Best Television Shows of the '90s

The Top Ten
1 Friends 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, lasting ten seasons. It now airs on Nick at Nite... read more

Friends was an awesome show and should deserve to be number one! My favorite character is Joey Tribbiani because he's so funny and no one can touch his food!

Second should be The Simpsons because that's where it all began for this successful family.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S defined the modern sitcoms. I don't know why modern shows like How I Met Your Mother can even be compared to it. To me, Friends will always be the number one in my heart because no other show could have made me cry like that at the end.

Yes! I honestly think that this is one of the best TV shows ever. The only thing that I'd change is that I'd take out all of the swearing, using God's name in vain, and sex.

2 Fresh Prince of Bel Air The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996.

I love this show. This show should be number 1!

This is where Will Smith was discovered. This show is total lols.

3 The Simpsons The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening that originally started on April 19, 1987 as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. It got its own series on December 17, 1989 and is still running as of 2023, making it the longest running animated sitcom. It is about a man named Homer... read more

This is number 3, not number 6. Please pay attention to the ranking.

4 The X-Files The X-Files is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The original television series aired from September 10, 1993, to May 19, 2002, on Fox.
5 Seinfeld Four single friends -- comic Jerry Seinfeld, bungling George Costanza, frustrated working gal Elaine Benes and eccentric neighbor Cosmo Kramer -- deal with the absurdities of everyday life in New York City.

This is my favorite TV show and I am a 17-year-old female. I laugh every time I watch. My parents watched it back in the day and watch it with me sometimes. You cannot compare it to today's sitcoms.

6 Rugrats Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon.
7 Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! is an American animated television series created by Craig Bartlett that aired on Nickelodeon from October 7, 1996 to June 8, 2004. The show centers on a fourth grader named Arnold, who lives with his grandparents in an inner-city boarding house.

At least it's way better than post-movie The Simpsons. Hey Arnold! for the win!

8 Home Improvement Home Improvement is an American television sitcom starring Tim Allen that aired on ABC from September 17, 1991 to May 25, 1999, with a total of 204 half-hour episodes spanning over eight seasons.

This should be number 1. All 8 seasons were consistent and my favorite show of the '90s. In fact, it is still up there in my top 5 favorite shows of all time.

9 Saved by the Bell Saved by the Bell is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from 1989 to 1993. A reboot of the Disney Channel series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, the show follows a group of high school friends and their principal. Primarily focusing on lighthearted comedic situations, it occasionally touches... read more

Great show! Funny and touching.

10 All That All That is the American live-action, sketch comedy-variety show created by Dan Schneider, Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin, which originally aired on the Nickelodeon cable television network from April 16, 1994, to October 22, 2005, lasting ten seasons. The series was produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions... read more
The Contenders
11 SpongeBob SquarePants SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series created by marine biologist and animator the late Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. SpongeBob is currently the most popular show on Nickelodeon, as well as the longest running show, running for 23 years, and is beginning its 13th season... read more
12 Full House Full House is an American sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for ABC. The show chronicles a widowed father, Danny Tanner, who enlists his best friend and brother-in-law to help raise his three daughters.

As far as family shows go, it's probably the best one out there. I like how all the characters are likable and every episode has a little life lesson. As the series progresses and D.J. and Stephanie get older, the show starts dealing with more important social issues such as peer pressure and underage drinking. It's very rare for family shows to tackle these sensitive issues, but Full House manages to do that perfectly. Sure, everyone learns their lesson at the end and the kids end up always making the right decisions somehow, which could be seen as highly unrealistic, but it still is a show with a lot of heart. It's the perfect show to watch when you just want to relax and forget about your problems for a little while.

The humor is obviously very clean, so it can be very boring for older viewers, but still, that sense of nostalgia can make it enjoyable for every age. I loved the show growing up. Obviously, I don't like it as much as I did back then, but it still has a special place in my heart.

13 'Allo 'Allo! 'Allo 'Allo! is a British wartime sitcom set in Occupied France created by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd. Originally shown on BBC1 from 1982 to 1992, the series follows the antics of a cafe owner named Rene Artois who's cafe is being used by the French Resistance as a safe house to hide 2 British airmen... read more

Everyone tried to do a goofy European accent because of this.

14 Cheers 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 NBC and created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles.
15 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an American television series created by Joss Whedon under his production tag, Mutant Enemy Productions with later co-executive producers being Jane Espenson, David Fury, David Greenwalt, Doug Petrie, Marti Noxon, and David Solomon. The series premiered on March 10, 1997,... read more
16 Rocko's Modern Life Rocko's Modern Life is an American animated television series created by Joe Murray for Nickelodeon. The series centers on the surreal life of an anthropomorphic Australian-immigrant wallaby named Rocko as well as his friends: the gluttonous steer Heffer, the neurotic turtle Filburt, and Rocko's faithful... read more

Absolute awesomeness. Through and through, it is quite possibly the best overall Nickelodeon show ever made.

17 Married... with Children
18 Pokemon Pokémon, abbreviated from the Japanese title of Pocket Monsters and currently advertised in English as Pokémon: The Series, is a Japanese anime television series, which has been adapted for the international television markets. It was first broadcast in Japan on April 1, 1997, in the United States... read more
19 The Powerpuff Girls The Powerpuff Girls is an American animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken for Cartoon Network. The main characters of this show are Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. The show is about the Professor Utonium creating three little superhero girls that save the day from villains... read more
20 Blossom Blossom is an American television sitcom that aired from 1990 to 1995. Created by Don Reo, the series centers on Blossom Russo, a teenage girl living with her father and two brothers. The show was groundbreaking for its time, addressing social issues like alcoholism, drug abuse, and divorce. Blossom... read more
21 La Femme Nikita
22 Sister, Sister
23 The Nanny The Nanny is an American television sitcom which originally aired on CBS from 1993 to 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish fashion queen from Flushing, New York who becomes the nanny of three children from the New York/British high society.
24 That '70s Show 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 the fictional suburban town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from May 17, 1976, to December 31, 1979.
25 Frasier Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons, premiering on September 16, 1993, and concluding on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.
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