The 40 most popular 1990s family TV shows, ranked. Click any show for ratings, reviews, trailers, and where to watch.


Among Friends
1998
country: Hungary
Miklós introduces viewers into the world of Money and Charm.


Touched by an Angel
1994
country: United States
Monica, an angel, is tasked with bringing guidance and messages from God to various people who are at a crossroads in their lives.


Frasier
1993
country: United States
After many years spent at the “Cheers” bar, Frasier moves back home to Seattle to work as a radio psychiatrist after his policeman father gets shot in the hip on duty.


King of the Hill
1997
country: United States
Set in Texas, this animated series follows the life of propane salesman Hank Hill, who lives with his overly confident substitute Spanish teacher wife Peggy, wannabe comedian son Bobby, and naive niece Luanne. Hank has conservative views about God, family, and country, but his values and ethics are often challenged by the situations he, his family, and his beer-drinking neighbors/buddies find themselves in.


Rugrats
1991
country: United States
Focuses on a group of toddlers, most prominently Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, and Angelica, and their day-to-day lives, usually involving common life experiences that become adventures in the babies' imaginations. Adults in the series are almost always unaware of what the children are up to; however, this only provides more room for the babies to explore and discover their surroundings.


Inkigayo
1998
country: South Korea
The program is a weekly music show that features and introduces viewers to the most popular artists in Korea. Every week, they ask viewers to vote and select the most popular song of the week.


Diagnosis: Murder
1993
country: United States
Dr. Mark Sloan is a good-natured, offbeat physician who is called upon to solve murders.


Ninja Boy Rantaro
1993
country: Japan
Rantarō, Shinbei and Kirimaru are ninja apprentices in the Ninja Gakuen, where first grade ones are called "Nintamas". They must learn everything a ninja must know, but as for our heroes, money, food or playing are more interesting. The series show the everyday adventures of our heroes.


3rd Rock from the Sun
1996
country: United States
The high commander of an alien expedition lands on Earth -- what he considers to be the least-important planet -- in human form as Dick Solomon. Along for the ride are his alien compatriots Harry, Sally and Tommy -- who is the eldest of the group but is now angrily trapped in a teen's body.


Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
1996
country: United States
On her sixteenth birthday, Sabrina Spellman discovers she has magical powers. She lives with her 600-year-old aunts Hilda and Zelda as well as talking cat Salem in the fictional town of Westbridge, Massachusetts.


That '70s Show
1998
country: United States
Crank up the 8-track and flash back to a time when platform shoes and puka shells were all the rage in this hilarious retro-sitcom. For Eric, Kelso, Jackie, Hyde, Donna and Fez, a group of high school teens who spend most of their time hanging out in Eric’s basement, life in the ‘70s isn’t always so groovy. But between trying to figure out the meaning of life, avoiding their parents, and dealing with out-of-control hormones, they’ve learned one thing for sure: they’ll always get by with a little help from their friends.


Madres egoístas
1991
country: Mexico
Madres egoístas is a Mexican telenovela produced by Juan Osorio for Televisa and originally broadcast on Canal de las Estrellas from February 4 to June 7, 1991. It is a remake of the 1963 telenovela of the same name produced by Valentín Pimstein. Created by Mimí Bechelani and adapted by Josefina Palos y Romo, the telenovela stars Julieta Rosen, Enrique Novi, Orlando Carrió, and Chantal Andere. The story follows Raquel Rivas Cantú, a young orphan and heiress who is raised by her housekeeper Mariana, a woman who secretly carries resentment against the Rivas Cantú family. After marrying Pablo, a widower with a daughter, Raquel's life becomes marked by tragedy, family conflicts, and betrayal. As secrets from the past emerge, Raquel and her loved ones must face revenge, ambition, and the search for justice and happiness.


The Nanny
1993
country: United States
That flashy girl from Flushing with the heart of an angel (and the voice of a slighty more nasal angel). The comic misadventures of the sweet and sassy Fran Fine, her sophisticated employer, Broadway producer Mr. Sheffield, his boisterous brood and his wisecracking staff.


The Powerpuff Girls
1998
country: United States
A series about Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, three kindergarten-aged girls with superpowers, as well as their "father", the brainy scientist Professor Utonium, who all live in the fictional city of Townsville, USA. The girls are frequently called upon by the town's childlike and naive mayor to help fight nearby criminals using their powers.


Animaniacs
1993
country: United States
The two Warner Brothers Yakko and Wakko and their Warner sister Dot had been (supposedly) created in the 1930's, but their cartoons were too screwy for the general public to handle. The three Warners were locked up in the studio water tower until they escaped in the 90's. There, they run wild, causing chaos everywhere!


