It’s hard to believe it’s been about 30 years since the 1990s: we were just kids when we first saw Friends, Saved By The Bell, and The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air. This decade can be summed up as a time when things were simpler: we didn’t have to worry about our mortgages, commuting, or paying medical bills. We could just sit back and enjoy the good times with these classic shows that turned us into a laughing mess every day.
But even harder to believe is how much time we spent re-watching these shows on repeat as the years went by. No matter if we already knew the things we might expect to see there — the cultural references, the humor, and getting stunned at how young our beloved actors from that era were. But whether you’re an old-school fan of the ’90s shows or just learning about these programs for the first time, there’s no doubt this decade fed us some of the finest pieces of entertainment ever delivered by the television industry.
We’ve already provided you with lists of sitcoms from the 1980s and 2000s. Now it’s time to pay tribute to some of the best ’90s sitcoms — the ones we never really forgot because they’re too iconic. We’ve rounded up our top favorite sitcoms from the ’90s so that you can look back on a simpler time and laugh at all the hilarious antics that your favorite TV characters got themselves into!
Although quite a few of these ’90s series will be painfully familiar, we bet you haven’t watched every last one of them. Every decade has its hidden TV entertainment gems, and the 1990s make no exception, so we invite you to upvote your all-time faves. And really, all you have to do is scroll down below, check out the series, and pick one! And if it’s still too hard to decide, a coin flip or magic eight ball’s advice always helps (don’t trust a mood ring though — those suckers always lie).
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#21 Boy Meets World
1993-2000 | 7 seasons
Boy Meets World is a genuine coming-of-age story set throughout the years of middle school to college. Its main character, Cory Matthews, gets to live through many real-life situations as he progresses from childhood to adulthood. Though this ’90s series is inherently funny and warm, it also discusses pressing cultural issues, such as child abuse and underage alcohol use. Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel reprised their roles as regulars in the spin-off Girl Meets World, which aired from 2014 to 2017.
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37points
#22 The Drew Carey Show
1995-2004 | 9 seasons
The Drew Carey Show revolved around a fictionalized version of Drew himself, portraying him as an “everyman” office retailer. Most of the action in the series was set at his work and home, portraying the relationships between him and his friends. The comedic portrayals of simple, relatable problems have gained this ’90s sitcom immense popularity, attracting such guest stars as Tim Allen, Bob Saget, and Amanda Bynes (just to name a few) to the set.
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34points
#23 King Of The Hill
1997-2010 | 13 seasons
King Of The Hill is an unmissable animated series in every ’90s sitcom list. It follows the Hill family, with the patriarch Hank being the general protagonist. The Hills are just your regular American working-class family that is (mostly) dedicated to being do-good citizens. Of course, they do not always succeed, and the series’ realistic portrayal of such misunderstandings and the relatable minutiae of life makes it all the better. Although ratings remained consistent, Fox abruptly announced the series’ cancellation in 2009. But wait! In January 2022, creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels announced the forming of a new entertainment company, with a revival of King Of The Hill being one of the projects in development!
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32points
#24 Wings
1990-1997 | 8 seasons
Wings is a series with an unusual setting — an airport. Here, you get to meet brothers Joe and Brian operating a one-plane Sandpiper airline. There’s also the rivaling and much bigger Aeromass, and then there’s the beautiful childhood friend Helen who runs the airport’s sandwich shop. She’s always been in love with Joe and dreams of becoming a concert cellist. Written and created by Cheers and Frasier veteran crew, Wings exists in their same fictional universe, and stars from both series often made appearances on Wings. Best way to enjoy a mix of some of the greatest 1990s TV shows!
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31points
#25 Just Shoot Me!
