There’s just something about television. Try as you might, there’s a show out there you just can’t get enough of. You might be one of those people who simply enjoys an hour of laughing at a comedy once in a while. Or maybe you’re like me, screaming at your tv for the last 5 minutes of the Vampire Diaries season finale, wondering how you let yourself get hooked on yet another show. Either way, television is addictive. But sometimes in the heyday of cable and satellite and the many other ways to watch new shows, we forget about some of the great shows of the past. Since summer is here and that means a break from our regular obsessions, we here at Portrait thought it might be nice to remember some of our favorite tv shows. Check them out and you might just fall in love!

Saved by the Bell
1989-1993
Cast:
Mark Paul Gosselaar as Zack Morris, Tiffani Amber Thiessan as Kelly Kapowski, Elizabeth Berkely as Jessie Spano, Mario Lopez as A. C. Slater, Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle, Dustin Diamond as Samuel “Screech” Powers, and Dennis Haskins as Principal Belding

Why It’s Great:
Originally titled Good Morning Miss Bliss before it was revamped for a high school audience, this series marked an era of Saturday morning television that will never be forgotten. The series broke down the “fourth wall” that separates the audience from the action, frequently allowing its star to pause the scene and talk directly to the camera, giving viewers the insider experience. It embraced high school cliches like the pretty cheerleader, the feminist valedictorian, the meat head athlete, and the school dork having a crush on the most popular of the popular, while also managing to hit every teenage landmark it could. The lessons may have been wrapped in sugar, but the show didn't shy away from drug use, teenage drinking, the pressure to be perfect, and the social hierarchy of public school. The show also spawned a spin off series with a New Class and Saved by the Bell: The College Years that concluded with the wedding of its on again-off again core couple

Where They Are Now

Mark Paul Gosselaar has attempted to shed his Zach Morris ways over and over, once with a stint on NYPD Blue, trying to show audiences that he's all grown up now, but it's been an uphill battle for him. Mark Paul Gosselaar also appeared in the short lived series Commander in Chief and in the recent legal drama Raising the Bar. Tiffani Thiessan has never really escaped television. She went on to play bad girl Valerie in the original Beverly Hills, 90210 and made plenty of TV movies. Now, she's one of the stars of White Collar, playing the wife of an FBI agent. Elizabeth Berkely's movie career didn't pan out in the way she had hoped, but she's had plenty of guest starring spots on television shows, most recently on CSI: Miami. Mario Lopez seems to have given up acting for now, but he hasn't left cameras behind. He's one of the hosts of the entertainment news show Extra. Dustin Diamond hasn't exactly had a great career since his run as Screech came to an end. He's been on reality shows, he's penned a “tell all” book about his time in Hollywood, and he's battled his share of demons with most of the world watching. According to Diamond, his book included never before known secrets about fellow Bell cast members, but none of the rest of the cast has substantiated any of his stories. Though Dustin Diamond may not have a whole lot of his original fans left due to his antics over the last few years, he does have quite a few projects in development for 2010, so he may see a resurgence in his popularity. Lark Voorhies has been acting on and off since the show ended, both in movies and television. She had a recurring role on a soap opera for a while, and she has a movie in development for 2011. Dennis Haskins has been steadily acting since the show went off the air, appearing as a guest star in about a dozen television shows and roughly the same number of films. He has three projects completed for 2010 and two more on the way for 2011.

The Babysitters Club
1990
Cast
Avriel Hillman as Kristy, Meghan Lahey as Mary Anne, Jessica Prunell as Stacey, Jeni F. Winslow as Claudia, Nicole Leach as Jessie, Melissa Chasse as Dawn, and Meghan Andrews as Mallory.

Why Its Great:
The series brought a beloved group of 1980s book characters to the screen, and the stories on the show fit right in with the stories told in the novels. A group of girls got together and formed a club where they pooled their baby-sitting money and scheduled themselves regular clients. It was the kind of job every teenage girls has had at least once, though they probably didn't get to do it with a group of their closest friends. The girls also dealt with parents splitting up, parents remarrying, boyfriend drama, and even solved a mystery here and there. The 1995 feature film acted as a follow up to the series, though it didn't feature any of the show's cast members.

Where Are They Now:
Jessica Prunell didn't do much on television after the show ended, but she did go on to get a degree in Psychology, and later, in law. She's currently a practicing lawyer in New York City. Nicole Leach went on to play Olivia on Clarissa Explains It All and over the years has guest starred in numerous television shows, including almost every part of the Law and Order franchise. Meghan Andrews seems to have had the most success in the entertainment world though. She's an accomplished folk singer/songwriter, having released her solo album. She's also appeared on Broadway and in a few television shows, and has a movie in development for 2010. Avriel Hillman, Meghan Lahey, Jeni F. Winslow, and Melissa Chasse on the other hand, left acting behind when the show ended, dropping off of the Hollywood radar and going back to their lives as normal teens.

Boy Meets World
1993-2000
Cast
Ben Savage as Corey, Rider Strong as Shawn, Danielle Fishel as Topanga, Will Friedle as Eric, and William Daniels as Mr. Feeny.

