The Best 1990s ABC Shows

Updated January 8, 2019 19.7k votes 671 voters 30.7k views241 items

List RulesUpvote your favorite ABC TV Series that aired on TV in the '90s

Go back to the days of acid wash jeans with this list of '90s ABC shows, ranked from best to worst by nostalgic TV viewers. 1990s ABC shows included dramas, sitcoms, and even a game show phenomenon. This '90s ABC shows list features a wide range of series, from the squeaky clean family hijinks of Home Improvement to the surreal mystery of Twin Peaks.

Twin Peaks was a truly strange riff a whodunit and arguably the weirdest ABC series of the 1990s. This David Lynch masterpiece was a groundbreaking drama during its two seasons, but the network also boasted more straightforward dramas in The Commish, NYPD Blue, and The Practice, all of which are accounted for here.

Any ranking of the best '90s ABC shows has to also consider comedies. Home Improvement, starring Tim Allen, ran from 1991 to 1999 and was a huge hit for ABC. Family Matters and Roseanne were also two of the most popular '90s ABC sitcoms, as was Spin City.

Which 1990s ABC show do you think is the best? The vote order depends on your votes, so vote up your favorites and downvote the shows that don't hold up. Feel free to add any series we may have missed, and if you're an avid viewer who's seen them all, rerank to create your own list of the best '90s ABC TV shows.

Photo:

...more

1
340
76
Home Improvement
Tim Allen, Patricia Richardson
Premiered: 1991
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
Home Improvement is an American television sitcom starring Tim Allen, that aired from... more
2
194
47
DuckTales
Alan Young, Russi Taylor
Premiered: 1987
Genres (Tv): Animation, Animated cartoon, Children's television series, Mystery, Comedy-drama
DuckTales is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation.... more
3
262
91
Boy Meets World
Ben Savage, Rider Strong
Premiered: 1993
Genres (Tv): Teen sitcom
Boy Meets World (ABC, 1993) is an American television sitcom created by Michael Jacobs and... more
More Boy Meets World
26 Things You Didn't Know About Boy Meets WorldThe Objectively Worst Decisions Made In 'Boy Meets World'
4
247
87
Family Matters
Reginald VelJohnson, Jaleel White
Premiered: 1989
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
Family Matters is an American sitcom which originated on ABC network from September 22, 1989... more
More Family Matters
The Family Matters Cast: Where Are They Now?Best Seasons of Family Matters
5
244
85
Dinosaurs
Stuart Pankin, Jessica Walter
Premiered: 1991
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Satire, Children's television series, Comedy, Puppet
Dinosaurs is an American family sitcom that was originally broadcast on ABC from April 26,... more
More Dinosaurs
You May Have Forgotten, But The ‘Dinosaurs’ Sitcom Called Out Flat-Earthers Back In 1992#82 of 345 The Best Kids Cartoons of All Time
6
262
106
Full House
Bob Saget, John Stamos
Premiered: 1987
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
Full House is an American sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for ABC. The show chronicles a... more
More Full House
Dark 'Full House' Fan Theories That Will Change How You Think About The ShowApparently, Working On Full House Was A Waking Nightmare
7
226
89
The Wonder Years
Fred Savage, Dan Lauria
Premiered: 1988
Genres (Tv): Drama, Comedy-drama, Comedy
The Wonder Years is an American television comedy-drama created by Neal Marlens and Carol... more

