The Best ‘90s Sitcoms That Weren’t ‘Seinfeld’ or ‘Friends’
You’ve binged Seinfeld and Friends over and over again and as funny as they are, they just don’t hit the same on the twelfth watch. A since-deleted Redittor hit up u/sitcoms this week to put it to funny TV fans: “Not every 90s sitcom was Friends or Seinfeld. Did you have a favorite that you still defend today?” The post came complete with a photo montage of ‘90s sitcom promo art, including hits NewsRadio, Just Shoot Me!, Ned and Stacey, Living Single, Coach, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Spin City, the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and Wings. Only a few of these show, however, made the decade’s top choices, based on upvotes from the sitcom intelligentsia. (Note: Redditor spelling and punctuation are left intact below.)
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The Drew Carey Show
u/OShaunesssy’s nomination of The Drew Carey Show got the most individual votes of any 90s sitcom. “I loved this show, especially how creative it got,” said u/TrunkWine. “Unfortunately the last two seasons weren’t very good.”
u/agentsparkles88 shared this favorite Drew Carey memory for the holidays: “Maybe it's just because it's Christmas Eve, but I remember that speech Mimi gave about the virgin Mary. ‘I think she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Ugly virgin: no big deal. Pretty virgin: we're still talking about it today.’"
NewsRadio
Between individual nominations and inclusion in group lists, NewsRadio generated plenty of love. In fact, “I would rank Newsradio as the best sitcom of the 90s,” wrote u/DRZARNAK.
“News Radio might be the most underrated sitcom of the 90s,” offered u/Emotional_Ad5714, with several Redditors sharing their love for series star Phil Hartman. “If you choose any other than the Phil Hartman seasons of NewsRadio you are wrong, just wrong and you clearly haven't watched them,” said u/DrFrankSaysAgain.
Frasier
The rebooted sitcom still has legions of fans for its original incarnation. “Frasier is almost as good as you’re getting with a 90s sitcom, and it’s light years better than most of the shows in the image,” argued u/Broadnerd.
Other Redditors also had an issue with Frasier not being included in the original post’s photo montage. “Why isn’t Frasier even listed lol?” boggled u/whitelightning91. “I assume cuz its inclusion wouldn’t offer much discussion considering the sentiment would be a landslide decision.”
Mad About You
The Paul Reiser/Helen Hunt vehicle still has fans out there thanks to the actors’ chemistry. “My 10 yr old self had no business being so invested in that grown up show,” confesses u/Kweeenhunni. “I also believed they had to be a couple in real life cos something about them together didn’t all feel like acting.”
“Yeah, when I was younger I remember thinking they were the benchmark for what a couple should be,” agreed u/reddit_userMN. “Now I'm a little older than they were then so I wonder how it would sit.”
Most Controversial: Ned and Stacey
Through no fault of its own, moderate hit Ned and Stacey took some abuse simply by being included in the original post as one of the decade’s greats. “Ned & Stacey? Seriously?” asked u/whitelightning91.
“I vaguely remember Ned and Stacey,” said u/Pristine_Bar_1574. “I think that show was somehow on for more than one season. Not sure why. Or how for that matter.”
“Tf is Ned and Stacy? I remember the title kind of but I want to watch it now out of curiosity,” said u/metalmolly.
But the show also had its defenders. “I loved Ned and Stacy,” said u/Sly3n. “It was a great show until the lead writer left. Much better than Will and Grace.”
