21 Iconic Shows That Defined The 90s

Jake Valentine

July 28, 2025

I love the ’90s, and I’m not just saying that because it’s the decade I grew up in.

Television in the 1990s offered a wide variety of shows to choose from, including stereotypical sitcoms, thrilling dramas, and shows that began to push the boundaries of the medium.

There was a lot of great television in the ’90s, but these shows are the most iconic.

Full House

I’m sorry, but it doesn’t get more ’90s sitcom than this.

Everyone learns a valuable lesson, the jokes are a little cheesy and jam-packed with made for TV one-liners, but it was still funny, and you still tuned in every week.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

That warm, fuzzy sitcom feeling was also present in Fresh Prince, but it went about it in a very different way.

At its heart, the show is very much “fish out of water” television, but it has enough clever writing, headlined by Will Smith’s breakout performance, to help it stand out.

The X-Files

The X-Files never honestly got the recognition it deserved. Yes, it was a critical darling while airing with a small but devoted following, but you have to remember what the television landscape was like in the ’90s.

There were a lot of safe bets, a lot of formulaic shows designed for the masses. The X-Files is something new, unique, and, my god, its first five seasons are still iconic today.

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Ally McBeal

On the other hand, Ally McBeal got plenty of recognition, especially during award season.

Its blend of pop culture, licensed music, and writing makes it one of the ’90s’ most iconic dramedies.

Seinfeld

Okay, I’ve gone long enough without mentioning Seinfeld.

Remember those safe, formulaic sitcoms that dominated television? Seinfeld was anything but, breaking all the rules and riding it to success, helping to pave the way for future sitcoms.

Melrose Place

It’s only fitting I talk about Melrose Place after Seinfeld.

There was just something about prime-time soap operas in the ’90s that worked. It wasn’t anything special, nor would it hold up today, but it was television you couldn’t stop watching, akin to the reality TV of today.

Beverley Hills, 90210

To be fair, the biggest reason for the popularity of prime-time soap operas is the massive success of Beverley Hills, 90210.

Luke Perry became a teen idol, and Shannen Doherty was a household name, paving the way for countless imitators over the years.

Fraiser

“The smartest show on television,” not bad for a spin-off of a sitcom that centrally takes place in a bar.

Fraiser works

Friends

Look, I’m not a fan of Friends. I lowkey hate the show, but you can’t bring up the topic of iconic ’90s television without mentioning Friends.

Rather than following a bunch of unlikable people in New York City, Friends’ ensemble cast features some of the most relatable characters in television. They’re also joined by an impressive roster of guest characters over the years.

The Simpsons

Yes, the series has been on a steady and unfortunate decline over the years, but The Simpsons’ peak rivals almost any television show in history.

The jokes are some of the funniest you’ll ever see, made even more impressive by how fast and furious they come at times.

Beavis and Butt-Head

Mike Judge’s animated MTV series was controversial, but that’s what it was like back in the ’90s.

Beavis and Butt-Head was edgy, it was different, and it was a pop culture phenomenon.

Rugrats

As someone who still watches Hey Arnold! and Rocko’s Modern Life Today, it’s unfortunate that Rugrats hasn’t held up as well over the years.

Having said that, there’s no denying the impact Nickelodeon’s animated series had on kids’ television.

Home Improvement

Tim Allen’s beloved show was ABC’s number-one sitcom for most of the 1990s.

Allen was on top of the world in the ’90s, helping to make his manly one-liners, mannerisms, and even the fictional Tool Time a part of pop culture.

Family Matters

Speaking of ABC, I have fond memories of watching “TGIF” as a child. The headliner was, in my book, Family Matters.

Yes, Full House was a part of the TGIF block for a few years, but Family Matters dominated it on the back of Steve Urkel’s popularity.

In Living Color

Saturday Night Live wasn’t the only sketch comedy show in town. In Living Color doubled as a statement of Black humor on television, particularly the safe and inoffensive humor from The Cosby Show.

It also boasts an impressive cast, featuring The Wayans Brothers, David Alan Grier, Jamie Foxx, and Jim Carrey.

Saved By The Bell

Say what you want about Zach Morris, but in the eyes of many in the ’90s, he was the epitome of cool.

It’s one of the most ’90s sitcoms of all time, from its sense of style down to the show’s subject matter, particularly some of its “very special episodes” (you know which one I’m talking about), but since it followed around the kids we all wanted to be like, that didn’t matter.

Law & Order

Yes, Law & Order is still going strong today across seemingly countless spin-offs, but it got its start in 1990, so it counts.

No other legal drama has had the same cultural impact. Without Law & Order, I never would have watched far too many SVU reruns on the USA network in college.

Married… with Children

I’ve covered sitcoms of all shapes and sizes, from stereotypical studio audience shows to the “show about nothing.”

Married… with Children doesn’t fall into any of those roles, instead focusing as a satire of suburban life, highlighting that it’s not always so cheerful and rosy. Yes, it aired in the late ’80s, but its cultural zenith goes against the growing political correctness and highly offended audiences that started to take hold in the ’90s.

Murphy Brown

I’ve seen a lot of discourse about why Murphy Brown has fallen off television radar today.

The biggest reason? It’s reliance on current events. That doesn’t always make for good television today, but it cemented itself fully in the world of the 1990s.

Roseanne

One thing that so many successful ’90s sitcoms did well was their commitment to trying something new.

In the case of Roseanne, it’s the portrayal of a middle-class family that so many American families found relatable. It’s easy to fall in love with a show when you see yourself in it.