By: Julie Waters
Prior to Disney’s tween-creation—in a time before Zack Efron and Selena Gomez—the ‘90s brought teenage programming to its full form, allowing high school girls everywhere the chance to drool over such “hotties” as Zack Morris, Brandon Walsh and, of course, Dawson himself.
So, what child of the ‘90s could refuse a second chance to watch these teen stars shine again? Who can resist Mark-Paul Gosselaar playing an often-shirtless lawyer…I know I can’t. Today’s shows are finding themselves sprinkled with a renaissance of these teen stars, now hotter and more irresistible than ever. Here’s where you can find them:
As mentioned above, Mark-Paul Gosselaar is back on TV as a sexy lawyer in FRANKLIN AND BASH. Gosselaar plays Peter Bash, a young lawyer—with some unconventional methods of practicing law—but with a knack for winning over the jury. Perhaps it’s inability to keep his shirt on or his tendency to make-out with his client on the stand, either way he’s won us over as well. Franklin and Bash is definitely a summer must-see.
In 1995 Cher and Dionne brought valley girl style into our homes and our hearts thanks to Clueless. Now you can find Stacey Dash playing a hot designer in SINGLE LADIES. Dash’s age is unspecified in the show, but this forty-five year old actress looks better than most women in their twenties, and her stylish flair is worth a watch.
We’ll always have a sweet spot for the adorable TV best friend, and Joshua Jackson is number one in our book. This teen star that once appeared mainly on the WB (the CW’s biological mother if you will) is now gracing our homes as Peter Bishop, in FRINGE. A sci-fi series on Fox about a FBI division that performs “fringe” science, while Jackson also faces having to work with and reconnect with his estranged father.
Breckin Meyer, another Clueless alum, is starring as the Franklin to Gosselaar’s Bash. Meyer plays a fun, easy-going lawyer, who would rather go poor than play by the rules. Perhaps to rebel against his high-powered lawyer father or just to stir up trouble, either way Meyer is adorable and completely irresistible in FRANKLIN AND BASH.
Tiffani Thiessen was once the most adorable girl next door…or was she the bad girl in the bedroom next door…or is her name Amber? From SAVED BY THE BELL’s Kelly Kapowski to BEVERLY HILLS 90210’s Valerie Malone, Thiessen has always kept us watching and now she’s starring on WHITE COLLAR as Elizabeth Burke (ironic name choice) loving wife to an FBI agent. While her role is more of a supportive one, she’s a star to us.
From the perfect big sister now comes the perfect…Christian? We grew up watching Candace Cameron Bure as the ideal sister on FULL HOUSE, now she’s the ideal mother to one crazy gymnast on ABC Family’s MAKE IT OR BREAK IT. Candace plays a Christian/gym manager/fiancé to a man with a daughter more conniving than Valerie Malone. Yet, at 35 Candace is still the sweetest and most loyal girl on TV.
This teenage witch once explained it all, and now she’s starring on the ABC Family sitcom MELISSA & JOEY with another teen heartthrob Joey Lawrence. Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence bring the humor of WHO’S THE BOSS back into our homes with Lawrence starring as Heart’s “manny” on this cute sitcom. These ex-teen stars make quite a dynamic duo and are definitely worth watching.
Tori Spelling first got her start on the hit series BEVERY HILLS 90210. While her father didn’t initially give her a lead role Spelling won her place as funny blonde Donna Martin. Since her days on Bev Hills Spelling has made a career for herself mainly on reality TV. Her new show Tori and Dean: sTORIbook WEDDINGS premiered in 2011. 
Julie Waters is a contributing writer to The TV Addict. She considers herself a part-time student at The University of Pennsylvania, and a full-time TV watcher. She loves everything from “The Secret Life” to “Boardwalk Empire” and prides herself on having a vast range of TV knowledge. She’s excited to share her passion with all of you and would love to discuss TV shows anytime. Please feel free to contact Julie at jwaters3407@gmail.com