The feeling that there’s too much great television out there might have intensified in recent years, but it’s far from a new phenomenon. There’s been great TV for decades now, but the 1990s was a particularly strong time for the medium, given there’s an argument to be made that that’s when a Golden Age of TV began (one that continued into the 21st century, perhaps even until the early 2010s).
That makes it unsurprising that plenty of great shows that aired in the 1990s never quite got their chance to shine as much as they deserved. Some are well-regarded, but arguably deserve more praise than what they’ve received thus far.All the following shows began airing in the 1990s (some continuing on past the year 2000), and are all underrated – and worth checking out – to some extent.
10’Queer as Folk' (1999-2000)
Creator: Russell T. Davies
Originally a British series that had an American remake that went for longer and was more popular, the firstQueer as Folkis a landmark show that largely holds up well, and was admirably daring for its time. It centers on three gay men – two young adults, and one still a teenager – asthey navigate the ups and downs of life, with a particular focus on their relationships and themes surrounding growing up/coming of age.
Queer as Folkhas an undeniably authentic feel to it, and though plenty of LGBT-themed shows have been released during the 21st century, this was one of the first great ones, and one of the first to gain a decent enough following to get remade. Your mileage may vary on whether the American series is better, but it’s certainly easy to callthe British version more underrated overall.
Watch on Tubi
9’Trigun' (1998)
Creator: Yasuhiro Nightow
There’s a certain flavor and style to a good many anime shows from the 1990s that makes them particularly appealing, withTrigunbeing one of the best of its era. It sort of scratches thesame itch as something likeCowboy Bebop, blendingWestern influences with science fiction, comedy, and action, all the while having a vague overall storyline blended with plenty of compelling standalone episodes.
It’s a great deal of fun, and while not every episode ofTrigunis superb,most of the show’s run – a relatively breezy 26 episodes – is worth sticking with and getting through. The rebellious main character – an outlaw named Vash the Stampede – and the world he and the other characters inhabit prove supremely entertaining, and there aren’t too many other works of Japanese animation out there quite like it.
Watch on Hulu
8’Spaced' (1999-2001)
Creators: Simon Pegg, Jessica Stevenson
The fact thatSpacedis a seriesstarringSimon PeggandNick Frostwith all episodes directed byEdgar Wrightmakes it essential viewing for fans of theCornetto Trilogythe trio also made post-Spaced(Shaun of the Dead,Hot Fuzz, andThe World’s End).Spacedisn’t as funny or spectacular as those later films, but it’s entertaining for similar reasons, blending fast-paced comedy with unexpected genres in a gleeful and energetic manner.
The premise ofSpacedis very simple, following young adults struggling with being in their early 20s while living in London,but it’s the style and pacing that adds complexity and a certain spark to the proceedings. Most people involved did go on to bigger and better things, butSpacedstill has a good deal of entertainment value, and has deservedly built up a cult following in the years since it was first aired.
7’Sports Night' (1998-2000)
Creator: Aaron Sorkin
Sports Nightis something that’s been overshadowed by other showsAaron Sorkincreated, most notablyThe West Wing, which aired its first season just one year on fromSports Night’s.The West Wingended up running for seven seasons and is often considered one ofthe best TV dramas of all time, whereasSports Nightonly had two seasons and never quite the same fanbase, though it’s also a very good show in its own right.
It’s also more of a dramedy when compared toThe West Wing(a serious show much of the time, with a little banter throughout to stop it from getting too downbeat).Revolving around the people who work for the titular cable show,Sports Nighthas great characters and is overall very entertaining, containing that trademark Sorkin dialogue (Sorkinese?) that can be exhausting in a good way… for the most part.
Sports Night
Buy on Apple TV
6’Frontline' (1994-1997)
Creators: Jane Kennedy, Santo Cilauro, Rob Sitch, Tom Gleisner
Not to be mixed up with the long-running American documentary series of the same name, the 1990sFrontlineis a show that received acclaim and a decent amount of attention in its native Australia, but not much internationally. Perhaps it’s niche, but it isan impressive and cutting example of satire, taking aim at the sorts of current affairs shows (basically televised tabloid news) that were popular in Australia during the 1990s… and regrettably still are today.
