101 Classic (and Not-So-Classic) TV Shows of the 1990s

‘The Bradys’ (1990)

Spinoff of the TV movie A Very Brady Christmas, the show was more of a dramatic take on The Brady Bunch, christened with the nickname Bradysomething. It truly didn’t work, though everyone involved gave it their all.

‘Twin Peaks’ (1990 to 1991)

In a nutshell, the murder of a woman (Sheryl Lee‘s Laura Palmer) brings eccentric FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) to the town of Twin Peaks, which is even more eccentric. From the surreal mind of David Lynch, this one captured people’s imaginations right out of the gate.

‘Wings’ (1990 to 1997)

From creators of Cheers, the focus is on brothers Brian and Joe Hackett (Tim Daly and Steven Webber) trying to keep their small airline alive in New England’s Nantucket. Other cast members include Crystal Bernard and David Schramm.

‘Dream On’ (1990 to 1996)

Brian Benben plays Martin Tupper, a book editor whose way of dealing with the real world is to have his mind flash back at key moments to classic movies and TV shows that he watched on television as a young  child. Wendie Malick plays his ex-wife Judith Tupper Stone, with Chris Demetral as their son, Jeremy Tupper, and Denny Dillon as his secretary Toby Pedalbee. One of HBO’s earliest original series.

‘Northern Exposure’ (1990 to 1995)

Rob Morrow is Dr. Joel Fleischman, a medical school graduate who finds himself providing his services to a small Alaskan town to repay the state’s underwriting of his medical education. A true fish out of water, the fun is watching his interactions with a collection of eccentric characters.

‘The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air’ (1990 to 1996)

Making a name for himself as a rapper, Will Smith was launched into the stratosphere as the star of this series, which sees him playing a poor young man from Philadelphia whose mother sends him to live with his wealthy aunt and uncle in order to get him away from his dangerous home environment. Will is just so good!

‘Law & Order’ (1990 to 2010)

The one that started it all 30 years ago. As is so well known at this point. Half of the show deals with the arrest of a perpetrator, the other with the trial of said perp. So simple on the surface, but the launching point for many hundreds of stories.

‘Evening Shade’ (1990 to 1994)

Usually when you hear a sitcom being referred to as being “laid back,” images of The Andy Griffith Show come to mind. Some of that sense is captured in this show starring Burt Reynolds as former pro football player Wood Newton, who returns to his home town of Evening Shade, Arkansas, to become the coach of the local high school football team. Also starring Marilu Henner as his wife, Ava; Elizabeth Ashley as her mother, Freida Evans; and Ossie Davis as his friend, Ponder Blue.

‘Cop Rock’ (1990)

Police drama from Steven Bochco (Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law) where the cops are just as likely to break into song as they are to read you your rights. Highly innovative, it failed to connect with viewers.

‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ (1990 to 2000)

A young, rich and some not-so-rich group of friends on the road from high school through adulthood in what was, at the time, a pretty different series. It gave the world an ensemble that includes Luke Perry, Shannen Doherty, Jason Priestley, Ian Ziering, Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth, among others. A 1o-year run that in many ways came to personify the Fox network.

‘Blossom’ (1991 to 1995)

Mayim Bialik, long before she became a part of The Big Bang Theory, is Blossom Russo, a teenager adjusting to her new life after her mother takes off, leaving her in a house full of men: her musician father Nick (Ted Wass), older brother Tony (Michael Stoyanov), a recovering alcoholic and drug user; and her brother, Joey (Joey Lawrence), pretty much a dumb jock. Helping Blossom cope are visitations by imaginary friends played by celebrities.

‘Dark Shadows’ (1991)

The prime time remake of the 1960s daytime soap opera, starring Ben Cross as vampire Barnabas Collins, who is released from his coffin and attempts a life of (relative) “normalcy” living amongst his modern-day relatives. A genuinely creepy show that deserved to last much longer than its 13 episodes.

‘Dinosaurs’ (1991 to 1994)

A society of dinosaurs very much modeled after our own. Humans are primitive cavemen who are seen as the underbelly of society. From Jim Henson Productions.

‘Sisters’ (1991 to 1996)

The life, drama and laughs between four sisters who in some ways couldn’t be more different, but will never be torn apart. The cast features Swoosie Kurtz, Patricia Kalember, Sela Ward and Julianne Phillips.

