Bell Biv DeVoe has a new album out. Bodysuits and chokers are back in fashion. A Clinton just about moved into the White House. Yup, the 1990s revival is in full swing.
On TV, we’re also experiencing some déjà view. One-time Married … With Children star Katey Sagal debuts in CBS’s anticipated comedy Superior Donuts this Thursday.
And let’s not forget Mandy Moore, who’s now on NBC’s hit This is Us but who once vied for pop princess supremacy against Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson. Here’s a look at eight current TV stars who got their big breaks in the ‘90s.
1. Katey Sagal
Then: A big-haired, bonbon-eating slacker mom named Peggy Bundy on Married … With Children.
Now: After lending her voice to animated series Futurama, and getting all gritty as the biker matriarch on FX’s Sons of Anarchy, Sagal joins Superior Donuts as Chicago cop Randy DeLuca. Randy is a loyal patron of a doughnut shop run by Arthur Przybyszewski (Judd Hirsch).
2. Damon Wayans
Then: A cast member in the groundbreaking sketch comedy In Living Color. Choice character: Homey D. Clown, an ex-con who works as a clown as part of his parole agreement. Smacking people upside the head at random? Not part of his parole agreement — but when Homey don’t play that, Homey don’t play that.
Now: He stars as Los Angeles detective Roger Murtaugh in a reboot of the Lethal Weapon film franchise, airing Wednesdays on City and Fox.
Damon Wayans in Lethal Weapon []
Then: It’s Pacey from Dawson’s Creek!
Now: Pacey’s been getting racy on The Affair. So far, Jackson’s character Cole Lockhart has suffered the loss of a child, divorced his wife Alison, struggled with depression and substance abuse and married another woman. The Affair just wrapped its third season on Showtime and The Movie Network, and is on deck for a fourth.
4. Jason Priestley
Then: He was the do-gooder with killer hair on Beverly Hills, 90210. With a simple cocked eyebrow, Brandon Walsh could make teen girls in the ‘90s swoon at 20 paces.
Now: Priestley played against type as a skeezy used car salesman on Call Me Fitz, and has done ample work directing. He’s currently starring as hockey player turned private investigator Matt Shade in Global’s original series Private Eyes. His 90210 co-star Luke Perry, incidentally, is also back on TV screens — he plays Archie Andrews’ dad on The CW’s Riverdale.
Jason Priestley in Private Eyes [Global/Corus]
Then: She was the ever-scheming Sydney Andrews on the soapy drama Melrose Place, a role that earned her a Golden Globe.
Now: Leighton plays a mom on the addictive and ever-more-ridiculous teen drama Pretty Little Liars. Her co-star Holly Marie Combs is also straight out of the ‘90s — she was Kimberly Brock in Picket Fences, and played opposite Alyssa Milano and Shannen Doherty in the witchy drama Charmed.
6. Candace Cameron Bure
Then: She played good-girl D.J. Tanner on Full House, a sitcom so sweet it could give you a toothache.
Now: She plays good-girl D.J. Tanner-Fuller on Fuller House, the Netflix spinoff of the original. Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber also returned to play the characters that made them famous. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, however, did not — how rude! Fuller House returns for a third season sometime this year.
Candace Cameron Bure in Fuller House []
Then: He was Zack Morris, the Saved by the Bell heartthrob who could make using a cellphone the size of a brick seem suave.
Now: After stints on NYPD Blue and Franklin & Bash, Gosselaar signed up to play a catcher and team captain on Fox’s baseball drama Pitch. No word on whether that show will get a second season.
8. Mayim Bialik
Then: Bialik wasn’t just a sitcom star on Blossom, she was a fashion icon. Teen girl mall-wear in the ‘90s was pure Blossom: floral dresses, granny hats, crocheted sweaters and combat boots. And don’t forget that theme song. Yes, opinionation is a word. And the correct usage is “In my opinionation, the sun is gonna surely shine.”
Now: She’s a neurobiologist and Sheldon’s significant other on The Big Bang Theory. Her co-star, Johnny Galecki, is also the ‘90s personified — he played Darlene’s boyfriend David on Roseanne.
