Shubhabrata Dutta
The 90s was the era of change on several fronts. With the advent of the internet, the shift in culture was palpable. As far as television is concerned, we got shows that became pop-culture phenomenons like ‘Seinfeld,’ ‘FRIENDS,’ ‘Twin Peaks,’ and ‘The Sopranos,’ while ‘Saturday Night Live’ hit a new benchmark of success and launched many comedians, including Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Chris Rock, and Mike Myers, who went on to garner fame and recognition across the globe.
One can easily say that the 90s revolutionized TV as we know it, bringing us all together to enjoy our favorite sitcoms and shows. Netflix offers many such 90s shows that take us back to those times, giving us fun and satisfaction that are otherwise impossible. Such shows provide a rare sense of nostalgia as well, reminding us of how simple life was back then. So, if you are ready for a stroll down memory lane, here are the 10 best TV shows on Netflix.
10. H (1998-2002)
A dysfunctional hospital with eccentric employees is what we see in ‘H,’ a humorous French sitcom created by Abd-el-Kader Aoun, Xavier Matthew, and Éric Judor. Set in a hospital in a Parisian suburb, the series follows a medical team grappling with new and old patients with surgical imprecision on a daily basis while giving the audience bouts of laughter. The series is renowned for its onscreen chemistry among the lead cast Jamel Debbouze, Éric Judor, and Ramzy Bedia, each of whom is at his comedic best. This is the show that gave birth to the phrase “Don’t tell me it’s not true,” which is no less than a quote quoted almost on a daily basis by millennials. You can stream ‘H’ here.
9. Heartbreak High (1994-1999)
Created by Michael Jenkins and Ben Gannon, ‘Heartbreak High’ is an Australian show that was a grand hit in the 90s. It follows the students and the staff of Hartley High School, Sydney. Centering on multiracial themes, the series offers a grittier take on the lives of the students, their families, and the school staff, exploring topics like friendship, love, family, heartbreak, teenage issues, parenthood, and the complexities that all these bring. The series launched the careers of many of its actors, including Alex Dimitriades (‘Wildside,’ ‘The Slap’), Ada Nicodemou (‘Police Rescue,’ ‘Breakers’), Salvatore Coco (‘Underbelly,’ ‘Home and Away’), and Corey Page (‘Home And Away,’ ‘McLeod’s Daughters’). ‘Heartbreak High’ is a spin-off of the Australian film ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ (1993), which is based on Richard Barrett’s 1987 play. You can stream it here.
8. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993-1996)
The first entry in the Power Rangers franchise, ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,’ created by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy, became a 90s pop culture phenomenon after it dropped on Fox Kids, setting off the production of action figures and other merchandise and garnering a cult following that remains strong to date. Set in the fictional town of Angel Grove, California, the series is about five teenagers who are chosen by Zordan, a galactic wizard, to protect Earth from evil alien sorceress Rita Repulsa and her alien goons.
The teenagers receive power morphers that enable them to turn into superhumans, known as Power Rangers, and use their powers and weapons to fight evil. The beloved cast includes Austin St. John (Red Ranger), Walter Emanuel Jones (Black Ranger), Thuy Trang (Yellow Ranger), Amy Jo Johnson (Pink Ranger), David Yost (Blue Ranger), and the legendary Jason David Frank (Green Ranger/White Ranger). If you are a millennial and want to share some good old nostalgia with your kid, ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ is the perfect choice. It can be streamed here.
7. Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files (1992-1995)
This action-adventure anime is based on the Japanese manga series ‘YuYu Hakusho,’ written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi and directed by Noriyuki Abe. The series centers on a guy named Yusuke Urameshi (voiced in English by Justin Cook; originally voiced by Nozomu Sasaki), who is sent back to our world from the underworld, the real one, after dying in a car accident and is made an “Underworld Detective” by the underworld’s rulers. His job is investigating cases of ghosts, apparitions, and demons that have made their way into the real world, involving martial arts tournaments. In terms of popularity, it was voted the best anime of the year in the 1994 and 1995 Animage Anime Grand Prix and was just below ‘Dragon Ball Z’ in terms of rating. To find out just how gripping ‘Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files’ is, you can it watch here.
6. One Piece (1999- )
Based on Eiichiro Oda’s manga series of the same name, which is the best-selling manga series in history, this immensely popular anime follows Monkey D. Luffy, a boy with the abilities of rubber, as he explores the Grant Line, an ocean route connecting the entire world, in search of “One Piece,” a piece of treasure, that will make him the Pirate King. In his exploratory adventures, he is joined by his diverse crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, comprising a swordsman, a burglar/navigator, a liar/inventor, a warrior/cook, an anthropomorphic reindeer/doctor, and an archaeologist. To join them on their adventures, you can watch ‘One Piece’ right here.