‘Home Improvement’ (1991 to 1999)

The comic adventures of Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor (Tim Allen) and wife (Patricia Richardson‘s Jill), kids (played by Taran Noah Smith, Zachery Ty Bryan and Jonathan Taylor Thomas) and friends (particularly next-door neighbor Wilson as played by Earl Hindman). One of the great comedies of the ’90s.

‘Step by Step’ (1991 to 1998)

This one can be viewed as a modern (at the time) version of The Brady Bunch, with Suzanne Somers and Patrick Duffy as single parents of three kids each. The two of them fall in love, get married and that’s the way you get “The Lambert Bunch.”

‘The Commish’ (1991 to 1996)

Light drama with Michael Chiklis as former NYPD detective Tony Scali, who finds himself police commissioner in the upstate New York town of Eastbridge. The show features both his work and home life. His wife was played by Theresa Saldana.

‘The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles’ (1992 to 1993)

The title says it all. Sean Patrick Flanery is teen Indy, George Hall is old Indy and Corey Carrier is young Indy, and any given episode could focus on one or the other. Anyone expecting Raiders of the Lost Ark on a weekly basis would be disappointed, but it works as George Lucas designed it: history lessons wrapped up in an adventure format.

‘Melrose Place’ (1992 to 1999)

From 90210 the drama moves to the apartment complex Melrose Place, where even more drama unfolds between young adults. Cast includes Josie Bissett, Doug Savant, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Vanessa Williams, Heather Locklear, Jack Wagner and Laura Leighton.

‘The Larry Sanders Show’ (1992 to 1998)

Late night TV gets skewered in this brilliant series starring Garry Shandling as the title character, Jeffrey Tambor as his on-air sidekick, Hank Kingsley; and Rip Torn as Larry’s producer, Arthur. Also starring Penny Johnson Jerald and Janeane Garofalo.

‘Picket Fences’ (1992 to 1996)

Tom Skerritt is Sheriff Jimmy Brock, who must somehow keep the peace in the bizarre town of Rome Wisconsin with all of its bizarre citizenry. Created by David E. Kelley, this show was so much his voice that when he departed at the end of season three, you would be hard-pressed to find a show that fell apart creatively as fast as this one did. But those first three seasons? Wonderful TV!

‘Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper’ (1992 to 1997)

Mark Curry is high school teacher Mark Cooper, and the show focuses on his life at school and home, where he lives with a number of people — including Holly Robinson Peete‘s Vanessa Russell, who he falls in love with and marries.

‘Mad About You’ (1992 to 1999)

Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt are Paul and Jamie Buchman, and the show nicely captures the sense of a couple in the early years of their marriage. If you’re a fan, you should definitely check out the reboot available on Spectrum — what the original does for those early days, the new show does for the latter part of life when you become empty nesters.

‘Highlander: The Series’ (1992 to 1998)

The original 1986 movie starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery is a cult classic, but this show evolves things in an even more exciting, and much deeper, way. Adrian Paul is Duncan MacLeod, one of a group of immortals who have been roaming the Earth for centuries and, when necessary, engaging each other in battle with the goal of taking their opponents’ heads, thus taking their life energy. In the end, there can only be one!

‘Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman’ (1993 to 1998)

Dr. Michaela “Mike” Quinn (Jane Seymour) is a physician who departs from Boston and finds herself in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the time of the Old West, seeking new adventures for herself. There she settles down as a doctor to the local populace.

‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’ (1993 to 1999)

This spinoff to Star Trek: The Next Generation is set on a space station and commanded by Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), who must lead a motley group of characters in the efforts of interstellar peace. Different from every other Star Trek series while still maintaining the original concept’s ideals and very powerful television. One of the early shows pointing the way to binge television.

‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ (1993 to 1999)

The adventures of an ensemble of cops working out of the homicide division of a Baltimore, Maryland, police department. Brought a new level of grittiness to television with a cast including Richard Belzer, Yaphet Kotto, Melissa Leo and Andre Braugher.

‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ (1993 to 2001)

Operating out of Texas, and Dallas in particular, Texas Rangers Cordell Walker (Chuck Norris) and James Trivette (Clarence Gilyard Jr.) are determined to bring the peace, even if they have to kick some ass to do so.

