Value-oriented ’90s series had a wholesome yet entertaining quality that reached a broad range of ages. These shows provided the perfect excuse for the entire family to spend time together while watching TV.
The ’90s were the perfect time to be a kid. It was before social media and brain-melting technology. Kids were on top of the world, with the freedom and survival skills to entertain ourselves all day, every day.
Back then, kids didn’t spend their days inside. We had to stay outside and do kid things and really live. The adults spent some quality time with the TV set (most of us only had one decent TV to share).
Anyone who had a sick day at home back then remembers the daytime TV lineup that targeted adults, from game shows to soap operas. There wasn’t much for kids to watch.
Value-oriented ’90s series that appealed to the whole family made it easier and more fun for the whole family to hang together for a bit.
But as much as we were on our own during the daytime — how many people remember the 10 o’clock commercials asking parents if they knew where their kids were — we really lived wild on Friday nights.
The weekends were usually the only time most kids got TV time. Friday nights, we had value-oriented TV shows that the whole family could enjoy. TGIF! And no, we’re not talking about the GloRilla song. Ours is PG-rated — Thank God It’s Friday!
Early Saturday mornings were for sitting in front of the family room TV with a bowl of cereal and a few hours of cartoons, teen dramas, and kids’ game shows.
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Many of us don’t feel like the world is as kid-friendly, from the lack of family value-oriented TV series to the removal of cheerful colors from brands and trademarks.
Given writers’ propensity to revamp old shows rather than invent a new premise, we’ve compiled a list of value-oriented ’90s series that deserve another look decades later.
Bringing these shows back can help us bridge the gap between our tech-obsessed younger generation and the more hardcore generations who have survived several end-of-the-world disasters by now.
Value-Oriented ’90s Series – The Movement Has Begun
With the massive range of streaming services, viewers have more options to watch than ever before. Some long-standing series are still going strong, like NCIS, but other shows are getting the axe, like Blue Bloods.
While we mourn the losses of our favorites, it leaves room for new shows to occupy their time slots. But it seems like half of the series these days are reboots of old shows and movie or book adaptations.
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Many of us love the idea of reliving the nostalgia with new actors and storylines. It’s worked with some of our favorite series from decades gone by.
Amid all the gore and graphic vulgarity of current shows, it’s been great seeing some family sitcoms make a return. Some of these shows have been rebooted, picking up with the same characters years down the road.
We’ve loved catching up with old friends, like those from Boy Meets World (Girl Meets World remake), Saved by the Bell, Beverly Hills 90210 (90210 remake), Full House (Fuller House remake), Roseanne (The Conners remake), That ’70s Show (That ’90s Show remake) and Gilmore Girls.
While other remakes use the same characters but make changes to the nuance, locations, ethnicities, and locations.
So far, we’ve seen several adaptations of old shows, like Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Night Court, The Wonder Years, Magnum P.I., MacGyver, Hawaii Five-O, Charmed, Dynasty, and Lethal Weapon.
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So, with these works of a bygone era in mind, we’ve put together this list of 13 value-oriented ’90s series that deserve a second look.
Be sure you chime in with your pick in the comments. Bonus points if you give us a show we didn’t mention!
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
Before When Calls the Heart or Yellowstone dominated television, western romance fans had Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
A charming blend of medical procedural, Little House on the Prairie, and early Kevin Costner Dances with Wolves, DQMW follows the life of Dr. Michaela “Mike” Quinn.
Mike is a fancy big-city doctor from Boston who moves to a primitive western town in unsettled Colorado in the 1860s to start a business practice.
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The sexy, gloriously long-haired mountain man Byron Sully was swoon-worthy, becoming the first crush for many viewers.
And his role as an advocate for the Native American tribes in the area gave him a hero quality we’re sorely lacking in modern series.
For many viewers, DQMW was the first introduction to a blended family and adoption. Dr. Quinn went from being a single, unattached female to the unprepared guardian of three young children after their mother died unexpectedly from a rattlesnake bite.
And it inspired a generation of powerful females not afraid to fight for what’s right. Mike was always battling the wrong, like polluters, sexism, feminism, and gun control, among other topics still relevant today.
You can still watch Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, on Hallmark. But we’d love to see a revamp of the show. We could settle for a remake of the existing series, like Magnum, P.I., Hawaii Five-O, or Criminal Minds.
Or it might be an interesting twist to see the show pick up with a new generation down the road.
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Since When Calls The Heart was doing so well in the early nineteen hundred era, we could imagine a new Dr. Quinn a few decades later, perhaps at the turn of the century.
