iPlayer? What's an iPlayer? ILX's top 50 TV shows of the 90s!

Dean Stockwell's shirts make this unmissable.

Dorkiest picture I could find.

Watching/listening to the theme tune gives me major flashbacks to the first years of secondary school.

Most of the shows on the list came under this category for me: I used to mildly enjoy it for a bit but then lost interest when it stopped being on at tea-time or something. This is why long-term plotlines annoy me.

In later series I swear they introduced an evil female time-travelling counterpart, but I seem to be the only person who remembers her.

44 - The Wonder Years (ABC, 1988-93)
- 1060 points, 7 votes

http://sidroy.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/wonderyears.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjTdXsIa1Yk

Just thinking about The Wonder Years makes me want to vomit.

My Dad loves this show.

If you knew my Dad that wd explain a lot.

And that was the moment I knew that the rest of my internet posts would never be somehow the same.

hope home improvement places

(cue Mamas and Papas song welling up on soundtrack)

(cue righteous indignation about The Wonder Years placing welling up in head)

Next one's more like it, promise.

haha Wonder Years was like the last show to just barely get the axe from my ballot, glad it appeared anyway. totally forgot to even think about Quantum Leap.

can't believe how low Frasier is considering all you Brits on the board talk about it like it's the best thing since sliced bread, but it's certainly about at where I'd place it overall.

I got love for Frasier but it's maybe too arch and frou-frou and sometimes downright not funny enough to inspire big big love.

When was the ski cabin episode filmed? That's possibly my favourite episode of any US sitcom ever.

Incidentally if The Fast Show places highly in this I will never trust anything any of you have to say on the subject of comedy ever again.

How many people voted btw?

49.

I don't think I placed Frasier at all and there is more than 1 US sitcom I placed v. high indeed.

And 218 shows got a nod.

xpost

The kindest thing you cd say about the Fast Show is that it hasn't aged well. And the sketch with John Thomson as the rapey chef is all time. But otherwise totes agree with Matt.

ah now rowley birkin was good

Two first place votes for This Life! Fair play, though I didn't vote for it I never missed an episode way back when. I was really into it, so I can't moan.

The Fast Show was great. Had its share of misses of course, but less than you might expect.

lots of it was good is the thing

Rowley Birkin was 1 joke that wasn't funny to begin with. And Paul Whitehouse needs to take his attempts to inject pathos into the sketch show and stuff them right up his (drunken mumble argle bargle hahaha catchphrase)

Anyway I would imagine this will be a walk for Twin Peaks whatever happens, although I can't remember how much of the really good stuff happened in the 80s.

Ralph & Ted had tons of pathos IMO.

twin peaks was all 90s

Our Joel is heavily into Harry Enfield at the moment and he keeps making me watch old Harry/Paul stuff and 9 tenths of it is like Jesus what were they thinking what was I thinking was the whole country hammered thru the 90s?

I lie: I did vote for This Life, it seems. House of Cards, GBH, and Big Night Out are the others from my ballot that have appeared so far.

nothing off my ballot so far

Swear to God the last half dozen episodes of Fast Show were no jokes just characters looking sad at the camera while Charlie Higson held up a DO YOU SEE? sign behind them

43 - Batman: The Animated Series (Cartoon Network, 1992-95)
- 1070 points, 8 votes

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rHnMhHlnAbg/ShI_Kbsk9cI/AAAAAAAABrs/L3tnikZSsOc/s400/Batman_the_Animated_Series_logo.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEx9r5enZsk

And THAT'S what you call an opening sequence.

U_U

Rowley Birkin was ripped off a Phileas Fogg ad y'know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4WBjEXwABo

(0:30)

Got no sound on the computer here but i bet that ad's funnier than every Rowley Birkin sketch ever.

Batman -That was my number 2 show. It's really held up well - the aesthetic decision to set it in a no-man's land of time, with influences from all eras of the character, was a smart one.

That ad's pretty funny.

loooooooooooool@frasier tattoo. kinda disappointing tht each show isn't accompanied by a tattoo pic

Could probably find a Batman and a GBH. Impressed if somebody finds a Wonder Years tattoo. Impressed or depressed, anyway.

fuck haters, the Birkin sketch where he goes all sad and serious at the end is still gold

oh i'll still rep for birkin, and yep that one in partic.