‘The X-Files’ (1993 to 2002)

TV horror and suspense evolve to a new level in this series created by Chris Carter, starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, who investigate situations that are otherworldly in nature. Mulder is a believer, Scully is not.

‘Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman’ (1993 to 1997)

Superman and Lois Lane get a new, more romantic take with the focus largely being on the interplay, and gradual romance, between Clark Kent (Dean Cain) and Lois (Teri Hatcher).

‘seaQuest DSV’ (1993 to 1996)

Reunion between producer Steven Spielberg and his Jaws star Roy Scheider is set in the future and largely aboard the high-tech submarine seaQuest DSV, which is operated by the United Earth Oceans Organization. Think of its intent as being a wet Star Trek.

‘Frasier’ (1993 to 2004)

Kelsey Grammer takes his Cheers character of Dr. Frasier Crane to his own series as a radio show psychologist in a show that ran just as long as that series did. Now Kelsey is hoping to bring back Frasier in a whole new series, which would be an accomplishment of historic proportions. When he has news, we’re listening.

‘The Mommies’ (1993 to 1994)

Stand up comedians team Marilyn Kentz and Caryl Kristensen, who perform as “The Mommies,” bring their act to television in a fictionalized version (though how fictionalized is it really) of their lives. The chaos of marriage and parenthood is explored.

‘Dave’s World’ (1993 to 1997)

Harry Anderson, late of Night Court, brings Pulitzer prize-winning columnist Dave Barry to life in this comedy that intermingles his home life and interaction with friends and family, all of it connecting with his column.

‘NYPD Blue’ (1993 to 2005)

Annnnnd Steven Bochco is back, not just pushing the envelope, but shoving it against the wall! “Foul” language, brief shots of nudity — all accompanied by deep characterizations and gritty storylines. The show began with Dennis Franz and David Caruso teaming up as partners, though after Caruso’s departure following season one, Jimmy Smits effortlessly took his place.

‘Boy Meets World’ (1993 to 2000)

The show follows the life of Cory Matthews (Ben Savage), beginning in middle school, and deals with his interactions with his family, fellow students and his teacher, George Feeny (William Daniels). One of the most fun aspects of the show is that it follows Cory through high school and college over its seven season run.

‘Grace Under Fire’ (1993 to 1998)

Brett Butler moves from the stand-up stage to television, playing Grace Kelly, a recovering alcoholic, newly divorced from her abusive husband and trying to raise their three kids on her own.

‘Diagnosis: Murder (1993 to 2001)

Dick Van Dyke returns to series television in his most successful showcase since The Dick Van Dyke Show. This time he’s playing Dr. Mark Sloan, a medical examiner who, along with his homicide detective son Steve (Dick’s real-life son, Barry), solves murders.

‘The Nanny’ (1993 to 1999)

Fran Drescher spent six seasons playing Fran Fine, a cosmetics saleswoman from Queens who somehow finds herself hired as the nanny to the three children of Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy). The result is comedy chaos and, ever-so-gradually, a growing romance between employer and employee.

‘The John Larroquette Show’ (1993 to 1996)

Following his run on Night Court, John Larroquette plays John Hemingway, a recovering alcoholic who is hired to be the manager of a big city bus station. The dark comedy comes not only from his battle with personal demons, but interactions with some very troubled people as well.

‘The Byrds of Paradise’ (1994)

Following the death of his wife, teacher Sam Byrd (Timothy Busfield) decides to move his kids to Hawaii, and all of them have to adjust to their new lives. One of those kids is played by a young Jennifer Love Hewitt.

‘Ellen’ (1994 to 1998)

The show began as These Friend of Mine, but was changed to Ellen when ABC feared confusion with NBC’s Friends. Ellen DeGeneres is bookstore owner Ellen Morgan, who’s pretty much as neurotic as you’d expect from the actress. The most memorable part of the show is the fact that Ellen’s character came out as gay, which was pretty shocking at the time.

‘Sister, Sister’ (1994 to 1999)

An unofficial updating of sorts of The Parent Trap, with Tia and Tamera Mowry playing twins separated at birth who discover each other as teenagers.