Family Matters
Every ’90s kid remembers the character Urkel, even if they never watched the Friday Night series starring everyone’s favorite nerd.
After the successes of writing scripts geared towards younger audiences in the ’80s, like The Brat Pack, TV writers tried to find similar success with short-form films.
TV execs also focused on racial demographics, creating series geared toward black audiences, like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (remade into Bel-Air), Martin, In Living Color, and Living Single.
Family Matters hit the TGIF block, giving fans a new family comedy to love. Steve Urkel is the nerdy klutz neighbor next door to the middle-working-class Winslow family.
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Steve has a massive crush on the middle daughter, Laura, who completely ignores her geek admirer. Urkel has a catastrophic accident in every episode, usually caused by his clumsiness.
“Did I do that?” became a notable phrase fans used whenever they screwed up.
Equal parts comedy and coming-of-age love story, viewers loved watching the brilliant geek get the girl. First, through his miraculous Nutty Professor transformations, he brought out the suave and sexy Steve.
And then, eventually, for the real him, suspenders, glasses, nerdy laugh, cheese obsession, klutziness, and all.
It would be interesting to see Family Matters return and pick up two decades later. It would be awesome to see Urkiel as a dad with his own genius nerdy bunch to parent. Maybe they could flip the script with a girl version this time.
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Step by Step
Step by Step was another family series airing on the prime TGIF airtime slot as the modern-day Brady Bunch.
Composed of two families that move in together after their parents get married, SBS follows the inevitable hiccups of two second-try adults and six kids as they settle into a new life.
Shows like this are prime for revamping because you can do a lot with them to fit the current television layout. Given the pattern of redoing old shows to be more inclusive and cutting edge, a series like Step by Step is a ripe apple ready to become an apple pie.
We could see it taking a more blended role, like a short-order Yours, Mine, and Ours remake, where some kids are adopted, making the show more appealing to a broader demographic of races.
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Or it could focus on a same-sex couple with a gay nanny, best friend, or cousin.
While some series remakes bring back the old cast and take up their stories years down the road, others bring the original artists back as cameos.
Sadly, Step by Step could not follow in those footsteps with head star and mother of the bunch Suzanne Somers, who passed away in October 2023.
Dawson’s Creek
During the ’90s, most series targeted a single race rather than blending their audiences. While Friends targeted the average white audience, Living Single and A Different World targeted black audiences.
In Living Color was one of the first series with a mixed cast. Without it, we might never have seen Jim Carrey’s brilliance.
Dawson’s Creek is a teenage version of Friends, starring an all-white cast of up-and-coming young actors. This coming-of-age show was part of a string of series for teenage audiences.
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However, it met with some controversy at the time for its more obscene storylines that covered mature topics from the viewpoint of adolescents.
Given the success of the rather raunchy Riverdale, coincidentally starring 90s heartthrob Luke Perry, the TV world might be ready for a coming-of-age remake of a cult classic.
Although Dawson’s Creek frequently featured teens during their most intimate personal trials, we also saw them in their family environments.
The show balanced everyday life well, and it could make a great series for the current generation.
Moesha
Moesha was another quintessential ’90s coming-of-age sitcom that showed teens in real-world situations, such as teen pregnancy, romance, friendship fallout, and high school.
The multi-talented Brandi starred as Moesha, a teenage girl trying to adjust to the demands of teen life while embracing a new stepmother.
Moesha kept a more tame script compared to other teen dramas despite covering sensitive topics. And they did it without falling into the racial cliques of other black sitcoms, following in the footsteps of shows like The Cosby Show and Sister, Sister.
Fans have been hearing of a reboot for several years now, even from Brandi herself. But we have yet to receive confirmation that it’s a go.
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The Nanny
The Nanny made waves thanks to the unique talents and voice of Fran Drescher, a brass New York gal who landed a job as a nanny to a rich British guy with three children.
When the series ended six years later, Fran and her boss, Maxwell, married and had their own children. So, The Nanny became the Wife, and the show’s prose no longer worked.
It’s been nearly 20 years since The Nanny filled our TV screens with her nasal voice, big hair, and Queens, NY, crass.
But if you’ve seen the Adam Sandler animation Hotel Transylvania, you’ll know her voice is still as loud and nasal as always. And she makes a fantastic Mrs. Frankenstein, married to the talented Kevin James.
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It might be awkward to try bringing back The Nanny with its original premise. But that doesn’t rule out an adaptation. Fran is a go for a remake.
Maybe with the storyline that one — or more — of the children have their own families and hire a nanny.
