TV Shows - Decades - 1990s, a list by Ryan Keast

91

/18465/

86

/3233/

92

/176/

96

94

/93/

age 17+

The story of New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads. Those difficulties are often highlighted through his ongoing professional relationship with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi. The show features Tony's family members and Mafia associates in prominent roles and story arcs, most notably his wife Carmela and his cousin and protégé Christopher Moltisanti.

76

IMDb 45

8.1

/142226/

79

/4840/

79

/4086/

66

/27/

In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.

77

IMDb 72

7.9

/43580/

77

/824/

75

/338/

The peacefulness of the Midsomer community is shattered by violent crimes, suspects are placed under suspicion, and it is up to a veteran DCI and his young sergeant to calmly and diligently eliminate the innocent and ruthlessly pursue the guilty.

82

IMDb 94

8.9

/1177882/

84

/47763/

84

/8780/

78

/92/

93

65

/24/

age 14+

Six young people from New York City, on their own and struggling to survive in the real world, find the companionship, comfort and support they get from each other to be the perfect antidote to the pressures of life.

74

7.8

/50119/

76

/1649/

74

/657/

69

/38/

age 14+

In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into custody. The district attorney's office then builds a case to convict the perpetrator by proving the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Working together, these expert teams navigate all sides of the complex criminal justice system to make New York a safer place.

85

8.9

/97719/

88

/4198/

83

/537/

81

/156/

95

78

/29/

age 14+

The West Wing provides a glimpse into presidential politics in the nation's capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration. These interesting characters have humor and dedication that touches the heart while the politics that they discuss touch on everyday life.

78

7.9

/75444/

79

/2483/

78

/891/

79

/27/

age 14+

ER explores the inner workings of an urban teaching hospital and the critical issues faced by the dedicated physicians and staff of its overburdened emergency room.

84

8.7

/241483/

84

/8828/

83

/2419/

78

/95/

92

83

/45/

age 14+

The body of Laura Palmer is washed up on a beach near the small Washington state town of Twin Peaks. FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is called in to investigate her strange demise only to uncover a web of mystery that ultimately leads him deep into the heart of the surrounding woodland and his very own soul.

79

8.6

/269419/

84

/13723/

84

/3405/

74

/194/

85

65

/72/

age 14+

The exploits of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder believes in the existence of aliens and the paranormal while Scully, a skeptic, is assigned to make scientific analyses of Mulder's discoveries that debunk Mulder's work and thus return him to mainstream cases.

80

8.7

/439249/

84

/22336/

83

/4796/

80

/151/

83

64

/19/

age 15+

Follow the misadventures of four irreverent grade-schoolers in the quiet, dysfunctional town of South Park, Colorado.

72

8.1

/384937/

77

/21665/

73

/4757/

58

/39/

age 14+

Sick, twisted, politically incorrect and Freakin' Sweet animated series featuring the adventures of the dysfunctional Griffin family. Bumbling Peter and long-suffering Lois have three kids. Stewie (a brilliant but sadistic baby bent on killing his mother and taking over the world), Meg (the oldest, and is the most unpopular girl in town) and Chris (the middle kid, he's not very bright but has a passion for movies). The final member of the family is Brian - a talking dog and much more than a pet, he keeps Stewie in check whilst sipping Martinis and sorting through his own life issues.

85

8.3

/172195/

84

/10115/

81

/1917/

85

/141/

93

85

/21/

age 14+

Into every generation a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer.

78

8.2

/123494/

78

/4189/

77

/3142/

age 7+

Deep down in the Pacific Ocean in the subterranean city of Bikini Bottom lives a square yellow sponge named SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob lives in a pineapple with his pet snail, Gary, loves his job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab, and has a knack for getting into all kinds of trouble without really trying. When he's not getting on the nerves of his cranky next door neighbor Squidward, SpongeBob can usually be found smack in the middle of all sorts of strange situations with his best buddy, the simple yet lovable starfish, Patrick, or his thrill-seeking surfer-girl squirrel pal, Sandy Cheeks.

75

8.4

/107111/

86

/9655/

82

/1726/

48

/8/

age 10+

The story of Stargate SG-1 begins about a year after the events of the feature film, when the United States government learns that an ancient alien device called the Stargate can access a network of such devices on a multitude of planets. SG-1 is an elite Air Force special operations team, one of more than two dozen teams from Earth who explore the galaxy and defend against alien threats such as the Goa'uld, Replicators, and the Ori.

NEW

71

7.3

/82148/

71

/2557/

68

/623/

74

/14/

age 13+

Ray Barone is a successful sportswriter living on Long Island with his wife Debra, daughter Ally, and twin sons, Geoffrey and Michael. Ray's meddling parents, Frank and Marie, and brother, Robert, live directly across the street.

84

8.2

/101897/

80

/4241/

77

/839/

95

/76/

95

79

/24/

age 13+

After many years spent at the “Cheers” bar, Frasier moves back home to Seattle to work as a radio psychiatrist after his policeman father gets shot in the hip on duty.

72

7.4

/157971/

72

/4982/

73

/2104/

70

/85/

80

64

/27/

age 16+

Based on the bestselling book by Candace Bushnell, Sex and the City tells the story of four best friends, all single and in their late thirties, as they pursue their careers and talk about their sex lives, all while trying to survive the New York social scene.

71

6.8

/151683/

70

/5202/

69

/3241/

Letterboxd

3.2

/277003/

79

/9/

In 1960, seven outcast kids known as "The Losers' Club" fight against an ancient shape-shifting alien who poses as a child-killing clown, while also dealing with bullies and abusive parents. Thirty years later, they reunite to stop the creature once and for all when it returns to their hometown.

73

7.2

/97892/

77

/5172/

81

/2451/

62

/27/

age 14+

Three sisters (Prue, Piper and Phoebe) reunite and unlock their powers to become the Charmed Ones, the most powerful good witches of all time, whose prophesied destiny is to protect innocent lives from evil beings such as demons and warlocks. Each sister possesses unique magical powers that grow and evolve, while they attempt to maintain normal lives in modern day San Francisco.

82

8.1

/76084/

82

/5273/

79

/896/

91

/65/

89

74

/14/

age 10+

At Deep Space Nine, a space station located next to a wormhole in the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, Commander Sisko and crew welcome alien visitors, root out evildoers and solve all types of unexpected problems that come their way.

85

8.7

/115421/

85

/3541/

80

/802/

93

/49/

94

73

/19/

The daily lives of prisoners in Emerald City, an experimental unit of the Oswald Maximum Security Prison where ingroups - Muslims, Latinos, Italians, Aryans - stick close to their mutual friends and terrorize their mutual enemies.

76

7.9

/83070/

80

/6159/

77

/1039/

77

/57/

80

66

/10/

age 8+

Pulled to the far side of the galaxy, where the Federation is 75 years away at maximum warp speed, a Starfleet ship must cooperate with Maquis rebels to find a way home.

75

8.1

/197291/

79

/8599/

79

/1527/

63

/19/

age 15+

Crank up the 8-track and flash back to a time when platform shoes and puka shells were all the rage in this hilarious retro-sitcom. For Eric, Kelso, Jackie, Hyde, Donna and Fez, a group of high school teens who spend most of their time hanging out in Eric’s basement, life in the ‘70s isn’t always so groovy. But between trying to figure out the meaning of life, avoiding their parents, and dealing with out-of-control hormones, they’ve learned one thing for sure: they’ll always get by with a little help from their friends.

76

75

8.0

/14649/

77

/400/

74

/103/

A team of exceptional forensic pathologists and scientists investigate heinous crimes and use their skills to catch the people responsible.

87

8.8

/101824/

84

/1618/

82

/531/

Letterboxd

4.3

/77378/

88

/17/

97

age 14+

Set in England in the early 19th century, Pride and Prejudice tells the story of Mr and Mrs Bennet's five unmarried daughters after the rich and eligible Mr Bingley and his status-conscious friend, Mr Darcy, have moved into their neighbourhood. While Bingley takes an immediate liking to the eldest Bennet daughter, Jane, Darcy has difficulty adapting to local society and repeatedly clashes with the second-eldest Bennet daughter, Elizabeth.

83

8.5

/276664/

85

/21488/

84

/3582/

89

/119/

86

72

/58/

age 14+

The adventures of a late-20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J. Fry, who, after being unwittingly cryogenically frozen for one thousand years, finds employment at Planet Express, an interplanetary delivery company in the retro-futuristic 31st century.

68

7.4

/93590/

75

/3156/

71

/689/

55

/26/

age 13+

Life’s good for deliveryman Doug Heffernan, until his newly widowed father-in-law, Arthur, moves in with him and his wife Carrie. Doug is no longer the king of his domain, and instead of having a big screen television in his recently renovated basement, he now has a crazy old man.

65

6.6

/40260/

68

/1164/

73

/794/

53

/13/

age 14+

Follow the lives of a group of teenagers living in the upscale, star-studded community of Beverly Hills, California and attending the fictitious West Beverly Hills High School and, subsequently, the fictitious California University after graduation.

87

9.0

/134959/

87

/3739/

85

/1754/

age 8+

Vowing to avenge the murder of his parents, Bruce Wayne devotes his life to wiping out crime in Gotham City as the masked vigilante "Batman".

76

7.6

/65006/

77

/3317/

74

/640/

77

/36/

age 13+

Set in Texas, this animated series follows the life of propane salesman Hank Hill, who lives with his overly confident substitute Spanish teacher wife Peggy, wannabe comedian son Bobby, and naive niece Luanne. Hank has conservative views about God, family, and country, but his values and ethics are often challenged by the situations he, his family, and his beer-drinking neighbors/buddies find themselves in.

68

6.8

/47602/

72

/1661/

73

/585/

62

/20/

age 14+

Dawson's Creek is an American teen drama that portrays the fictional lives of a close-knit group of teenagers through high school and college.

89

8.8

/163235/

84

/5558/

81

/836/

100

/33/

96

88

/26/

age 14+

High school mathlete Lindsay Weir rebels and begins hanging out with a crowd of burnouts (the "freaks"), while her brother Sam Weir navigates a different part of the social universe with his nerdy friends (the "geeks").

71

7.3

/52698/

73

/2214/

74

/682/

66

/25/

age 7+

The daily trials and tribulations of handyman Tim Taylor, a TV show host raising three boys with help from his loyal co-host, domineering wife, and unseen neighbor.

75

7.2

/53990/

75

/1972/

80

/1250/

age 9+

That flashy girl from Flushing with the heart of an angel (and the voice of a slighty more nasal angel). The comic misadventures of the sweet and sassy Fran Fine, her sophisticated employer, Broadway producer Mr. Sheffield, his boisterous brood and his wisecracking staff.

81

7.9

/80004/

79

/4181/

78

/965/

87

/72/

88

76

/22/

age 14+

The vampire Angel, cursed with a soul, moves to Los Angeles and aids people with supernatural-related problems while questing for his own redemption. A spin-off from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

73

7.4

/63619/

76

/2725/

68

/538/

75

/24/

age 14+

Will Truman and Grace Adler are best friends living in New York, and when Grace's engagement falls apart, she moves in with Will. Together, along with their friends, they go through the trials of dating, sex, relationships and their careers, butting heads at times but ultimately supporting one another while exchanging plenty of witty banter along the way.

70

62

7.0

/17862/

69

/235/

71

/819/

Letterboxd

3.1

/8838/

Warrior Odysseus leaves his idyllic life in the kingdom of Ithaca to fight in the Trojan War. Following victory, he now must endure a lengthy, decade-long return journey, and with all his wits, overcome deadly monsters, powerful forces of nature, seductive enchantresses, and even journey into the bowels of the Underworld.

68

6.7

/21609/

72

/879/

72

/377/

63

/19/

age 13+

Harmon "Harm" Rabb Jr. is a former pilot turned lawyer working for the military's JAG (Judge Advocate General) division, the elite legal wing of officers that prosecutes and defends those accused of military-related crimes. He works closely with Lt. Col. Sarah Mackenzie, and together they do what needs to be done to find the truth.

74

7.9

/151702/

79

/6719/

79

/2387/

59

/13/

age 11+

Will, a street-smart teenager, moves from the tough streets of West Philly to posh Bel-Air to live with his Uncle Philip, Aunt Vivian, his cousins — spoiled Hilary, preppy Carlton and young Ashley — and their sophisticated British butler, Geoffrey. Though Will’s antics and upbringing contrast greatly with the upper-class lifestyle of his extended relatives, he soon finds himself right at home as a loved part of the family.

74

8.1

/49387/

81

/1546/

82

/538/

52

/16/

age 10+

The coming of age events and everyday life-lessons of Cory Matthews, a Philadelphian who grows up from a young boy to a married man.

88

8.6

/148647/

82

/4376/

80

/1499/

100

/5/

93

age 10+

Mr Bean turns simple everyday tasks into chaotic situations and will leave you in stitches as he creates havoc wherever he goes.

67

66

6.9

/21022/

70

/475/

65

/168/

64

/15/

age 14+

Drew is an assistant director of personnel in a Cleveland department store and he has been stuck there for ten years. Other than fighting with co-worker Mimi, his hobbies include drinking beer and not being able to get dates. To make a few extra bucks he has a micro-brewery going in his garage with his buddies.

87

86

8.7

/16820/

81

/410/

80

/136/

92

/33/

90

95

/20/

age 14+

An American police procedural chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit.

81

8.4

/24432/

80

/685/

79

/185/

83

/19/

age 13+

After receiving a scholarship from the state, a recent Columbia University medical school graduate is required to set up his practice in an eccentric Alaskan town.

75

8.4

/36714/

84

/2507/

80

/574/

55

/13/

age 12+

Babylon 5 is a five-mile long space station located in neutral space. Built by the Earth Alliance in the 2250s, its goal is to maintain peace among the various alien races by providing a sanctuary where grievances and negotiations can be worked out among duly appointed ambassadors. A council made up of representatives from the five major space-faring civilizations - the Earth Alliance, Minbari Federation, Centauri Republic, Narn Regime, and Vorlon Empire - work with the League of Non-Aligned Worlds to keep interstellar relations under control. Aside from its diplomatic function, Babylon 5 also serves as a military post for Earth and a port of call for travelers, traders, businessmen, criminals, and Rangers.

82

8.3

/42557/

83

/3372/

78

/580/

90

/33/

87

75

/14/

age 14+

A freak accident during an experimental space mission catapults Astronaut John Crichton across a thousand galaxies to an alien battlefield.

69

6.8

/26856/

71

/667/

66

/242/

71

/21/

age 13+

Young, urban newlyweds Paul and Jamie Buchman try to sustain their marital bliss while sidestepping the hurdles of love in the '90s.

70

6.7

/46360/

71

/1896/

77

/1189/