‘Party of Five’ (1994 to 2000)

The five Salinger siblings are forced to fend for themselves in the aftermath of their parents dying in a car accident due to a drunk driver. The cast features Matthew Fox, Scott Wolf, Neve Campbell and Lacey Chabert.

‘Due South’ (1994 to 1999)

Paul Gross is Canadian Mounted Police constable Benton Fraser, who finds himself working out of Chicago and teaming up with Detective Raymond Vecchio (David Marciano) to solve crimes.

‘Chicago Hope’ (1994 to 2000)

Premiering around the same time as ER, this one follows the professional and personal lives of doctors and nurses, in this case the Chicago Hope hospital. Created by David E. Kelley, the cast includes Mandy Patinkin, Adam Arkin, Hector Elizondo, Christine Lahti and Peter MacNicol.

‘ER’ (1994 to 2009)

And here’s the other side of the 1994 medical coin, created by Jurassic Park‘s Michael Crichton and produced by Steven Spielberg. Starring, among many others, Noah Wyle, Laura Innes, Anthony Edwards, Julianna Margulies and, of course, George Clooney.

‘704 Hauser’ (1994)

A black family, the Cumberbatches, move into the former home of Archie and Edith Bunker (All in the Family). John Amos was Ernie, Lynne Godfrey his wife, Rose; T.E. Russell as their live-at-home son “Goodie,” the latter of whom is dating a white Jewish conservative activist named Cheryl Markowitz (Maura Tierney). Flipping the script from All in the Family, Ernie and Rose are working class Democrats who butt heads with Goodie and Cheryl.

‘Touched by an Angel’ (1994 to 2003)

Roma Downey, Della Reese and John Dye portray a trio of angels who are sent to Earth to prove to those who have lost hope that God exists and that they haven’t been forgotten.

‘Friends’ (1994 to 2004)

We are not going to insult your intelligence by describing this one. We’re just grateful for Monica, Chandler, Rachel, Ross, Joey and Phoebe! Looking forward to their reunion on the forthcoming HBOMax streaming service (which will just be a gathering of real-life alter-egos Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow.

‘Cybill’ (1995 to 1998)

Following Moonlighting, actress Cybill Shepherd took on the role of Cybill Sheridan, a struggling middle-aged actress trying to keep her career alive. Also starring is Christine Baranski as her (maybe alcoholic) best friend Maryann Thorpe, with Alicia Witt as Cybill’s daughter, Zoey.

‘American Gothic’ (1995 to 1996)

If Andy Taylor sold his soul to the devil, you’d get a sense of American Gothic, with Gary Cole as Sheriff Lucas Buck who more or less vies for the souls of the townspeople. The one thing that can get in his way is young Caleb Temple (Lucas Black), who he fathered through rape.

‘NewsRadio’ (1995 to 1999)

Ensemble comedy set at New York’s second highest-rated radio station, WNYX. Another great cast, including Dave Foley, Stephen Root, Andy Dick, Maura Tierney and Phil Hartman.

‘VR.5’ (1995)

From the early days of the Internet comes this sci-fi series with Lori Singer as telephone worker Sydney Bloom, who unlocks a virtual reality world that reveals truths that no one else is seeing. One of the costars was Anthony Stewart Head, just a couple of years away from his role as Giles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

‘JAG’ (1995 to 1996; 1997 to 2005)

David James Elliott is Harmon Rabb, a former Navy fighter pilot who is now a lawyer of the U.S. Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s office, and the series follows the various cases he and fellow lawyers deal with. Catherine Bell costars.

‘The Drew Carey Show’ (1995 to 2004)

You may know him as the host of The Price is Right, but Drew Carey had a pretty long run as the star of The Drew Carey Show, a fictionalized version of his life dealing with his work in a retail office and his personal time. His friends include Lewis (Ryan Stiles), Oswald (Diedrich Bader) and Kate (Christa Miller), and his arch-nemesis from work is Mimi Bobeck (Kathy Kinney).

‘Hercules: The Legendary Journeys’ (1995 to 1999)

Kevin Sorbo brings the legendary strong man to life with a modern attitude as he battles all sorts of creatures and gods. From producer Sam Raimi. 

‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ (1995 to 2004)

The female flipside to Hercules was this show, starring Lucy Lawless in the title role. One of the TV’s most popular kick-ass ladies.

