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FALL 2019 TV SURVEY: 20 TV Shows That Defined the 1990s

For Rotten Tomatoes’ annual Fall TV Survey, we asked thousands of our users what they’re most looking forward to in the coming TV season and to reflect on the best shows from seasons past.

They’ll be there for you — unless you’re assembling a giant TV survey, in which case Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer are nowhere to be found! (That joke has never been made before.)

Friends celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, so we couldn’t help but give a little cheer when you voted the comedy as the defining series of the 1990s. The cast also took top spot in our list of stars who ruled the decade.

The series won 64% of your vote. Seinfeld came in second with 51%, then The X-Files with 50%, ER came in fourth with 47%, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer took 44%.

The show’s cast nabbed 32% of the vote when we asked which star ruled the decade, followed by Jerry Seinfeld with 17%, Will Smith with 10%, the ER cast with 7%, and the Beverly Hills, 90210 cast came in fifth with 6%.

Disagree with the survey results? Tell us in the comments who you think should have made the list or have been ranked higher.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
89%

#20

Synopsis: A new crew boards a revamped USS Enterprise in the first spin-off from the '60s cult classic.... [More]

Starring: Robert Wiemer, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton

Directed By: Richard A. Colla, Gabrielle Beaumont, Russ Mayberry, David Livingston

Will & Grace (1998)

#19

Synopsis: Snappy hit about a straight woman and a gay man who are best friends.... [More]

Starring: Eric McCormack, Roy Fegan, Miguel Ferrer, David Sutcliffe

South Park (1997)
81%

#18

Synopsis: An animated adult series about foul-mouthed primary school children living in a Colorado town. Rude, crude and seriously funny, it... [More]

Starring: Matt Stone, Radiohead, Trey Parker, Natasha Henstridge

Directed By: Matt Stone, Ryan Quincy, Jack Shih, Jenny Yu

Baywatch (1989)

#17

Synopsis: Bouncy babes and sculpted hunks posed as L.A.'s finest lifeguards in this wildly popular series that was eye candy for... [More]

Starring: Jenny McCarthy, Christine Elise, Daniel Quinn, Robert Gavin

Directed By: Alan Myerson, Rick Jacobson, Georg Fenady, Michael Preece

Full House (1987)

#16

Synopsis: Comedian Bob Saget stars in this heartfelt comedy series as Danny Tanner, the widowed father of three young and rambunctious... [More]

Starring: Kristi Sommers, Israel Wirihana, Troy Zuccoloto, Bob Parlow

Directed By: Steve Zuckerman, Jack Shea, Tom Rickard, Joel Zwick

Saturday Night Live (1975)

#15

Synopsis: A variety show packed with some Emmy-winning satire for laughs.... [More]

Starring: Brandon Tartikoff, Megan Mullally, Betty Thomas, Colin Firth

Directed By: Dave Wilson, Beth McCarthy, Dave Wilson, Robert Altman

Ally McBeal (1997)
61%

#14

Synopsis: A quirky show about a wistfully idealistic lawyer and her chaotic life at a Boston firm. The Emmy-winning David E.... [More]

Starring: Jennifer Rhodes, Calista Flockhart, Tony Shalhoub, Greg Germann

Directed By: Billy Dickson, Ron Logomarsino, James Frawley, Ben Lewin

Roseanne (1988)
76%

#13

Synopsis: A loving but imperfect working-class family led by its `domestic goddess' mother was the basis of this classic, long-running sitcom.... [More]

Starring: Bruce Willis, Edward Asner, Tony Curtis, Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly

Directed By: Mark K. Samuels, Ellen Falcon, John Pasquin, John Whitesell

Home Improvement (1991)

#12

Synopsis: Comedy tale of Tim a family man and the show revolves about fix-it-up missions, hardware garages and similarly.... [More]

Starring: Tim Allen, Patricia Richardson, Roland Kickinger, Stephanie Dunnam

Directed By: Richard Karn, Tim Allen, Peter Bonerz, John Pasquin

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990)

