Rate These 90s Sitcoms And We'll Guess How Unfunny You Are!
- by Dylan Jacob
- – on
- in Movies and TV
In just over two years, we're going to be in the 2020s, thirty years since the 1990s. Not only do I feel old as a 90s baby, I feel old because of how many great sitcoms we got in that time period. We're not only talking about Seinfeld and Cheers, but Family Matters, The Steve Harvey Show, and so many other ones.
What made all those shows funny in the 1990s was how well they mastered humor; they understood what being funny was, not just fart jokes and whatever the Amy Schumer and Melissa McCarthys of the world are doing. Today, we're going to see if you understand and appreciate that humor by rating sitcoms from the 1990s.
There's no ground rules for this quiz, other than you'll rate the shows on a scale of bad, average, fantastic, or classic. Take today in this holiday season to reminisce about the days where showrunners like Scott Gimple weren't causing controversy and people could make jokes on TV without social media exploding.
But enough of this hovering near me editorializing this! Let's just get straight to thinking about the 1990s, the fantastic TV that came from it, and everything that goes in between.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
For most people, 1990s sitcoms usually come down to Seinfeld and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. There's a reason for that. Will Smith was great as himself, the show had one of the catchiest theme songs ever, and...do I really need to explain what made this show so memorable? What'd you think of Fresh Prince?
Seinfeld
THE 1990s sitcom, Seinfeld worked because of how outlandish and realistic its plots could be. George Costanza working for the New York Yankees made sense, but it was the adventures he got into with George Steinbrenner that made you light up when you saw Yankee Stadium show up. What'd you think of Seinfeld?
Friends
Did you know that Friends is loathed by many baseball fans? Those who fall asleep to Major League Baseball's playoff games on TBS will often wake up to Friends, leading to many tweets and complaints. Random fun fact aside, will you be taking to Twitter to praise or bash this 90s sitcom?
Family Matters
A show that might see increased popularity today, Family Matters told the story of a black middle class family and the racial struggles they'd go through. One episode even focused on police brutality and police stereotyping with the officers even outright telling Carl Winslow, a black cop, his son deserved to get arrested. Maybe we'll get a Family Matters remake soon. What'd you think of Family Matters?
Cheers
Also known as the unofficial sister show to The Simpsons (and if you get that joke, that's bonus points for you), Cheers told the story of people going to a bar. Such a simple premise, but people absolutely loved this show, especially for Kelsey Grammer's performance. What'd you think of Cheers?
Frasier
The story of a Boston therapist now living in Seattle, Frasier is best known for being a spinoff of Cheers, starring Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce. Frasier also featured several reunions with the main Cheers cast and even saw the main actors all appear on The Simpsons when Sideshow Bob (Grammer) was thought to have died. What'd you think of Frasier?
Boy Meets World
Another coming-of-age sitcom, Boy Meets World told the story of a child starting the show in middle school and finishing in college. If you haven't seen much of the show, we won't try to spoil the rest, but if you HAVE seen the show, what'd you think of Boy Meets World?
The King of Queens
While The King of Queens had most of its 1998-2007 run after Y2K, the show always had a 90s sitcom feel to it and obviously got its start around Seinfeld's end. When Mike and Molly came out, some people said it could be the next King of Queens. No chance. What'd you think of King of Queens?
Married...With Children
"Al Bundy is a misanthropic women's shoe salesman with a miserable life. He hates his job, his wife is lazy, his son is dysfunctional (especially with women), and his daughter is dimwitted and promiscuous." That IMDB description is perfect in so many ways - and not because it called the millennial generation. What'd you think of Married...With Children?
Saved by the Bell
The high school coming-of-age story everyone fondly remembers, Saved by the Bell saw Zack Bell engage in all sorts of wacky adventures. Remember when he dressed up as the Native American and had a spiritual journey with the elder? Remember when Jessie had an addiction to caffeine pills? What'd you think of Saved by the Bell?
Roseanne
Of all the shows on this list, would you have expected Roseanne to be getting a new revival on ABC? The tale of working-class Americans, we're admittedly not sure how Roseanne Barr and John Goodman will fare in 2017, but people will still watch out of nostalgia. What'd you think of Roseanne?
