Zach Moser is a Philadelphia native who loves films, television, books, and any and all media he can get his hands on.
The 1990s were a great decade for television shows, and these ten are just a few of many excellent series that make those years so memorable.
While the 1980s were dominated by sitcoms, the 1990s saw television bloom into the experimental, unusual, and game-changing. It's a decade that figured out there was more you could do on television than what was previously thought, and that audiences were ready for something different. There are genre-bending sci-fi shows, hilarious but emotionally resonant sitcoms, horror comedy mashups, and trend-setting animated series.
Plenty of great TV shows aired during the decade, but these 10 had their heyday between 1990 and 2000. Seinfeld 1989-1998 Arguably the funniest show of all time, Seinfeld is the grandfather of modern sitcoms, and everything from The Office to Hacks owes Seinfeld a debt of gratitude. The series follows four New Yorkers, Jerry Seinfeld, Cosmo Kramer , George Costanza , and Elaine Benes , as they navigate the city and their selfish lives.
The series is packed with jokes, and no one plays the straight man. It's a series that showed you could make a sitcom, and not have a hero or even character arcs. The show is about comedy, but it still makes time to fully flesh out the universe it exists in, even if that universe is filled with annoying cranks.
The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air 1990-1996 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air stars a young Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself. After running into trouble in his poor hometown of West Philadelphia, Will is sent to live with his wealthy aunt and uncle in the upscale neighborhood of Bel-Air, Los Angeles, where his modest upbringing clashes with the pomp and circumstance of this new home.
A brilliantly cast series, the Banks family in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air has incredible chemistry with everyone fitting together like a puzzle. It elevates the comedy, but it also ensures the emotional moments hit even harder. Knowing Will is cared for by the Banks makes his frustration with them funnier and his increasing reliance on them more touching.
Beverly Hills, 90210 1990-2000 Beverly Hills, 90210, sometimes simply referred to as 90210, is a teen drama series from Fox that follows the lives of a group of friends transitioning out of high school in Beverly Hills, California, to college and later the adult world. The series explores the big moments in young adult life through the eyes of these friends. 90210 had one season of poor ratings, and then immediately shot up in the rankings, becoming a cultural phenomenon and launching many of its stars into the national spotlight.
It defined the teen soap genre and shows like The Lizzie McGuire Show, Pretty Little Liars, and more probably wouldn't exist without its success. The Larry Sanders Show 1992-1998 The late Garry Shandling starred in The Larry Sanders Show, a brilliant HBO comedy whose cult-like following doesn't illustrate how important the series is. The series is centered around the production of a fictional late-night talk show, chronicling host Larry's life and his interactions with celebrities and networks.
The Larry Sanders Show is a satire of show business and feels ahead of the curve by a few years at least. Celebrities appeared as fictionalized versions of themselves, often playing rude and bossy entertainers. Its influence can be seen in similar series like Extras, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and any production with Judd Apatow attached.
Batman: The Animated Series 1992-1995 Of the many animated superhero TV shows that have remained culturally relevant and popular in the years since air, Batman: The Animated Series stands high above the rest. Though it only ran for two seasons, the show is a landmark series for both superhero animation and the Batman franchise.
Inspired by the Tim Burton Batman movies, TAS is a darker, more complex show that explores the psychology behind Bruce Wayne as much as it does Batman's rogues' gallery. Everything, from the gorgeous animation that was done on blackboards to the character designs, remains influential decades later. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 1993-1999 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is the fourth series in the Star Trek franchise, and it is often ranked among the best Star Trek shows.
DS9 is set upon the Deep Space Nine space station, rather than a spaceship as in previous installments, which is located near a stable wormhole in the middle of space. Deep Space Nine becomes the arrival and launch point for explorers, traders, politicians, and villains who come out of the wormhole and go into it.
