The best TV shows of the 1990s
The top 3 according to 1,255 votes from people: Seinfeld (1989–1998) · Friends (1994–2004) · The Simpsons (1989–). (Updated Apr 8, 2026.)
Seinfeld, The Simpsons and The X-Files: the decade that set up TV's golden age (TVLine, Paste, TV Insider).
Top 12
-
1
Seinfeld (1989–1998)
The show about nothing that shaped pop culture.
-
2
Friends (1994–2004)
The perfect snapshot of 90s culture.
-
3
The Simpsons (1989–)
Its mid-90s seasons are among the best-written TV ever.
-
4
The X-Files (1993–2002)
Mulder, Scully and the truth out there.
-
5
Frasier (1993–2004)
Razor-sharp writing, sophisticated humour and farce.
-
6
Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995)
The best animated superhero series ever.
-
7
Twin Peaks (1990–1991)
David Lynch reinvents the TV drama.
-
8
ER (1994–2009)
The Chicago emergency room that made George Clooney a star.
-
9
The Larry Sanders Show (1992–1998)
Garry Shandling behind the scenes of a talk show.
-
10
NYPD Blue (1993–2005)
The cop show that pushed network TV's limits.
-
11
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996)
Will Smith moves in with his rich relatives.
-
12
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)
High school as a hellmouth, literally.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
Is something missing?
Comments (1)
Seinfeld at #1 and I won't hear otherwise. Every episode is a classic.