The 14 Best Shows Set in the 1990s
For many of us, the 90s don’t feel that far away, at least not far away enough to justify turning the decade into a setting. And yet, the decade was over almost 30 years ago; you probably have coworkers that were born after 1999. While that alone is a harrowing prospect, it also means there are plenty of shows set in the decade.
So we’ve gathered the best of the bunch for your viewing pleasure. Some revisit teenage life, while others explore crime, the AIDS crisis, or any kind of serious ordeal that happened at the time. These shows provide very different reasons to revisit the final decade of the twentieth century.
Derry Girls
Set in 1990s Northern Ireland during the final years of the Troubles, Derry Girls follows a group of teenagers navigating Catholic school, family, friendship, and political turmoil. Its hilarious characters and distinctive setting made it an international favorite.
Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets alternates between the present and 1996, when a high-school girls’ soccer team becomes stranded after a plane crash. The mystery surrounding their survival gives the series its unsettling combination of psychological drama, horror, and 1990s nostalgia.
Wu-Tang: An American Saga
Set in early-1990s New York during the crack cocaine epidemic, Wu-Tang: An American Saga dramatizes the formation of the Wu-Tang Clan. The series follows Bobby Diggs, later known as RZA, as music offers an alternative to crime.
My Mad Fat Diary
Set in mid-1990s Lincolnshire, My Mad Fat Diary follows music-obsessed teenager Rae Earl as she attempts to rebuild her life and friendships. Its period soundtrack and painfully honest approach to adolescence give the comedy-drama lasting appeal.
Everything Sucks!
Everything Sucks! takes place at an Oregon high school in 1996, following students in the A/V and drama clubs. The short-lived comedy-drama uses camcorders, VHS tapes, and teenage awkwardness to recreate a distinctly mid-1990s atmosphere.
Fresh Off the Boat
Fresh Off the Boat begins in 1995 and follows the Huang family after moving from Washington, D.C., to suburban Orlando. The sitcom combines family comedy with 1990s American culture and Eddie Huang’s obsession with hip-hop.
Cruel Summer
The first season of Cruel Summer moves between 1993, 1994, and 1995 as two Texas teenagers become connected to a kidnapping mystery. Its shifting perspectives make the 1990s setting essential to its unfolding story.
High School
Inspired by Tegan and Sara Quin’s memoir, High School follows the future musicians during their teenage years in the 1990s. The coming-of-age drama focuses on identity, family, sexuality, and the sisters’ developing relationship with music.
Dopesick
Dopesick examines the origins and consequences of the American opioid crisis, with crucial storylines beginning during the 1990s. The drama explores Purdue Pharma’s marketing of OxyContin and the devastating effects of opioid addiction on communities.
City on a Hill
City on a Hill begins in early-1990s Boston, combining fictional characters with the city’s real history of corruption and crime. Kevin Bacon and Aldis Hodge anchor a crime drama shaped by the political tensions of the era.
That ’90s Show
Set in 1995, That ’90s Show returns to Point Place, Wisconsin, where Eric and Donna’s daughter Leia spends the summer with her grandparents. The sitcom introduces a new generation while filling its world with unmistakable mid-1990s references.
American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson
Set in the mid-1990s, this dramatization follows the murder trial of O. J. Simpson and the enormous media spectacle surrounding it. The series examines celebrity, race, policing, and television through one of America’s defining trials.
The Looming Tower
The Looming Tower examines the growing threat posed by Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda during the late 1990s. Its dramatization focuses on tensions between the FBI and CIA while tracing events that would ultimately lead toward September 11.
The Crown
Later seasons of The Crown move into the 1990s and dramatize major events involving Britain’s royal family, including Charles and Diana’s collapsing marriage. The decade becomes increasingly important as the monarchy confronts scandal and modernization.