There are a couple of time-tested ways to liven up the humor potential of any sitcom. And if a chimp isn’t available, you can always fall back on casting twins in the starring roles. Mistaken identity can be some funny stuff! Better yet, have them be separated from birth and inadvertantly cross paths at the local shopping mall. Now, you have a hit series, as demonstrated by the ABC (and later, WB) series, Sister, Sister.

First airing in 1994, Sister Sister cast identical twins Tia and Tamera Mowry as Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell, two twins who had been adopted shortly after birth by different single parents. Tia lived with her seamstress mom Lisa in an apartment in inner city Detroit. Tamera had slightly fancier digs, thanks to her father Ray’s successful limousine company. Fourteen years after their birth, the two girls were reunited by accident as they both stepped out of a dressing room at the local mall simultaneously, much to the astonishment of their waiting parents.

The two long-lost sisters became instantly inseparable, which posed a problem as Lisa was contemplating taking a faraway job in St. Louis. The twins showed their disproval by running away together and the two parents put their heads together to find a better solution to Lisa’s financial difficulties. The answer was simple – everyone would move in together! Now, granted, these two parents didn’t know each other at all, and were nothing alike, but that provided plenty of crisis fodder along the way.

Also rather dissimilar, other than appearance, were the two girls. Tia was the smart and studious one, while Tamara’s interests lay mainly in the opposite sex. Both worked hard to assert their identity, although they weren’t above occasionally switching identities either, such as when Tamara asked Tia to take a test for her in school. This is just one example of the high jinks unleashed by the twins and Sister, Sister took advantage of every mixup imaginable to help impart subtle lessons on individuality. And as they matured in age during the course of the season, their life problems matured as well, turning toward typical teen issues like dating and college.

Sister,Sister ran for a half-season on ABC, before making a switch to the WB network. A total of 120 episodes were produced during its successful six-season run. Once again, the infamous twin formula proved to be a ratings winner.