1. The Dance Moves
Between Carlton Banks, unexpected breakout choreography, and Elaine Benes' "little kicks," it wasn't "unusual" for anyone to bust a move that you know you'd ALSO be doing around the water cooler the morning after.
2. The Legendary Hangouts
The food looked more appetizing, the friends were having ALL the fun, and all the parties were far grander at places like The Max, Central Perk, and The Peach Pit – right?!
3. Unexplainably Large Extended Families
While YOU were at home tuning in with mom and/or dad, for some reason every other family tree you got excited to see on the screen had a kajillion extra limbs growing. And then you went to bed glad that you didn't have to wait to brush your teeth after your step-uncle, or something.
4. Cartoons That May Not Have Actually Been OK for Us
Cartoon creators were sly, smart, and on our side throughout the '90s, creating shows that were strange and subversive instead of trying to teach lessons. Raise your hand if you had to sneak downstairs just to get a peek of Ren and Stimpy at least once...
5. Funny Ladies Turning New Pop Culture Pages
Women like Ellen DeGeneres, Brett Butler, Margaret Cho, and Roseanne Barr were ratings juggernauts for their networks – and all on behalf of being honest, earnest, and showcasing new social convention through their shows. Ellen's character famously came out of the closet – a turning point for TV in general – and Roseanne was a verbal and whip smart champion for the working class.
6. Wading In War
The advent of 24-hour news managed to revamp how the military interacted with the press – protectedly, and constantly. Desert Storm was fought in as close to live time as possible with stories carefully crafted before reaching the public with General Schwarzkopf becoming its face as he delivered such frequent updates.
7. A New Generation of "Spell"-binding Drama
Aaron Spelling found massive success in previous decades catering specifically to adults, but when his demographic shifted slightly downwards, his stock absolutely exploded. Viewers were glued to the sagas of Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place for nearly the entirety of the decade, from every graduation ceremony to near-fatal fire, and all the twists between.
8. Iconic Basketball Bands of Brothers
For some reason, hardwood heroes will never be as revered as they were in the '90s — and crazily, on all levels of play possible — college (The Fab Five), professional (the Chi-Town dynasty anyone?), and the entire globe (all hail The Dream Team).
9. Solid GOLD
Regardless of season, the '90s were the pinnacle of competitive angst, trial, and triumph — turning these rounds of sport into global sensations we simply couldn't stop watching or talking about.
10. Romantic Roller Coasters
Heartbeats alone could have kept our televisions powered as we witnessed the perpetually blossoming romances of the likes of Ross & Rachel or Topanga & Cory; and later on, the crazy triangles of Joey/Dawson/Pacey, or Ben/Noel/Felicity.
11. Spacing Out
Sometimes in order to escape the harsh reality of the world's changing history, you have to use TV devices and characters to question it (The X-Files) or see the qualities of a typical "quaint" small town through a MOST surreal lens (Twin Peaks). We stayed totally stuck on these shows through their traditional moments (like Mulder and Scully's New Year's smooch) and serious twists (like The Red Room).
12. Seven Strangers and Sirens
Who needs scripts? Just sheer energy. Your favorite reality series wouldn't be in its 8th season or globally franchised by now if it weren't for these two TV cornerstones that shattered conventional production and proved how truly efficient AND addictive it is to create reality-based narratives.
13. Sports Stars Spiraling Out of Control
We'll never know why these superstar athletes' screws became so loose, but we do know that we couldn't have kept relentlessly trying to figure it out without the aid of such continuous television coverage.
14. The New (Nonstop) News Cycle
With cable subscriptions surging nationwide, and associated ad dollars poured in, networks like CNN could afford to keep the lights on — and therefore continuously update citizens to stunning detail like never before.
15. The Chiller-in-Chief