42 - 120 Minutes (MTV, 1986-2000)
- 1110 points, 8 votes

http://www.paulking.nl/MTV/logo_120minutes_V12247.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkqVyeMZUIo

never liked the 'sad at the end' birkin sketch, but the one where he suddenly yelps "snake!" would still make me laugh today.

going to rep for the wonder years too. i was roughly kev arnold's age when it first ran, so it was key famiuly viewing at mine because i identified w/him, and my dad loved the music and was also hella sentimental. caught some episodes the other week by accident while staying at my brother's (he has sky) and while it was more mawkish than i'd remembered it, i do think the show was pretty good at capturing some of the confusion of adolescence. though it was a little smug about it.

I know 120 Minutes ran for the whole decade, but I never watched it post-'91. It is 80s TV in my mind.

120 mins was on (iirc) from 12-2 which was past my bedtime in HS so I used to sneak downstairs and watch it while my parents slept. <3 <3 <3 I have v fond memories of this show as a result.

I very clearly remember seeing the video for "Just like Heaven" on 120 mins when I was about 12 or 13 and thinking it was the best song I'd ever heard. I bought my first Cure CD the next day.

The first of my nominees! I started watching 120 Minutes when I lived on a Navy base in 9th grade (prolly, like, 120 minutes away from anything that might be considered civilization). So I was stranded in this weird oasis with no one else my age and living in southern Indiana and feeling like an outcast in a new school and having nothing to really connect with. I stumbled upon late night MTV programming and I remember seeing The Sundays' 'Here's Where The Story Ends' for the first time on 120 Minutes, and I was totally sold. Those early '90s years when the show was very Brit-heavy were a revelation and an amazing introduction to music I may never have discovered otherwise.

'00s poll : '90s poll :: "I really liked this show!" : "This show changed my life!!!"

Newsish sitcom about ad agency? Not Frontline? Or perhaps um... er heh.

surely everyone knows Kath and Kim? (or was that a 00's show only?)
The stuff I voted for I assume is more local: anything Sean Micallef-branded is highly recommended though.

We also have http://www.abc.net.au/iview/ however, like the BBC version I imagine its region-restricted.

Shows I recommend: Frontline, Kath and Kim, Micallef Program, Full Frontal (esp if you're interested in Eric Bana before he got a fat head). Some other stuff's too dated and localised: the Late Show, Acropolis Now, etc

Oh! Mother & Son is very good (but thats an 80s show I think?)

Disappointed Bab5 didnt get any showing but it was a niche show even at the time.

― millivanillimillenary (Trayce)

Babylon 5 wasn't even nominated. I gave it a write-in at #25 on my ballot.

Newsish sitcom about ad agency? Not Frontline? Or perhaps um... er heh.

I looked it up: 30 Seconds, it's called. On The Comedy Channel, apparently?

Oh, yeah, you lot also had Summer Heights High recently, which was pretty brilliant.

Shit I forgot B5 was a writein, sorry.

Here's how I voted, FWIW:

Brass Eye
Father Ted
Simpsons
House of Cards
I'm Alan Partridge
Day Today
Cracker
The Smell of Reeves & Mortimer
Fast Show
Royle Family
Beavis
Knowing Me Knowing You
Red Dwarf
Futurama
South park
King of the Hill
Spaced
The Adam & Joe Show
Friends
Top of the Pops
Eurotrash
Jeeves and Wooster
The Word
American Gothic
Neighbours

Do John Safran's shows ever get broadcast outside Australia?

I don't know who that is, so probably not.

Shame if so, he'd go over well in the UK i reckon.

Its curious that the US and UK each seem fairly focussed on their own countries tv and are unaware of each other's shows outside of big guns like Simpsons/Seinfeld etc... Australia otoh is inundated with tons of both. At the expense of much of our own programming, sadly. For example at the moment one channel's biggest rating show is "2 and a half men" ffs.

I think the UK is more aware of US shows than the other way round, tbh. I am basing this on a very limited demographic of me and people I talk about telly programmes with, right enough, so this may be way off.

I might be the only person on ILX who likes Two and a Half Men. It consistently brings the lols.

No, I like it too. And it's the highest rated (comedy) show in the US too, so it's not like Australian popularity is a fluke.

