It's been 24 years since The Arsenio Hall Show first premiered on primetime. The show, which is being resurrected tonight by CBS television—on WPIX at 11 p.m. in New York—debuted in January of 1989. Sure, a couple of decades don't sound that prehistoric—that is, until you realize that back then your hiking boots and your cell phone weighed about the same. Since the Internet had not yet been invented, there was no way to anonymously insult folks all over the world with Cheetos-encrusted fingers within seconds. If you wanted to diss someone's mama, you had no choice but to—gulp—do it in person.
Not to say things were all bad. The 'late 80s gave us plenty to root for and laugh at. Music was still huge on MTV, getting around New York City was affordable, and the NBA demanded players play in what might as well have been briefs. The world we live in now is nearly uncrecognizable. While we're all here though, let's reminisce, reflect, and appreciate What The World Looked Like When The Arsenio Hall Show First Premiered.
RELATED: The 50 Best Movies of the '80s
RELATED: The 50 Funniest Movies of All Time