8 TV Shows We Watched Growing Up but Totally Shouldn't Let Our Kids Watch Today

Can we talk about how problematic shows like Dawson's Creek and Ren and Stimpy actually were?

Fact checked by Sarah ScottFact checked by Sarah Scott

My husband and I love it when an episode of Bluey throws us a funny and relatable moment—like parenting while hungover–that totally goes over our daughter's head.

It's also given me great joy to introduce my daughter to shows I watched when I was younger. She quotes lines from Friends and has an opinion on whether or not Ross and Rachel were on a break (yes, they were on a break—no Ross should not have been with another girl!).

Except, we’ll binge several episodes of Friends in a row before eventually hitting one filled with sexual innuendos that apparently went WAY over my head back in the day. It's then that I realize it only took me 20+ years to become aware of just how "adult" the writing on some of my favorite childhood shows were.

I'm not alone, as many other mostly millennial (born between 1981–1996) parents I've spoken with essentially had the same realization. It's as if our old shows didn’t merely try to hint at adult subjects, like some of today's kid's shows do; but rather they tried to pull a fast one and see if anyone noticed. And some of those cringe storylines are even more alarming today after returning to them as a parent.

It begs the question: Knowing what we know now, would we have let our kids watch? Here are 8 shows from our childhood we probably shouldn't introduce to our kids.

Gossip Girl

Based on the best-selling book series, Gossip Girl premiered in 2007 and was instantly a must watch for tweens, teens and young adults. Who wouldn’t want a glimpse into the world of uber wealthy teens living very adult lives—sans parental supervision—in the heart of New York City?

But this is a tough show to introduce to your Gen Alpha kids ( though today, they very likely will know the show’s star Blake Lively as one of Taylor Swift’s besties). Watching as a parent today, it’s a tough pill to swallow watching a show that glamorizes bullying, blackmail and backstabbing.

South Park

Many of the boys in my daughter’s elementary school are obsessed with South Park—which is crazy to me because I was in college when the show premiered way back in 1997. Even in the less PC days of the ‘90s, and despite being an animated show about fourth graders, South Park was NOT (and still not) for kids.

This show mocks every religion, race and profession. In early seasons, Kenny, one of the main characters, is killed in a violent and grotesque way almost every episode. The truth is, South Park is actually a really smart show. The problem? If you're not “in” on the joke—especially if you’re not mature enough to “get” the joke(s)—the takeaways can backfire and send a negative message about acceptance and tolerance.

Beverly Hills, 90210

I was obsessed with Beverly Hills, 90210 from the pilot. And, I’ve recently been rewatching in tribute to the recent death of the show’s star Shannen Doherty. And yes, watching a show that premiered in 1990 seems innocent enough. Twins Brandon and Brenda Walsh get a massive dose of culture shock when they move from Minnesota to Beverly Hills—yet, re-watching as a parent, there’s many things that are a little tougher to accept.

For example, Melrose Place was technically a spin-off of 90210. We were introduced to Melrose Place’s mysterious handyman (emphasis on man) Jake Hansen when 90210’s Kelly Taylor, a junior in high school, all but throws herself at him while he fixes up her mom’s house. He didn’t deny her advances right away and though eventually it fizzled out, the whole scenario was so inappropriate as Kelly was 17 and Jake was definitely well into his twenties!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I mean, the show is about a vampire slayer—it says it right there in the title. And while this was one of the most popular series of the late ‘90s/early aughts, each week’s storyline unfolded among a bloodbath of intense violence.

This show is a toss up because on one hand, you have an amazing, strong, female role model in Buffy (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) to introduce to your kids—but on the other hand, there’s a lot of death and darkness to get her there!

Pretty Little Liars

Pretty Little Liars, like Gossip Girl, is based on a best-selling book series, so some of the crazy plot points and disturbing reveals shouldn’t have been that shocking. But, seeing it all play out on the TV series was a little nuts. First of all, the show is about a girl who just vanishes! And, while her friends grapple with the loss, they’re also bullied by someone named “A”, who threatens to expose all their secrets if they don’t do whatever “A” says.

We certainly don’t want our kids worrying about missing classmates or anonymous, omnipresent bullies, but there’s also a plot line where a student dates her teacher for most of the series. That opens up a convo that I don’t think any parent wants to have with their tween/teenage kids!

Ren & Stimpy

What could be so bad about an animated series from the ‘90s that aired on Nickelodeon and was about a chihuahua named Ren and a Manx cat named Stimpy? Well, where one could draw a comparison to say, Tom and Jerry, this pair was definitely meaner, more malicious, and a million times more violent.

There was a lot of outrage when the show originally aired, yet the show carried on for five years. I just can’t imagine parents feeling good about their kids watching the episode today, where Ren fantasizes, in gruesome detail, about Stimpy’s death after he breaks one of Ren’s prized possessions!

Rocko's Modern Life

Let’s just say that for the three years (1993-1996) this animated series aired on Nickelodeon, it got away with a lot of adult humor and sexual innuendos. The show’s about an immigrant wallaby named Rocko and all the life dilemmas he goes through. But how many young viewers do you think understood the double entendre of “Chokey Chicken,” the restaurant they love to frequent or the pilot making reference to one of the most disturbing scenes from the movie Deliverance?

There’s a reason why there are entire YouTube videos that go into great detail about all the jokes and “mature” pop culture references the series slipped in!

Dawson's Creek

How would you feel if your daughter would come through the window of the teen boy next door, climb into bed with him and talk about sex? Sure Joey (Katie Holmes) and Dawson (James Van Der Beek) never did the deed but the optics there weren’t great. But the Dawson's Creek storyline that still makes my jaw drop? Pacey’s torrid love affair with his teacher Ms. Jacobs. At least she had the good sense to realize she was essentially committing a crime and left town.

Also, it never sat well with me that Pacey and Joey sailed around the world together, alone—I mean, they were still teens! As a viewer back in the day, it was the most romantic gesture ever. But watching as a parent? Well, where were their parents??

I hope one day my daughter watches Bluey with her own kids and gets a good laugh when she discovers all that went over her head. But that’s an innocent rite of passage. Until then, I'm keeping some shows from my childhood off her watchlist.

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