90s The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked  

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List Rules Only TV series that aired between 1990 and 1999

In the 1990s, television was one of the fastest growing mediums. More TV shows were popping up than ever before, and ratings were at all-time highs. Viewers tended to be interested in laugh-out-loud moments, which is why sitcoms like Friends, Roseanne, and Seinfeld were the biggest hit TV shows of the decade. While comedies were extremely popular in the '90s, procedural dramas also reigned, with shows like The Practice, JAG, and NYPD Blue becoming popular with large audiences.

Many of the most popular shows of the '90s were long-running shows. ER, for instance, ran 15 seasons, starting in 1994, while shows like Will & Grace, which began in 1998, lasted 8 years. The reality show genre was just popping up in the '90s, especially after the massive ratings and critical success of MTV's The Real World. Children’s programming was also popular, with hit shows like Boy Meets World and Dinosaurs.

What are your favorite programs from the 1990s? Which '90s shows do you have the fondest memories of? This list includes many of the biggest shows from that magical decade.

list ordered by

1
2,078 1,141
Friends is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1994-2004 Friends is an American television sitcom, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which originally aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004. It lasted ten seasons and is now in ...more

2
1,430 1,255
Seinfeld is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1989-1998 Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally ran for nine seasons on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as ...more

3
2,042 617
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1990-1996 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of ...more

4
1,571 740
Home Improvement is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1991-1999 Home Improvement is an American television sitcom starring Tim Allen, that aired from September 17, 1991 to May 25, 1999. The show was created by Matt Williams, Carmen Finestra and David ...more

5
1,505 620
The Simpsons is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
CB Ladnier added 1989-present The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by the ...more

6
1,524 715
Boy Meets World is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1993-2000 Boy Meets World is an American television sitcom that chronicles the coming of age events and everyday life-lessons of Cornelius "Cory" Matthews. The show follows Cory and his friends ...more

7
1,584 763
Full House is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1987-1995 Full House is an American sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for ABC. The show chronicles a widowed father, who enlists his best friend and his brother-in-law to help raise his three daughters. It ...more

8
861 979
Law & Order is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1990-2010 Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It originally aired on NBC and, in ...more

9
1,432 682
Saved by the Bell is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1989-1993 Saved by the Bell is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from 1989 to 1993. A retool of the Disney Channel series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, the show follows a group of friends and ...more

10
938 912
The X-Files is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1993-2002 The X-Files is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by Chris Carter. The program originally aired from September 10, 1993 to May 19, 2002 on Fox, spanning nine ...more

11
1,258 715
Married... with Children is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1987-1997 Married... with Children is an American sitcom that aired for 11 seasons. It featured a dysfunctional family living in a fictional Chicago suburb. The series, notable for being the first ...more

12
1,316 647
That '70s Show is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1998-2006 That '70s Show is an American television period sitcom that originally aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focused on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in ...more

13
851 912
Frasier is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1993-2004 Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, premiering on September 16, 1993, and concluding on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David ...more

14
973 710
Whose Line Is It Anyway? is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
mvasilas added 1988-1998 Whose Line Is It Anyway? (The CW, 1998) is an American improvisational comedy show adapted from the British show. Hosted by Aisha Tyler, the show features Colin Mochrie, Ryan Stiles, Wayne ...more

15
977 865
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1997-2003 Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an American television series which aired from March 10, 1997 until May 20, 2003. The series was created in 1997 by writer-director Joss Whedon under his production ...more

16
971 705
Roseanne is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1988-1997 Roseanne is an American sitcom that was broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working-class family. ...more

17
900 778
Everybody Loves Raymond is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1996-2005 Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom starring Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, Doris Roberts, Peter Boyle, Brad Garrett, and Monica Horan. It originally ran on CBS from September ...more

18
1,032 605
Family Matters is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
birdiejay23 added 1989-1998 Family Matters is an American sitcom which originated on ABC network from September 22, 1989 to May 9, 1997 and then aired on CBS network from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-off of ...more

19
716 811
ER is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1994-2009 ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994, to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and ...more

20
811 590
Cheers is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1982-1993 Cheers is an American sitcom that ran for eleven seasons between 1982 and 1993. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association with Paramount Network Television for ...more

21
639 565
In Living Color is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
muzziac added 1990-1994 In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990, to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote and starred in the ...more

22
703 727
3rd Rock from the Sun is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1996-2001 3rd Rock from the Sun is an American sitcom that aired from 1996 to 2001 on NBC. The show is about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, which they consider to be a very ...more

23
716 767
King of the Hill is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1997-2010 King of the Hill is an American adult animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010 on Fox. It centers on the Hills, a middle-class ...more

24
525 805
Mad About You is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1992-1999 Mad About You is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992, to May 24, 1999. The show starred Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a newly married couple in New York City.