Commanding Officer Benjamin Sisko and his crew attempt to keep the peace, all while dealing with interpersonal conflicts in serial storylines, new to the franchise, which was previously mostly a procedural. The X-Files 1993-2002, 2016-2018 The ubiquitous The X-Files is a sci-fi, crime thriller mash-up revolving around two special agents of the FBI, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully , who investigate unsolved and marginalized cases that usually involve some sort of paranormal phenomena, cases collectively known as"The X-Files".
Related 6 Best Sci-Fi Shows From The 1990s That Deserve A Reboot The 1990s were filled with sci-fi TV shows, some great and some forgettable, but these are the six that, for a variety of reasons, could use a reboot. Posts 21 By Zach Moser Though The X-Files aired well into the 21st century, with a revival debuting in 2018, it's a show firmly planted in the '90s.
Originally a cult hit, The X-Files has grown to become the quintessential paranormal TV show.
"The X-Files" is basically shorthand for"paranormal" at this point. Friends 1994-2004 Friends, as the title suggests, follows six friends living in Manhattan, New York City. Rachel , Monica , Phoebe , Joey , Chandler , and Ross are names that have been burned into the cultural consciousness.
Subscribe for deeper dives into '90s TV and culture Explore more smart perspectives on '90s TV and its influence - subscribe to the newsletter for curated analysis, standout episode picks, cast and legacy insights, and broader pop-culture context tying these shows to today's entertainment. Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
It's a sitcom that paved the way for the modern version of the decades-old format. The live laugh track and the attire might feel somewhat dated, but the humor and honesty of the characters are strikingly contemporary. The changes that everyone undergoes over the course of the series feel natural and satisfying. Mr. Show With Bob And David 1995-1998 Mr. Show with Bob and David is an American sketch comedy starring Bob Odenkirk and David Cross.
Like The Larry Sanders Show, Mr. Show's cult following belies how important it is to the modern sketch comedy landscape. Cross and Odenkirk appear in pre-taped and live sketches that range from the relatable to the surreal. It's a highly influential series with shows like Portlandia, Key & Peele, The Whitest Kids U' Know, Abbott Elementary, and Human Giant, all citing the series as an influence.
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! had Odenkirk as a producer, and Odenkirk's appearance on I Think You Should Leave is a nod towards his outsized influence on Tim Robinson's surreal style of comedy. Buffy The Vampire Slayer 1997-2003 Buffy the Vampire Slayer may come towards the end of the 1990s and extend into the 2000s, but the best seasons of the show came at the beginning of the show's run.
The seven-season series, created by Joss Whedon, stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, a high school student who slays vampires and other evil creatures in her spare time. The show combines monster-of-the-week storylines and season-long plots for a thrilling, captivating coming-of-age supernatural drama. The style of comedy that pervades the MCU can be found in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and its combination of jokes, horror, and action is still inspiring shows and movies today.
Please follow us on Google to support us United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Sneaker trends come and go, but this iconic brand is timelessSlip your feet into something more comfortable (and durable.)
Read more »
Indochine and revived Beatrice Inn celebrate the 90sMike “The Situation” Sorrentino speaks out after a concerning viral video of Ronnie Ortiz-Magro during a recent interview. Darrell Sheets’ ex-wife Kimber Wuerfel breaks her silence following the “Storage Wars” star’s death as the investigation continues.
Read more »
The 10 Best Frosted Lipsticks Are Making My ‘90s It-Girl Dreams Come TrueAriel Baker is the Beauty Writer at Marie Claire. Previously the associate beauty editor at PS and briefly freelance, she has bylines in InStyle, Forbes Vetted, Women's Health, and more.
Read more »
Billie Eilish's Prada Look: A Timeless Silhouette and a Fashion StatementBillie Eilish, the popular singer, attended the Los Angeles premiere of her concert tour in a full Prada look from their Fall/Winter 2026 collection. She wore a Guizio tank top, bootcut jeans, and a sporty jacket in Knicks orange. She also opted for a pair of lace-up heels, a trend for Summer 2026, which is a testament to the mind of Mrs. Prada.
Read more »