1997-2003 | 7 seasons
Just Shoot Me! is a series created by Steven Levitan, the same man who impacted the ’90s TV industry by giving us amazing shows such as Frasier, Wings, and, more recently, Modern Family. Now, Just Shoot Me! is a genuine sitcom classic following the lives of a fictional fashion magazine’s staff. And you just know that where there’s fashion, there are all kinds of eccentric people and over-the-top tasks to be achieved. Right from the start, Just Shoot Me! proved to be both relevant and highly entertaining to the audiences, gaining a prime airing spot.
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31points
#26 Step By Step
1991-1998 | 7 seasons
Step By Step introduces us to two single parents, Frank and Carol, who marry after a whirlwind courtship, thus creating a large blended family. They both had three kids from previous marriages, and now it’s a full house with eight family members. And where there are big families, there are plenty of comedic situations, sibling rivalry, and agreeing to disagree. Despite being quite a blatant clone of The Brady Bunch, Step By Step garnered a large crowd of fans for its genuine fun and heartwarming moments and has stayed a popular sitcom to this day.
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28points
#27 Spin City
1996-2002 | 6 seasons
Spin City is an excellent example of political satire. Set in a semi-fictionalized version of the New York City mayor’s office, it follows mayor Randall Winston and his staff as they run the Big Apple. The series also introduced a revolutionary (for the time) character — Carter Heywood, a gay black man who’s the head of minority affairs in the series. Oh, and he also owns a suicidal dog named Rags. The series proved to be a great success: everybody seemed to love the cool humor, great acting, and original plotlines.
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27points
#28 Mr. Bean
1990-1995 | 15 episodes
It’s impossible to forget such a legendary character! For those who don’t know, Mr. Bean is a British comedy series starring comedian Rowan Atkinson in his most famous role as the titular character. The show ran from 1990 to 1995 but still has an active fanbase today. The show follows Mr. Bean, a man who doesn’t have much social awareness, as he tries to navigate his everyday life, usually getting tangled up in all sorts of trouble along the way. The program was an immediate success, and the almost total lack of dialogue made it accessible to people who knew little to no English.
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27points
#29 Sister, Sister
1994-1999 | 6 seasons
An excellent and heartwarming story of estranged and later reunited twins is always fun to watch. Starring identical twin sisters Tia and Tamera Mowry, the series follows the story of two sisters separated at birth and reunited as teenagers thanks to a chance encounter. Like many popular sitcoms of the ’90s, the series got its fair share of special guest appearances — from Taraji P. Henson and the Olsen sisters to RuPaul and Kobe Bryant, plenty of stars have graced this show. In 2018, a potential revival was confirmed but never pursued due to copyright issues.
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23points
#30 Newsradio
1995-1999 | 5 seasons
Newsradio focuses on the work lives of the staff of a New York-based radio station. What made this series unique was the heavy use of physical comedy and visual gags interwoven in fast-paced plotlines. And in Newsradio, it works amazingly well, as the characters are highly eccentric, and the writers do not shy from surrealism. It’s definitely one of the best ’90s sitcoms and well worth your time.
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22points
#31 The Golden Girls
1985-1992 | 7 seasons
Released between the ’80s and early ’90s, The Golden Girls is a classic. It’s got it all: four older women living together in Miami, each unique and hilarious in their own way; a diverse cast of characters; and memorable one-liners. Because it features such well-written characters, it’s really easy to lose track of time and watch multiple episodes in one sitting — which makes it an ideal choice if you’re planning to binge-watch some old TV shows but can’t decide where to start.
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22points
#32 Married... With Children
1987-1997 | 11 seasons
The series is one of the longest-running sitcoms in television history. It features a dysfunctional family — Al Bundy (portrayed by Ed O’Neill, who you may know from Modern Family), his wife Peggy, and their kids, Kelly and Bud — and their lives in Chicago. A recurring joke shows Al and Peggy regretting marrying each other, though they occasionally show affection for one another. In May 2022, it was announced that an animated revival of the show was in production.
