If you were already enjoying couch potato sessions in front of the boob tube 30 years ago, then “Webster” was probably one of your staple sitcoms. Like the more popular ‘80s show Diff’rent Strokes, Webster is about a young African-American orphan who gets adopted by a white, newlywed couple.

They’ve made us laugh, kept us on the edge of our seats, and just plain entertained the pants off us. Now it’s time for the Emmys to reward the best of this year’s actors and actresses. Get to know all your favorites (and perhaps a few faces you’re not as familiar with) before they were stars.

In a world before “real” housewives, world travelers, celebrity apprentices, and weight loss contestants, scripted TV actually ruled the airwaves. They occupied our TVs every weeknight through the ‘80s and ‘90s. They taught us life lessons in neat 30-minute segments. Snakkle takes a look at where some of our favorite sitcom stars are today.

Snakkle looks back at the Emmy-nominated cast of The Big Bang Theory before they were nerds—er—stars.