Frontlineis mostly a comedic show, but it gets uncomfortably real at times, even bridging the gap between comedy and drama during its most intense episodes. It very much feels of its time when it comes to technology and the look of the show overall, but for as long as what it makes fun of is still popular to some extent,Frontlinewill continue to be sadly relevant, not to mention admirably forward-thinking in what it satirizes.
Buy on Amazon
5’NewsRadio' (1994-1999)
Creator: Paul Simms
Doing for a news radio station whatSports Nightdid for a cable sports program,NewsRadiois an underrated workplace comedy andone of the best sitcoms of its time. Despite not being as popular as some of its contemporaries, it still managed to run for a respectable five seasons throughout the back half of the 1990s, and ended up accumulating almost 100 episodes in total.
NewsRadiois more than just a sitcom, too, given much of the focus of the show is on the relationships the colorful cast of characters all have. Exploring love lives and professional lives in funny and relatable ways, it’s a very enjoyable show and surprisingly consistent for one that ran for as long as it did, and is definitely up there withthe most underrated sitcoms of its decade.
Watch on Roku
4’Rurouni Kenshin' (1996-1998)
Creator: Kazuhiro Furuhashi
There’sno shortage of great samurai-themed moviesand shows out there, particularly from Japan, and the country also has astupendously rich history when it comes to animation, both within the realms of film and TV. Samurai-themed anime films/shows aren’t quite as common as you might expect, though, but at least there’sRurouni Kenshinfor anyone who wants to see the two cross over.
Rurouni Kenshinwas originally a manga series, with the TV series – comprising almost 100 episodes – being successful in capturing the tone and overall story found within the original format. It’s about a lone samurai and his adventures as he journeys around Japan during the late 19th century, and eventually becomes involved with the people at a martial arts school.It’s popular in Japan, but more of a cult series outside the country, meaning it’s ripe for rediscovery and worth checking out for fans of older anime shows.
3’Angel' (1999-2004)
Creators: Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt
Sure, callingAngela 1990s series feels like cheating a bit, given the majority of its episodes aired in the first half of the 2000s… but it did begin in 1999.Also, it has a distinctly 1990s feel when it comes to its tone and overall aesthetic, being dark and gloomy in a ‘90s kind of wayeven into the seasons that aired after the decade was technically over.
With acast filled with likable yet heavily flawed characters,Angelwas a critically successful spin-off fromBuffy the Vampire Slayer, retaining the action, supernatural/vampire elements, and comedy of its parent show while getting a little darker and more adult thematically, particularly in its later seasons. Popularity-wise, it never quite came close toBuffy, but when it’s at its best, it’s arguably just as good, and still deserves its day in the sun to some extent (well, maybe it’s safer – and less ashy – to have its day in the full moon).
2’Oz' (1997-2003)
Creator: Tom Fontana
Standing as one ofthe most underrated dramas of all time,Ozpredates evenThe Sopranosasa mature, surprising, and subversive HBO show that genuinely pushed the boundaries of what a TV show could get away with.Ozis set in perhaps the most cruel and death-filled high-security prison in the history of fiction, centering on various staff and prisoners who all have to survive and persevere inside a hellish environment.
Certainly not for the faint of heart,Ozgoes to places that are still able to shock and potentially even upset, but it’s a very compelling drama series and admirably uncompromising in just about every way. Ithas some great characters throughout– many of them terrible and terrifying as people – and is always unpredictable, rivaling the likes ofGame of ThronesandThe Walking Deadwhen it comes to killing off main characters in exceedingly abrupt ways.
Watch on Max
1’Riget' (1994-2022)
Creators: Lars von Trier, Tómas Gislason
For anyone who ever watchedTwin Peaksand thought “That was good,but I want something even weirder,” thenRiget(AKAThe Kingdom) is the show for you. It comesfrom the minds ofLars von Trierand co-creatorTómas Gislason, and aired two absolutely bizarre seasons during the 1990s: one in 1994, and the second in 1997. Also, likeTwin Peaks, it got a third season many years after originally being on air, withThe Kingdom Exoduscoming out in 2022.
As for whatRigetis about? Well, a bit of everything and perhaps nothing all at once, but the ride it provides is fascinating, weird, sometimes fun, and often horrifying. It’s about supernatural occurrences happening in a hospital in Denmark, andthe way such events seem to drive staff and patients alike madder and madder. It’s perhaps too weird for most, but it remains an iconic piece of 1990s television (at least those first two seasons) for anyone in the mood for something very, very different.
