Growing up in the 90s seems surreal compared to the abundance of free and paid streaming channels. Between weekly family TV schedules, commercials, and no social media to rave and rant about the latest episode, watching TV was an event. Two channels reigned among older children and teenagers: MTV and Nickelodeon. MTV played music videos for practically two decades before it transitioned to playing reality TV all day. But it was Nickelodeon that kept GenX and Millennials up late with their wild comedies and frantic game shows. TV shows The Ren and Stimpy Show, Hey Arnold!, and All That were to these two generations what SpongeBob SquarePants is to GenZ. Yet, one show made us sleep with one eye open: Are You Afraid of the Dark?

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On Halloween 1990, Nickelodeon premiered one of the scariest late night shows that are on par with some of today’s psychological thrillers. Every week, a group of teenagers, or The Midnight Society, sat around a campfire and retold stories of paranormal activity. As the teenagers told the stories, other teens and some adults would re-enact the stories. For GenX and Millennials, the cast remains part of eerie weekly tales. Most of the cast remains largely unknown outside the series. That said, some of the cast were already child actors and appeared in a few episodes before becoming household names. Here’s where the Are You Afraid of the Dark? cast is today.

Ryan Gosling

     Netflix

After his time on The Mickey Mouse Club, Ryan Gosling appeared in an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? as Jamie Leary. The actor went on to appear in various shows until his series regular as Sean Hanlon on Breaker High and as Hercules on Young Hercules. He starred in Remember the Titans as Alan, but his biggest and most well-known role is as Noah in The Notebook. Gosling has a wide range of characters and films, showing his versatility as an actor. He was recently in the Netflix film The Gray Man and is starring in next year’s Barbie movie from Greta Gerwig.

Emily VanCamp

     Marvel Studios

As Peggy Gregory, Emily VanCamp got her start on Are You Afraid of the Dark? She went on to play a teenage Jackie Bouvier in the TV movie, Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onasis and Sam on Glory Days. In the horror sequel, The Ring 2, she plays Emily, and she even appeared in an episode of Law and Order: SVU. Her biggest role, by far, is as Sharon Carter in the Captain America movies and the Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. VanCamp is currently starring in the TV series The Resident.

Nathaniel Moreau

     Metro-Goldwyn Meyer

A series regular, Nathaniel Moreau played David, one of the hosts of Are You Afraid of the Dark? When the show ended, Moreau went on to appear in Tales from the Crypt Keeper and Street Legal. He starred in a TV movie, A Haunting Harmony, as David. Moreau’s final acting job was in the series, Kung-Fu: The Legend Continues. After leaving acting, he worked behind the scenes in the music department for video games like Gran Turismo. Deadline reports that the video game is getting a live-action film, where Moreau will be on the music team.

Rachel Blanchard

     Serendipity Point Films

Jason Alisharan

     TWC

Jason Alisharan portrayed Frank for five seasons. Out of all of his cast mates, Alisharan is one of the few to have remained consistently in Hollywood. Not much is known about his absence after starring in a TV movie in 1996 and a show in 1998. He was a producer on the film, A Single Man, starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore in 2009. His most recent appearance was in Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story as himself, discussing his time on Are You Afraid of the Dark? The trailer and documentary can be viewed on YouTube.

Ross Hull

     Syfy

Ross Hull, who played Gary, is one of the longest hosts on Are You Afraid of the Dark?. While he was on the hit Nickelodeon series, he played Malcolm in the film Iron Eagle on the Attack and was a series regular on Student Bodies. He appeared as Doctor Corrigan on Stargate: Atlantis and as Daniel on Mutant X. His last project as an actor was in the series, Dark Matter. Between his appearance on Dark Matter in 2017, he had another project called Tale Of The Guy From That Show. Hull’s most recent appearance was on Global National with Robin Gill in 2020.

Daniel DeSanto

     Paramount Pictures

Out of the original cast, Daniel DeSanto, who portrays Tucker, joined Hull as one of the longest-running cast members. DeSanto went on to star in various projects, being one of the few former cast members to be known for more than his child acting days. One of the biggest films he starred in was Mean Girls as Jason. In the film, he hits on Cady (Lindsay Lohan) and is slapped by Gretchen (Lacey Chabert). In 2022 alone, he appeared in Pretty Hard Cases, Workin’ Moms, and Titans.

Jodie Resther

     Cookie Star Entertainment

Kiki, portrayed by Jodie Resther, is most well-known for her voice. She’s the voice of Francine in the children’s cartoon, Arthur. In between takes on Arthur, she appeared on other TV shows like Mental Block, Monster Allergy, and Winx Club. Resther has also starred in movies like Serveuses demandées and Lemonade. Even though she was in the Netflix film Good Sam in 2019, Arthur takes up most of her time.

JoAnna Garcia Swisher

     Columbia Pictures

Out of the original hosts, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, who plays Sam, has had the most successful career as an actress. She played Cheyenne in the series, Reba, starring country legend Reba McEntire. In the ABC series Once Upon a Time, she plays Ariel, one of Snow White’s best friends. She also portrayed the cheerleader with Tourettes Syndrome, Sandy Sue in Not Another Teen Movie. Her latest projects include the TV series Sweet Magnolias and the movie Christmas with the Campbells. In an interview with Parade, Garcia Swisher revealed that the set of Sweet Magnolias is her happy place because the kindness on the show extends to real life.