If you're a fan of comedy, the '90s supplied us with the best sitcoms. It wasn't just one or two programs that were great, but we were blessed with a plethora of laugh-out-loud characters and wacky storylines.
Whether it was growing up with Joey, Phoebe, Rachel, Ross, Chandler and Monica from Friends or singing along to the catchy theme song of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, many shows still live on in popular culture and the hearts of fans everywhere.
But why was this era of comedy TV so successful? Jennifer Aniston joked to the Huffington Post that Friends probably wouldn't be successful in modern times. "If Friends was created today, you would have a coffee shop full of people that were just staring into iPhones. There would be no actual episodes or conversations," she said.
The truth is, she could be right. So many '90s comedies were built on the premise of close relationships and people interacting with one another.
Now, real-life communication is almost a lost art. As a result, it's unlikely we'll ever get another wave of high-quality sitcoms like we did back in the day.
We have two choices here, though: either mourn or celebrate the period. The latter sounds like the happier and fun option to do, and there are a ton of forgotten series to revisit.
Also, thanks to the various streaming platforms and services, we can catch up on old episodes of these shows on demand and anywhere.
So, with that said, let's look at these 20 '90s Sitcoms Fans Completely Forgot About.
100 Deeds For Eddie McDowd
In late 1999, a heartwarming sitcom called 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd premiered.
The story was simple: A schoolyard bully named Eddie McDowd meets The Drifter who turns him into a dog to punish him for his wrongdoings. In order to turn back into a human, he needs to complete 100 good deeds for others.
The show aired for three seasons, with Seth Green providing the voice of Eddie in the first season.
Unfortunately, a decline in ratings led to its cancelation, with Eddie still stuck as a dog and numerous deeds to complete.
100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd struck the right balance between heart and humor, and it deserved a longer run than what it got.
Caroline In The City
If you're a fan of Friends, Caroline in the City is right down your alley (there was even a crossover at one point).
Set in New York, it follows the adventures of cartoonist Caroline Duffy and her friends as they navigate love, life, and everything in between.
It started off with a bang, even if it was scheduled between Seinfeld and ER. After some time, though, critics said it was only popular because the people caught it while surfing for the other two shows. Proving the critics wrong, it moved slots and still survived.
Unfortunately, the ratings dropped, as did the quality, and Caroline in the City was axed four seasons and 97 episodes later.
Brotherly Love
In the '90s, the Lawrence brothers were all the rage. The three actors were to TV what Hanson ended up being to music: A talented novelty with a short lifespan. Their starring vehicle came in 1995's Brotherly Love.
For the large part, the show was funny as it played on the three brothers' different dynamics.
Andrew Lawrence certainly brought most of the slapstick humor, but it was the deeper stories featuring his older brother, Joey, that kept us invested.
Much like Full House, Brotherly Love was all about family and learning to rely on them when needed. It only lasted two seasons, but it did find a whole new audience when it was syndicated years later.
Home Improvement
At the time of its airing, Home Improvement dominated its various slots and viewer habits. It was a critically acclaimed and fan-loved series. Yet, we never hear it mentioned in the same breath as other shows such as Seinfeld.
Nonetheless, those who experienced Tim Allen and his madcap family's escapades were all the richer for it.
Richard Karn, who portrayed Al Borland on the show, thinks it went out too early, but he understands why.
"Tim wanted to do other things and at that point it was also when Michael Jordan was leaving the NBA. Jordan made a big thing about wanting to go out on top and Home Improvement was the number one show on ABC when we left," he told news.com.au.
Dinosaurs
Whether you choose to except it or not, Dinosaurs was the pinnacle of creativity. It was a sitcom that featured puppet dinosaurs as they lived like human beings in 60,000,003 BC.
The late, great Jim Henson had worked on the show for a few years, but he unfortunately ed away before it aired.
There was simply nothing else quite like it. It combined the best of The Simpsons with the tongue-in-cheek aspects of The Flintstones, yet it wasn't afraid to tackle serious world issues, either.
The show lasted four seasons, with the finale it deserved. It depicted how the dinosaurs actually died, with its own twist of course. If you've never seen Dinosaurs, it needs to be added to your must-watch list right now.
Sister, Sister
Before The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, there were two other twins dominating TV: Tia and Tamera Mowry.
The premise of Sister, Sister was pretty much the same as any production involving twins: separated at birth but reunited later in life. It's like that meme of Spider-Man pointing at himself.
Despite the tired trope, Sister, Sister provided a host of laughs as the Mowry sisters showcased their comedic talents and flair for the dramatic.
They often got themselves into hare-brained situations; however, their sense of loyalty to each other would always bail them out of trouble.
The show aired for a lengthy six seasons and continues to find an audience through its reruns today. There's talk of a revival being on the way, too.
The Hughleys
It isn't unusual to see comedians receive their own sitcoms. After all, they should be the type of performers that networks are looking for in the first place.
In 1998, D.L. Hughley starred in The Hughleys. The premise involved Hughley moving his family from the inner city to suburban Los Angeles.
The laughs were aplenty and the show featured numerous guest stars, such as Tyra Banks and Kelly Rowland.
The Hughleys was actually cancelled on ABC after the network revamped its TGIF line-up, but quickly found a new home on UPN.
Unfortunately, it only lasted four seasons before ending on a massive cliffhanger that infuriated fans. Maybe one day we'll find out how the Hughley family is getting along.
The Nanny
Fran Drescher's nasally voice and unmistakable laugh were the catalysts for The Nanny's initial success. It was impossible to tune out, as there was a curiosity to find out more.
Recalling the concept for The Nanny to Studio 10, Drescher said, "I thought of the idea: A spin on The Sound of Music, only instead of Julie Andrews, I come to the door."
Drescher added that the tension between her character, Fran Fine, and Maxwell Sheffield ultimately proved to be the show's demise.
"When a show is built around a love that can't happen, you have to keep it that way. As much as you want the people to get together, as soon as they do, people start tuning out."
Grace Under Fire
While a sitcom, Grace Under Fire was a show about real people and real-situations.
The series lead, Grace Kelly (Brett Butler), was a recently divorced and recovering alcoholic who wanted the best for her children. She was tough and independent, but we also saw her fall and learn from her mistakes.
The authenticity of this program ensured that it was a hit, as everyone tuned in and rooted for Grace and her family.
It proved to be one of the highest-rated comedies when it first aired and went on for five seasons.
However, Butler's personal demons caused halts in production and the viewer numbers continued to plummet. The network were tolerant and understanding for a while before finally pulling the plug.
Hangin' With Mr. Cooper
Back in the day, Fridays were a blast because of Hangin' with Mr. Cooper. The sitcom followed Mark Curry's Mark Cooper who was an ex-NBA star-turned-teacher.
It featured an all-star cast including the likes of Holly Robinson Peete, Omar Gooding, and Raven-Symoné.
The show ended after five seasons, even if that wasn't the original plan of the network. But alas, life happens.
In an interview with VH1, Peete spoke about a possible revival. "I would love to do it and I do feel that '90s love and I told them I'm down for it, so we'll see. According to Mark Curry, who was Mr. Cooper, yes. Ironically our kids are in elementary school together, so I'm still hanging with Mr. Cooper every day."