25
830 700
South Park is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1997-present South Park (Comedy Central, 1997) is an American adult animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. In the small town of South Park, four boys get caught up in all sorts of bizarre ...more

26
704 487
Saturday Night Live is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
CB Ladnier added 1975-present Saturday Night Live is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, ...more

27
489 638
Quantum Leap is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1989 Quantum Leap is an American television series that originally aired on NBC for five seasons, from March 1989 through May 1993. Created by Donald P. Bellisario, it starred Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam ...more

28
630 646
The Drew Carey Show is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
looksharp added 1995-2004 The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" ...more

29
533 821
Baywatch is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
birdiejay23 added 1989-2001 Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show was canceled ...more

30
731 330
The Wonder Years is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1988-1993 The Wonder Years is an American television comedy-drama created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from 1988 through 1993. The pilot aired on January 31, 1988, following ABC's ...more

31
481 896
Sex and the City is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1998-2004 Sex and the City is an American television romantic sitcom created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of 94 episodes. ...more

32
625 291
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1996-2003 Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is an American sitcom based on the Archie comic book series of the same name. The show premiered on September 27, 1996, on ABC to over 17 million viewers in its ...more

33
506 707
MADtv is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1995-2009 Mad TV is an American sketch comedy television series originally inspired by Mad magazine. The show featured animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts as well as images of Alfred E. ...more

34
755 684
Charmed is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1998-2006 Charmed is an American television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The ...more

35
570 659
Beverly Hills, 90210 is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
ThinkingNessaja added 1990-2000 Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently ...more

36
359 791
Twin Peaks is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1990-1991 Twin Peaks (Showtime, 2017) is a miniseries that follows FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) in a continuation of the original 1990 series, created by David Lynch.

37
571 236
The Golden Girls is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1985-1992 The Golden Girls is an American sitcom, created by Susan Harris, that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and ...more

38
326 770
Party of Five is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1994-2000 Party of Five is an American teen drama television series that aired on Fox for six seasons, from September 12, 1994, until May 3, 2000. Critically acclaimed, the show suffered from low ratings ...more

39
584 370
The King of Queens is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
MarlonLink added 1998-2007 The King of Queens is an American sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007. The show was produced by Hanley Productions and CBS Productions, CBS Paramount ...more

40
518 714
Dawson's Creek is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1998-2003 Dawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series about the fictional lives of a close-knit group of friends beginning in high school and continuing in college. The series stars James ...more

41
360 655
Spin City is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1996-2002 Spin City is an American television sitcom that aired from September 17, 1996, until April 30, 2002, on ABC. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show was based on a fictional ...more

42
686 609
Will & Grace is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1998-2006 Will & Grace is an American sitcom, based on the relationship between Will Truman and Grace Adler, and is set in New York City. It was broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, ...more

43
415 612
Wings is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1990-1997 Wings is an American sitcom that ran on NBC from April 19, 1990, to May 21, 1997. Starring Tim Daly and Steven Weber as brothers Joe and Brian Hackett, the show is set at the fictional "Tom ...more

44
609 247
Rugrats is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1991-2006 Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The show focuses on a group of toddlers, most prominently ...more

45
261 794
Melrose Place is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1992-1999 Melrose Place is an American primetime soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992 to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an ...more

46
368 676
Just Shoot Me! is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1997-2003 Just Shoot Me! is an American television sitcom that aired for seven seasons on NBC from March 4, 1997, to August 16, 2003, with 148 episodes produced. The show was created by Steven Levitan, ...more

47
387 414
Coach is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
rtkimble added 1989 Coach is an American television sitcom that aired for nine seasons on ABC from 1989 to 1997. The series stars Craig T. Nelson as Hayden Fox, head coach of the fictional Division I-A college ...more

48
506 249
Family Guy is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1999 Family Guy is an American adult animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; ...more

49
320 667
NYPD Blue is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1993-2005 NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan. Each episode typically ...more

50
517 222
Animaniacs is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
1993 Animaniacs is an American animated television series, distributed by Warner Bros. Television and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. Animaniacs is the second animated ...more