The good, the bad, and the forgotten: 20 shows that debuted 30 years ago

Aliens landed on Earth, tried to fit in, and one went by Dick. It was 1996, and people really just had fun with television.

There are countless educational programs aimed at kids that come and go, and while many are often forgotten, a few remain on the Mount Rushmore for certain generations. For millennials, it’s Blue’s Clues. Every day, young kids would rush to watch Steve solve something via the clues left by his dog, Blue. It was a phenomenon that spanned a couple of generations, with new hosts coming and going, but it’s that original run that still hits home most for those who watched 30 years ago.

Before he was the host of Family Feud, reacting to contestants saying the wildest of things, Steve Harvey was one of the many stand-up comedians in the ‘90s who landed a sitcom deal. The Steve Harvey Show saw the titular character as a teacher and followed his educational and professional antics for six seasons.

Those on social media might have come across a comedian named Rob Anderson, who went viral for his recaps of old 7th Heaven episodes. Watching those, it’s hard to believe a show as cheesy (and really, not that great) was as popular as it was, but people were obsessed with it enough that it ran 11 seasons. That’s six more than Stranger Things, and one less than The Big Bang Theory.

One of the best and most beloved franchises is The Mighty Ducks, a movie series about a group of ragtag kids who go from the duds to the champs. However, in 1996, Disney saw another opportunity and took the concept of ducks and hockey, and made an animated series featuring anthropomorphic ducks that played hockey. Made more to sell toys than anything, it didn’t last longer than one season.

After winning the hearts of fans on All That, Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell were offered their own series. Kenan & Kel starred the two as best friends in Chicago. Kenan’s family was often part of the plot, as was his convenience store job. Kel was mostly around as the comic relief when it came to their teenage plotting and scheming.

Michael J. Fox returned to television with Spin City in 1996, and in some ways, it could be looked at as the grandparent of shows like Veep , spinning comedy into politics. Fox led the cast for four seasons before deciding to leave due to his Parkinson's disease. Charlie Sheen would step in for the final two seasons.

Clueless was so massive in 1995 that Hollywood decided a TV show was necessary. It even managed to get a lot of the original cast from the film, sans Alicia Silverstone. Originally airing as part of ABC’s TGIF lineup, it eventually moved to UPN for its last two seasons. The best part about it? The theme song.

Everybody Loves Raymond was one of CBS’s darlings back in the late ‘90s, and not for no reason. Ray Romano says Patricia Heaton’s character’s name is iconic. The way-too-in-our-business in-laws are even more iconic. The jealousy Raymond’s older brother had towards him? One of the best aspects of the show. It’s no wonder that after nine seasons, this show went on to be an even better syndicated favorite.

Before RuPaul had a Drag Race franchise in more than several countries, the world’s most famous drag queen got a talk show on VH1. It was as glamorous as one would imagine, and while only two seasons were ever made, it did bank 100 episodes - but hey, one cannot say RuPaul didn’t bounce back in a big way years later.

Nickelodeon delivered some of the most memorable animated shows of the ‘90s, with Rugrats, Ren & Stimpy, and SpongeBob becoming integral parts of pop culture. In between all of those, though, was a show about a kid named Arnold who lived in his grandparents’ boarding house, and all of the trials, tribulations, and wackiness one endures when in 4th grade.

Brandy is forever one of the '90s it girls, and there are plenty of receipts to prove it. She had her first hits at just 15, was given praise from Whitney Houston and starred alongside her in the millennial favorite Cinderella, and even had her own TV show, Moesha. Ending on a cliffhanger after half a dozen seasons didn’t sit well with fans, but before that, fans were tuning in weekly to watch Brandy and all the things she got into with her close group of friends, her budding love life, and her family drama with her way-too-proprotective father.

It feels like ever since The Muppets came to be, they’ve just always been a part of pop culture in one way or another, be it a movie or a TV show. In 1996, it was on the small screen with Muppets Tonight.

Nickelodeon faced stiff competition from Cartoon Network, which had several shows that could rival the kids' network titan, including Dexter’s Laboratory. It was a show that highlighted a brainy child named Dexter, his annoying yet endearing sister Dee Dee, their parents, and even a nemesis, Mandark.

Before TikToks and Instagram reels, people got facts about their favorite music videos from a show called Pop-Up Video. The format was simple; the music video would play like normal, but there would be these little bubbles that’d pop up with facts. Sometimes they were about the artist and song, and other times they were as random as a summer day in the ‘90s.      

Melissa Joan Hart’s run on TV is quite impressive, at least to millennials. She was with them as kids with Clarissa Explains It All, and even stepped in when they hit adulthood with Melissa & Joey, but those teen years were all about Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Hart’s mother was actually the one who championed the idea, believing they could revamp the Archie comic book character for a new generation - and she was right. Sabrina the Teenage Witch was a crucial part of ABC’s TGIF for several seasons.

The late Malcolm-Jamal Warner worked well enough after The Cosby Show, but it wasn’t until he paired with Eddie Griffin in 1996 for Malcolm & Eddie that he got a real second wind, as the show was favored enough to last four seasons.

Where would daytime TV be without Judge Judy?

When people talk about Nickelodeon shows, they often forget The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. Perhaps it was because the true crime fad had yet to pop off. Perhaps this is a show worth rebooting for a new generation?

If Behind the Music and TMZ had a baby in 1996, it would have been E! True Hollywood Story.