The Baby-Sitters Club

Wow, some pretty strong comments on this show! Honestly, it's not as cheesy as some make out. Sure, it's not Citizen Kane, but for what it is, it's not bad at all.

First, I think the casting was great. I often found it unbelievable in the books that the girls were only in Middle School, considering all the things they were able to do (go to NYC at the drop of a hat, babysit infants, etc), so casting older actresses made the whole thing more plausible. Also, I think the actresses have been unfairly criticized, I think it was the writing that was a bit off, it was geared a little too young to be believable, not the writers fault or the actresses, just how it worked out. Also, those who have commented on the lack of television and film appearances of the actresses post-BSC should be aware that the majority of the performers on this show were from the stage, and many returned there after this series.

The series was much closer to the books than the film was, and the supporting cast did well. As the show progressed, it improved drastically. The performers had gotten the chance to get to know each other and develop a working relationship, and the story lines also began to embrace heavier topics, such as divorce and the destruction of our environment.

Good fun to revisit on rainy Saturdays, and something I will surely share with my own children if I am blessed to have any.

As a member of the "Babysitter's Club Generation", I was probably the only 9 year old not reading the books (there were what 250 books?). But now as a 20 something, I, for some reason, find the re-runs of the show irresistible. If I flip through the channels and it is on, I find it almost impossible not to stop and watch. Yes, I know that the show is incredibly stupid and the acting is quite lacking, maybe it is the escape back to my childhood that I need. I don't recommend anyone watch it, but don't feel shame if you do.

I liked the show. What can I say? I found the characters more like the book's than the movie ever did. I never had the delightful privilege of having Disney on my cable line-up as a child. So whenever they had a free preview weekend, I would usually hog the television to wait for this show and "Ready or Not". I own one tape of 2 episodes of this show and I know it's ridiculous and corny and all that jazz, but I still like to watch it because it reminds me of my childhood. Sure, the episodes never reflected the books, but it was just seeing the book come to life that really got you into it. I felt I knew the characters intimately, so I enjoyed seeing them in action. As the first visual rendition of the books as well, they have a special place in my heart. You can't expect the show to be Oscar-caliber. It was probably Canadian and it was Disney for goodness sakes! You can't expect much in that sense. But, as a show for growing up girl in this world, it wasn't a bad watch. If I saw it on the air, I'd watch it. Purely for the nostalgia and not the exemplary acting and mesmerizing plots.

I LOVED these books when they first came out and until several years after, so of course I had to try the silly TV series that was spawned from them. How was it? Well, I think I was 10 when I first watched, and I didn't even like it then. That was when I took "The Baby-sitter's Club" seriously, and I didn't like how they used different plots. Also, I was not crazy about the actors. They could have done better with many of them. The one who played stupid Mary Anne doesn't even REMOTELY look like the dumb character on the book covers.(but to give her "credit", the actress is pathetically probably one of the "better" ones.)

Anyway, when I was 10, I saw the show, didn't like it and went on with life. Several years later, I discovered that they were showing reruns on the Disney channel, so I decided to check one out. How was it? Well, it was still as corny as ever. If it had been more popular, it would have been to TV in the '90s what Full House was in the '80s and what The Brady Bunch was in the late '60s and early '70s. Those girls are supposed to be 13 and they act about 35! In one episode, when stupid Kristy (who I never liked in the books, and most certainly don't love in the show) was helping some third grader run for class president, and she and her pals were thinking up slogans in the street. When they finally found one, they chanted it over and over again and squealed and giggled as that silly theme song played in the background. Yuck! "Real" people would never be caught dead doing such a thing. Another particularly nauseating episode was when some boys tried to join the BSC.

Well, the episodes may have been nauseating, and I don't care for many of the casting choices. Stupid Dawn was supposed to be from California, and sounds like some reject from New York, and Kristy simply bugs me. The other's aren't much better. It is these flaws and the fact that it also tends to be BORING that make me not exactly take this show seriously, but it is entertaining, neverthless. What a "classic."

I haven't seen any of the episodes in quite sometime so I don't know how I would feel now - I would probably not enjoy it as much. I loved this series of books when I was 9-15 (I have over 100 books if you count the other series it spawned - and I don't plan on getting rid of them), so when I saw there were videos of it, I was happy, I own a few of them as well. When I watched them, I liked the episodes and I wasn't expecting it to be plots from the series (though a few came close) - It felt like I was watching another story to the series of books. The girls in books always seemed older to me, even when I read one at 16, they still seemed like they were not 13 but much older, so if they seem older in the episodes, it was ok. A quick little story - Once my Science teacher in 5th grade showed one of the videos and I was excited and my classmates basically knew already that I liked the series but if they had any doubts those doubts were cast aside.