The Greatest Shows of the 1990s, Ranked
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. The decade also spawned quite a few ambitious shows that were too ahead of their time to catch on with mainstream audiences, but have since gained major cult followings. Other shows tried hard but never gained the audience they were hoping for.Â
Many of the most popular shows of the '90s were long-running shows. ER, for instance, ran for 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 '90s shows? Which shows from the 1990s do you have the fondest memories of? This list includes many of the biggest shows from that magical decade, so vote up the shows that stood out.
- A misogynistic husband and a lazy housewife tolerate each other while raising two children.
- Tommy, Chuckie and friends find adventures as toddlers.
- An urban youth moves in with rich relatives.
- A close-knit group of young, eclectic friends approaches adulthood.
- Homer and Marge Simpson raise Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie in Springfield.
- The odd buddies have many strange adventures.
- Four older women share a house in Miami Beach.
- Six friends living in New York hang out at a coffee bar.
- The adventures of an eccentric family living in New England.
- FBI special agents probe cases involving phenomena that defy conventional explanations.
- The misadventures of a middle-class black family in suburban Chicago.
- Tim Taylor hosts a home-improvement program on a Detroit TV station.
- A coming-of-age comedy follows Cory Matthews as he juggles school, friends and romance.
- Wakko, Yakko and Dot perform classic cartoon humor.
- A teenager with special powers strives for a normal life.
- New Warner Bros. style characters have fun.
- Lovable teenager Zack Morris leads his pals on adventures at California's Bayside High School.
- A series of stories based on the EC horror comics of the 1950s.
- Kevin Arnold grows up in 1960s suburban America.
- A widower enlists help to raise his three daughters.
- Reenactments and interviews retell the circumstances of unsolved crimes and paranormal events.
- 22Sam Malone, former reliever for the Red Sox, runs a Boston bar where "everybody knows your name."
- 23Baloo, King Louie and Shere Kahn operate businesses in Cape Suzette.
- 24Friends living in Manhattan obsess over little things.
- Domesticated dinosaurs live in the Stone Age.
