Hulu is delivering an early fall treat for ’80s and ’90s TV fans: TGIF! The streaming service has acquired the rights to many of the TV programs that aired in ABC’s legendary Friday-night lineup: Full House, Family Matters, Step By Step, Perfect Strangers, and Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper.
Beginning September 29, Hulu subscribers will be able to stream the shows, which will be promoted as a family and kid-friendly block like they originally were on TGIF. In doing so, Hulu is aiming to encourage “multigenerational viewing, as well as to introduce the shows to younger audiences.”
According to Hulu’s vice president of content acquisitions, Lisa Holme, “We’re really focused on having not only really excellent and interesting content but in presenting it to the users in an interesting way.”
TGIF: A Look Back at the Classic TV Programming Block
Before there was “Netflix and chill,” before Shondaland made Thursday nights must-see TV once again, there was TGIF on ABC. The network’s Friday-night programming block, touted as “Thank Goodness It’s Funny,” was home to a number of sitcoms and characters that have become a permanent part of the pop culture sphere.
From Family Matters and Steve Urkel to Full House and Michelle (“You got it, dude!”) Tanner, the wholesome and hilarious TV on TGIF was a fixture in households for a little over a decade. Other shows that were a part of the late ’80s and ’90s TGIF lineup include Step by Step, Boy Meets World, Perfect Strangers, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, Dinosaurs, and Just the Ten of Us.
With the ’90s nostalgia wave in full swell, Full House and Boy Meets World recently received the reboot treatment, with Netflix’ Fuller House and the Disney Channel’s Girl Meets World (which was cancelled earlier this year after three seasons). This fall, Hulu is hoping to capitalize on that ’90s love with its own take on the TGIF block. But will their promos come close to capturing the awesomeness of the originals?
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