Every form of entertainment reflects the changing trends of pop culture, and television remains one of the most versatile and evolving forms of storytelling. Different genres have found a home on television, yet sitcoms are one style of programming that’s been popular since the inception of the medium. Comedy is such an important genre and so much can be done through dozens, or hundreds, of episodes of a sitcom.
Sitcoms, like television, go through different phases and the 1990s are one of the more exciting periods for these comedic series. The ‘90s are an important and transitory period for sitcoms and some of the best series from this era are still seen as sitcom’s greatest triumphs.
10 That '70s Show Is The Perfect Hangout Sitcom That Has Fun With The Past
For decades, there have been television series where the major hook is that it's set in the past and can generate drama or comedy from the power of hindsight. That '70s Show is one of the best modern examples of this trope and it'd go on to become one of FOX's flagship sitcoms during the 1990s.
That '70s Show is mostly consistent throughout its lengthy run, but it's also significant for helping introduce audiences to major stars like Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, and Topher Grace. It's funny, but also full of heart.
9 Married... With Children Presents The Ultimate Counter Culture Family
FOX is now a major player when it comes to network television, but they don’t have the same seniority as other networks. Married... With Children helped change that and allowed FOX to find its voice at the same time. The sitcom prides itself on its crude nature and its unconventional approach towards family values, which was quite innovative at the time.
Married... With Children is smarter than it gets credit for and it's definitely in on the joke. It runs for more than a decade and the work done by Ed O'Neill and Katey Segal is still viewed as iconic.
8 3rd Rock From The Sun Brings Aliens Into The Family Sitcom
At their worst, gimmicks represent the most pandering side of sitcoms. However, a smart twist can go a long way, especially when it mixes together unexpected genres. 3rd Rock From the Sun looks at a group of aliens who masquerade on Earth as a mundane family and it's absolutely one of NBC's more ambitious ‘90s sitcoms.
It's a fortunate scenario where it properly showcases the comedic talents of John Lithgow as well as Saturday Night Live veteran Jane Curtain. It's a sitcom that's just as fulfilling for fans of science fiction as it is for those that love comedy.
7 Mad About You Breaks Down The Modern Marriage
Mad About You can sometimes receive a lot of flak over how it almost resembles a parody of cookie-cutter '90s sitcoms, but it actually functions as a somewhat deconstruction of not just the genre, but marriages and eventually, parenthood. Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt play a newlywed couple and the sitcom presents a refreshingly honest look at relationships.
It's willing to ask questions that other sitcoms won't and it's sometimes done in stylized ways. There are several groundbreaking premises that are used to say something unique about the dark places relationships can go, but still be a network sitcom.
6 The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air Is A Refreshing Change Of Pace
It's typically a lot of fun when a sitcom actor can transition into a movie star, or that their careers continue to evolve and cover even more territory. Will Smith is now one of the biggest movie stars in the world, but The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is a welcome reminder of Smith's early days and just how funny he can be.
Fresh Prince features both an exceptional cast, but it's also not afraid to explore provoking and emotional subject matter. It can also be incredibly meta at times and it's always willing to challenge what's expected of a sitcom.
5 Sports Night Establishes Aaron Sorkin’s Style & Pushes The Sitcom To Its Peak
Aaron Sorkin is arguably best known for The West Wing or the HBO series The Newsroom, but his best work is contained to a brilliant and unique ABC sitcom. Like many of Sorkin's works, Sports Night looks behind the scenes at a fictional sports news program.
It's Sorkin at his strongest and least big-headed, and the cast absolutely rises to the occasion. They make sure Sorkin's catchy dialogue absolutely sings. There are only two seasons of Sports Night, but there's not a single wasted episode and it's a fascinating look into Sorkin's start on TV.
4 The Larry Sanders Show Is Wildly Prescient & Ahead Of Its Time
HBO Now has an endless slate of content that's in production, but their original programming in the '90s was considerably more sparse. The Larry Sanders Show is an early gem for the network that's still some of the funniest content that's ever been on HBO.
The Larry Sanders Show looks at a fictional late-night talk show that beautifully blurs the lines between reality and fiction. The cinema vérité style is very unique for the time, everyone's performances feel incredibly genuine and raw, and it's also eerily prescient in terms of where the entertainment industry is at two decades later.
3 NewsRadio Is The Perfect Workplace Sitcom
When people discuss NBC's top comedies, it's typically Friends, The Office, and Seinfeld that come up, but NewsRadio is a sitcom that works even harder and deserves just as much attention. NewsRadio was often treated like the ugly duckling of NBC's comedy lineup, but it's still one of the best workplace comedies and masterclass in storytelling and acting.
The comedy functions as a vehicle for Dave Foley and Phil Hartman, fresh off of Saturday Night Live, but every cast member shines. Its comedic sensibilities are much more in line with modern comedies and it feels very ahead of its time.
2 Frasier Is The Rare Spin-Off That Surpasses Its Predecessor
There's still a stigma that surrounds spin-off series since they can often reflect corporate decisions fueled by money rather than a story that needs to be told. Audiences were skeptical that any Cheers spin-off could match its comedy, let alone one that stars Kelsey Grammer's Frasier Crane.
It's a testament to Frasier’s and the passion that goes into the writing and characters that allows Frasier to run for even longer than Cheers and remain consistent over its 200+ episodes. So many episodes feel like pieces of theater rather than TV and it's the perfect energy for the sitcom.
1 Seinfeld Is A Sitcom That Says So Much By Being About Nothing
Inevitably, ‘90s sitcom fans will either come down to Seinfeld or Friends as their preferred comedy. Friends is certainly the flashier, more popular of the two, with it also playing into major "will they/won't they" energy. However, Seinfeld is a revolutionary piece of television that redefines the type of stories that can be told and the minutiae that can sustain a full episode.
The rules that Seinfeld breaks are necessary for the evolution that sitcoms continue to take. It shows that groups of characters in comedies don't need to be overly sentimental and can even openly mock such tropes.