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20points
#33 Martin
1992-1997 | 5 seasons
Martin centers on its titular character, who’s living in Detroit with his girlfriend Gina while working as a disc jockey at a local radio station. Although Martin is quite selfish and often smartmouths anyone around him, he also deeply loves his friends and family, even if it takes him a while to show it. And, out of this antithesis comes plenty of misunderstandings, giving us, the viewers, a myriad of funny situations to follow.
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18points
#34 Dexter's Laboratory
1996-2003 | 4 seasons
“Omelette du fromage” — if your childhood has been blessed with this amazing ’90s TV show, you’ll get the reference. Dexter’s Laboratory is the brainchild of Genndy Tartakovsky, also known for Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars, and Hotel Transylvania. The show follows Dexter, a boy genius with a hidden laboratory in his bedroom. He spends his days inventing gadgets to get rid of his hyperactive older sister DeeDee, who often gets him in trouble by breaking the things he’s built or stealing them for herself.
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18points
#35 The Vicar Of Dibley
1994-2007 | 3 series
The Vicar Of Dibley stars Dawn French as Geraldine Granger, the brand new vicar in the fictional town of Dibley who is determined to make a difference in her community. Being the first female vicar following the inclusion of women in the Church of England is not an easy job, but she proves herself to be a true leader despite everyone’s initial shock and skepticism. It’s among the most successful British shows of the ’90s and received various awards, including two International Emmys and multiple British Comedy Awards.
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18points
#36 Keeping Up Appearances
1990-1995 | 5 series
Keeping Up Appearances centers around Hyacinth Bucket (who insists her last name is pronounced “Bouquet”), a snooty, social-climbing housewife whose main concern is to impress everyone with her wealth and possessions. But guess what? It’s all a lie, and Hyacinth is actually from a lower-class background but tries her hardest to hide it. Hyacinth’s attempts to maintain her social credibility complicate the lives of those around her but also give life to plenty of rib-tickling moments, making this sitcom an amazing piece of entertainment!
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17points
#37 Northern Exposure
1990-1995 | 6 seasons
You know what you’re getting with Northern Exposure: a lot of weird, a lot of funny, and a lot of heart. This quirky show is set in the fictional town of Cicely, Alaska, a remote village where Dr. Joel Fleischman is sent to work at the local clinic. Initially, the show focused on Fleischman’s fish-out-of-water experiences in rural Alaska. Still, as it progressed, the series gave space to the eccentric inhabitants of the village as well.
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17points
#38 Futurama
1999-Present | 7 seasons
Born in the last months of the decade by the mind of Matt Groening, Futurama is hands down one of the best shows that aired in the ’90s. It’s a show about Fry, who was cryogenically preserved for 1000 years and revived on December 31, 2999. Fry starts working for an interplanetary delivery company alongside the mutant Leela and robot Bender. The history of this series is pretty turbulent: after some disagreements between Groening and Fox, the network stopped buying episodes of the series, leading it to an unofficial cancellation. It was picked up by Comedy Central in 2008, which aired three new seasons, but then canceled again, with the last season released in 2013. But this is not the end: in February 2022, Hulu decided to revive the series with 20 episodes planned for release in 2023.
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15points
#39 Dinosaurs
1991-1995 | 4 seasons
As you probably guessed from the title, the show follows the daily lives of a family of anthropomorphic dinosaurs. But it’s more than that. Despite targeting a family audience, Dinosaurs is a satirical sitcom that never shies away from touching topical issues like environmentalism, women’s and LGBT rights, censorship, and racism, plus some topics that rarely receive enough coverage, like the objectification of women and the threats affecting the lives of endangered species.
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14points
#40 The Wonder Years
1988-1993 | 6 seasons
The Wonder Years is a classic ’90s coming-of-age sitcom that received a more than fair share of praise (and awards!) back in its days. It follows the life of Kevin Arnold as he grows up in a typical suburban family in the turbulent 1960s and 1970s. Fans and critics alike consider The Wonder Years a groundbreaking show in many ways, having had a tremendous impact on the industry and inspiring a variety of TV shows produced in the following years.
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12points