‘Caroline in the City’ (1995 to 1999)

Lea Thompson (Marty McFly’s mom in the Back to the Future films) is cartoonist Caroline Duffy, who is enjoying success at work, but the rest of her life is a mess.

‘The Naked Truth’ (1995 to 1996; 1997 to 1998)

Following divorce from her husband, Pulitzer prize-winning photographer Nora Wilde (Tea Leoni) tries to make it on her own without her husband’s money and finds herself working as a paparazzi for a celebrity magazine.

‘Star Trek: Voyager’ (1995 to 2001)

Due to alien interference, the starship Voyager, captained by Kate Mulgrew‘s Captain Kathryn Janeway, finds itself 75 years away from home and gradually attempts to make its way back, encountering life forms unlike any other the Federation of Planets has encountered before. This is the fourth live-action Star Trek series following The Original Series, The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine.

‘3rd Rock from the Sun’ (1996 to 2001)

In an effort to gain a better understanding of humanity, a group of aliens come to Earth disguised as a “typical” family. Sounds like something that could have been a series premise in the 1960s, but it’s brought wonderfully to life by John Lithgow, Kristen Johnston, French Stewart and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

‘7th Heaven’ (1996 to 2007)

Minister Eric Camden (Stephen Collins) and his wife, Annie (Catherine Hicks), and the joys and struggles of raising a family of seven children. Also the show that gave the world Jessica Biel.

‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ (1996 to 2005)

The comedy of Ray Romano serves as the basis for this incredibly popular sitcom in which he plays sportswriter Ray Barone and interacts with his family: Patricia Heaton as wife Debra, Brad Garrett as his brother, Robert; and Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle as his parents, Marie and Frank Barone, who happen to live next door.

‘Spin City’ (1996 to 2002)

Michael J. Fox, who had previously starred in Family Ties before embarking on a big screen career, returns to television as Mike Flaherty, Deputy Mayor of New York City, who leads the team desperately attempting to stop the city’s mayor (Barry Bostwick) from embarrassing himself. Costars include Richard Kind, Alan Ruck, Michael Boatman and Jennifer Esposito. Following his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, Michael left the series at the end of season four, being replaced by Charlie Sheen as Charlie Crawford for the final two years.

‘The Pretender’ (1996 to 2000)

Michael T. Weiss is Jarod, who has escaped from a secret facility with the ability to instantly master any skill he needs. He moves around the country attempting to elude those who are hunting him down and want him back in isolation, while helping the people he encounters.

‘Suddenly Susan’ (1996 to 2000)

Brooke Shields is San Francisco writer Susan Keane, who is adjusting to being single and taking care of herself for the first time in her life. Judd Nelson and Kathy Griffin costar.

‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’ (1996 to 2000)

From the pages of Archie Comics comes this sitcom starring Melissa Joan Hart as the title character, who has to balance her life as a normal teenager and being a witch. Lots of interaction with magical relatives makes this a kind of modern take on shows like Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie.

‘Profiler’ (1996 to 2000)

Ally Walker is Dr. Sam Waters, a detective working with the Violent Crimes Task Force to profile and hunt down criminals and serial killers. Costarring Robert Davi and Julian McMahon.

‘Moesha’ (1996 to 2001)

The life of an upper-middle class black family in Los Angeles through the eyes of teenager Moesha (played by R&B singer Brandy Norwood) is explored in this sitcom, shifting back and forth between her home life and interactions with her friends.

‘Nash Bridges’ (1996 to 2001)

Don Johnson and Cheech Marin are, respectively, Inspector Nash Bridges and Inspector Joe Dominguez, who work for the San Francisco Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit. Things are kept light thanks to the repartee between the two leads.

‘Profit’ (1996)

No one knew it at the time, but this Adrian Pasdar-led series was pointing to the future in terms of dark, nuanced storytelling on television that is the norm these days. Jim Profit works for a multinational company and is absolutely ruthless in his efforts to increase his personal power base. Only eight episodes were produced before cancellation, but a really strong series.

‘Millennium’ (1996 to 1999)

From Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files, comes this show starring Lance Henriksen as Frank Black, former FBI agent who has the uncanny ability to look inside the mind of killers. When Frank starts working for the Millennium Group, he discovers a larger conspiracy at work connected to the (then) coming millennium.

