The 12 Best '90s Kids Shows Everyone Should Watch At Least Once
Even if they didn't have the world of choices in front of them that kids today have, Xennials and Millennials had something special the younger generations don't: The shared experience of coming home from school every day to watch whatever happened to be playing on the local channels, or if they were lucky, on cable TV. And if a friend missed out on it the first time, they could certainly pick it up in the 1990s rerun paradise known as syndication.
Although full of corny puns and without the benefit of quality CGI and high-budget effects, live-action kids shows from the 1990s were colorful, captivating, and completely over-the-top in all of the best ways. For anyone who missed out on this golden era of after-school television, many of these throwback series are still lurking on streaming platforms if not in the nostalgic corners of YouTube where you find the kind of forgotten kids' shows that deserve their own movie universe but never got the chance.
Whether you were born in the wrong era, you've run out of shows to watch, or your soul just longs for a simpler time, these shows represent a literal treasure trove of kidventures just waiting to be rediscovered. Grab a case of Snapple and some Fruit by the Foot and settle in to the best live-action kids shows of the 1990s.
Goosebumps
"Goosebumps" was the 1990s preteen book series that even the kids who didn't like reading loved. Much like the book series it was based on, "Goosebumps" offered a spooky, easily digestible anthology with a fresh kid-spooky story in each episode. Although not every episode is a direct adaptation from the tween novel series, quite a few are, with some stories spanning two episodes.
Never graphic or overly frightening, each story has the same kind of fear factor as urban legends and not-too-spicy creepypasta. The spooky vibes come from the types of psychological horrors that tend to freak kids out, with plots from the best "Goosebumps" episodes revolving around subjects like Slappy the evil ventriloquist dummy, lurking spirits, and a cursed mask. Many of the episodes feature a twist or reversal, kind of like a cornier, kid-friendly version of "The Twilight Zone." And as far as 1990s kids' shows go, the production and special effects were pretty decent for the time — not to mention a whole load of fun. It may have been a little on the cheesy side, but it was the perfect fit for pint-sized horror fans.
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Elizabeth Saunders, Jonathan Whittaker
Creator: R. L. Stine
Years: 1995 – 1998
Rating: TV-Y7
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Kids who loved "Goosebumps" would have invariably also loved "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" on Nickelodeon. Although it first aired several years before "Goosebumps" came out, the series remained on the air for years, including a couple of revivals. The series is anchored in a framing device revolving around a group of horror-loving teens called "The Midnight Society." For each episode, the kids gather at their secret meeting place in the woods to share a different spooky story.
Most of the tales are creepy, suspenseful, and supernatural or paranormal in some way, with some clearly drawing inspiration from urban legends or fairy tales. One tale centers around a jacket cursed by the spirit of a dead aunt who possesses its wearer. Another deals with a pair of glasses that give their wearer visions of faceless beings from an alternate dimension. The content tends to run a little darker and a little more behind-the-sofa horror than "Goosebumps," a fact the show's fans love it for — not to mention a reason the show had its share of grown-ups who couldn't wait to tune in each week.
Starring: Ross Hull, Jodie Resther, Daniel DeSanto
Creators: D. J. MacHale, Ned Kandel
Years: 1990 – 1996, 1999 – 2000, 2019 – 2022
Rating: TV-Y7
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82% Popcornmeter
Saved by the Bell
Set in the Palisades' Bayside High School, "Saved By the Bell" was quite possibly the most '90s kids show to ever '90s. The series revolves around schoolmates Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani Thiessen), Samuel "Screech" Powers (Dustin Diamond), A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez), Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies), and Jessie Spano (Elizabeth Berkley). Aside from the seemingly endless stream of experiential class projects that include everything from mock weddings to teenage entrepreneurship, the kids spend their days at Bayside preoccupied with dating, prank wars, and certified scoundrel Zack's nonstop scheming.
And that's to say nothing of the dancing — school dances, dance parties, dance contests, and dance performances. Dancing even features into the absolutely bonkers Very Special Episode "Jessie's Song," which pits "Saved By the Bell" against "Dinosaurs" as one of the weirdest anti-drug episodes ever made. While the series bears little in common with the actual high school experience of most '90s teens, it served as some of the best escapism a kid of that era could indulge in.