I dont mind it tbh :) My ffs was more the fact its always US comedies we're flooded with here. And on ABC, all the UK shows. Any of our own? Hardly. Its no wonder no one's seen any Aus TV, there isnt any! :/

I have no idea who won this since I haven't looked at the thread for several days and my laptop crashes when I try to open it up, but this was my Top 20 (I'm leaving out 21-25, which I hereby recant anyway):

1. Northern Exposure
2. My So-Called Life
3. Freaks & Geeks
4. The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
5. Seinfeld
6. The Wonder Years
7. Roseanne
8. The Simpsons
9. Caroline in the City
10. The Fresh Prince of Bell Air
11. Blossom
12. The Critic
13. King of the Hill
14. Quantum Leap
15. Twin Peaks
16. Clarissa Explains it All
17. Get a Life
18. The Adventures of Pete & Pete
19. Fraiser
20. Married… With Children

Spoiler: The Days And Nights Of Molly Dodd was the surprise winner.

Seriously, though, for the sake of your aching browser (and mine, which threatened to turf out when I loaded all messages):

100 – Home Movies (410 points, 3 votes)
99 – Tom Green/Tiny Toon Adventures/Jeeves & Wooster (410, 4)
96 – Dancing in the Streets (420, 3)
95 – Nevermind the Buzzcocks (420, 5)
94 – The Crystal Maze (420, 6)
93 – Absolutely Fabulous (430, 3)
92 – Top of the Pops (430, 5)
91 – Yo! MTV Raps (440, 4)
90 – The Drew Carey Show (450, 3)
89 – Smack the Pony (450, 5)
88 – Picket Fences (460, 4)
87 – Gamesmaster (460, 5)
86 – The Late Show with David Letterman (470, 3)
85 – Oranges are Not the Only Fruit (480, 4)
84 – Riget (490, 3)
83 – The Cops (510, 5)
82 – An Interview with Dennis Potter (540, 2)
81 – Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (540, 3)
80 – Dr. Katz (540, 5)
79 – Eastenders/Ford Super Sunday (550, 3)
77 – Saturday Night Live (550, 6)
76 – The Tick/Liquid TV (560, 5)
74 – Millenium (570, 3)
73 – Harry Enfield’s Television Programme (570, 7)
72 – Pride & Prejudice (580, 3)
71 – The Critic (610, 5)
70 – Have I Got News For You (610, 7)
69 – Fist of Fun (650, 5, 1 first place)
68 – Married with Children (660, 5)
67 – The State/Pop-Up Video (660, 6)
65 – The Royle Family (670, 7)
64 – Sports Night (690, 4)
63 – A Bit of Fry & Laurie (690, 5)
62 – Whose Line is it Anyway (UK) (700, 8)
61 – Rock Family Trees/Fishing with John (720, 5)
59 – Prime Suspect/Inspector Morse (750, 5)
57 – Our Friends in the North (760, 5)
56 – Get a Life (780, 6)
55 – Absolutely (780, 7)
54 – Law & Order (790, 8)
53 – Sifl & Olly (810, 6, 1 first)
52 – This Morning with Richard Not Judy (850, 5)
51 – The Adventures of Pete & Pete (850, 6)

50 - The House of Cards Trilogy
49 - Frasier
48 - Vic Reeves Big Night Out
47 - This Life
46 - Quantum Leap
45 - G.B.H.
44 - The Wonder Years
43 - Batman: The Animated Series
42 - 120 Minutes
41 - The Maxx
40 - Late Night with Conan O'Brien
39 - Animaniacs
38 - Freaks & Geeks
37 - Red Dwarf
36 - Oz
35 - Daria
34 - The Smell of Reeves & Mortimer
33 - Shooting Stars
32 - The Adam and Joe Show
31 - The Fresh Prince of Bell-Air
30 - Space Ghost Coast to Coast
29 - Knowing Me Knowing You... with Alan Partridge
28 - Friends
27 - Roseanne
26 - Mystery Science Theater 3000
25 – Cracker
24 – Newsradio
23 – My So-Called Life
22 – Spaced
21 – Futurama
20 – The X-Files
19 – King of the Hill
18 – Mr. Show
17 – Northern Exposure
16 – Beavis and Butt-head
15 – Ren and Stimpy
14 – The Fast Show
13 – Star Trek: The Next Generation
12 – The Larry Sanders Show
11 – Homocide: Life on the Streets
10 – The Kids in the Hall
9 – South Park
8 – The Day Today
7 – I’m Alan Partridge
6 – Brass Eye
5 – Buffy the Vampire Slayer
4 – Twin Peaks
3 – Seinfeld
2 – Father Ted
1 – The Simpsons