If you were like me in the 90s then you had a list of shows that had you glued to the TV. From Martin to The Fresh Prince of Bel Air etc etc. For me one of my favorites was Sister, Sister (1994-1999). It was for sure a favorite of mine and for the 30 minutes it was on I was completely in emersed in all things Tia and Tamera. I couldn’t wait to see what kind of trouble Tamera dreamed up and Tia tried to avoid but ultimately got wrapped up in.
For me it was more than that though. I loved seeing to girls on TV who looked like me and it made me wish I had a twin to go through daily life with. While I loved Tamera and thought she was hilarious, I could relate to Tia being the studious and responsible twin that did her best to stay out of trouble. Of course, she couldn’t avoid it, but we didn’t really expect her to. From driving their brand-new car into the lake, to skipping school on their birthday to get tickets to see Boyz II Men (coming up short) and finding out they had the tickets all along as a gift from their parents. I can’t forget how they did my boy Roger the neighbor that lived to annoy them always trying to get in where he fit in.
The way this story was told was something that is I wasn’t able to appreciate as a kid, but hindsight is 20/20, right? Like what are the chances of going to a mall with your single parent and finding your twin? Even the dynamics of their parents and how vastly different they were from the twin they raised. Lisa being the carefree and fun parent was such a contrast to the very strait laced and responsible Ray. Getting to see how they not only interacted with each other but also the girls was something that was beautiful to see onscreen. Even the support Ray and Lisa showed when the girls wanted to learn more about their biological parents.
Watching Tia and Tamera become young women before our eyes as the seasons progressed was probably my favorite part. I think it’s one of the things that has kept me a fan and checking in on them all these years later. We watched them go from unpopular, wide eyed kids in high school to grown women facing real life choices in college. Whether you were a huge fan or not, these ladies deserve their flowers and I’m just here to give them.
