13 RTÉ Two Shows You Forgot You Were Obsessed With As A Kid
Our daily routine as Irish kids involved cereal, The Den, Gerry May and Dustin The Turkey. Although we all remember our daily favourite RTÉ Two shows as kids, heya Sabrina The Teenage Witch, there's a couple of shows that we were obsessed with that we've somehow forgotten about throughout the years:
1. Noah's Island
A show way before it's time, Noah's Island featured a troop of animals who are stranded on an island after their ship capsides. Based on the biblical story Noah's Ark, the animals try to build a community on the island and come to blows with a number of villains throughout the shows three-season run.
2. Star Stream
While America had the likes of Star Search discovering talents like Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, we had Star Stream and by jaysus wasn't it wonderful. The show aired during The Den throughout the early 00s and we all remember at least one person who made an appearance. Here's boyband Mankind performing during the finals:
3. 2 Stupid Dogs
The original Cat Dog, 2 Stupid Dogs voice over Brad Garret went on to voice hundreds of other animated characters from movies like Ratatouille to Finding Dory. Critically acclaimed, the show lost a daytime Emmy to the Rugrats.
4. The Tribe
A show that lasted five series in the early 00s, The Tribe was all about teenagers living in a post-apocalyptic world where after all the adults are wiped out by a mysterious virus. Aired after The Den was over, the show was meant for a teenage audience as the teenagers lived as tribes trying to survive but we always managed to watch it and the Mall Rats were our favourites:
5. Echo Island
Echo Island saw the beginnings of the gorgeous Dara O'Brian, Derek Mooney, and Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh as they spoke as Gaeilge to young people across Ireland. With a collection of animals, quizzes, and showcases of Irish talent, it was Ireland's answer to Blue Peter:
6. Sweet Valley High
Way before Mean Girls or One Tree Hill became hits everyone was obsessed with the goings on at Sweet Valley High. Not only did every 90s girl own all the Sweet Valley High books, the show gave every Irish kid an introduction to reading - as in throwing shade:
7. Taz-Mania
Taz-mania was the reason we were all obsessed with Taz bars in the 90s:
8. The Secret World Of Alex Mack
Lasting over four years, Laris Oleynik (10 Things I Hate About You) played Alex Mack who develops supernatural powers after being nearly hit by a truck carrying classified liquid. Fans will remember Mack's ability to slide under doors, which we all dreamt of being able to do, and her telekinesis.
9. Weirdsister College
After the original, The Worst Witch ended Weirdsister College was set to become its successor. Lasting one season, the series had 13 episodes with a much darker tone and only aired for four weeks. Felicity Jones reprised her role as Ethel Hallows which gave us some joy.
10. Hi-5
If S Club 7 and Steps morphed together and became a kids' show it would be Hi-5 . When the Australian series, one of many Australian shows that featured on The Den, ended in 2011 we thought that was the end of "one, two three, four, high five!" but the show has been revived and still going strong as of 2017.
11. So Little Time
The Olsen twins got their start as stand-alone child actors on Two of A Kind but So Little Time saw Mary-Kate and Ashely deal with adolescent life. The show was canceled after one season when Fox Family switched over to ABC Family. It was there last live action TV show together but the pair continued to make movies like Holiday In The Sun and New York Minute but quit acting over ten years ago.
12. Cow And Chicken
The weirdest animation since Ren and Stimpy, Cow and Chicken one of the episodes was taken out of syndication after religious parents complained about the animations representation of a lesbian biker. The show was nominated for an Emmy so we think its brilliance went over our heads:
13. The Animals Of Farthing Wood
More popular than Noah's Island, Animals of Farthing Wood focused on a group of woodland animals who try to survive alongside human life. Although not as dark as Watership Down, Animals Of Farthing Wood gave us some seriously terrifying animal death sequences caused by humans: