5 ’90s TV Shows With 100+ Episodes That Are Worth Watching From Start to Finish

Although there are a lot of iconic shows from the ‘90s, only a few of the decade’s long-lasting dramas, sitcoms, sci-fi shows, and horror series are worth watching all the way through. The ‘90s was an incredible time for TV, with scholars of the medium crediting the era with the birth of the Second Golden Age of Television. Groundbreaking cable shows like Tales from the Crypt, The Sopranos, Sex in the City, and Band of Brothers pushed the envelope in terms of what could be depicted on the small screen.

At the same time, shows like The West Wing, The X-Files, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer saw network TV procedurals bring a new level of narrative complexity to their overarching plot lines. Dropping the largely episodic approach of earlier network TV shows (outside of daytime soaps), these shows pushed the boundaries in terms of television storytelling style, boasting long, complex, multi-faceted plots instead of simplistic standalone storylines.

The West Wing

While creator Aaron Sorkin’s writing style has been parodied to death in the years since The West Wing ended and the show’s alternately idealistic and cynical view of politics is unfortunately outdated, this ensemble drama remains a must-watch for anyone seeking a crash course in US TV history of the ‘90s. Starring Martin Sheen as the Democratic President Josiah Bartlet, The West Wing centred on the president’s Executive Branch.

With a historically great cast that included Rob Lowe, Bradley Whitford, Moira Kelly, Dule Hill, Stockard Channing, Allison Janney, and John Spencer, among many, many more, The West Wing was famous for its complex, mile-a-minute dialogue and the show’s unusual filming style. Long “Walk and talk” Steadicam shots allowed the show’s dialogue to flow seamlessly from character to character, room to room, and scene to scene, creating an effortlessly dramatic, gripping political drama that remains incredibly influential today.

The X-Files

Without The West Wing, viewers would likely never have gotten later shows like Veep, House of Cards, and Sorkin’s own show The Newsroom. However, when it comes to which long-running ‘90s show had the biggest impact on TV history, there is no contest among the series listed here. Following the example laid out by the more offbeat Twin Peaks, the genuinely creepy police procedural The X-Files combined the classic tropes of buddy cop shows with supernatural elements to create an entire new sub genre of TV.

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In the decades that followed, everything from Supernatural to Evil, to The Outsider, to Grimm, to Lucifer, to Fringe, to Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which will be mentioned soon), would borrow from this innovative approach. While the endless list of shows that were influenced by this groundbreaking mix of genre storytelling and police procedural formatting could have made The X-Files feel old hat, its memorably creepy villains and the incredible chemistry between its leads ensure the show avoided this fate and remains a must-watch.

Seinfeld

There are well over one hundred episodes of Seinfeld and, considering the show’s premise, this is a pretty impressive achievement on its own. The West Wing focused on the most powerful person in the world, while Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The X-Files featured apocalyptic plots to end the world itself, whereas Seinfeld was just a show about a group of misfit friends doing very little in New York. Despite this, the iconic sitcom is one of the decade’s most re-watchable shows, and its gang of amoral antiheroes are among the best sitcom characters of all time.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

While Seinfeld’s central crew certainly inspired It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Happy Endings among other shows, it is even easier to see Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s influence on contemporary pop culture. The fun, feminist horror comedy fantasy mashup K-pop Demon Hunters wouldn’t exist without this ‘90s classic, which pitted the titular ordinary teenage high school girl against legions of undead vampires, demons, and ancient evils. While Sarah Michelle Gellar’s central performance was uniquely strong, it is Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s self-aware dialogue that makes the show a must-watch almost 30 years later.

Friends

Although the writing is great, the main characters of Friends are the real reason the show became a global phenomenon during the ‘90s and remained incredibly popular until its series finale. As much as everything from New Girl to How I Met Your Mother to The Big Bang Theory might have borrowed from its familiar setup, almost no subsequent sitcom could command the same sort of incredible chemistry as Joey, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Ross, and Phoebe shared throughout the ten seasons of Friends.