Perhaps a man this time (The Manny seemed to work on This is Us)? Fran could be the overbearing grandmother, questioning the nanny’s every decision.
Or Fran could decide to return to the job of a nanny for a new family now that all her children are adults and gone. Then again, she could be the nanny for one of her children instead.
Since Charles Shaughnessy, better known as Maxwell, doesn’t seem interested in a return, she could play as a widow.
Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and Geeks was the perfect coming-of-age teen drama series for those not in the It crowd. While Heathers showed the lives of popular kids, F&G focused on the less socially fortunate.
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Those of us that weren’t jocks or part of a clique finally felt seen with a TV series just for us. These days, the boundary lines are less set in stone on social dynamics.
The freaks and the geeks blend with the preps and the jocks in a socially balanced ecosystem.
But in the ’80s, lines were more set in stone. And if you weren’t part of the In crowd, you didn’t exist except for the amusement and torment of those more popular.
Today’s social environment makes the perfect experiment for a Freaks and Geeks remake. Life is different for teens today in many ways compared to four decades ago.
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So, the premise could be any number of ways, whether they choose to focus on the present or set it in the past, similar to That ’90s Show.
The original series featured up-and-coming stars who went on to have impressive careers and name recognition.
Stars include James Franco, Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley (Bones), Jason Segel, Seth Rogan, and Samm Levine, among others.
Blossom
Middle-aged fans of The Big Bang Theory likely recognized the brilliant brain that not only appreciated Sheldon’s quirks but loved them enough to commit her lifelong allegiance.
And if you thought you’d seen her with Sheldon’s best friend and roommate before, you’d be right! The couple had a close encounter in the ’90s when Johnny Galecki guest-starred.
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But did you know Mayim Bialik isn’t just a genius in the show but also in real life? She has a degree in neuroscience, making her as smart as a brain scientist.
Blossom hit the airways in the 90s, prime with everything we loved about the decade, from tubular language to funky flower hats.
And Blossom’s sexy older brother, Joey Lawrence, made famous the simple phrase, “Whoa!”
Tell me you didn’t just hear that in his voice.
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The storyline of a teen girl growing up in a male-dominated house with her father and two brothers is a classic storyline that could work in today’s social environment.
The possibilities are endless on how TV execs could reboot the show.
This fan would love a reunion of the original cast, maybe with Joey Lawrence at the helm as the father or a twist with Mayim as the mother raising a boy in an all-female household.
3rd Rock from the Sun
Alien obsession is something that transcends age, social class, and career. People from across the globe share a love of things, not of this planet.
Before Resident Alien became a series regular on our DVRs, older generations had alien shows like Alf and 3rd Rock from the Sun.
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The ’90s were our time of all things outer space, from Men in Black to Armageddon and Space Jam. The trend even made it to country music from the late legend Joe Diffie, whose namesake song creatively told the story of human chaos.
3rd Rock from the Sun followed a group of aliens who came to Earth, the third planet from the sun, to do reconnaissance on human customs.
They take on human form and lives, with the oldest alien becoming the teenage son. Hilarious antics occur as the aliens try to blend in as normal humans without the inhibitions and mannerisms associated with human life.
It would be great to see a remake as aliens have to try assimilating into a world that is quickly becoming more confusing by the day.
Delivery robots, drones, self-driving cars, electronic virtual assistance, and animals wearing clothes and getting catered to by humans might make it difficult to know who — or what — is in control.
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Dinosaurs
If you were around in the ’90s, you likely remember the live-action animated family sitcom about a family of working-class blue-collar dinosaurs that aired on TGIF every week.
Writers did an incredible job giving dinosaur characters human lives, down to the vanity of a teen girl, the quirks of a baby, and the Cowabunga vibes of the teen boy. Everything was so perfectly ’90s set in a prehistoric era.
Add in a loopy grandma, a stereotype ’90s mom, and a flannel-wearing blue-collar dad, and writers had gold. It was a show that was on the forefront of controversial topics not often seen at the time, like homophobia and steroids.
Anything could happen because the show had the line of the decade: “I’m the baby; you gotta love me.”
It was The Flintstones meets The Muppets with an environmental message, and fans loved it up until the final episode. Society wasn’t as soft then, so no one thought anything of the emotional trauma left behind by the show’s final episode.
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Instead of a happily ever after, the writers went metaphorical with their message on the dangers posed to the ecosystem by increased industrialization and insecticidal effects on the environment. In the end, greed took over, leading to an ecological disaster that led to the dinosaurs freezing to death.
Given the advances in technology and filming today, it would be neat to see a remake of the show made to today’s technology-obsessed world. The landscape is ripe for an entertaining family sitcom appealing to all ages.