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5. Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-1996)
This is a highly popular Japanese mecha anime (a genre of anime dealing with robots in battle) series directed by Hideaki Anno. Combining themes from Jewish and Christian disciplines and Shinto cosmology, the series centers on Shinji, a teenager who has been recruited by the special paramilitary force Nerv to defend Tokyo-3, the futuristic city, from dangerous celestial beings addressed as Angels. For his job, he has to pilot a bio-machine known as Evangelion Unit-01, one of Nerv’s many bio-machines, the Evangelions. Piloting involves synchronizing one’s nervous system with the machine to control it better while raising the risks in case of receiving damage. Sounds similar to ‘Pacific Rim’? Winner of the ‘Best Loved Series’ award at the 1996 Anime Grand Prix, the show’s characters also received a lot of recognition and are considered some of the best anime characters ever written. It also contributed to the spread of Japanese anime across the world, influencing many other anime shows and characters. To find out why it is so special in the anime world, you can watch it right here.
4. The Jamie Foxx Show (1996-2001)
Created by Academy-Award-winning actor/singer/comedian Jamie Foxx and Bentley Kyle Evans, ‘The Jamie Foxx Show’ is basically what catapulted Foxx into his acting career. In the sitcom, we follow Jamie King, a wannabe actor who wants to make it big in Hollywood but, in the meantime, has to work at the King’s Towers, a hotel in Los Angeles owned by his uncle (Garrett Morris) and aunt (Ellia English). His everyday antics at the hotel, including his courtship of desk clerk Francesca aka Fanny (Garcelle Beauvais), and quarrels with hotel accountant Braxton (Christopher B. Duncan), contribute to the show’s humor. Foxx won the award for ‘Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series’ at the 1998 NAACP Image Awards for this show. He was also nominated for the same in 1999, 2000, and 20001. You can stream ‘The Jamie Foxx Show’ here.
3. Seinfeld (1989-1998)
Created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, NBC’s ‘Seinfeld’ follows a fictional version of stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld as he tries to solve daily life’s numerous puzzles in the heart of Manhattan with his friends: George Costanza (Jason Alexander), former girlfriend Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and neighbor Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards). Filled with humor underscored by irony, inconveniences, incongruity, and coincidences, ‘Seinfeld’ has garnered a cult following over the years and is one of the best sitcoms of the 90s. With an Emmy, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Peabody Award to its name, ‘Seinfeld’ is considered one of the greatest TV shows ever made. Serving as Seinfeld’s love interests, many popular actresses of the time appeared on the show, including Catherine Keener(‘ Capote’), Teri Hatcher (‘ Tomorrow Never Dies’), Jennifer Coolidge (American Pie film series), Courteney Cox (‘FRIENDS’), Christine Taylor (‘ The Brady Bunch Movie’), and Melinda Clarke (‘Days of Our Lives’). You can watch the show here.
2. Martin (1992-1997)
Starring actor/comedian Martin Lawrence as the titular lead, ‘Martin’ was one of Fox’s highest-rated shows during its run. The series follows Martin Payne, a DJ from Detroit, Michigan. When he is not on his radio show at the fictional station WZUP, he is busy pulling off escapades with friends Tommy and Cole while Gina, his love interest, has to bear it all, much to the expense of the viewers’ hilarity. Tisha Campbell stars as Gina, Thomas Mikal Ford as Tommy, and Carl Anthony Payne II as Cole. The show won the Favorite TV New Comedy Series award at the 1993 People’s Choice Awards, the Outstanding Comedy Series award at the NAACP Image Awards in 1994 and 1995, and many other accolades. You can stream ‘Martin’ here.
1. Sex and the City (1998-2004)
Created by Darren Star, this chick flick drama series is adapted from Candace Bushnell’s newspaper column for The New York Observer between 1994 and 1996 and the 1996 book, an anthology of all the columns. Based on the lifestyles of Bushnell and her friends in 90s New York City, the series follows four inseparable women: Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), and Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), as they navigate their professional and personal lives, underscored by themes of sex and relationships, including femininity, promiscuity, commitment, and more. With 7 Primetime Emmy Awards, eight Golden Globe Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, ‘Sex and the City’ is considered one of the best shows of all time. You can stream it here.
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