Starring: Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez, Dustin Diamond
Creator: Sam Bobrick
Years: 1989 – 1993
Rating: TV-G
Eerie, Indiana
"Eerie, Indiana" was one of the most delightfully weird kids' shows to air in the 1990s. A deeply quirky horror sci-fi show that will feel eerily (pun intended) familiar to fans of "Welcome to Night Vale," the series is set in the small town of Eerie, Indiana — a community where everything paranormal, supernatural, and just generally weird seems to exist all at once. In this world, Tupperware that keeps food — and anything (or anyone) else — that gets put in it fresh for decades. A brainwashing school nurse, a dental retainer that grants its wearer the ability to read dogs' minds, aliens, ghosts, and an unhinged tornado hunter are all just par for the course in this oddball community.
Funny, weird, well-written, and way ahead of its time, "Eerie, Indiana" is a cult classic series fans of sci-fi and horror will still appreciate today. As one fan put it on IMDb, "If all television was as good as this we'd be living in much happier times."
Starring: Omri Katz, Justin Shenkarow, Mary-Margaret Humes
Creators: José Rivera, Karl Schaefer
Years: 1991 – 1993
Rating: TV-Y7
Clarissa Explains it All
"Clarissa Explains It All" was one of the OG Nickelodeon teen sitcoms. Starring a very young Melissa Joan Hart as the titular Clarissa Darling, who frequently addresses the audience to "explain" her life, the series is a throwback to that time in every young person's life when everything from clothing choices to minor tiffs with friends seem bigger and more momentous than they are.
Clarissa's life is that of a typical teen with experiences and firsts many teens go through: A first training bra, conflicts with a school bully, parent problems, and the like. Hart is charming and funny as the spunky Clarissa — not to mention an absolute 1990s teen fashionista. Decades later, it's still one of the best shows ever to air on Nickelodeon, with many fans who watched the show reflecting warmly on their youthful admiration for Clarissa.
Starring: Melissa Joan Hart, Joe O'Connor, Elizabeth Hess
Creator: Mitchell Kriegman
Years: 1991 – 1994
Rating: TV-Y
Rotten Tomatoes Score: n/a
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
After graduating from the melodramas of early teendom in "Clarissa Explains it All," Melissa Joan Hart went on to forge a path for great '90s witches like the Halliwell Sisters of "Charmed" and Willow Rosenberg of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in her own role as Sabrina Spellman. Adapted from the Archie Comics, "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" is a lighthearted series in the spirit of "Bewitched" about a young woman who comes into her witchy powers on her 16th birthday.
Sabrina lives in Massachusetts with her talking cat Salem (voiced by Nick Bakay) and her two aunts, 600-year-old witches Zelda (Beth Broderick) and Hilda (Caroline Rhea). Most fans prefer her high school adventures to the later college years and recommend ending with the fourth season when they say the show's magic starts to wane.
Starring: Melissa Joan Hart, Caroline Rhea, Beth Broderick
Creator: Nell Scovell
Years: 1996 – 2003
Rating: TV-G
Beakman's World
An educational kids' show based on the comic strip "You Can With Beakman and Jax," "Beakman's World" is a wild series about a wacky but affable "mad" scientist named Beakman (Paul Zaloom) who spends his days indulging in fascinating science experiments. Supported by Beakman's nightmare fuel lab rat and a rotating crew of female assistants, the show is part sketch comedy, part science class, all weirdness.
The series features lots of running gags and absurdist elements but somehow manages to be laced with science information on a wide range of topics like magnets, weather, volcanoes, and zoology. Described on Reddit by one former '90s kid as "like Bill Nye on acid," the series helped instill a deep and abiding love for science in a whole generation of kids who watched the show every Saturday morning.
Starring: Paul Zaloom, Alanna Ubach, Eliza Schneider
Creator: Jok Church
Years: 1992 – 1997
Rating: TV-Y7
Rotten Tomatoes Score: n/a
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
It's difficult to articulate just how massive a franchise "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" was when it came out. Kids were Pokemon levels of obsessed with the unhinged superhero series. If you missed out on the fandom the first go around, the more important thing to know about the original "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" series is that it's not just a typical superhero tale. Instead, it's an over-the-top science fantasy about intergalactic warlords, alien sorceresses, and giant robots making lots of bold fashion choices while menacing everyone.
Set in the town of Angel Grove, California, the series follows five spunky teens who were chosen by the eons-old Zordon to defend the Earth from Rita Repulsa, an alien sorceress who plans to conquer the planet with the help of her minions. To this end, Zordon grants them the ability to transform into the Power Rangers, a powerful team of superheroes armed with some of the dopest weapons this side of Saturn. What follows is an absolute fever dream that will make you feel like someone laced your Juicy Juice — and you'll love every minute of it.
