The Torgerson Twins

 Have you ever heard of the Torgerson Twins?  Probably not, unless you were reading teen magazines or watching teen tv in the spring of 1996.


The 14-year old identical twins starred as Ranny and Danny (yes, someone named their son Ranny) in the short-lived tv series Second Noah, about a couple, baseball coach-writer Noah (Daniel Hugh Kelly) and veterinarian Jesse (Betsey Brantley), who live near Busch Gardens in Florida (holy product placement, Batman!), and adopt lots of kids and animals. Teen idol James Marsden takes his shirt off.  There was no ark.

Most episodes concerned one or more of the kids getting a heterosexual crush, falling in love, or breaking up, but there was some brotherly-love-style, and gay teens found the twins dreamy.












Not to mention eldest adoptee, 23-year old James Marsden (now Cyclops in the X-Men franchise).

Gay preteens had a role model in 10-year old Jeffrey Licon, who would go on to star in Nickelodeon's Brothers Garcia and the gay-themed Mysterious Skin. 

And for the adults, Daniel Hugh Kelly, previously the Hardcastle and McCormick hunk.

The series specialized in shirtless and semi-nude shots.

 However, it came on Saturday nights opposite Doctor Quinn, Medicine Women, which was aimed at a similar tween stay-at-home audience.  And it may have been a little too edgy, with Jason Marsden's character a teenage dad, and lots of implied sex.  12 episodes aired in the spring of 1996, six more in September-October of 1996, and the remaining three were "burned off" during the summer of 1997.

During those few months, Jeremy and Jon Torgerson received an amazing amount of teen idol attention, including gushing articles and endless photos, including some of the chummy, nearly holding hands, homoerotic subtext sort (notice the ultra-feminine jewelry).

In January 1998, Jeremy had a one-shot on the preachy, hetero-horny Seventh Heaven (1998).  And that was it for their television careers.

Unscathed by the momentary fame,  Jeremy attended the Fashion Institute of Art and Design and now works behind the scenes as a set designer.  Jon is a studio chef and also works in human relations. They're both married with children.