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