Ready or Not was a show that was on the Disney Channel in the early 90's.  It was mainly geared towards pre-teen girls, but it was enjoyable by all ages and sexes alike.  We watched it a lot when we were younger, and have since gotten to see the show in it's entirety.

What was Ready or Not about?

Ready or Not was a show about two best friends, Amanda Zimm and Busy Ramone, making it through their teenage years.  In the early ones, Amanda was kind of nerdy and insecure while Busy was a tomboy who knew exactly who she was.  Throughout the show, they had to go through many of life's tough times, such as divorces, remarriages, deaths, and the like.  The show portrayed what life was like for a teenage girl and how to make it through the tough transition from childhood to adulthood.  However, even though it was mainly a show for teenage girls, many guys and older girls liked it as well.


What was the best part about the show?

The best part of the show, aside from Busy's family, was how realistic it was.  (They even took their shoes off when they got in the house!  Most shows ignore this important little detail.)  Busy and her brothers actually acted like real siblings and both girls were just part of normal families.  Their parents had regular jobs and didn't preach lessons at the end of every ep.  They were just normal people with faults and all.  Busy's family was the best part of the show, however, because they were really funny together and had real chemistry that showed through.  This show also didn't dumb down the issues for the audience.  They presented the material in a way that was truthful, real, and mature.  They tackled such issues as gay people, racism, religion, death, and more.  Every single episode was handled very maturely and didn't make the viewers feel like they were stupid, the way shows such as 7th Heaven present their issues.


What was the worst part about the show?

The main bad thing was how the episodes that tried so hard to get the important issues across to the audience in an honest way weren't shown on the Disney channel.  But those episodes were the ones that the younger kids really should have been able to have seen, because you can't see things like that on any other show.  We actually got to see the episode that Busy and Amanda's karate teacher was gay.  They didn't talk down to the audience or condemn either side as being wrong.  The teacher simply explained that there are different kinds of people that fill the world and what's normal for one person isn't normal for another.  They didn't try and change anyone, they just presented it in a way that you could see every side of the issue without jumping to conclusions about right and wrong.  After watching 7th Heaven, that episode was amazing for us to see.


Where did the show go wrong?

The show went wrong when the girls got into junior high and changed their personalities.  Amanda went from the one who was picked on to the one who did the picking.  She became totally superficial (even before junior high though, remember Danny?) and selfish.  Amanda didn't care about anyone but herself and her dumb relationships.  Busy went from being the tomboy who loved playing the drums and sports to a girlie-girl who had a million boyfriends.  When they got to Dorsey Jr. High, the whole atmosphere of the show changed.  It wasn't as enjoyable and seemed to stray from the roots of the show.  However, Stephen, Gregory, and Phoebe (Amanda's step family) were a very welcome addition to the show, although Amanda and Busy became unbearable snobs.  (Busy's family was the main reason we watched.  We wish they had done more with Manny and Sheila, her brother and sister-in-law.)  Although maybe the change in the girls was in fact realistic, because many preteens go through many changes before finding themselves.