Feed my nostalgia!

February 2, 2008 2:57 PM

Can you recommend any really good yet underrated 1990's tv shows that ended before their time?

Since the writer's strike doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon, I've been escaping into dvd's of some older tv shows. After dusting off my My So-Called Life box set and plowing through the series, I'm reminded of how nostalgic I am for the 90's. Knowing that this show never made it past the first season, it has prompted me to feed this nostalgia and uncover other similarly underrated shows that never get a chance.

What are some tv shows/films from the 90's that you recommend I watch next?

posted by missjamielynn to media & arts (76 comments total)

Freaks And Geeks
posted by rhizome at 2:59 PM on February 2, 2008 [8 favorites has favorites]

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
posted by joshjs at 2:59 PM on February 2, 2008

"Freaks And Geeks"

Oh hell yes. Go ahead and mark that "best answer." Literally one of the best television shows ever made. "Andy Richter Controls the Universe" was also very very good, although i dont know if it's on DVD and I think, strictly speaking, came out in the '00s.
posted by drjimmy11 at 3:02 PM on February 2, 2008

The Critic
posted by bjork24 at 3:03 PM on February 2, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Space Ghost Coast to Coast. I will never forget staying up late just to watch Borak recite e.e. cummings poetry.
posted by mamaraks at 3:03 PM on February 2, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Since the writer's strike doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon,

tangentially, it may be over a lot sooner than you think.
posted by drjimmy11 at 3:03 PM on February 2, 2008

Sports Night (1998-2000 RIP) is great if you're down with the Aaron Sorkin style. My favorite TV show of all time, and I don't like sports.
posted by doift at 3:04 PM on February 2, 2008 [5 favorites has favorites]

Space Above and Beyond
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112173/
posted by andreap at 3:05 PM on February 2, 2008

There's the famously messed with by network and ultimately canned Twin Peaks that finally came out on DVD last year? Mmmmm cherry pie and Sherilyn Fenn....
posted by merocet at 3:12 PM on February 2, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

I second Sports Night. I also loved The Pretender. And you can't go wrong with old school TGIF shows.
posted by hummercash at 3:12 PM on February 2, 2008

Millenium
posted by thewalrusispaul at 3:12 PM on February 2, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Homicide: Life on the Street. (because it should STILL BE ON DAMMIT)
posted by mkb at 3:14 PM on February 2, 2008

All stellar answers. Amusingly, I have Freaks & Geeks from Netflix right now, and Sports Night is next in my queue. :)
posted by joshjs at 3:17 PM on February 2, 2008

I came in here to mention Twin Peaks and Freaks and Geeks, but since I've been beaten to it I'll mention Undeclared instead.
posted by shakespeherian at 3:18 PM on February 2, 2008

If Freaks and Geeks counts as 90s, then I'll suggest Strangers with Candy.
posted by 23skidoo at 3:24 PM on February 2, 2008

I second Millenium and add Dark Angel.
posted by sperose at 3:27 PM on February 2, 2008

I don't know about underrated, but if you like sketch comedy, you would probably enjoy Mr. Show.
posted by MegoSteve at 3:32 PM on February 2, 2008

Not sure if you can find DVDs for:

Flying Blind

The State

Upright Citizens Brigade
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:33 PM on February 2, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Upright Citizen's Brigade is out on DVD, at least the first couple seasons were the last time I checked.
I can't say that it ended before it's time since it had a good run, but Northern Exposure is a favorite of mine
posted by piedmont at 3:37 PM on February 2, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

"Eerie, Indiana" was really quite innovative.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 3:39 PM on February 2, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

The Ben Stiller Show was fantastic.
posted by kitty teeth at 3:48 PM on February 2, 2008

Woops, I guess my Freaks & Geeks history is a little off. I thought it was older!

