Tia Mowry reflects on being part of ’90s teen TV.

Tia Mowry looks back on her favorite Sister, Sister episodes, from the Olsen twins to on-set prom

Tia Mowry reflects on being part of '90s teen TV.

By Maureen Lee Lenker

Maureen Lee Lenker

Maureen Lee Lenker is a senior writer at ** with over seven years of experience in the entertainment industry. An award-winning journalist, she's written for Turner Classic Movies, *Ms. Magazine*, *The Hollywood Reporter*, and more. She's worked at EW for six years covering film, TV, theater, music, and books. The author of EW's quarterly romance review column, "Hot Stuff," Maureen holds Master's degrees from both the University of Southern California and the University of Oxford. Her debut novel, *It Happened One Fight*, is now available. Follow her for all things related to classic Hollywood, musicals, the romance genre, and Bruce Springsteen.

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Published on August 14, 2025 09:30AM EDT

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Tia Mowry, Tamera Mowry. Credit:

ABC/Courtesy Everett

- With her twin sister Tamera, Tia Mowry was one of the major stars of '90s teen-centered television on *Sister, Sister.*

- Tia Mowry reflects on her favorite experiences from the six seasons of the series, including their prom night and putting her double dutch skills to good use.

- Mowry also remembers favorite guest stars including the Olsen twins, Kenan and Kel, Lisa Leslie, and Kobe Bryant.

Sister, sister talk about a two-way twister, shaking up the family tree with sibling synchronicity...

If you're singing those words aloud, you were likely one of millions who tuned in to watch *Sister, Sister *as part of ABC's TGIF line-up or on its second home the WB (or perhaps you caught it in reruns on Disney Channel or ABC Family).

The sitcom, which ran for six seasons from 1994-1999, followed twin sisters Tia and Tamera, played by real-life twins Tia and Tamera Mowry, who reconnect as teens and find themselves embroiled in hijinks as they face high school and the complications of their blended family.

For Tia Mowry and her sister, it was an opportunity to pursue their acting dreams on a show they loved as part of a larger trend of teen-centered television. "It was definitely a fun time where I feel like the youth were able to express themselves through art," she reflects. "You had *TRL*, you had the television shows, like my show. It was a form of expression for what a lot of teens were going through."

Jackee Harry, Tamera Mowry, Tim Reid, and Tia Mowry in 'Sister, Sister'.

However, Mowry says that *Sister, Sister *came with extra pressure given that she and her sister were among the few Black teenage girls with leading roles on primetime TV. "We were very aware that there weren't a lot of girls on television that looked like us," she explains. "We did take that role on so seriously when it came to representation.

"Now, people are like, 'Oh my God, you were the first person that I saw on TV that had hair like mine that made me embrace my curly hair," she continues. "To be so impactful and be a part of certain trends was just so fascinating. When people see my sister and I, the words that come out are, 'You guys are iconic.' I feel so proud to be a part of that."

Though some moments stand out more than others. In honor of our '90s issue, Mowry takes us through some of her favorite memories from making all 119 episodes of *Sister, Sister.***

“The Meeting”

Tia and Tamera Mowry on 'Sister, Sister'.

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Mowry cites the show's pilot as her favorite episode, purely for what it established and the path it put her and her sister on.

"We were 14, 15 years old, these young girls from Texas with not a lot of stuff under our belt," she says. "Everybody dreams of moving to Hollywood and becoming an actor — and here we are actually getting to live out our dream at such a young age. So, you could just imagine how big that felt. To be able to do it with my twin sister. It was so surreal. It was hard performing in front of a live audience and making people laugh. But the first episode was — just imagine these young girls bursting with pure joy. A dream literally came true."

Mowry thinks that part of the reason the show became so beloved from the get-go was the key bond between her and her real-life sister. "Because we are a family that's in this industry, we didn't feel alone," she notes. "We had that support system. After a day of work, Tamara and I would go home, and we would talk about it or practice lines together."