‘Dark Skies’ (1996 to 1997)

History is a lie! Creatively exciting series postulating that behind the headlines of the early 1960s was a vast government effort to hide the fact that aliens had come to Earth and were attempting to infiltrate society. Eric Close, Megan Ward and J.T. Walsh starred.

‘La Femme Nikita’ (1997 to 2001)

Based on the Luc Besson film of the same name, Peta Wilson stars as the title character, a woman wrongly convicted of killing a cop who finds herself “murdered” but given a chance to live by a secret organization, which retrains her body and mind to turn her into the perfect killing machine.

‘Just Shoot Me!’ (1997 to 2003)

Laura San Giacomo is Maya Gallo, a journalist who continually finds herself fired due to her temper, and ends up working at the fashion magazine run by her father (played by George Segal). Costarring David Spade, Wendie Malick and Enrico Colantoni.

‘The Practice’ (1997 to 2004)

Created by David E. Kelley, Dylan McDermott is Bobby Donnell, head of a law firm of defense attorneys. The show would lead directly into the James Spader and William Shatner spinoff, Boston Legal.

‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ (1997 to 2003)

Along with La Femme Nikita and Xena: Warrior Princess, one of the shows that successfully pushed the idea of the action heroine and helped redefine TV thanks to the writing of series creator Joss Whedon. Sarah Michelle Gellar is Buffy Summers, who, as the title suggests, is a slayer of vampires and other demons. Action, humor, teen angst and more make up this series, which focuses on Buffy and her circle of friends.

In 1999, Buffy spawned the spinoff series, Angel, starring David Boreanaz in the title role of a vampire with a soul. That show ran until 2004.

‘Oz’ (1997 to 2003)

HBO’s first hour-long drama is a gritty exercise in character interactions, following the men locked up at Oswald State Correctional Facility (nicknamed “Oz”) and its staff. A brutal show that, up until that time, was unlike another other. The show that gave us Christopher Meloni a couple of years before he started on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

‘South Park’ (1997-)

Limited animation and subversive humor makes this show what it is, focusing on a a group of four foul-mouthed grade-schoolers and the other people of dysfunctional South Park, Colorado. There’s a reason this show is still on 23 years after its debut.

‘Ally McBeal’ (1997 to 2002)

The next stage of the portrayal of women on television — preceded by That Girl and The Mary Tyler Moore Show — comes from David E. Kelley, with Calista Flockhart playing the title character, a lawyer for Boston’s Cage and Fish. It’s Ally trying to navigate this world, as well as the frequently eccentric people surrounding her, that makes the show so strong.

‘Dharma and Greg’ (1997 to 2002)

Thomas Gibson is conservative lawyer Greg Montgomery and Jenna Elfman is free-spirited yoga instructor Dharma Finkelstein, and somehow they’re drawn together, finding common ground despite their vast differences.

‘Veronica’s Closet’ (1997 to 2000)

Kirstie Alley is Veronica Chase, a romance expert who can far more easily advise others than herself. Breaking up with her cheating husband, she attempts to move forward with her life through the support of her friends. At the time, NBC took some heat from the fact that Caroline in the City, Suddenly Susan and Veronica’s Closet felt pretty interchangeable.

‘Dawson’s Creek’ (1998 to 2003)

Massive teen angst and drama in the title town between four friends: James Van Der Beek‘s Dawson Leery, Katie Holmes as Joey Potter, Michelle Williams as Jen Lindley and Joshua Jackson as Pacey Witter.

‘That 70’s Show’ (1998 to 2006)

Riding the ’70s nostalgia wave at the time, the series focuses on a group of teenagers living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin. The show brought together such actors as Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Topher Grace and Laura Prepon.

‘Two Guys and a Girl’ (1998 to 2001)

Originally titled Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, its focus is on a trio of friends who live together and (naturally) work at a local pizza place. Those three friends are Ryan Reynolds as Michael “Berg” Bergen, Richard Ruccolo as Pete Dunville and Traylor Howard as Sharon Carter.

