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THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021 • THE BULLETIN COVER STORY GO! MAGAZINE • PAGE 21 Where to stream your favorite ’90s shows BY MAKENZIE WHITTLE • The Bulletin W e may be in the platinum age of television with prestige dramas and incomparable comedies airing mostly on premium cable channels or directly onto streaming platforms, but the 1990s brought some unforgettable sitcoms and a few out-there dramas that are still relevant or regarded as the best of the best. Here are just a few of those must-see shows from the ‘90s and where you can watch them now. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997-2003) — This is still one of the best supernatu- ral-based shows that has ever aired. Follow- ing Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) through the horrors of high school as well as the horrors of living on top of a Hell- mouth, it is her destiny to save humanity from anything that comes out of it. Series creator Joss Whedon threw out just about every kind of story he could and managed to do it in such a way that still resonates. From a musical episode to one with no dia- logue whatsoever, the show pushes bound- aries while still slaying. Stream it on Hulu or Amazon Prime. “Dinosaurs” (1991-94) — The puppet (or Muppet as Jim Henson Productions was one of the production companies behind it) led sitcom centered around the Sinclair family, five dinosaurs living about 60 million years before the common era on Pangea. The show was way ahead of its time focusing on incredibly topical issues including civil and women’s rights, environmentalism, paci- fism, drug abuse and peer pressure, but it was all done with the help of seriously funny writing and under layers of foam controlled by expert puppeteers. Stream on Disney Plus starting Jan. 29. “Friends” (1994-2004) — Quite possibly the most-watched and most beloved sitcom to come out of the ‘90s along with “Seinfeld.” Launching the careers of everyone in the cast, especially Jennifer Aniston, the show may be seen as pretty problematic and unre- Lynch/Frost Productions/ Worldvision Enterprises Michael Ontkean, left, and Kyle MacLachlan in a scene from “Twin Peaks” (1990-91). alistic now (how did they afford that apart- ment?!), it’s still nice to cozy up and remem- ber that in the end, your friends are always there for you. Stream it on HBO Max. “Living Single” (1993-98) — Basically “Friends,” but this one has an all-Black cast and how they navigate single life in the city, and this one came first. Starring Queen Latifah, Kim Coles, Erika Alexander and Kim Fields as four roommates in a Brook- lyn brownstone and the two men who lived in the other apartment Overton and Kyle (John Henton and T.C. Carson), its fin- gerprints can be found in everything from “Friends” to most recently with “Insecure.” Stream it on Hulu. “Mad About You” (1992-2019) — Yes, the series came back for a limited run on Spec- trum a couple of years ago but nothing beats the original seven-season run of the Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser-led sitcom. Another New York-based show but this one centers around a married couple and their own ec- centricities and tribulations. Some of their constant bickerings can get a little old but they always seemed to make it work and that is kind of comforting. Stream the origi- nal series on Amazon Prime “Saved By the Bell” (1989-92) — Check out the kids at Bayside High as they navi- gate all the joys and hardships of high school but solve all their problems within 22 min- utes. It was never high-class television and it shouldn’t be viewed through that lens. It isn’t groundbreaking or revolutionary but it is still a fun look into ‘90s nostalgia. For more, check out the new series featuring the orig- inal cast streaming on Peacock. Stream the original series on Amazon and Hulu. “Seinfeld” (1989-98) — The show about nothing found its way into the living rooms of most Americans at some point during its tenure. Four single friends (Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards) navigate New York City through misadventures and other hilarious situations. The writing is impeccable and though some of it doesn’t quite hold up any more, it’s still great to revisit. Stream it on Hulu. “Twin Peaks” (1990-91) — For just 30 episodes, series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost kept the world guessing as to who (or as it turned out what) killed home- coming queen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee). The show is just as weird as it was the day it was released and even more remarkable that a network would air something like Twin Peaks for as long as it did. If you get to the end and are let down by the cliff hanger, check out the subsequent prequel film “Fire Walk With Me” and recent revival series “Twin Peaks: The Return” for more answers and a few more questions. Stream it on Net- flix, Hulu or CBS All Access. e e Reporter: 541-383-0304, mwhittle@bendbulletin.com