• Top 10 90’s Sitcoms

  

  Written by Zeromage 18 Comments
  Last Updated:: January 28, 2009

  Looking back on the 90’s with a slight feeling of cheesiness is nothing new, much like looking back at anything else from a decade before. This is no different with the best sitcoms of the 90’s. The humor comes across as cheesy, the characters come across as foolish, and we are given noticeable signifiers of what has become anachronistic for future sitcoms. Regardless of this inevitable fate, some of the shows could still be looked back upon as quality shows much like sitcoms from the 80’s (i.e. Family Ties, which is in our Top 5 80’s Family Sitcoms). The 90’s had it’s golden shows that would become permanently etched in the memories of those who lived through the decade. In this list, we’ll go through what we think were the best sitcoms from the 90’s. If your show is missing, don’t worry, there is place to comment and defend your choice below.

  10. Fresh Prince

  Fresh Prince was the best show that had corny jokes that were good. Will Smith finds his first major role in Fresh Prince, and plays the aloof city boy in a rich neighborhood perfectly. No on understands his diction, he does what he wants when he pleases, and his uncle is constantly trying to teach him lessons like the good judge he is. The show is made by Carlton though, who’s Costanza-esque role of constant disappointments creates one of the best acting symbioses in the 90’s sitcom catalog. The dumb jokes at Will’s uncle would never stop and he would never stop getting angry and Will Smith’s character with the eyes of a punishing judge. And who could ever forget the theme music? Is there not anyone reading this who forgot the theme music to Fresh Prince; cheesy rap but definitely memorable.

  9. Saved by the bell

  Whenever Saved by the Bell comes on in the early mornings before work, we all still watch it. That it comes on in the sunrise hours is curious, but is welcome for everyone who was a fan of this inescapably 90’s sitcom. It would be hard to find anyone walking around high school dressed like how Slater dressed with his billowed hair, tank top, and MC Hammer pants. Zack was more transcendent of his times, but only to a point, he still wore blaring bright T-shirts. The main cast worked incredibly well together including the cool kid, the tough kid, the smart nerd, the fit girl, the uptight girl and the politically correct girl. The dynamics between them would serve for many great episodes. They all fought with each other, they all dated each other, and they all would be punished by Mr. Belding at one time or another. Saved by the Bell will always be remembered as the best high school sitcom of all time.

  8. Family Matters

  Family Matters was an entertaining sitcom placed early on the TGIF set. Everyone from the 90’s remembers Urkel and his infatuation with the Winslow’s daughter. Everyone remembers how protective Carl Wilson was when Urkle came anywhere close to Laura Winslow. The Winslow family was a prototypical family, but they were entertaining in their because of their relatability to other families. Eddie was the consummate ladies man, always pissing off Carl with his borderline hedonistic personality. Laura was a coming of age girl having to fend off other guys her age and the over-the-top nerdism of Urkel. It was all plain and simple, but always ended with a valuable lesson, like all the cheesy sitcoms of the 90’s. Back then, we all appreciated the final orchestral sappy ending. Oh have the times have changed…for the better.

  7. Coach

  Who could forget Craig T. Nelson, the coach for the underachieving Minnesota State Screaming Eagles. Most of the show was staged in a cabin in Minnesota which epitomized a very comfy hibernated feel for a coach who was always on edge about winning games. Who could forget Bill Fagerbakke’s character in all his goofiness and ineptness as an assistant coach that Nelson’s character somehow put up with. The show came to it’s climax when Nelson’s daughter was dating a guy he never approved of. This conflict filled up many hours in the Coach saga but was done with a graceful touch of humanity with Nelson’s character always coming to his over-protective senses and demanding nature as a coach. His wife would interfere in affairs giving “Coach” the feminine instinct that was perfect to supplement the yangy personality of a college football coach. All together, Coach was just a very well designed sitcom.