“The Prom”

Deon Richmond, Tamera Mowry, Tia Mowry, and RonReaco Lee in 'Sister, Sister'.

Near the end of season 5 and Tia and Tamera's graduation from high school, the twins enjoy a rite of passage — Prom Night. However, it's not one they got to experience in real life. So, Mowry looks back on this episode fondly as her only opportunity to "go to prom."

"We didn't get to go to prom," she reveals. "The writers knew that. So they were like, 'Okay, what would you like your prom to be like? We want you to be able to experience your prom.' So they wrote an episode that was specifically Tamera and I going to prom. We got to get in the gowns. I remember we straightened our hair for that episode."

“Double Dutch”

Tia and Tamera Mowry in 'Sister, Sister'.

In season 4, Tia and Tamera enter a double dutch contest that goes awry when Tia becomes obsessed with beating her old school bully at something. Both sisters had learned to double dutch several years before for a commercial, which was their very first audition when they came to Los Angeles to try to make it as actors. "We didn't know how to at all," Mowry says of that initial audition pre *Sister, Sister. *"And the house that we were staying at was across the street from a school. My sister and I, we literally went over to the fence and started yelling at the kids, 'Hey, do you guys know how to double dutch?'

"We were like 12 years old," she continues with a laugh. "Then some kids came over and they taught us how to double dutch. We ended up booking the commercial, and then, we didn't have to double dutch."

But the *Sister, Sister *writers knew the girls had this skill in their back pocket, so they finally got the chance to put it to good use.

Tia Mowry remembers babysitting Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen on 'Full House' set with sister Tamera

Tia Mowry clarifies comment about no longer being 'close' to twin Tamera

“Slime Party”

Tia Mowry, Tamera Mowry, Mary-Kate Olsen, and Ashley Olsen in 'Sister, Sister'.

ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection

Tia and Tamera faced off against another set of famous twins, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, in season 4. The twins guest starred on the show as themselves, playing against Tia and Tamera in a TV game show. For Mowry, it was a full-circle moment as she and Tamera were discovered on the set of *Full House.*

"It was almost like they were doing a favor for us, which was very sweet," remembers Mowry. "My brother, Tahj, played Teddy on *Full House, *which was Michelle's best friend. My mom couldn't afford babysitter money, so we would hang out with my mom when Tahj was working. Some people saw that my sister and I were twins, and so, they asked us to babysit the Olsen twins. So, we had a cool relationship with them."

The idea for this episode actually came from the Mowry twins. "At the beginning of every season, the writers would have my sister and I sit down and chat with them," Tia explains. "They would always incorporate our real-life experience to the show. So they brought the Olsen twins on and we were just grateful that they decided to do it."

“Child’s Play”

Tahj Mowry in 'Sister, Sister'.

As *Sister, Sister *reached its final seasons, another Mowry sibling was also racking up laughs on a WB sitcom. Tahj Mowry, Tia and Tamera's younger brother, starred on *Smart Guy *as T.J. Henderson, a 10-year-old with an advanced I.Q. During *Smart Guy's *first season, Tahj guest starred on *Sister, Sister *as T.J. Henderson, acting as the twins' S.A.T. tutor.

Suzanne de Passe was the producer of both *Sister, Sister *and *Smart Guy, *and Mowry says it was her idea to have a set of crossover episodes between the shows. "We loved working with our brother," says Tia. "He will not work with us today, which is so crazy. He's so independent. I don't know if that has changed. Maybe it has, but in his early twenties, he was like, 'I'm staying far away from Tia and Tamera.' But back then we loved working with each other. He was the best person to work with because he's just so incredibly talented and funny."

“Inherit the Twin”

Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell in 'Sister, Sister'.

