The enduring 'Adventures of Pete & Pete'

The enduring Adventures of Pete & Pete

I have written many times that I consider the obscure Pete & Pete to be one of the five best shows that has ever been on TV, and I call it the single greatest kids' show known to me. Yeah, I know you never heard of it, but that means nothing. It's genius.

Here's what the L.A Times wrote in the linked article:

"Poignant without being sentimental, oddball but never merely weird, the show was made to be 'funny, sad, strange and beautiful,' according to its creators, Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi. And it was."

Here's some of what I wrote years ago:

"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.

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."

Notes for non-Petephiliacs: Bob the Bass, Slushmaster Bob and Inspector 34 (the guy who inspects your underpants and leaves his approval sticker) are characters from the series. Megadoses of Riboflavin are the key to time travel in the Double Pete universe.

And my comments never even mentioned my favorite characters: the evil Endless Mike, so called because he keeps repeating senior year of high school; or Artie, the strongest man in the world, Little Pete's personal superhero. The episode in which Artie leaves Pete forever, "Farewell, My Little Viking," is a classic that may get a little dust in your eyes.

And then there's Johnny Earwax, the lead singer of the "Up With Personal Hygiene Singers."

Michelle Trachtenberg essentially got her start in this show. Guest stars and bit characters included Steve Buscemi, James Rebhorn, Bebe Neuwirth, Martin Donovan, Selma Blair, Chris Elliott, Janeane Garofalo, Frank Gifford, LL Cool J, J.K. Simmons, and probably a zillion more that I have forgotten. I could go on and on. I love talking and writing about this show.