Starring: Austin St. John, Walter Emanuel Jones, Amy Jo Johnson
Creator: Haim Saban, Shuki Levy
Years: 1993 – 1995
Rating: TV-G
Bill Nye the Science Guy
Quite possibly the best science educator of the 1990s, Bill Nye has always had a gift for translating complex ideas into understandable concepts — which is why his series has been shown in many classrooms since it first aired. In each episode of "Bill Nye the Science Guy," Nye would tackle a different concept through the lens of scientific curiosity. One of the things that made this show so important was Nye's emphasis on testing hypotheses and observational science, concepts that many kids today aren't getting enough of.
Whether he is educating viewers about pollution or teaching biology, Nye never dumbs down his concepts for kids, nor does he rely too much on gimmicks to get his point across. His emphasis on intellectual curiosity helped bring STEM concepts alive for many '90s kids — and not just the young ones. IMDb's review page is full of comments from fans who rather fondly recall singing along to the iconic "Bill Nye the Science Guy" theme song in high school and absolutely loving every moment of it.
Starring: Bill Nye, Chais Dean, Suzanne Mikawa
Creator: Bill Nye, James McKenna, Erren Gottlieb
Years: 1993 – 1998
Rating: TV-Y
Rotten Tomatoes Score: n/a
The Tribe
Although it came in at the very tail end of the 1990s, no list of the best '90s kids shows would be complete without "The Tribe," the series that began with the near-simultaneous death of every adult in the world as a result of a mysterious virus. In the absence of any adult supervision, many of the remaining kids and teens have quickly turned feral, living in communal gangs — all of whom dress like they're en route to Burning Man.
The mall-dwelling Mallrats are a peaceful tribe that dream of reviving a version of the world that once was. And then there are The Chosen, a religious cult that worship their authoritarian leader; the hyperintellectual Technos; and the chaotic and warring Demon Dogz and Locos. Very similar to "The 100" but far more over-the-top with its characters and melodrama, "The Tribe" makes for fantastic guilty pleasure viewing — and with 260 episodes and a very long ensemble cast to keep track of, you'll be watching a long time.
Starring: Dwayne Cameron, Beth Allen, Caleb Ross
Creator: Raymond Thompson, Harry Duffin
Years: 1999 – 2003
Rating: TV-PG
Rotten Tomatoes Score: n/a
Animorphs
Based on the popular kids' books of the same name, "Animorphs" deals with a group of teens who end up at an abandoned construction site when they encounter an alien warrior prince named Elfangor who tells them the Earth is facing an invasion by a parasitic slug-like alien race called the Yeerks. To thwart the invasion, the prince grants them power to transform (or morph) into animals, hence the name of the series.
Animorph powers work via DNA transfer — once they touch an animal, each Animorph acquires the ability to transform into it. But this ability comes with a few caveats, not the least of which is a two-hour time limit, after which the morph becomes permanent, and the risk of a DNA allergy that can interfere with their abilities. The computer effects can border on nightmare fuel at some points, but some might say that's just part of the nostalgic charm of this creative sci-fantasy series. Watch it to find out why many fans say "Animorphs" is the millennial nostalgia property that Hollywood should stop ignoring.
Starring: Shawn Ashmore, Boris Cabrera, Nadia Nascimento
Creator: K. A. Applegate
Years: 1998 – 1999
Rating: TV-G
Rotten Tomatoes Score: n/a
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
"Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" did for '90s kids' geography skills what "Bill Nye the Science Guy" and "Beakman's World" did for science. Inspired by the educational computer game Xennials played on the same computers where they died of dysentery while playing "The Oregon Trail," the 1990s TV series transformed the concept into a game show rooted in a creative fictional story.
The series stars Lynne Thigpen as the Chief, head of the ACME Crimenet tasked with tracking down the Villains International League of Evil (VILE), headed by criminal mastermind and apparent world hide-and-seek champion Carmen Sandiego, who trots around the globe wearing her iconic red hat. Serenaded by vocal ensemble Rockapella, who serve as a house band for the game show, contestants called "gumshoes" compete with their geography skills to find and arrest "crooks" posted around the world.
Through its imaginative gameplay and storytelling, the series helped a generation of kids understand more about their place in the world and, more to the point, their relation to other nations around the globe. The care given to crafting detailed ancillary characters and sets are part of what elevates this series far above typical game show fare for the era.
Starring: Lynne Thigpen, Scott Leonard, Sean Altman
Creator: Broderbund
Years: 1992 – 1995
Rating: TV-Y
Rotten Tomatoes Score: n/a