History Series / HeyDude

* KidsAreCruel: In one episode, a tiny terror named Noelle manipulates most of the staff and threatens to use the WoundedGazelleGambit if she doesn't get exactly what she wants.

''Hey, Dude!'' was a sitcom that aired on {{Nickelodeon}} during the late 1980s and early 1990s. It followed the misadventures of the teenage summer help at the Bar None Ranch in Arizona, as well as its owner, the rather clueless Benjamin Ernst. Mr. Ernst, after years of being a nebbish pencil-pusher, gets the urge to be a cowboy; so he buys the Bar None and becomes its manager. Since his only qualifications (if you can call them qualifications) are his enthusiasm for bolo ties and ten-gallon hats, he's quickly in over his head. Consequently, he has little time to supervise the young staff, who leap on the opportunity to romance each other and concoct schemes... in the most wholesome possible way, of course. The staff are:

* WomenAreWiser: Played with a bit most of the time. While the girls are generally closer to Earth than most of the guys, Brad is only slightly closer, and Danny is typically closer than either girl [[NobleSavage (probably because he's a Native American)]]. Played perfectly straight in the BattleOfTheSexes episode, where the guys were suddenly incompetent at everything.

** Her acquaintance Kimberly Carroll from "The Good, The Bad, The Obnxious" was a more clear-cut case.

* FrozenInTime: The show ran for several seasons...but it all took place during the course of one single summer.

* PutOnABus: When it was discovered that Ted didn't pass all his classes the previous school year, he had to leave the ranch for summer school. He made one later guest appearance (in which he sneaked back to the ranch because he missed everyone) before returning for good a little while later.

* SmallNameBigEgo: They even called him [[TropeNamer Ted]]!

* Buddy, Mr. Ernst's son, who is not part of the staff, but usually is a part of the plot. He is basically a younger version of Mr. Ernst, except he knows he is a CityMouse and constantly whines that he wants to go back to New York.

* ChainedHeat: Brad and Ted get handcuffed together in the well-remembered "Arm Spasm/Leg Cramp" episode.

* MistakenForDying: Happens to Mr. Ernst, when the gang thinks he has a fatal disease. In actuality, he's fine; the staffers overheard Lucy talking about a disease contracted by a horse and assumed she was talking about Mr. Ernst being sick. Even Mr. Ernst believed he was dying and was overreacting for nothing.

* {{Earworm}}: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4_Nu3tN6rg It's a little wild and a little strange~]]
** ''Better watch out for those man-eating jackrabbits, and that killer cacti…''

* AgelessBirthdayEpisode: the "Guys vs. Girls" episode for Danny, and there was another episode that had an ageless birthday for Mr. Ernst.
* AlphaBitch:
** Brad's a borderline case.

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Mr. Ernst is totally out of his element with the cowboy life, but is also an effective administrator and financially savvy (it's suggested that his buying the ranch saved it from complete ruin).

* LockedInAFreezer: Happened at least twice... darn that abandoned mine shaft.

* MistakenForDying: Happens to Mr. Ernst, when the gang thinks he has a fatal disease. In actuality, he's fine; the staffers overheard Lucy talking about a disease contracted by a horse and assumed she was talking about Mr. Ernst being sick. Even Mr. Ernst believed it.

* MistakenForDying: Happens to Mr. Ernst, when the gang thinks he has a fatal disease. In actuality, he's fine; the staffers overheard Lucy talking about a disease contracted by a horse and assumed she was talking about Mr. Ernst being sick.

* AlphaBitch: Brad's a borderline case.

''Hey, Dude!'' was a sitcom that aired on {{Nickelodeon}} during the late 1980s and early 1990s. It followed the misadventures of the teenage summer help at the Bar None Ranch in Arizona, as well as its owner, an incompetent Mr. Benjamin Ernst. Mr. Ernst, after years of being a nebbish pencil-pusher, gets the urge to be a cowboy; so, he buys the Bar None and becomes its manager. Since his only qualifications (if you can call them qualifications) are his enthusiasm for bolo ties and ten-gallon hats, he's quickly in over his head. Consequently, he has little time to supervise the young staff, who leap on the opportunity to romance each other and concoct schemes... in the most wholesome possible way, of course. The staff are:

* Kyle, a late-in-the-run addition who is a bit lunk-headed, but possesses more cowboy-like qualities than any of the other staffers. Also likes Brad.

* BeautyContest: One in which Brad and Melody are the only contestants. In the talent portion, Brad's talent is packing a suitcase. Melody begins to have a break-down when she thinks she could lose to 'packing luggage.'

* CookingDuel: In one episode where Ted and Danny compete with Brad and Melody to see which gender is better at certain tasks, Buddy is selected to be the judge of the cooking contest. The 'muffin' served by Ted and Danny is practically inedible, but the girls cook a meal containing fish, which Buddy is allergic to.