7th Heaven
For over a decade, viewers were part of the loving, supportive, and massive and constantly expanding Camden family.
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The show got its name honestly, as a minister (Stephen Collins) and his wife juggle raising their seven-kid family while handling the various demands of their church congregation.
7H showed the struggles of a growing family with children of various ages. The oldest kids were adults with their own spouses and children.
While the youngest of the seven children were rambunctious twin toddlers with aging parents.
Like many of the series of the time, the show covered controversial topics about younger audiences.
While other shows were starting to push the boundaries of what younger characters were doing, 7th Heaven went at it with a Christian undertone.
You can’t get more value-oriented than a series devoted to a Christian family and their journeys of trying to live up to the expectations of their religion.
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In a world where everyone is out for themselves, and siblings are more often seen at war than as a family union (I’m looking at you, Yellowstone), the thesis of 7th Heaven is ripe for a reboot.
Given the controversy that recently shrouded the series after the shocking news of the show’s lead, Collins. While he was an honorable, God-fearing man on the show, in real life, he’s a pedophile.
After allegations came out amid his confessions of molesting three underage girls, he disappeared from the public eye.
It would be great to see a 7th Heaven reboot to repair the perception of the public audience after the series’ damaged reputation.
Teen Angel
Teen Angel had a short-lived spot on the air with a single-season run. While the show struck out, the plot of someone coming back from the dead is a commonly done trope.
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The series tackled the storyline from the comedic viewpoint of a teenager who died from eating a cheeseburger. He returned to Earth as his friend’s guardian angel.
We’ve seen forgotten flicks using the return from the dead theme, like Ghost Dad, Disney’s Susie Q, Ghost with Demi Moore, and The Sixth Man, starring one of the Wayan Brothers.
All generations love supernatural-themed shows, from Supernatural to iZombie, Dead Like Me to Ghosts and Stranger Things.
With recent cancellations of shows like Not Dead Yet and The Winchesters, viewers are desperate for a supernatural series targeting teens and young adults.
California Dreams
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California Dreams was a less successful series than its inspiration, Saved by the Bell, and is all but forgotten by most audiences.
But it has the makings of a perfect reboot for today’s culture. Long before there was High School Musical or Glee, California Dreams combined several key factors to get an ethnically diverse cast of California teenagers to form a band while navigating the perils of teenage years.
It was one of the first teen series to show a mixed group of friends, with everything we loved about the ’90s, from funky colors to bitchin’ wardrobes.
It could be the perfect playground to update for today’s market. We lack a wholesome, coming-of-age, music-focused series suitable to watch with our younger children.
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Touched by an Angel
Y2K brought about many changes in television, with the industry moving away from wholesome, clean scripts to cater to audiences with fewer moral restrictions and emotional sensitivities.
But before we had South Park and Sex in the City, fans adored works of more value-oriented fiction like Touched by an Angel.
Touched by an Angel was a series with a talented cast of stars portraying angels sent to Earth to assist humans with their problems.
Each episode tore at the heart, leaving us in emotional upheaval as Monica bumbled her way through helping save souls from condemnation so they could earn a spot in Heaven.
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The series’s storytelling approach meant we got many guest stars early in their careers, as well as regulars like the great Della Reese, Roma Downey, John Dye, and Valerie Bertinelli.
With all the vulgar shows and sad news we’re exposed to daily, it would be refreshing to see a reminder of the good side of humanity with a modern approach.
Alf
Alf became a popular series in the ’80s, making its final run in 1990. As a five-year-old, I became obsessed, collecting all the memorabilia.
Now that I’m grown, the classic is still as good as I remember. Except I understand it on a different level now.
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The best family shows have something for everyone. And a cat-eating alien with a heavy dose of sarcasm and a brutal honesty about the stupidity of humans has elements that appeal to adults.
Most days, I feel like Alf, reincarnated, minus the consumption of cats. I’m all for a good dog though — hot dog that is.
And of course kids love a talking puppet that makes the most adorable stuffy to snuggle. Even if he is a bit weird looking with all those wrinkles. Does he remind anyone else of a Shar Pei dog?
Which Value-Oriented ’90s Series Do You Want Rebooted?
We’ve discussed our favorite value-oriented ’90s series and what we’d like to see done with them. Now it’s our turn to listen to your favorite former series and why you’d like it remade to fit today’s narrative. Who would you cast in your series remake?
Leave your thoughts in the comments! And be sure you’re following TV Fanatic, in case our childhood dreams come true, and we get a ’90s series redo.
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