Throwback Thursday: ‘The Facts of Life’, ‘7th Heaven’, ‘That 70’s Show’, and An Almost Death on ‘Teen Wolf’
What a week of Throwback Thursday memories do we have in store! This week we are looking at August 24th-29th — which brings us to the end of summer and the first tricklings of Fall TV.
For example, shows like Prison Break and My So-Called Life premiered this week. It’s also a fun walk down 90s lane with many classic 90s programming getting its start on the tail-end of August.
We also look at some course changing moments on The 4400, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and Teen Wolf. These shows saw a sickness that is out of control, one of high schools highest honors being bestowed upon someone fans least expected, and a beloved werewolf coming within an inch of his own demise.
While we are talking about important moments in TV history it would be remiss if we fail to look at moments of note in Tell-Tale TV history. Hint: One of the articles also talks about Teen Wolf.
Fasten your seatbelts…it’s going to be a bumpy ride through TV History.
Major TV Moments:
The Returnees get sick (The 4400 Season 2 Episode 13, “Mommy’s Bosses”) (August 28, 2006)
Maia Rutledge, a 4400 returnee wrote in her diary at the beginning of the season “Mommy’s bosses will be punished for betraying us.” The finale to the second season introduced the promicin inhibitor that would keep the returnees from developing special abilities, but returnees on that inhibitor started getting sick: and in a way that was too big to ignore.
This put Tom Baldwin and Diana Skouris at odds with their own agency to try to get justice and save the people they care about.
Ricky is Valedictorian (The Secret Life of the American Teenager Season 4 Episode 12, “Pomp”) (August 29, 2011)
For the first half of this teen melodrama’s fourth season mid-season ending, The Secret Life of the American Teenager focuses on the celebration and anxiety surrounding graduation. A big element to this episode is Ricky finding out he has gained the coveted spot of Valedictorian.
When he first finds out, Ricky immediately declines the spot. However, after many conversations with friends and family Ricky changes his mind and decides to accept the honor.
This comes as a bit of a surprise to fans because Ricky has never really shown much interest in school or even indicated that he really tries all that hard. Evidently he does.
Hayden Dies/Liam Brutally Attacks Scott (Teen Wolf Season 5 Episode 10, “Status Asthmaticus”) (August 24, 2015)
While the majority of Season 5 is forgettable. There are a couple of major moments that really stand out. One of which is Teen Wolf Season 5 Episode 10, “Status Asthmaticus” when Liam attacks Scott for refusing to help a dying Hayden.
This attack damages Scott so deeply that Mason finds he can’t get a pulse on the young Alpha. However — much like always — Mama McCall comes along and begs her son to roar while she pounds on his chest to get his heart going again.
What results is a really epic moment of Scott asserting his Alpha status once again and fans breathing a collective sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Hayden is, unfortunately, unable to be saved and Liam has to give a tearful goodbye to the girl he loves — one of the most heartbreaking scenes.
Bonus fun moment of note: Lydia finally discovers what Parrish is and finally puts a name to his powers — Hellhound.
Premieres:
The week of August 24th-29th is a hopping week of premieres. Let’s take that trip down TV memory lane.
Can you believe The Facts of Life and Hart to Hart premiered this week 41 years ago? What about the 90s classics: My So-Called Life, Power Rangers, 7th Heaven, and That ’70s Show? Talk about some epic throwbacks.
Here are a few TV shows that premiered this week in TV History:
- 1979 – The Facts of Life
- 1979 – Hart to Hart
- 1993 – Power Rangers
- 1994 – My So-Called Life
- 1996 – 7th Heaven
- 1996 – The Jamie Foxx Show
- 1998 – That ’70s Show
- 1999 – WWF SmackDown!
- 2000 – In a Heartbeat
- 2001 – The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
- 2005 – Prison Break
- 2006 – Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!
- 2009 – The Fresh Beat Band
- 2010 – Quints by Surprise
- 2019 – On Becoming a God in Central Florida
Tell-Tale TV Archives:
This week in our Throwback Thursday we decided to give you a mixed bag of articles for your viewing pleasure. First up is a list of our favorite TV Bromances. Then you can test your Suits knowledge by taking our quiz from 2017 — are you a lawyer or just faking it?
Finally, read up on our interview with Orange Is The New Black‘s, Jason Altman. Most importantly, have fun and enjoy all the TV content our archives have to offer.
2015
2017
2018
Jason Altman Talks ‘Orange is the New Black’ Season 6 [Exclusive Interview]
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What are some major TV premieres, finales, or moments you remember? Sound off in the comments below and your choice just might be featured in a future Throwback Thursday column.
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Additional contributions by Lauren Busser.
Mads Misasi
Mads is a part-time entertainment journalist and full-time marketing content creator. They love any and all TV Dramas with a few sitcoms mixed in. Join in the fun talking about TV by following them on Twitter: @dorothynyc89.