Õnne 13
1993
country: EE
Õnne 13 is an Estonian dramatic TV series that airs on ETV. The series first aired on 30 October 1993 and was written by Astrid Reinla and as of 1996 by Teet Kallas. Since 1997, the series is produced by BEC, which has also produced Pehmed ja Karvased, Kodu Keset Linna and Ohtlik Lend. The series takes place in the fictional town of Morna, and features an ensemble cast.


Hey Arnold!
1996
country: United States
The daily life of Arnold--a fourth-grader with a wild imagination, street smarts and a head shaped like a football.


The Fruitties
1990
country: Spain
A Spanish animated television series.


Courage the Cowardly Dog
1999
country: United States
The bizarre misadventures of a cowardly dog named Courage and his elderly owners in a farmhouse in Nowhere, Kansas.


Barney & Friends
1992
country: United States
Barney & Friends is an American children's television series aimed at children from ages 2 to 5. The series, which first aired on April 6, 1992, features the title character Barney, a purple anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus rex who conveys educational messages through songs and small dance routines with a friendly, optimistic attitude.


Johnny Bravo
1997
country: United States
Johnny Bravo tells the story of a biceps-bulging, karate-chopping free spirit who believes he is a gift from God to the women of the earth. Unfortunately for Johnny, everyone else sees him as a narcissistic Mama's boy with big muscles and even bigger hair. In short, he is the quintessential guy who 'just doesn't get it.' No matter what he does, or where he finds himself, he always winds up being his own worst enemy.


Chiquititas
1995
country: Argentina
The series focuses about orphans living in a manor, known as Rincón de Luz, where they're guided by a young woman that represents a maternal figure for them.


KochiKame
1996
country: Japan
Ryotsu Kankichi, or Ryo-san for short, is an unconventional cop working at the local police station who loves money. Together with famous celebrities like Nakagawa and Reiko, his strict boss Police Chief Ohara, and other wildly unique characters, he gets everyone caught up in all sorts of hijinks!


Step by Step
1991
country: United States
Step by Step is an American television sitcom with two single parents, who spontaneously get married after meeting one another during a vacation, resulting in them becoming the heads of a large blended family


The Peppercorns
1999
country: Germany
Die Pfefferkörner is a German television series produced by Der Kinderkanal. The peppercorns are five friends from Hamburg: Jana Holstein Coutre, Natasha "Tascha" Jaonzäns, Philip "Fiete" Overbeck, Cem Gülec and Vivien "Vivi" Overbeck, Fiete's eight year old sister. After school, the young detectives meet at a high level of a spice warehouse of the company Overbeck & Associates, which belongs to Fiete and Vivi's parents in the first part, but is later given to Fiete and Vivi to look after. Here, in the historic warehouse district, the five friends have their headquarters. With smarts, combined delivery and support of the Internet, they find their cases here. The detectives convict polluters, animal dealers and drug smugglers. They also help each other with personal problems they encounter. Cem has lost his parents in a car accident and sometimes feels sad and lonely. Jana lives with her divorcee mother, a lawyer who is rarely at home. Natasha comes from Latvia. Her parents initially have very strict rules in terms of her education, that make Natasha unhappy. Fiete has problems showing his feelings and hides them behind grumpiness and hostility towards girls, until he falls in love with Natasha. Vivi is suffering from her role of the youngest member of the group. She believes that she must constantly struggle for recognition.


The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
1990
country: United States
Will, a street-smart teenager, moves from the tough streets of West Philly to posh Bel-Air to live with his Uncle Philip, Aunt Vivian, his cousins — spoiled Hilary, preppy Carlton and young Ashley — and their sophisticated British butler, Geoffrey. Though Will’s antics and upbringing contrast greatly with the upper-class lifestyle of his extended relatives, he soon finds himself right at home as a loved part of the family.


The Wild Thornberrys
1998
country: United States
Travel the world with the Thornberrys and come face-to-face with blue sheep in Nepal, emus in Australia, marmots in Pakistan, flash floods in Siberia, Egyptian burial chambers, a runaway hot air balloon, a rock slide on the Karakoram Highway and more!


Boy Meets World
1993
country: United States
The coming of age events and everyday life-lessons of Cory Matthews, a Philadelphian who grows up from a young boy to a married man.


Dinosaurs
1991
country: United States
Dinosaurs follows the life of a family of dinosaurs, living in a modern world. They have TV's, fridges, microwaves, and every modern convenience.