Another teen show crossover occurred in season 4, when Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell guest starred as two new kids at the school, Trevor and Todd. That came about due to the fact that Kim Bass, who had initially created *Sister, Sister, *also created *Kenan & Kel. *

"We actually went on *All That,*" Mowry remembers of their further connection to Thompson and Mitchell. "This was definitely a time where young kids were able to soar and start their careers at such a young age. Of course there's pros and cons to that, but it was definitely a time."

“Ladies Choice”

Lisa Leslie in 'Sister, Sister'.

On the show, Tia was canonically a huge fan of the WNBA (though in real life she doesn't share her fictional counterpart's intense passion). In season 5, star player Lisa Leslie appeared as herself and presented Tia with quite the dilemma — take a dream job with the WNBA's media department or go to college.

"A lot of these stars came on the show because they were huge fans of the show," Mowry explains. "Lisa was a huge fan of the show, and we actually became really good friends after that. We would go to each other's homes and we would go out to dinner and stuff. She became like a big sister to Tamara and I around that time. She was very protective."

“Kidnapped”

Kobe Bryant in 'Sister, Sister'.

Lisa Leslie wasn't the only basketball star to appear on the sitcom. In 1996, a very young Kobe Bryant guest starred on the show. Bryant was also a massive fan of the series. "Kobe was very sweet," Mowry remembers. "He would invite us to certain parties that he would be at. I believe we went bowling together with him and his sister. He was so humble, and we met him at the beginning of his career as an L.A. Laker."

Neither Mowry nor Bryant ever forgot his time on the show. "Throughout the years I would be court-side," she adds. "And I'm talking about like 10, 15 years later, I would be court-side and he would say hi. We all hung out for a minute. It was short-lived, because he got famous so fast, and he ended up falling in love with Vanessa. His world just changed very quickly. But there was a time we all hung out together, and I will always remember."

Musical Guests

Brian McKnight and WC in 'Sister, Sister'.

*Sister, Sister *had a stacked line up of musical guest stars, including R&B trio 702, rapper Christopher "Kid" Reid, hip hop group Goodie Mob, Mya, and Blackstreet. But Tia Mowry's favorite musical guest star was rapper WC because of their rapport when the cameras weren't rolling. "He actually taught me how to Crip walk," she explains. "I'm always showing my Crip walk, especially of late with Kendrick [Lamar]. And the reason why I know how to do it is because of WC. He literally taught me himself between takes."

Singer-songwriter Brian McKnight also appeared on the show, not as himself, but as Tia's college calculus professor (and later in the same season, a fictionalized blues singer). "I had the biggest crush on Brian McKnight," Mowry says with a laugh. "I was a huge fan. So, when he was on the show, I was so nervous."**

“Model Tia”

Tamera and Tia Mowry in 'Sister, Sister'.

In season 4, Tia and Tamera learned a valuable lesson — don't trust strangers you meet on the internet. When the girls befriend someone named Verique online, they beg their parents to go to Verique's studio for a photo shoot. They're told no, but Tamera goes anyway and learns the hard way that Verique is not who he says he is.

"I don't remember how that episode came about, but that episode is still relevant today, " Mowry says. "That's what was so amazing about these shows back then. They were fun, but they were also learning lessons, and they were so relatable to what young kids are going through. It was a way for kids' stories to be told.

"Today it's just as bad," Mowry adds of online predators. "So many kids are being catfished and they're meeting people in real life that they met online, and harm is done to them. So, that episode is one example of why *Sister, Sister* is still popular today."

Indeed, Mowry believes there's still plenty in the sitcom to entertain the teenagers of today. "Some kids will come up to me and then their parents will be with them, and then they'll say, 'Oh my God, my daughter loves your show. I used to watch your show growing up,'" she adds. "It just speaks to how these stories are still relatable now. All of us go through the same thing. Even though we're living in different generations, we all were teens before and we all have experienced peer pressure, the awkward stage, getting hurt for the first time, growing pains, and insecurities. It shows how impactful these shows are still today."

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