  6. Salute your shorts

  Salute Your Shorts wasn’t your traditional sitcom but was so good that we had to include it on this list. It may not have been a regular channel TV sitcom (Nickelodeon), but it was every bit as good as the best sitcoms on those channels. The show focuses on friends at summer camp and the problems they have amongst each other, and the camp counselors who are always pushing them beyond their limits, especially the rotund Donkeylips. There were some amazing quotes in this show like what would happen if the crew didn’t make their way to an activity they didn’t want to participate in; “Donkeylips sits on your face and farts.” The shows were always entertaining to watch in the 90’s. I don’t know if I could watch them now, but for the time when I related to the age where I was forced to go to summer camp because my parents didn’t want me home alone, this was the perfect show to watch.

  5. 3rd rock from the sun

  The Premise to 3rd Rock From the Sun was pretty ridiculous, and because of it deserved its rightful place on this list regardless of the fact that some of its episodes absolutely missed. As the story goes, aliens from outer space have taken human form and experience human drama like they never had lived on the planet they were originally from. Instead, they are situated in a town in Ohio having to adapt to average American culture, which was no easy task for space aliens. They were sent down to study the behavior of humans much like we think what aliens were to do if they actually visited the earth. Dick Solomon, the high commander and father of the family, appropriately takes the role of a Physics Professor. The comedy of the show is derived from the antithetical nature of their own species having to adapt to the human species. As you could figure, obvious things get in the way like going to the bathroom and eating. While not all the episodes were great, there were enough laughs to make the sitcom successful.

  4. Married with Children

  Al Bundy was a shoe salesmen. Everyone knew that was why he was so depressed. On top of that, no one else in his family worked. He would have to dish out money and pay the bills on the salary of a shoe salesman. Who wouldn’t be pissed by this? Of course, it would have prudent not to have family on a shoe salesman salary (thinking about it now, we should have put this on our top 5 worst occupations of the millennium list). The dysfunctional Bundy family would be a relief for the families out there who were afraid of their own dysfunctionality. The imperative for family life would be curtailed by this always dreary comedy op on family life and all the emptiness that comes along with it. No one wants to be Al Bundy, sure they wanted to laugh at him, but they didn’t want to be him.

  3. Frasier

  Frasier was certainly for an audience with a certain taste, nonetheless it had its moments and could transcend it’s opulent presentation. The interaction between Frasier, his brother and his father was classic. Frasier, the ever-consummate psychologist, could act too uptight around woman and anyone he came across, especially at their bourgeois parties. This was curtailed by their father, who would always ground the brothers actions of wimpy dispositions. Frasier would hit it’s peak in the mid 90’s, then slowly decrease in quality in the late 90’s as most shows of any decade do. It was the mid 90’s output though that had the most memorable episodes. No matter what class you consider yourself in, there was always something in the best of the Frasier episodes.

  2. The Simpsons

  The Simpsons was the first great cartoon sitcom. Family Guy would later trump The Simpsons in the 00’s but The Simpsons was the first to use the absurdist humor that is used in the prime time comedic cartoons today. There are too many episodes to go through to be able to describe the quality of this show. One that comes to mind though, is when Homer gets too fat to work so he has to work from home. He wears a woman’s dress and can’t use the keyboard at home because his fingers are too fat. When The Simpsons first started off, the humor was traditional and somewhat enjoyable. It was in the mid 90’s though that Matt Groening turned up the absurdity angle and created episodes that didn’t have to simply reflect an everyday life. This is when The Simpsons was the best. That Family Guy took away The Simpsons cache after in the decade to follow doesn’t take away from the originality and progression in cartoon sitcoms that The Simpsons established.

  1. Seinfeld

  There’s a reason why we wrote an entire list devoted to Seinfeld with our Top 30 Seinfeld Characters. Seinfeld is not only the greatest sitcoms of the 90’s, but also the greatest sitcom of all time. The sheer amount of classic characters in the show go a long way for making it entertaining. No matter how much one sees the same episode, it’s difficult to get sick of it in the face of the idiosyncrasies of each character that come across in a new way every time the episode is seen. Who could forget the many shortcoming of George? Who could forget the frantic disposition of Kramer every time he walked in Jerry’s apartment? Apart from the main cast were amazing characters such as Lloyd Braun, J.Peterman, Lomez, as the invincible Drake. Anyone who hasn’t experienced this show hasn’t watched TV. In the 90’s and today this is THE show to watch on TV.

