The 10 Best TV Series of the 90s

Have you ever noticed how fun it is to look back on the things we used to do? The clothes we wore, the places we hung out, the school supplies we used, the TV shows we watched… It all brings back huge nostalgia for the time when we were younger and carefree. With that in mind, Pixel got into a nostalgic mood and put together a special list of the series that defined the 90s. Check it out!

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990)

In the 1990 sitcom, Will (Will Smith) is a poor kid from Philadelphia who moves to Bel-Air to live with his aunt and uncle and get better educational opportunities. Besides the comedic scenes, such as the ones where he sang or danced with his cousins, the story also dealt with racism and social values. The series aired on SBT, and the episodes are now available on Netflix.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)

Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was an ordinary cheerleader until she discovers her gift for fighting vampires and demons. To do so, she relies on the help of her friends Xander (Nicholas Brendon), Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter). The series championed feminism, addressed bullying at school and, like any teen drama, dealt with finding love — she fell in love with Angel (David Boreanaz), a vampire with a soul because of a Gypsy curse. The series aired on Fox, Rede Globo and RedeTV!. The seasons are currently available on Netflix.

Friends (1994)

“I’ll be there for you…” Who remembers the show’s opening song? It premiered in 1994 and followed the daily lives of Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Monica (Courteney Cox), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Ross (David Schwimmer) and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow). The chemistry between the friends was so strong that it resulted in 10 seasons with very different episodes (showing each character’s evolution, from their younger years to adulthood, full of problems with love, work and family). It aired on Sony, SBT and RedeTV!. Today, the series airs on Warner and all episodes are also available on Netflix.

Blossom (1990)

The protagonist of the series, which aired on SBT, was a 16-year-old girl who lived only with her father and brothers. As she had to find different ways to get through the struggles of adolescence, she had fun alongside her friend Six (Jenna von Oÿ) and won over many girls of the time, who identified with her questions. An interesting curiosity is that Johnny Galecki (Leonard Hofstadter in The Big Bang Theory) played Blossom’s boyfriend. After 22 years, they worked together again on the sitcom about the nerd world.

ER (1994)

Fans of medical dramas were won over by the series in 1994, which featured Dr. Doug Ross (George Clooney), Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards), Dr. Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield), John Carter (Noah Wyle) and Dr. Peter Benton (Eriq La Salle) in the hectic daily life of an emergency room in Chicago, the setting for dramatic and emotional scenes. In total, the drama ran for 15 seasons and 331 episodes. The series aired on Globo and SBT.

Mad About You (1992)

Paul (Paul Reiser) and Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt) faced the difficulties of marriage while trying to keep their jobs interesting — he an independent filmmaker and she a political campaign coordinator. Besides them, Mad About You featured Fran (Leila Kenzle), Ira Buchman (John Pankow), the dog Murray, and Paul’s parents, Sylvia (Cynthia Harris) and Burt Buchman (Louis Zorich). The sitcom aired on Rede Bandeirantes and Canal 21.

Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990)

Produced especially for teenagers, the series dealt with controversial topics such as teen pregnancy, alcoholism, rape, suicide, anorexia and drugs. The plot featured Brandon (Jason Priestley), Brenda (Shannen Doherty), Kelly (Jennie Garth), David (Brian Austin Green), Donna (Tori Spelling), among other characters dealing with complicated family, romantic and friendship relationships. It was such a success that it lasted 10 seasons (from 1990 to 2000). It aired in Brazil on Globo and Sony.

Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (1996)

Teenage problems, sudden crushes, and aunts Hilda (Caroline Rhea) and Zelda (Beth Broderick) were all part of the little world of the protagonist (Melissa Joan Hart). But one small detail set her apart from other teenagers: she was a witch. And that made the plot even more fun with her botched spells and the moral lessons from her cat, Salem (voiced by Nick Bakay). It was such a success that the actress appeared everywhere, in movies and cartoons. The series aired on Globo, Record and Nickelodeon.

The X-Files (1993)

In the series, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) were two FBI agents investigating strange cases that led them to alien conspiracies involving the government — and that even put both of their careers at risk. Die-hard fans got to enjoy a 10th season, released the previous year by Fox. And there were expectations of an 11th season, between 2017 and 2018 on the same network, since Dana Walden and Gary Newman, presidents of Fox, said the actors and the show’s creator were willing to do another year of The X-Files. In the 90s, it aired on Fox and Record. The early seasons are also available on Netflix.

Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum (1994)

A classic of TV Cultura, the show featured Nino (Cassio Scapin), a 300-year-old boy who lived with his uncles, Victor (Sérgio Mamberti) and Morgana (Rosi Campos). The three lived in a castle in the middle of the city of São Paulo. Since the young boy did not go to school because of his age, Nino cast a spell he had learned from Uncle Victor and ended up bringing three children to the castle: Pedro (Luciano Amaral), Biba (Cynthia Rachel) and Zequinha (Freddy Allan). Besides their visits, Nino also got involved in wild adventures with the pizza delivery man, Bongô (Eduardo Silva), the reporter Penélope (Ângela Dip) and the alien Etevaldo (Wagner Bello). And every kid at the time was terrified of Dr. Abobrinha (Pascoal da Conceição), a man who wanted to tear down the castle and build a hundred-story building.

Remember any series that did not make the list? Share it with us!