7 Best Sitcoms of the 1990s (That Aren’t Friends, Frasier, or Seinfeld)

The 1990s were the best decade for sitcoms. Sure, the 1970s was something of a golden era for the format with shows like All in the Family and The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the 1980s had some great shows like The Golden Girls and The Cosby Show, but it was the 1990s that really gave us our iconic favorites. NBC ruled with its “Must See TV Lineup” and when you ask most television fans what shows reign supreme from the decade, they’ll cite shows like Seinfeld, Friends, and Frasier, all shows that remain popular on streaming today.

But those aren’t the only three great sitcoms from the best decade. There were countless other great shows over just about every network and even with a wealth of great programming, there are a handful that really stand out above the others. Here are seven of the best sitcoms of the 1990s from different points in the decade, each of them different in their own ways but with one big common denominator: they made us laugh then and they still make us laugh now.

7) The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Running for six seasons between 1990 and 1996, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is the show that made Will Smith a household name thanks to his portrayal of Will, a young Black teen from West Philadelphia who, after running into some trouble playing street basketball, gets sent to live with his wealthy aunt and uncle in Bel Air. It’s a classic fish out of water story, with working class will often clashing hilariously with the upper-class life and world of his relatives, the Banks.

Pretty much everything about The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is fantastic and remarkably holds up today. The show is genuinely funny with incredibly performances from the entire cast, particularly Smith who makes it very clear even in this series why he went on to be a major movie star. The show also does a really good job with its social commentary as well, particularly in the episode where Will and Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) are pulled over by the police. And, of course, the show’s theme song is simply iconic.

6) Full House

Like a few series on this list, Full House actually began its run in the late 1980s but the majority of the series aired during the 1990s — and for Full House, that means eight seasons spanning 1987 to 1995. It’s a series that has become something of a cultural touchstone for many, so much so that it is easily recognizable to audiences that didn’t necessarily watch it when it was first airing thanks to reruns in syndication. The series followed widower Danny Tanner (Bob Saget) raising his three daughters DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle following the death of his wife. Needing help, he enlists his brother-in-law Jesse (John Stamos) and best friend Joey (Dave Coulier).

The series presented something of an unconventional “found family” type of situation that frequently lent itself to a lot of humor, but also leaned into serious, real-world topics and issues facing teens. The show excelled at handling issues of peer pressure and just the challenges of growing up. The show was so much of a comfort watch for many that it got a sequel series on Netflix in 2014.

5) The Nanny

The fish out of water concept was a big one for sitcoms in the 1990s and none did it better than The Nanny. Airing for six seasons between 1993 and 1999, The Nanny starred Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a cosmetics saleswoman who ends up as the nanny taking care of the three children of a wealthy Broadway producer, Max Sheffield. There are a lot of layers to the humor in The Nanny, with the culture clash between Fran’s working-class background and the upper-class life of the Sheffields, as well as hijinks involving Max’s business partner CC. Babcock, who has romantic designs on the producer. 

Bright, colorful, and with an incredible costume department — Fran’s wardrobe in this series is absolutely iconic — The Nanny was brilliant and sarcastic. It worked for audiences of just about all ages and was just a lighthearted joy to watch.

4) Married… With Children

While most great 1990s sitcoms were heartwarming family shows or offered charming, inspiring life lessons as a side to their humorous antics, Married… With Children was something completely different. In fact, you could consider the series, which ran for 11 seasons between 1987 and 1997, as the antithesis to that sort of sitcom as its characters were much more of the everyman — and sufficiently miserable, too. The series followed Al Bundy (Ed O’Neill”, a former high school football star who is now a women’s shoe salesman married to lazy housewife Peggy (Katey Sagal), and has two kids, stereotypical dumb blonde Kelly (Christina Applegate) and bratty, social outcast Bud (David Faustino).

What makes Married… With Children great is that the show is a look at an imperfect American family. While most sitcoms followed families that were by some measure aspirational, there’s nothing to aspire to with the Bundys. They’re tacky, crass, they struggle, and they have questionable morals. They also aren’t exactly warm and fuzzy. It was a radical difference from most of what we saw on television at the time and honestly, it was great.

3) Mad About You

Most 1990s sitcoms were about families and arguably, Mad About You was as well, just not the kind of family you might expect. Starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt, the eight-season series followed newlyweds Paul and Jamie as they established their lives without kids. They would eventually have a daughter as the series was coming to an end, but for the majority of its run between 1992 and 1999, this was a rare show about a couple simply trying to live their lives with all the challenges — usually humorous — that that entails.

The show’s unusual approach made it a major hit. It was also a critical success with 12 Emmy wins and four Golden Globes. The show would eventually get a revival as a limited series in 2019, but it wasn’t quite as successful.

2) Family Matters

While the most famous thing about Family Matters might just be Jaleel White’s Steve Urkel (and the “did I do that?” catchphrase), the truth is that Family Matters is one of the truly great 1990s sitcoms. With a nine-season run between 1989 and 1998 as part of ABC’s TGIF programming block (moving to CBS for its final season), the show followed the Winslows, a Black middle-class family from Chicago. Like most of the family-oriented sitcoms of the era, Family Matters found its humor in every day family life and challenges, especially as it pertained to the teens in the family.

What’s particularly interesting about Family Matters is that the series got a little experimental over its run. After Urkel became a central character in the first season, later seasons saw the show taking on some more wacky, sci-fi elements. It made the show one of the most unique sitcoms of the era, and it’s still a classic.

1) Home Improvement

Home Improvement might be the definitive family sitcom of the 1990s. Running for eight seasons between 1991 and 1999, the series followed the Taylors, a classic nuclear family comprised of homemaker Jill (Patricia Richardson), three sons, and Tim (Tim Allen) who worked as the host of a home improvement show called Tool Time. Much of the show’s comedy centered around Tim’s genial incompetence despite being a fixit expert — his co-host Al (Richard Karn) is the real expert in most cases). Of course, when Tim really gets out of his depth, he ends up getting solid advice from neighbor Wilson (Earl Hindman), though a running gag in the series is that you never see Wilson’s full face.

The show is just wholesome. It’s humor is firmly rooted in suburban family life and the challenges it presents and, unlike many other sitcoms in the 1990s, leans into slapstick quite a bit. There are a lot of gags where Tim injures himself or otherwise humiliates himself. It became a serious fan favorite and was one of the most popular television shows of the decade.

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