Top 10 Best ’90s Sitcoms

By Bobbi Hunter

Television hit a high point in the ‘90s, thanks mostly to the fantastic sitcoms that made it into prime time year after year. It was a time when laughter was the order of the day just about every day.

But some sitcoms stood out a whole lot more than others and, according to women, these were the 10 best ‘90s sitcoms.

Best ‘90s sitcoms #10
Men Behaving Badly
1996 - 1997
Taken from the UK, this hilarious sitcom only lasted a year on the airwaves, but the cast, which included SNL alum Rob Schneider, and Family Ties’ Justin Bateman played their parts to perfection.

Perhaps it was a little too dirty for U.S. television, but this show really took you into the minds of men, as shallow and as filthy as that journey may have been at times.

Interesting fact: Australia had its own version of the show entitled It’s A Man’s World.


Best ‘90s sitcoms #9
The Nanny
1993 - 1999
The sexy lady with the nasal voice from Flushing moves in with hoity-toity, rich British widower Maxwell Sheffield and his 3 children to be their nanny. As the years go on, the two manage to fall in love with each other and their differences become nothing but minor inconveniences.

Between Fran, the butler Niles, and Max’s business partner and love interest C.C., audiences would sometimes laugh so hard, they’d cry. Add to that the very stylish garb that the Fran would don in every episode and women worldwide were hooked (cue the nasal laugh).

Interesting fact: Several episodes of the show were never aired due to its cancellation.


Best ‘90s sitcoms #8
Dream On
1990 – 1996
Although it only had a devoted cult following, Dream On had enough female viewers to garner it a spot on this list. Divorcee Martin Tupper lived with his teenage son and did his best to land dates with women. Problem was, he had absolutely no idea how to relate to them.

Crammed with sexual references and innuendo (plus some swearing and nudity in its early seasons), the comedy came to a close in 1996, but loyal viewers stuck around until the very end.

Interesting fact: The opening credits of the show began with a TV set turning on to display static. This is now the generic logo for all HBO Original Series.


Best ‘90s sitcoms #7
Just Shoot Me!
1997 – 2003
I will be the first to admit that I don’t much like David Spade, but in this sitcom about working at fashion magazine Blush, he was absolutely, spot-on hilarious. But what we all wanted to know was whether or not independent-minded Maya (Lara San Giacomo) and misogynistic Elliot (Enrico Colantoni) could possible make their relationship work.

Sprinkle on her mid-life crisis dad (George Segal) and her virtual nemesis Nina (Wendie Malick) and you have yourself the perfect formula for masterful writing and constant surprises.

Interesting fact: The show had 7 characters that we never got to see.


Best ‘90s sitcoms #6
NewsRadio
1995 – 1999
By far a sitcom with the most eclectic bunch of characters, which included Joe Rogan of Fear Factor fame and the late Phil Hartman, NewsRadio was filled with clever one liners and a bizarre love story between Dave (Dave Foley) and Lisa (Maura Tierney).

With one of the strangest bosses (Stephen Root) ever to grace a radio station, the clan managed to get the news out week after week through the WNYX airwaves, all the while cracking us up with their crazy behavior.

Interesting fact: Ray Romano was originally cast in the handyman role that eventually went to Joe Rogan.


Best ‘90s sitcoms #5
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
1990 - 1996
From day one, Will Smith, whose character bore the same name, managed to make us laugh till we cried with his initial inability to relate with his very rich relatives who lived in Bel-Air.

From his cousin Hilary’s (Karyn Parsons) constant whining to the very gullible Carlton’s (Alfonso Ribeiro) constant issues, Will would spend week after week cracking us up and helping his new family learn what’s really valuable in life.

Interesting fact: The cab driver in the opening credits of the show is none other than Quincy Jones, the executive producer of the show.


Best ‘90s sitcoms #4
Roseanne
1988 - 1997
When we were first introduced to the Conners, we knew that they wouldn’t be the typical middle-class family we were used to seeing on TV. And they delivered with their own brand of humor and trailer park behavior.

But through it all, Roseanne (Roseanne Barr) and Dan (John Goodman) managed to raise good kids despite their sarcasm and constant money issues. Add her neurotic sister (Laurie Metcalf) to the mix, and a bit of George Clooney, and we had the ideal sitcom on our hands.

Interesting fact: All three of Roseanne's real-life husbands - Bill Pentland, Tom Arnold, and Ben Thomas - made at least one guest appearance on the show.


Best ‘90s sitcoms #3
Frasier
1993 - 2004
One of the smartest comedies around, people feared that a Cheers spin-off just wouldn’t make it, but Kelsey Grammar proved critics wrong by turning his comedy into on the best ‘90s sitcoms.

While Frasier and his brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce) are high society snobs, their dad is retired cop who ends up moving in with Frasier and helps him stay grounded. Daphne (Jane Leeves) is Frasier’s housekeeper and the object of his brother’s affections.

After years of yearning for her, he finally gets the woman of his dreams, much to the delight of female fans of the show.

Interesting fact: Frasier won 39 primetime Emmys during its 11 years on air.


Best ‘90s sitcoms #2
Seinfeld
1990 - 1998
Although it was off to a shaky start, Seinfeld eventually became part of our ‘90s culture. Everyone knows what “soup nazi” and “sponge worthy” refer to and we use all these Seinfeldisms in our everyday vocabulary up to now.

This sitcom about nothing in particular besides the antics of four weird friends who have their own eccentricities managed to keep us hooked every single Thursday night. It’s no wonder it was #1 in TV Guide’s "50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time" list in 2002.

Interesting fact: George Costanza was based on the real-life co-creator of Seinfeld, Larry David.


Best ‘90s sitcoms #1
Friends
1994 – 2004
Ah, Friends, the perfect sitcom for women that include 3 cute guys, 3 stylish girls, and a love story that had us on the edge of our seats, season after season.

When Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Ross (David Schwimmer) finally got together, women all over the world sighed with delight. Then after the “we were on a break” episode, our hearts broke.

After seasons and seasons of love tag, Rachel and Ross had a child together and the show came to a close with them as a family. And of course, Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) also share a fantastic life together with their new twins.

Interesting fact: Courteney Cox was originally cast to play Rachel, but asked to play Monica after reading the parts.

Best ‘90s sitcoms ever!

Sure, the ‘90s was filled with newness that included reality TV, grunge music and Ricky Martin, but the sitcoms of the ‘90s really rocked and you have this list to prove it.