It's not every day you hear that a former star of ABC's two-hour "TGIF" programming block is gainfully employed, but as Movieline reported earlier today, former Step by Step stepsister Christine Lakin will join Craig Kilborn on his new Fox talk show. That's big time! To toast Ms. Lakin's success, Movieline is ranking five other alums of the family-friendly "Thank God It's Friday" cluster who deserve a comeback in 2010. Revive your uncomfortable crush on Stefan Urkel with us!
5. Holly Robinson Peete, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
Yes, she was the runner-up on this season of Celebrity Apprentice, and yes, she recently starred on an ABC pilot called The Bridget Show, but Peete (who once ran the Cooper household with Marc Curry) needs to capitalize on her canny screen presence and earn a talk show on Oxygen for herself. Make the most of Trump's blessing, Holly! Joan Rivers sure did.
4. Reginald VelJohnson, Family Matters
The Die Hard alum and Family Matters figurehead could sass back suspendered neighbors and whining kids with equal aplomb. He should frontline a single-camera sitcom and play a character similar to Carl Winslow. This supporting role on Disney's I'm with the Band is not enough! I want more of his snickering preludes to screaming fits!
3. Angela Watson, Step by Step
While Lakin works on the talk show venture with Kilborn, Angela Watson -- who played fussy, vain Karen Lambert on Step by Step -- needs something more serious. I'd like to see her as the weary protagonist of a Showtime drama. If Zooey Deschanel gives up that Pamela Des Barres series, Angela should step right in.
2. Rider Strong, Boy Meets World
For viewers too young to appreciate Party of Five or Melrose Place at the time, Rider Strong was an effective kid proxy for a brooding male star. He may have resurfaced with the Cabin Fever series, but Strong's too distinctive a presence to remain associated with only horror satires. I recently saw him at the "Moritifed" show in Los Angeles, where he assisted in a reading from a woman's high school diary, to great comic effect. And look, here he is keeping up on the Twitter.
1. Jackee, Sister Sister
When you think of TGIF, you don't immediately think of Emmy-winning talent -- but Jackee (nee Harry) is an anomaly that way. The onetime star of 227 and the saucy mother on Sister, Sister is an actress who can make the tired multicamera conceit a lot of fun. Where's her TV Land series about moving to the midwest and "starting again," guys? I'm embarrassed for not spearheading that crusade, personally. To Facebook!