5 '90s Shows That Were Ahead of Their Time & 5 That Aged Like Milk From the Jump

Top 5 90s Shows That Were Ahead of Their Time & 5 That Aged Like Milk From the Jump

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the shows that aired a good portion of their episodes in the 1990s that would be at home on TV screens now, and the ones that are hopelessly dated. We’re excluding animated series.

#5: Aged Like Milk: “Family Matters” (1989-98)

Shockingly, Steve Urkel was not supposed to be the star character on this “Perfect Strangers” spinoff. But the Winslow family’s pesky neighbor was a scene-stealer. “Family Matters” transformed into a showcase for him and performer Jaleel White, who went from supporting player to practically carrying the sitcom on his back. Urkel fever was the epitome of the ‘90s’ zeitgeist. The problem with having a show so dependent on a single character’s antics is that the novelty will wear off. Centering the story around Steve Urkel may have made sense at the time. However, it’s a decision that makes the series all but unwatchable now if you don’t already have nostalgic feelings attached to it.

#5: Ahead of Its Time: “Twin Peaks” (1990-91; 2017)

While it may have seemed like a standard whodunit, David Lynch and Mark Frost’s idiosyncratic small town murder mystery didn’t hesitate to get freaky. “Twin Peaks” combined its detective story with surrealism, metaphysics, and unapologetic melodrama. Sure, it only lasted two seasons during its original run in the ‘90s. Yet its melding of genres and tones and its lack of crystal clear answers in spots endeared it to a cult of fans. Thus, its cinematic scope and technique would feel more than at home on our TVs now. However, at the time, it ran completely against the grain of procedurals and sitcoms.

#4: Aged Like Milk: “Walker, Texas Ranger” (1993-2001)

For nine seasons, audiences watched Chuck Norris beat the bad guys with martial arts and a strong moral code. But as much as “Walker, Texas Ranger” sold itself as being about the importance of law and order, it came off more like a showcase for Norris and his moves. The action crime series ended as the age of the TV antihero began, so the amount of time it spends lionizing his character feels bizarre in retrospect. From its stereotypical villains, to its black and white morality and liberal use of slow motion, it’s a show that had no time for subtlety. If anything, we’re with Conan O’Brien. We stand in awe of “Walker, Texas Ranger” and all its 90s-tastic badness, but it didn’t age well.

#4: Ahead of Its Time: “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (1990-96)

Will Smith’s fish out of water sitcom found his working class character from Philadelphia making a big splash with rich relatives in Bel-Air. Much of the humor was derived from the conflict between the two worlds. But it’s also what made the frequent exploration of themes like class, race, and discrimination all the more digestible to a mainstream white audience. “The Fresh Prince” was never afraid to have the conversation. It may have made us laugh while it taught us a few lessons, but it took its messaging seriously, and it always felt earned. Peacock’s dramatic reboot made these themes more explicit, but nothing compares to the original.

#3: Aged Like Milk: “Married... with Children” (1987-97)

When this sitcom premiered in 1987, it was considered oppositional programming to the feel-good family series of the era. In fact, it was apparently originally called “Not the Cosbys.” Along with “The Simpsons,” it’s one of the shows that made Fox a network powerhouse. Unlike “The Simpsons,” though, it failed to age up. For 11 seasons, Al Bundy and his grubby family performed their deep unhappiness and dysfunction for the world to see. Bundy’s unchecked misogyny, largely cheered on by audiences at the time, is the epitome of aging like milk. Ironically, the show’s strategy of contrasting contemporary programming may have also locked it forever in its time.

#3: Ahead of Its Time: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997-2003)

Buffy Summers wasn’t the only female lead of a fantasy series in the 1990s. What set “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” apart was its emotional complexity and a quality that belied its relatively smaller budget and network. Mixed in with its supernatural monsters were very grounded, human stories about growing up and rising to the challenges of adulthood. For instance, Willow Rosenberg’s coming out narrative was an early marker of shifting attitudes surrounding LGBTQIA+ issues. “Buffy”’s loyal and engaged following formed in the early days of the Internet, and the way fans engaged with it looks fairly similar to modern-day TV fandom.

#2: Aged Like Milk: “Home Improvement” (1991-99)

Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor was a monument to male arrogance. That was part of what made him funny, even in the 1990s. He learned his lesson, to a point. But “Home Improvement” was steeped in old-fashioned gender dynamics and misogyny that, while treated casually by the show, don’t go so unremarked upon anymore. In the “Home Improvement”-verse, men liked sports and doing DIY projects, and women nagged their husbands to take them to the opera. It’s outdated stuff. Of course, Tim Allen’s “he-man” persona found some success on the more recent “Last Man Standing.” But that title should give some indication of how his type is not as popular as it used to be.

#2: Ahead of Its Time: “The X-Files” (1993-2002; 2016-18)

Dana Scully and Fox Mulder’s adventures in alien hunting and more started as a niche cultural object. Scholars and critics have notably attributed the show’s growth in popularity and the rabidness of its fanbase to the concurrent growth of the Internet. What set “The X-Files” apart was that it volleyed between different styles with ease. One episode might’ve been more comedic, while the next might’ve been deadly serious — but no matter the tone, it was always well executed. It was unafraid to rewrite the rules of what it could be from week to week. Thus, it offered its loyal following constant surprises and hard-hitting tales of human drama set against its fantastical monster stories. That’ll never get old.

#1: Aged Like Milk: “Baywatch” (1989-2001)

“Baywatch” followed the personal lives of its physically gifted group of lifeguards on pretty beaches. David Hasselhoff led an ensemble cast that initially included Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra, and a revolving door of gorgeous models-turned-actors. In other words, it was an anomaly. It wasn’t particularly well-regarded critically, even as it was airing. In fact, its entire reason for being seemed to be giving an audience the chance to ogle bodies for a certain period each week, sometimes in slow-motion. Somehow, that was enough to keep it on the air for 11 seasons. You’d be hard pressed to find a show that could survive on this business model in this day and age.

#1: Ahead of Its Time: “Seinfeld” (1989-98)

Despite what the star/co-creator of “Seinfeld” may think about the modern state of comedy, his self-titled sitcom still inspires much of the TV we see today. Friends just talking has basically become a genre unto itself. Indeed, “Seinfeld” subverted everything we knew was possible in a half hour series. Its mix of single camera and multi-cam scenes, its amoral characters, and its ability to find humor in the most ordinary things were not commonplace when it premiered in 1989. For a show that took this many risks, even some of its wildest jokes and scenarios are still really funny.

How does your favorite ‘90s show stack up today? Tell us in the comments.