18 Comments

1. #1 Lamdas says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 8:35 am

   No love for blossom huh?
2. #2 Wild Bill says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 1:40 pm

   Could you guys do a list about modern TV?
3. #3 George says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 10:57 pm

   I’m actually smiling right now, thanks for the perk.

   Seinfeld is one of the few shows out there that hit the pitch perfectly, with the only flaw being the finale. However, thanks to the sheer level of quality of the show as a whole, I’m fine with that. It reminded me of a simpler time, when NBC still had good shows, and Jay fucking Leno wasn’t given the 10:00 slot every single night of the week.

   Just one second of Seinfeld could smite the suckitude of Everybody Loves Raymond, a true phenom. The only comedies other than it I’ve enjoyed better are South Park and The Simpsons. Easily the best humor ever to come from live actors. I cannot agree enough with the Seinfeld love. Thanks for the smile.
4. #4 Ed says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 11:48 pm

   Coach??? You can’t be serious! Did someone bet you like a $1000 that you wouldn’t make a list about best sitcoms and put coach on there?
5. #5 Tracy says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 12:10 am

   Great list, agree with most choices, but what about FRIENDS!?!? How could you forget?! I always hated Frasier, Cheers was better
6. #6 Nate says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 4:05 am

   Fresh Prince should be higher and Seinfeld is insanely overrated… Thanks for the reminding of Salute Your Shorts, that was an AWESOME show that I totally forgot about. Love the article, thanks.
7. #7 Alexx says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 4:57 am

   Fresh Prince should of been higher the Simspsons at their peak was much better than Seinfeld incredible writing.
8. #8 Andreas says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 7:48 am

   Family Guy never “took away The Simpsons cache”. Family Guy is just an obvious Simpsons rip-off that uses useless pop culture references and stupid humor to win views.
9. #9 Osama says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 2:54 pm

   Remove Coach, add Night Court, and explain what the hell the Salute your Shorts is and you’ll have a perfect list

   Oh, Cheers > Frasier as someone else mentioned.
10. #10 roberto says:
    March 11th, 2010 at 4:36 pm

    i watched a few episodes of seinfeld, but never really got into it. simpsons and married with children were my favorite. al bundy, was the worlds greatest underachiever.
11. #11 Craig says:
    March 11th, 2010 at 7:12 pm

    No WINGS???????

    THAT was a great show…certainly deserved to be on the list.
12. #12 Bob says:
    March 11th, 2010 at 11:58 pm

    This is a failed “Top 10 Sitcoms” list.
13. #13 Raymond says:
    March 11th, 2010 at 8:02 pm

    Speaking of Simpsons and Family Guy i think American Dad and Futurama deserves as much praise as both of them. As for Seinfeld, i’ve watched it a few times and i think it sucks compared to some of the newest sitcoms. Hey I got an idea: why not make a Top 10 Japanese Animation List. I got some really good suggestions for that list
14. #14 Jeff says:
    March 11th, 2010 at 4:30 am

    If you think Seinfeld is over rated chance are you don’t get it.. animated shows like Simpsons and family guy are over rated they do way too many easy jokes.
15. #15 shaun says:
    March 11th, 2010 at 9:46 am

    i dont care if i get shat on…but i find seinfeld boring and not funny at all.i honstly dont know what the huge fuss is with seinfeld..bad acting and ridiculous,unfunny situations…
16. #16 lolololol says:
    March 11th, 2010 at 4:02 am

    What about Roseanne? Wasn’t that the nineties? She broke some barriers, making fun of being poor and white in America. Remember when DJ discovered masturbation! Ha! Good times. Friends is also one that should have been here.
17. #17 aznfratboy says:
    March 11th, 2010 at 6:40 am

    Well Cheers and Rosanne can’t really be 90’s sitcoms, they only aired like 2 years in the 90s, but definitely, you need Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond in there, and get rid of Coach and Salute Your Shorts.. both were awful.

    Friends at #3, Raymond at #4, everything else gets pushed back 2 spots until #7.
18. #18 las says:
    March 11th, 2010 at 5:38 am

    Roseanne aired from 1988 to 1998. Most years were in the 90’s. Also Married with children first aired in 87 and lasted til 97. Roseanne should be on the list!