The Cosby Show
While The Cosby Show was more of a 1980s show, it ended in 1992 and has now become infamous for Bill Cosby's alleged date rape incidents. People are actually still arguing if reruns of The Cosby Show should be shown on TV, but we won't get into that. What'd you think of The Cosby Show?
Full House
Everybody seems to have loved Full House, whether they saw it when it was on or when it started airing on syndication. Does the nostalgia hold up? Hey, don't look at me: I'm not the one answering these questions. You tell me if you enjoyed the adventures of Danny, Joey and friends on Full House.
The Drew Carey Show
Not only did Steve Harvey have his own show, but Drew Carey did as well - and he even had Cleveland Rocks by The Presidents of the United States of America do the opening theme! That song is awesome! Well before The Price is Right days, what'd you think of The Drew Carey Show?
Dharma & Greg
If you've ever seen the South Park episode where a nameless character parodies movie trailers with Stan Marsh's life, that's basically what Dharma & Greg was. Two people who are polar opposites marry on their first date, wind up in crazy situations, and everything turns up great in the end. Sure. What'd you think of Dharma & Greg?
Mad About You
Many people viewed Mad About You as nothing more than a Seinfeld rip-off, but NBC was the one airing both shows. The modern equivalent would be if when The Walking Dead was in its prime, AMC created another post-apocalyptic show that would have been like The 100. What'd you think of Mad About You?
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Remember this TV adaption of the popular comics show? Sabrina the Teenage Witch featured a teenager who discovered she was a witch and did things like turn people into pineapples and attend witch boot camp. What? Oh, and it takes place in Massachusetts...like where the Salem Witch Trials were. Ha ha. What'd you think of Sabrina the Teenage Witch?
Blossom
The first time I watched Blossom, I thought Blossom Russo (played by Mayim Bialik) was a CGI rat. What, was the joke too mean? That wasn't a joke. Anyways, Blossom was another coming-of-age story that saw a girl live in a dysfunctional household and somehow come out alright. What'd you think of Blossom?
Growing Pains
Shout out to Huntington, New York, home of the awesome The Paramount nightclub/theatre. Growing Pains took place in Huntington, though Jason Seaver and his family instead did normal coming-of-age stuff and took in a homeless teenager that was probably a risk to rob them of everything instead of seeing boxing matches at the Paramount. What'd you think of Growing Pains?
Caroline in the City
Remember Caroline in the City? Caroline Duffy is a cartoonist, she has a lot of dates, there's a love triangle...it's exactly the type of show that likely wouldn't work in 2017 because it's not politically correct enough. Meh. Let's move past that and know what you thought of Caroline in the City.
Who's The Boss?
In lieu of a normal answer, I find myself almost required to discuss the Family Guy scene where they have to build a float from Who's The Boss, specifically the scene where Tony walks in on Angela in the shower. The best part of that scene is the float that has Tony washing Jonathan, leading Tom Tucker to deadpan, "That's just plain wrong."
The Steve Harvey Show
Once upon a time, Steve Harvey had his own show...as in a sitcom that saw him work as both a vice-principal and a music teacher. Also working at his school was Cedric The Entertainer. Why couldn't I have gotten that staff in school? What'd you think of the original The Steve Harvey Show.
Sister, Sister
Sister, Sister was always one of those shows that reeked of fan fiction mixed with drunk storytelling idea. Two twin sisters separated at birth somehow run into each other and forge a friendship, really becoming like sisters. As we wonder if the idea will be rebooted next year, what'd you think of Sister, Sister?
Wings
Another show from the Frasier and Cheers universe, Wings told the story of a small airline company in the days before viral airplane fights and worry about terrorism. Could Tim Daly, in his prime, take down Al-Qaeda? Before answering that question, at least try to tell us what you thought of Wings?
Doogie Howser M.D.
The story of a child prodigy who somehow became a teenage doctor, Doogie Howser M.D. almost reminds me of Tommy Wiseau and The Room. There's an episode where the boys make a movie and people laugh at it, which is kind of like The Room. Did you think Doogie Howser M.D. was as bad as The Room?