#11

Synopsis: Teenage Will moves from the tough streets of West Philadelphia to a posh mansion in Bel-Air, California.... [More]

Starring: Jim Fyfe, William Cort, Rene Jones, Tanya Moore

Directed By: Werner Walian, Rita Rogers Blye, Chuck Vinson, Gil Michael Peters

Everybody Loves Raymond (1996)

#10

Synopsis: Ray Romano hit the sitcom stratosphere with this gem based on his stand-up routine. It's about a Long Island sportswriter... [More]

Starring: Ray Romano, Tug McGraw, Patricia Heaton, Art Shamsky

Directed By: Jeff Melman, Joyce Gitlin, Rod Daniel, John Fortenberry

Married...With Children (1987)

#9

Synopsis: This lowbrow hit about the Bundys, TV's first family of raunch, made the new Fox network a player. The long-running... [More]

Starring: Lora Zane, Victor DiMattia, Dan Frishman, Nick DeMauro

Directed By: Katherine Green, Arlando Smith, Sam W. Orender, Tony Singletary

Frasier (1993)
93%

#8

Synopsis: Brilliant 'Cheers' spin-off in which psychiatrist Frasier Crane returns to his native Seattle, where he hosts a call-in radio show... [More]

Starring: Philippe Durand, Wolfgang Puck, John Cusack, M. Emmet Walsh

Directed By: Stuart Ross, Joyce Gitlin, Robert H. Egan, Rick Beren

The Simpsons (1989)
85%

#7

Synopsis: Matt Groening's subversive, animated satire about Springfield's hapless first family became a cult favorite when it premiered on Fox in... [More]

Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Jack La Lanne, Deb Lacusta, Maggie Roswell

Directed By: Wesley M. Archer, Ken Keeler, John Swartzwelder, Guillermo del Toro

Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990)

#6

Synopsis: The trendy, long-running drama about pretty kids with ugly problems followed a pack of Gen-Xers from high school to post-collegiate... [More]

Starring: Shannen Doherty, Jason Priestley, Ian Ziering, Randy Spelling

Directed By: Burt Brinckerhoff, Charles Braverman, Paul Lazarus, Catlin Adams

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)
82%

#5

Synopsis: A cheerleader is chosen to battle the forces of evil as she weathers the storms of young adulthood in an... [More]

Starring: Kaarina Aufranc, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Camden Toy, Nicholas Brendon

Directed By: Bruce Seth Green, James Grossman, James Whitmore Jr., Stephen Cragg

ER (1994)

#4

Synopsis: The multiple Emmy Award-winning ER explores the inner workings of an urban teaching hospital and the critical issues faced by... [More]

Starring: Goran Visjinc, Anthony Edwards, Peter Dennis, Eriq La Salle

Directed By: Christopher Misiano, Donna Deitch, Nelson McCormick, Jack Orman

The X-Files (1993)
75%

#3

Synopsis: 'The truth is out there,' and FBI agents Scully and Mulder seek it in this sci-fi phenomenon about their quest... [More]

Starring: David Duchovny, Lucy Lawless, Gillian Anderson, Peter White

Directed By: Thomas J. Wright, James Whitmore Jr., Ron Hardy, Harry S. Longstreet

Seinfeld (1989)
88%

#2

Synopsis: The landmark Jerry Seinfeld-Larry David creation about four neurotic New Yorkers was ostensibly about nothing, but of course was uniquely... [More]

Starring: Susan Walters, Andy Ackerman, Alison Armitage, Philip Baker Hall

Directed By: Jason Alexander, David Trainer, David Steinberg, Andy Ackerman

Friends (0)
78%

#1

Synopsis: One of television's top-ranked series and the recipient of numerous Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations, "Friends" is a... [More]

Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Jon Favreau, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow

Directed By: David Schwimmer, Ben Weiss, Sam Simon, Michael Lembeck

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