What The Original Are You Afraid Of The Dark Did Better Than Anyone Else

Do you remember a show called “Are You Afraid Of THe Dark?” It came out in the 1990’s on Nickelodeon, and it was teen/children’s horror. 

Recently, I’ve been rewatching these old episodes on Prime and I noticed two things about them. 

The stories still held up, even if the special effects didn’t. (Fortunately, it was never an effects heavy show.) 

And two, the cast was remarkably diverse. In fact, I’m going to say it’s the most diverse show I’ve ever seen.  

What made it so diverse? Well, it was the most realistic show I’d ever seen when it came to people. 

The characters came in a variety of ethnicities; white, black, asian, and several others. They also came in a variety of abilities, there were deaf characters, one with a leg brace and several with crippling anxiety or other issues. It also showed average middle class families, with realistic homes and average middle class levels of wealth. Kids even had after school jobs. They were also average looks and clothing, (not 90210 levels of ‘teenage’ glamor.)

Yet, no one was a stereotype. Everyone was just themselves. 

They all felt like real people. Like kids you could know at your school. There was no racism or classism in that show. No one ever commented on someone’s wealth, lack thereof, or their ethnicity. Sometimes, they commented on their abilities, but they always turned out to be assets or immaterial in the end. 

That show understood the difference between true representation, vs. forced social justice. We should all strive to be more like Are You Afraid Of the Dark (original) in our stories. After all, what gets seen changes the narrative and also changes the world. 

Great characters matter. Make sure yours aren’t stereotypes. 

If you need help, I there’s a link to my Creating Compelling Characters Course below.