‘Prey’ (1998)

Shortly before becoming Grace Adler on Will & Grace, Debra Messing played bio-anthropologist Dr. Sloan Parker, who discovers and begins to investigate a new life form that threatens humanity’s dominant role on Earth.

‘Sex and the City’ (1998 to 2004)

This HBO series was a straight-on look at modern day dating in Manhattan from the points of view of four friends, particularly Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), who writes a sex column and narrates the episodes. The others are PR expert Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), art gallery worker Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), and lawyer Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon). Four years after the series ended its run, it spawned a big-screen version with the original cast, which shocked a lot of people by pulling in $465 million at the box office. The second film, released in 2010, made $288 million.

‘The King of Queens’ (1998 to 2007)

Another great one from the ’90s! Kevin James is deliveryman Doug Heffernan, Leah Remini is his wife, Carrie, and Jerry Stiller is her father, Arthur Spooner, who ends up moving in with them in their Queens home. Solid comic writing and Kevin’s physical comedy made this one a hit.

‘Felicity’ (1998 to 2002)

From creator J.J. Abrams, Keri Russell is the title character, a recent high school graduate who decides to follow her school crush to college at fictional New York University so that she can be near him. It’s all about growing up, and it costars Scott Speedman, Scott Foley and Amy Jo Johnson, who was coming off of enormous popularity as the “Pink Ranger” on Power Rangers.

‘Will & Grace’ (1998 to 2006)

Best friends Will Truman (Eric McCormack), a gay lawyer; and Grace Adler (Debra Messing), a straight interior designer, move in together, which is where the laughs begin — enhanced by Will’s other best friend, Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes) and Grace’s “assistant” (who really doesn’t do much), the rich but bored Karen Walker (Megan Mullally). In its original run it enjoyed eight seasons, but it came back and is wrapping up a second run of three additional seasons.

‘Charmed’ (1998 to 2006)

The power of three will set you free! The Halliwell sisters discover that they’re actually witches, and the show chronicles their attempts to enjoy normal lives while battling the powers of darkness. Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs and Shannen Doherty were the original three stars, though Shannon would drop out and be replaced by Rose McGowan. 

‘Becker’ (1998 to 2004)

Taking on a part that is pretty much the exact opposite of his role as Sam Malone on Cheers, Ted Danson plays Dr. John Becker, who operates out of the Bronx, New York, and has virtually no patience with … well, pretty much anyone.

‘Providence’ (1999 to 2002)

Melina Kanakaredes is plastic surgeon Dr. Sydney Hansen, who returns home in an effort to keep her family together — helped in no small way by the ghost of her mother (Concetta Tomei), who comes to her in her dreams. Mike Farrell plays her father, a veterinarian.

‘The Sopranos’ (1999 to 2007)

HBO and creator David Chase‘s innovative series that truly ushered in the concept of binge television, with the late James Gandolfini as New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano. Edie Falco is his wife, Carmela; and Lorraine Bracco is therapist Dr. Jennifer Melfi. If somehow you haven’t seen this one, find it. Now. Bada bing!

‘Family Guy’ (1999-)

Seth MacFarlane’s insane, and highly dysfunctional, animated Griffin family. This one makes fun of pretty much everything and when other shows won’t go there, this one will.

‘Judging Amy’ (1999 to 2005)

It’s a family drama focused on three generations of women who are living together in Hartford, Connecticut. Amy Brenneman (who had most recently been a star of NYPD Blue) is Amy Gray, a family court judge; Karle Warren is her daughter, Lauren; and Tyne Daly is Amy’s opinionated mother, Maxine.

‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ (1999-)

First spinoff from Law & Order, and focusing itself on sex crimes, it’s still going strong over 20 years later and shows no sign of leaving any time soon. The original on-screen team consisted of Mariska Hargitay (still there) as Olivia Benson and Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler.

‘The West Wing’ (1999 to 2006)

Aaron Sorkin‘s look at life in the West Wing of the White House under the presidency of Josiah “Jed” Bartlet (Martin Sheen). A wonderful ensemble cast combined with Sorkin’s sharp writing makes this a classic.

‘Roswell’ (1999 to 2002)

In a nutshell, it’s a look at the lives of three alien/human hybrids as they try to live their lives in Roswell, New Mexico — not easy with government forces closing in on them. Shiri Appleby, Jason Behr and Katherine Heigl star.