* MostWritersAreAdults: Are these really supposed to be teenagers? Judging by the way they talk and act, you'd think they were thirty something year old adults at a family reunion.

* PutOnABus: When it was discovered that Ted didn't pass all his classes the previous school year, he had to leave the ranch for summer school. He made one later guest appearance (in which he snuck back to the ranch cause he missed everyone) before returning for good a little while later.

* WillTheyOrWontThey: Between Brad and Ted. Although she usually thinks he's childish, there are lots of hints that she really likes him. Ted succeeds in getting her to date him once, or maybe twice, during the series. Kyle fills in when Ted leaves the show.
* WomenAreWiser: Played with a bit most of the time. While the girls are generally closer to Earth than most of the guys, Brad is typically only slightly closer, and Danny is typically closer than either girl [[NobleSavage (probably because he's a Native American)]]. Played perfectly straight in the BattleOfTheSexes episode, where the guys were suddenly incompetent at everything.

* DawsonCasting: Averted. Like all Nickelodeon shows, the cast was made up of actual teenagers playing teenagers.

** ''Better watch out for those man-eating jackrabbits, and that killer cacti...''
* FakeNationality: Danny Lightfoot was a Hopi Native American. His actor, Joe Torres, is Mexican-American.

* OneHitWonder: The actors who played Brad, Danny, Lucy, Kyle, and Buddy never had any acting jobs outside of this series. They all debuted on the show and never acted again after it ended.
** Justified as Danny and Buddy's actors were Arizona natives who pretty much never left the area after filming.

* WriteWhoYouKnow: In one episode, Danny starts a comic based on the staff, using thinly-veiled [[{{Expy}} expies]] (e.g. Melody is "Harmony"), and uses it as a vehicle to reveal the worst of their personalities. It's a hit with everyone but the main cast, but Danny eventually realizes the friction in his personal relationships isn't worth it.

* DawsonCasting: Despite playing a teenager, there's no way the actor playing Jake was under the age of 25.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Hey, is that Creator/BenStiller's wife?
** David Lascher (Ted) would later go on to play [[Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch Sabrina's]] coffee shop boss-turned love interest. (and before that, {{Blossom}}'s boyfriend)
** Laura Innes (from ''{{ER}}'') played a guest on two episodes (makes sense since she's married to the actor who plays Mr. Ernst).
** Toby Huss (aka [[HeyItsThatVoice Cotton]] [[KingOfTheHill Hill/Kahn]]) also guest starred on two episodes, as "Mr. Ernst" according to IMDB. He would later return to Nickelodeon as Artie on ''TheAdventuresOfPeteAndPete''.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Hey, is that BenStiller's wife?

''Hey, Dude!'' was a sitcom that aired on {{Nickelodeon}} during the late 1980s and early 1990s. It followed the misadventures of the teenage summer help at the Bar None Ranch in Arizona, as well as its owner, an incompetent Mr. Benjamin Ernst. Mr. Ernst, after years of being a nebbish pencil-pusher, gets the urge to be a cowboy; so, he buys the Bar None and becomes its manager. Since his only qualifications (if you can call them qualifications) are his enthusiasm for bolo ties and ten-gallon hats, he's quickly in over his head. Consequently, he has little time to supervise the young staff, who leap on the opportunity to romance each other and concoct schemes...in the most wholesome possible way, of course. The staff are:

''Hey, Dude!'' was a sitcom that aired on {{Nickelodeon}} during the late 1980s and early 1990s. It followed the misadventures of the teenage summer help at the Bar None Ranch in Arizona, as well as its owner, an incompetent Mr. Benjamin Ernst. Mr. Ernst, after years of being a nebbishy pencil-pusher, gets the urge to be a cowboy; so, he buys the Bar None and becomes its manager. Since his only qualifications (if you can call them qualifications) are his enthusiasm for bolo ties and ten-gallon hats, he's quickly in over his head. Consequently, he has little time to supervise the young staff, who leap on the opportunity to romance each other and concoct schemes...in the most wholesome possible way, of course. The staff are:

* LotteryTicket: Ted wins a substantial amount of money via a scratch-off ticket and starts using his newfound wealth to arrange drastic changes at the ranch, such as adding a water park. It all comes to nothing when the lottery people discover he's not a legal adult and is therefore ineligible for the payout.

** David Lascher (Ted) would later go on to play [[SabrinaTheTeenageWitch Sabrina's]] coffee shop boss-turned love interest. (and before that, {{Blossom}}'s boyfriend)

** Not to mention Kyle, who joined even later in the series.

* WillTheyOrWontThey: Between Brad and Ted. Although she usually thinks he's childish, there are lots of hints that she really likes him. Ted succeeds in getting her to date him once, or maybe twice, during the series.

** Laura Innes (from ''{{ER}}'') played a guest on two episodes.

* TedBaxter: They even called him Ted!