Blossom ran for five seasons on NBC, gracing TV screens from 1990 to 1995. The show featured the story of the Russos, particularly of Blossom Russo, an Italian-American teenager who, along with her family, go through life despite the absence of their mother. Blossom created the careers of a few entertainers, most especially Mayim Bialik, who currently hosts Jeopardy! after a lengthy stint on The Big Bang Theory. The first season of Blossom was widely praised, a rarity for TV shows trying to get things off the ground. Sarah Hentges for Pop Matters took note of the show’s ability to tackle topics that were considered touchy during its time, like for example financial struggles. “Without hammering home a moral lesson, Blossom was able to address issues like economic hardship, drug abuse, and sex in real, often clever ways. As much as Blossom and her family were comfortably middle class, they also sometimes struggled to make ends meet, like on episode 25, “This Old House”, when the family faces the prospect of losing their house when Nick can’t make a balloon payment or episode 26, “It’s a Marginal Life”, when Nick has trouble providing for his family around the holidays. And in episode 29, “Three O’Clock And All Is Hell”, Blossom is paired up for a class assignment with “juvenile delinquent”, Lou, who shows her just how privileged she is when they have to come up with a budget for a family of four and he knows all the tricks.” It’s been 27 years since the last episode of Blossom aired on TV. What has the cast been up to since the show’s conclusion?
Mayim Bialik
Mayim Bialik played the titular character, Blossom Ruby Russo, on Blossom. Since her days on the set of Blossom, Bialik has jumped on and off the entertainment industry, spending a significant period of her life taking a break from her acting career to focus on her academic one. She pursued a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience at UCLA, having finished the degree in 2000. She then went for a Ph.D. in neuroscience, finishing it in 2007. Bialik returned to entertainment after her stint in academia, explaining that she needed the flexibility and financial security of working in front of the camera in order to raise her children the way she wanted to. Her first notable project after finishing her doctorate was The Big Bang Theory, where she played Amy Farrah Fowler, a neurobiologist. For her role on the show, she’s been nominated four times at the Primetime Emmy Awards. After Big Bang, she’s appeared in other projects, such as Candid Camera and The Flight Before Christmas. Currently, she stars in her own sitcom, titled Call Me Kat. She’s also the new host of Jeopardy! taking over from Alex Trebek after his death. She’s also planning her directorial debut, As Sick As They Made Us, which is set to star Candice Bergen, Dustin Hoffman, Dianna Agron, and former Big Bang costar Simon Helberg. Mayim Bialik has expressed interest in developing a Blossom reboot. She’s tried working with Blossom creator Don Reo. However, they’ve met some resistance, according to Entertainment Weekly.” I guess I’m allowed to talk about this now, Don Reo and I do have a limited reboot that we would like to do. We’ve had a lot of trouble getting our network onboard,” Bialik tells EW.
Joey Lawrence
Joey Lawrence played Joey Russo on Blossom, one of Blossom’s brothers in the series. After Blossom, Lawrence became active in both film and TV. On the big screen, Lawrence played roles in Money Plane and, most recently, Roe v. Wade. He’s also appeared in TV shows like Melissa & Joey, Hawaii Five-0, and Celebrity Big Brother. Last year, Joey Lawrence reunited with Mayim Bialik in her TV sitcom Call Me Kat. In an interview with Fox 5, he has expressed interest in music, having released a single titled “Turtle,” which can be listened to on Spotify and iTunes. He said about his musical pursuits, “I remember when I was a little kid, it was really music that inspired me,” Lawrence continued. “When I was super, super little, like 3 or 4 years old, I was watching the Donny and Marie Osmond show, which is a show where they had a variety show, where they sang and danced, and according to my mother, I was infatuated with that show.”
Michael Stoyanov
Michael Stoyanov portrayed eldest sibling Tony Russo on Blossom. During the final season, Stoyanov left the show to pursue a writing career at Late Night With Conan O’Brien, which he has since regretted. He did clarify in an interview with Call Me Adam that he enjoyed his experience writing for the late-night host. “I think I may have mentioned in an interview, one time, that I regretted leaving Blossom before it ended, which I did, and I do, but I definitely don’t regret going to Conan. That was an amazing experience, working at 30 Rock in New York, and I worked with some super talented people like Louis CK, Robert Smigel, and Dino Stamatopoulos. And it led to a lot of other great opportunities, so absolutely no regrets in that sense. To be fair, though, I do still think it was a mistake not staying on Blossom until its run had finished. Those opportunities still would’ve been there for me. I consider myself a very loyal person, and, in that specific sense, I still regret that I left the show.” He would eventually move towards writing for Mad TV and Mr. Show. He’s appeared in a few films and TV shows over the past decade. Most recently, he appeared in Billions, as well as Call Me Kat, Mayim Bialik’s latest TV sitcom.
Ted Wass
Ted Wass played the Russo patriarch Nick Russo on Blossom. After Blossom‘s conclusion in 1995, Ted Wass retired from acting, instead focusing on his directorial work. He has since then directed multiple episodes for hit TV shows. He directed 17 episodes of Caroline In The City, 45 episodes of Spin City, 45 episodes of Rules of Engagement and even one episode of The Big Bang Theory, where his former onscreen daughter Mayim Bialik played a main character.
Jenna Von Oy
Jenna Von Oy portrayed Six LeMeure on Blossom, Blossom’s best friend. Her biggest role after Blossom was in The Parkers, appearing in 106 episodes as Stevie Van Lowe. Most recently, she appeared in an episode of Call Me Kat, Bialik’s current TV sitcom.
David Lascher
David Lascher played Vinnie Bonitardi, Blossom’s on-again, off-again boyfriend. After Blossom, he has appeared in a few shows, including Melissa & Joey and Hollywood Darlings.The Big Bang Theory
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