Rogers, The Jetsons, snorks, double dare and almost all Nickelodeon shows like that...I grew up but want to watch all of these now again! 😀
CSWorldChamp@reddit
The original muppet show and Star Trek TOS reruns.
Adventurous_Cloud_20@reddit
No TV, if you were sick enough to stay home, you clearly needed to stay in bed and rest. We were allowed to read or draw, maybe play with our Legos in our rooms, but TV or the Nintendo in the basement living room were strictly off limits.
spokomptonjdub@reddit (OP)
Both my parents worked, so luckily I never had to deal with those kinds of rules. Just had to make sure the house was in order by the time they got home.
VampireOnHoyt@reddit
60s Batman reruns, Price Is Right, Let's Make A Deal
Tony_Tanna78@reddit
The Price is Right and whatever cool stuff I find after some channel surfing (i.e. music videos on MTV and BET and movies on HBO and Cinemax).
gummi-demilo@reddit
When I was 10 it was Swan’s Crossing. It came on at like 2 or 3 in the afternoon so I had to be home sick to see it
Winwookiee@reddit
I don't really remember watching TV when "home sick", it was usually a VHS marathon of movies we had in our collection. Princess bride was one of the main ones for then, as well as TMNT or star wars.
snow-haywire@reddit
Maury, Ricky lake, Jenny jones and other shows I had no business watching.
Bonanza was a favorite though
CertifiedBA@reddit
David the Gnome, Eureka's Castle
cloisterbells-10@reddit
It was my mom's lineup, since I was infringing on her space by daring to be sick. So it was "The Price is Right," into the news at noon, then straight to "Days of Our Lives" and "Another World."
misterlakatos@reddit
My mom alternated between the CBS and NBC soap operas. She never watched any of the ABC ones.
kristosnikos@reddit
I think we had the same mom. Haha Except it was the Young and the Restless before Days of Our Lives.
beekaybeegirl@reddit
Young & the Restless
C0BRA_V1P3R@reddit
Sanford and Son, Good Times, and All In the Family.
Alternative-Light514@reddit
CHIPs, The Price Is Right, Bewitched & then I’d pop in Batman, Terminator or Predator on vhs, then play Nintendo
jonny_blitz@reddit
Inspector Gadget
misterlakatos@reddit
I watched this a lot, too.
As a fan of Healthcliff as well, it was always great to see Iggy's family watching Inspector Gadget on television.
Deep-Interest9947@reddit
misterlakatos@reddit
My babysitter always played CBS during the day.
Family Feud (with Ray Combs)
The Price is Right
All the soaps
Donahue
The above often played at my house as well, but there was definitely a mix of cartoons. I remember a lot of Nickelodeon and my local ABC and FOX affiliates had blocks from 3 until 5 pm, which featured the following shows at various points between 1988 and 1995:
Woody Woodpecker
DuckTails
The Flintstones
The Real Ghostbusters
The Muppet Babies
Super Mario Brothers Super Show
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Aladdin
Goof Troop
Batman: the Animated Series
ezhammer@reddit
Fraggle rock
ezhammer@reddit
Scooby do
theAFguy200@reddit
Andy Griffith, Beverly Hillbillies reruns.
Ok_Association8013@reddit
Muppet babies