10 Longest-Running ’90s Sitcoms, Ranked
Great sitcoms were the bread and butter of the 1990s. There were endless choices for families and adults, and it was tough just settling on a network back in the day. The humor wasn’t always high-brow, but many of the characters are unforgettable and still have redeeming qualities.
As time goes by, the definition of “vintage” expands to include more decades, and now arguably includes things from the ’90s— an era when, if a show was a hit, it was more or less guaranteed to last for close to a decade or more, something we just don’t see happen that often anymore.
The Drew Carey Show (9 Seasons)
The Drew Carey Show was on ABC from 1995 to 2004. It was a workplace comedy starring the comedian— best known these days as the current host of The Price is Right— as a fictionalized version of himself toiling away in the office of a Cleveland department store. In later seasons, he and his friends also have a side hustle selling caffeinated beer out of his garage.
Roseanne (9 Seasons)
The rawest sitcom mom of the 1990s was undoubtedly Roseanne Barr, star and co-creator of the sitcom that beared her name. It centered around the Conners, a working-class family trying to get by with what they’ve got. Not counting the recent reboot or its spin-off, the original show ran from ’88 to ’97. Despite Roseanne herself being a controversial figure in recent years, the original sitcom is still rightfully beloved.
Family Matters (9 Seasons)
Steve Urkel is a poster boy for ’90s pop culture, and fans are still enjoying his antics to this day. Urkel was never meant to be the center of Family Matters (1989 to 1998), but he quite literally stole the show.
The Winslow family goes through some changes through the years as they teach some important life lessons, like loving one’s neighbor and standing up for justice. It is critical that fans understand the legacy of African American casts in any time period, and Family Matters was an important piece of the TGIF lineup.
Friends (10 Seasons)
Friends will always be a bedrock of the 1990s television landscape. The show is by no means perfect, but it has a special place in the hearts of those who were there when it was happening. The adventures of six friends living beyond their means in New York City are just what a sitcom fan needs, and the show remains so popular that Netflix paid exorbitant amounts of money to keep it on the service as long as it could.
Murphy Brown (10 Seasons)
Candace Bergen is Murphy Brown, a career-driven television journalist and recovering alcoholic in the sitcom of the same name. Brown’s job in Washington, D.C. is her world, and the show is built on her interactions with the team of her news show, especially her pal/competitor, Frank Fontana. The series was briefly revived in 2018, but the reboot was poorly-received and didn’t last long.
