The Adventures of Pete & Pete

The Adventures of Pete and Pete is one of my all-time favorite shows ever! It had some pretty good (and weird) characters, and episodes that left me entertained for more! I miss this show so much! Why did Nickelodeon cancel it? Probably for more dumb Nicktoons sniffle, sniffle.

This show ruled! A perfect 10 rating for this timeless classic!

1993. What a good year for Nickelodeon. "Rocko's Modern Life" aired its first season and continued to break ground for animated television along with others such as "Ren and Stimpy", and "Doug." The icing on the cake, though, is the spunky, indie show "Pete and Pete" with enough originality to spawn a film series.

There is an undeniable wonder of "Pete and Pete" with it a magical quirk that made it so appealing. It revolves around the two title brothers (big and little Pete) and a town filled with colorful, complex characters. Big Pete narrates his whimsical and poignant look at growing up with an intellectual commentary of struggling in a bizarre suburban world.

The best episodes? I've narrowed it down to three. The first, "Yellow Fever"...it is a clever and hilarious narration of tensions building on a long bus trip. Everyone on the bus has a problem with someone or something and conflicting feelings build and build as the wild day progresses. Notably the lovelorn bus driver Stu and a boy who's ear seems to be a target for everyone to flick. Things boil over in an insane, chaotic conclusion wrapped up in a settling and likable denouement which never lets the episode get over the top.

Number two is an episode called "King of the Road" which captures life on the road with an oddly adroit authenticity of the pains of a family vacation. In this episode, Pete falls in love with a girl who will turn into just another car passed on the highway, but it leaves him feeling like the unanswered question of why you only see on shoe and not two on the side of the road.

Finally, there is an episode from which I can't remember the title, but it follows big Pete's struggle with a new responsibility as the ball collector at a driving range. Pete hides behind a costume of a grizzly bear to hide his humiliation and discovers himself as he finds different problems with his new job.

A brilliantly funny characterization of the local superhero Arty by Tobi Huss and excellent music by Polaris make "Pete and Pete" a one of a kind winner. I grew up with this show and still find new interests in the episodes as it is thankfully showed on Noggin (God bless digital cable!).

This show is classic. The writing was well done and the characters were well developed. The show had weird stories: International Adult Conspiracy, looking for aliens in the town, getting back a lucky penny, to name a few. This was one of their few great shows and Nickelodeon had to can it. What a shame.

I think of all the shows I still wish were on tv, I miss this one the most. this was one of the most weirdest creative sitcoms ever made. it was like this bizarre little suburban universe that I really wanted to be part of. not only was the writing great, but the music by one of my favorite bands polaris, is also great. I don't think that televison gets much more creative and funny than this show.

Unlike many who commented on this show, I didn't grow up watching Pete and Pete. You see, I'm nearly 60 years old.

I discovered it by accident, or I should say that my stepdaughter discovered it by accident, then I walked by and got hooked like Bob the bass. I ended being the show's biggest fan. As I re-watch it on DVD, I love it more than ever. Today I got season two and was going to watch one episode to pass the time. That had a prayer. As soon as I saw the episode names, I knew I had to watch them again: The Time Tunnel, Inspector 34, The Phone Call.

Those three episodes alone will demonstrate to you that this series is good in ways that no other series has ever touched. It says as much about America as any Ken Burns documentary, it makes me laugh as much as the best episodes of Seinfeld, and it's cooler than anything which ever sprang from the mind of Slushmaster Bob. Its narrative flow is deeply cynical, yet there is a strong undercurrent of warmth and hope, as if it despairs of what people are, without forgetting what they yet might be. It never forgets that we, like the Petes when they time-travel, may yet find a way to do it over, and get it right. Even without Riboflavin.

I have been a major league TV addict for 50 years, and if you ask me to name the best show I have ever watched ... well, I don't know if I could name just one ... but this obscure Nickelodeon show would be one that would come to mind - alongside I, Claudius and The Civil War and The Simpsons and all the other greats. It's sheer genius, with more than a touch of poetry.

In the words of Inspector 34, it's so much better than underpants.