8
211
84
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
Melissa Joan Hart, Caroline Rhea
Premiered: 1996
Genres (Tv): Supernatural, Sitcom, Children's television series, Comedy, Fantasy television
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is an American sitcom based on the Archie comic book series of the... more
More Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
#136 of 444 The Funniest TV Shows of All Time#20 of 59 The Best Teen Sci-Fi And Fantasy TV Series
9
224
97
Roseanne
Roseanne Barr, John Goodman
Premiered: 1988
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
Roseanne (ABC, 1988) is an American television sitcom created by Matt Williams, Marcy Carsey,... more
More Roseanne
The Juicy Behind-The-Scenes Stories From 'Roseanne'The Best Characters on Roseanne, Ranked
10
188
78
America's Funniest Home Videos
Tom Bergeron, Jess Harnell
Premiered: 1989
Genres (Tv): Variety show, Reality television
America's Funniest Home Videos is an American reality television program airing on ABC, which... more
More America's Funniest Home Videos
#57 of 141 The Funniest Shows To Watch When You're Stoned#25 of 85 The Funniest Shows To Watch When You're Drunk
11
190
86
Step by Step
Patrick Duffy, Suzanne Somers
Premiered: 1991
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
Step by Step is an American television sitcom that aired for seven seasons, originally running... more
More Step by Step
9 Surprising Stories From Behind The Scenes of 'Step by Step'The Cast Of 'Step By Step': Where Are They Now?
12
175
80
Who's the Boss?
Tony Danza, Judith Light
Premiered: 1984
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
Who's the Boss? is an American sitcom created by Martin Cohan and Blake Hunter, which aired on... more
More Who's the Boss?
#81 of 305 The Greatest Sitcoms in Television History#10 of 33 20+ 1980s Sitcoms That Will Still Make You Laugh
13
177
85
Sister, Sister
Tia Mowry-Hardrict, Tamera Mowry-Housley
Premiered: 1994
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Teen situation comedy, Comedy
Sister, Sister is an American television sitcom starring identical twins Tia and Tamera Mowry.... more
More Sister, Sister
The Entire 'Sister, Sister' Series Is Now Available To Stream On Netflix, And Twitter Is RejoicingWhere Are They Now: The Cast Of 'Sister, Sister'
14
134
63
Doug
Billy West, Fred Newman
Premiered: 1991
Genres (Tv): Animation, Sitcom, Animated cartoon, Children's television series, Educational television
Doug is an American animated sitcom created by Jim Jinkins. The show focuses on the early... more
More Doug
Why 'Doug' Changed So Much From Its Early Days On NickelodeonThe Craziest 'Doug' Fan Theories
15
128
58
The Bugs Bunny Show
Mel Blanc, June Foray
Premiered: 1960
Genres (Tv): Animation, Anthology series, Comedy
The Bugs Bunny Show is an animated television anthology series hosted by Bugs Bunny, that was... more
More The Bugs Bunny Show
#20 of 132 The Best, Most Fab Cartoons from the '70s#17 of 486 The Greatest Animated Series Ever Made
16
104
42
The Wonderful World of Disney
Emilio Estevez, Michael Eisner
Premiered: 1997
Genres (Tv): Animation
The Wonderful World of Disney (1997) is a TV program....
17
102
45
Jeopardy!
Alex Trebek, Johnny Gilbert
Premiered: 1964
Genres (Tv): Game show
Jeopardy! is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. The show features a... more
More Jeopardy!
Behind-The-Scenes Facts And Stories About 'Jeopardy!'All 24 Final Jeopardy Clues That Stumped 'Jeopardy' GOAT Ken Jennings
18
166
103
The Drew Carey Show
Drew Carey, Diedrich Bader
Premiered: 1995
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was... more
19
112
59
Coach
Craig T. Nelson, Jerry Van Dyke
Premiered: 1989
Genres (Tv): Sports, Sitcom, Comedy
Coach is an American television sitcom that aired for nine seasons on ABC from 1989 to 1997.... more
20
112
61
Darkwing Duck
Jim Cummings, Terence McGovern
Premiered: 1991
Genres (Tv): Animation, Animated cartoon, Drama, Children's television series, Mystery
Darkwing Duck is an American animated action-adventure television series produced by The Walt... more
More Darkwing Duck
Darkwing Duck's 50 Most Hilarious Introductory Lines#78 of 688 The Best Cartoons of All Time
21
106
62
Recess
Andrew Lawrence, Ashley Johnson
Premiered: 1997
Genres (Tv): Animation, Animated cartoon, Children's television series, Comedy-drama, Animated series
Recess is an American animated television series created by Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere.... more
22
94
56
MacGyver
Richard Dean Anderson, Dana Elcar
Premiered: 1985
Genres (Tv): Espionage, Action/Adventure, Adventure film, Action
MacGyver is an American action-adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff. Henry... more
More MacGyver
#170 of 507 The Best TV Theme Songs of All Time#13 of 75 The Best ABC Shows of All Time
23
130
96
Doogie Howser, M.D.
Neil Patrick Harris, Max Casella
Premiered: 1989
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Drama, Comedy-drama, Comedy, Medical fiction
Doogie Howser, M.D. is an American comedy-drama television series that ran for four seasons on... more
More Doogie Howser, M.D.
#166 of 277 The Most Overrated TV Shows Of All Time#92 of 538 TV Shows Canceled Before Their Time
24
101
68
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie
Premiered: 1998
Genres (Tv): Improvisational theatre, Television comedy
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (ABC, 1998-2007, The CW, 2013) is an American improvisational comedy... more
More Whose Line Is It Anyway?
#25 of 339 The Best TV Shows of The Last 20 Years#127 of 260 The Best TV Shows Returning In 2021
25
95
64
Tales from the Cryptkeeper
John Kassir, Elizabeth Hanna
Premiered: 1993
Genres (Tv): Animation, Action/Adventure
Tales from the Cryptkeeper is an animated series aimed at children made by Nelvana Limited,... more

The Wonderful World of Disney