Moesha
1996
country: United States
The everyday life of Moesha Mitchell, a vivacious young woman juggling romance, school, ever-changing family dynamics, and friendships.


Timon and Pumbaa
1995
country: United States
Set after the events of the "The Lion King," follow Timon and Pumbaa as they go on misadventures in the jungle, as well as across the globe in various.


Arthur
1996
country: United States
The show revolves around the lives of 8-year-old Arthur Read, an anthropomorphic aardvark, his friends and family, and their daily interactions with each other.


Oggy and the Cockroaches
1999
country: France
Oggy, an anthropomorphic cat, would prefer to spend his days watching television and eating, but is continuously pestered by three roaches: Joey, Marky and Dee Dee. The cockroaches' slapstick mischief ranges from plundering Oggy's refrigerator to hijacking the train he just boarded. In many situations Oggy is also helped by Jack, who is more violent and short-tempered than him and is also annoyed by the cockroaches. Bob, a short-tempered bulldog, also appears in the show, and is Oggy's neighbor.


Saber y Ganar
1997
country: Spain
Saber y ganar, the cultural quiz show of "La 2" hosted by Jordi Hurtado, has celebrated sixteen years on the air, thus becoming the daily program with a longer running time in the history of Spanish television. During the show's thirty-minute duration three contestants compete in different tests where they have to answer trivia-like questions, putting their mental, reasoning and memory abilities to the test. Most of the questions have a moderate level of difficulty and are spread over six different games: "Cada sabio con su tema", where each contestant answer questions about a given topic of their choice; "La pregunta caliente", where contestants must answer random questions; "El duelo", where two contestants answer questions about a topic that changes daily; "La parte por el todo", where the contestants must figure out what an image, piece of text or piece of music belong to; "La calculadora humana", where the contestant with the second highest score must answer fifteen basic arithmetic operations in 50 seconds in order to keep his/her earnings for the day; and finally "El reto", where the contestant with the least score has to figure out seven words from their root and definition in order to remain in the game. If the contestant loses the "El Reto", a new individual will be chosen to replace him/her the next episode.


Family Squad
1991
country: Hong Kong
The Huang family has served in the police force for generations. The patriarch, Huang Jiajing, is modest and talkative, but lacking in confidence and self-esteem. After making mistakes in his job as a police officer, he was transferred and then resigned. His wife, Liao Zhonghao, is a contented housewife devoted to her children. Their eldest daughter, Huang Di, is a senior police inspector who is authoritative and diligent. Their second daughter, Huang Fei is impulsive, lazy, and gluttonous, but unexpectedly clever. Their son, Huang Fa, is a university student who is playful and vain, but spoiled by his family. Jiajing's godson, Liao Tong-tai, is Huang family's mischievous relative who loves to prank, and Huang family's sworn enemy...


Goenkale
1994
country: Spain
Goenkale is a Basque soap-opera, produced by Pausoka Entertainment and ETB, which is broadcast every Monday and Tuesday on Basque Radio-television's first channel, ETB 1. Set up in an imaginary Basque seaside town, the title of the serial is the name of the main street in that town. First broadcast in 1994, almost 3,000 episodes have been made so far, and it is one of the most successful programmes of ETB 1. In the beginning every chapter lasted 30 minutes and they were broadcast from Monday to Friday. Then the Friday episode was removed. Since 2004 two one hour long episodes are broadcast every Monday and Tuesday. Then thirty-minute episodes are repeated in the afternoon everyday.


Darkwing Duck
1991
country: United States
The adventures of superhero Darkwing Duck, aided by his sidekick Launchpad McQuack. In his secret identity of Drake Mallard, he lives in a suburban house with his adopted daughter Gosalyn, next door to the bafflingly dim-witted Muddlefoot family. A spin-off of DuckTales.


Pepper Ann
1997
country: United States
The quirky adventures of Pepper Ann, a 12-year-old girl trying to get through life with her family and friends.


7th Heaven
1996
country: United States
Reverend Eric Camden and his wife Annie have always had their hands full caring for seven children, not to mention the friends, sweethearts and spouses that continually come and go in the Camden household.


Fort Boyard
1990
country: France
A game show set and filmed on the real Fort Boyard in France. The contestants have to complete in physical and endurance challenges to win prize money.
1990s television was the last era of true mass audiences, when a network sitcom or a season finale could be a shared national event.
Family television is built for co-viewing, balancing what works for a child with what keeps an adult in the room. The durable shows manage genuine warmth without condescending to either.