Why Its Great:
Boy Meets World was given the chance to do something a lot of shows don't get to do, follow its stars from childhood to adulthood. The main characters started out as awkward, barely teens, who weren't sure how they felt about growing up, let alone each other. There were the typical feelings of being social outcasts, first kisses, academic lessons, and all the other trials that go along with growing up. In addition to the central trio, the show had Eric there for comic relief and featured the fantastic Feeny as not only a favored teacher, but wise next door neighbor, and later high school principal. In short, it was typical coming-of-age fare, but it had a lot of humor and a lot of heart, and it got a long enough run to finish its stories.

Where They Are Now:
Once the series wrapped, Ben Savage spent some time at school, getting his degree in Political Science from Stanford University in 2004, even interning for a U.S. Senator. He's still acting though, even appearing as himself in an episode of Phil of the Future. You may have also seen him guest star on an episode of the action-comedy Chuck. Rider Strong kept working while attending Columbia University, where he graduated in 2004. He did voice work for the animated series Kim Possible and had a starring role in the short lived series Pepper Dennis. Most recently, he guest starred in an episode of Castle, and he is currently working on two movies that shoud be out sometime in the next year. Though Danielle Fishel had a few acting jobs over the years, she's appeared more often on television as herself. She worked as a correspondent for a few episodes of Tyra Banks' talk show, and is now the host of The Dish, a show that airs on the cable network “The Style Network,” that provides social commentary on the current events taking place in the world of entertainment and fashion. Rarely has Will Friedle been seen onscreen since 2000. The reason? He's found a niche for himself as a voice actor in the world of animation. He voiced Batman in Batman Beyond, Ron in Kim Possible, and The Blue Beetle in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and those are simply his main roles. He's done tons of one episode stints on cartoons and voice work for video games as well. Though much of William Daniels' resume is based on work prior to his role on Boy Meets World, he still resides in California today and takes on roles every once in a while. He voiced a robot in an episode of Kim Possible and recently appeared as Commissioner Ebbers in the film Blades of Glory.

Party of Five
1994-2000
Cast
Scott Wolf as Bailey Salinger, Matthew Fox as Charlie Salinger, Neve Campbell as Julia Salinger, Lacey Chabert as Claudia Salinger and Jennifer Love Hewitt as Sarah Reeves Marin.

Why Its Great
Party of Five told the story of the Salinger siblings who were forced to take care of themselves when their parents died in a car accident. Charlie, at 25, becomes head of the house over his teenage siblings. Party of Five was a unique show. It debuted to positive critical reviews but had an abysmal viewership in its first season. The small cult fanbase managed to show enough support to earn the show a 2nd season but the ratings didn’t improve. Then, just when the show was certain to be canceled, it won a Golden Globe for best drama. The show continued on for a total of six seasons, growing as it did from a show about a young family to growing adults.

Where Are They Now:
Matthew Fox had a couple of small roles for a few years before landing the role of Jack Shepard on “Lost”. He also starred in the film “We Are Marshall”. Neve Campbell found movie success during the show’s duration, but has seen her fame decrease over the last few years. Her movie “The Company” received critical acclaim and she found work in theatre but has mostly fallen off the radar. Neve is resuming her role as Sidney Prescott in “Scream 4”. Scott Wolf followed up “Party of Five” with work on “Everwood” and otherwise has done very little in the entertainment industry. Lacey Chabert did voice work as Eliza Thornberry on “The Wild Thornberrys” and played the voice of Meg Griffin for the first season of “Family Guy”. In 2004 she starred in “Mean Girls” but hasn’t worked but a few small roles since. Jennifer Love Hewitt left Party of Five with a spinoff show “The Time of Our Life” that was canceled within half a season. She found later success in 2005 with “Ghost Whisperer” a show that ended this year.

Freaks & Geeks
1999-2000
Cast
Linda Cardenelli, John Francis Daley, James Franco, Busy Phillips, Samm Levine, Martin Starr, Jason Segel and Seth Rogen.

Why It Was Great:
“Freaks & Geeks” was the show by Judd Apatow that may just have one of the most successful casts of previously unknown actors. The show was set in high school and told the story of the ‘freaks’ and the ‘geeks’ and Linda Cardenelli as Lindsay Weir the former geek who was now hanging out with the freaks. The show was widely acclaimed and developed a rabid fanbase. Despite decent rating, FOX canceled the show before the end of its first season. Fans managed to get the last few episodes aired later. “Freaks and Geeks” was named by multiple entertainment critics as one of the best shows of the century.

Where Are They Now:
Like I said, this cast has one of the most successful in history. Linda Cardenelli followed with a starring role on “ER” as Sam Taggart and Velma in the “Scooby Doo” movies. John Francis Daley currently stars on the hit series “Bones” as Dr Sweets. Busy Phillips continued with work on “Dawsons Creek” and “ER” as well as multiple movie roles. She is currently starring on “Cougar Town”. Jason Segel had various movie roles before landing on “How I Met Your Mother” for the last 5 years. Both Seth Rogen & James Franco have followed their roles with substantial movie success.

Most of these shows are available on Hulu, Netflix and Youtube for free as well as Itunes. Take a look at some of these and be sure to check out the July issue for more great television of the past.