In replacement, I'll offer up "The Larry Sanders Show" instead.
posted by rhizome at 3:57 PM on February 2, 2008

my recent streak of '90s TV on DVD-watching has included both Freaks and Geeks and Twin Peaks, but neither of them struck me as particularly '90s since F+G is set in the early '80s and Twin Peaks has more of a '50s feel to its set design and costuming, thanks to David Lynch's retro obsession. Right now I'm plowing through Due South, which, unlike both of those really great shows, is pure '90s in its hairstyles and clothing and especially in its use of bad period Canadian rock. it's like a little time capsule. plus, I grew up in Illinois in the early '90s, so seeing the old IL license plates makes me mist up a little.
posted by dropkick queen at 4:03 PM on February 2, 2008

Action
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:05 PM on February 2, 2008

Relativity, from the thirtysomething and My So-Called Life producers. Why is this show not on DVD? What a tragedy. (For that matter...why isn't thirtysomething on DVD?)
posted by GaelFC at 4:08 PM on February 2, 2008

Trio used to show old series under the title Brilliant but Cancelled. Of the ones on that list I can personally vouch for Action and The PJs. They have some sort of website with forums as well.
posted by euphorb at 4:11 PM on February 2, 2008

Profit.

I remember being very fascinated by this show for the three episodes that Fox aired. I think the DVD's are out, I will have to check.
posted by gravity at 4:13 PM on February 2, 2008

Quantum Leap. Oh, boy.
posted by amtho at 4:18 PM on February 2, 2008

NewsRadio!
posted by shadow vector at 4:24 PM on February 2, 2008

Northern Exposure.
posted by sourwookie at 4:29 PM on February 2, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

High Incident
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 4:29 PM on February 2, 2008

Seconding Action. One of the meanest, funniest shows to ever hit the air, and it holds up really well.
posted by beaucoupkevin at 4:30 PM on February 2, 2008

This wasn't in the 90's but I just found the show "Wonderfalls" on dvd, and fell completely in love with it. It's only one season long but it has a nice arc. Also, the Pie Maker from Pushing Dasies is in it.
posted by thebrokenmuse at 4:45 PM on February 2, 2008

Seconding Profit. Four aired and four unaired episodes. Spooky and way, way ahead of its time.
posted by googly at 4:45 PM on February 2, 2008

Bakersfield PD: very unusual hour-long comedy sans laugh track. Slow-burn humor, running gags, very funny. Starred Giancarlo Esposito.
posted by adamrice at 4:48 PM on February 2, 2008

Space: Above & Beyond is my number 1 vote for a 90s show that should have stayed on a lot longer than it did. Also, I'd like to second The Critic and Millennium.

Might as well throw Earth 2 in there as well, because no-one else here probably will. I think I may have been the only one who ever watched it.
posted by Effigy2000 at 4:57 PM on February 2, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Homicide.
posted by jonmc at 5:01 PM on February 2, 2008

Cupid, with Jeremy Piven. Late 90s, but still very 90s. Alan Sepinwall's been discussing how great it is on his TV blog.
posted by runtina at 5:12 PM on February 2, 2008

My So-Called Life.
posted by pazazygeek at 5:18 PM on February 2, 2008

I'm an idiot who did not read the entire question.
posted by pazazygeek at 5:19 PM on February 2, 2008

Nowhere Man, with the incredibly appealing Bruce Greenwood in the lead role. Photographer has a photograph that some evil government types want, and is forced to go on the run to save his life. He tries to figure out who wants the photograph, and why, and the mystery only deepens with each episode. Was only on a year.
posted by orange swan at 5:24 PM on February 2, 2008

Northern Exposure was a wonderfully weird and intelligent series that flew under the radar, despite critical acclaim. Although it went beyond its time (not before), it was still a great show.
posted by exquisite_deluxe at 5:27 PM on February 2, 2008

Herman's Head?
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 5:31 PM on February 2, 2008

Freaks and Geeks, The State, Upright Citizens Brigade, Due South, Eerie Indiana.... oooh, and Cartoon Planet!
posted by Melinika at 5:49 PM on February 2, 2008

Strangers With Candy

Barely makes it debuting in 1999 but friggin' hilarious!
posted by Max Power at 6:05 PM on February 2, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Parker Lewis Can't Lose
posted by geekyguy at 6:09 PM on February 2, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Thirding or fourth-ing Northern Exposure, Milennium and Homicide:. I did like that they transplanted Richard Belzer's character straight from that last show to one of the Law & Order franchises.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 6:14 PM on February 2, 2008

Strange Luck
posted by dong_resin at 7:02 PM on February 2, 2008

Comedy Central has just started running Strangers With Candy on reruns again this week so if you have a Tivo set it for a season pass. This short-lived series is one of my top 5 all-time sitcoms. Colbert is just about as funny as it gets as the apathetic school teacher.
posted by any major dude at 7:04 PM on February 2, 2008

Homefront. An excellent show, but I don't think it is available on DVD yet.
posted by rglasmann at 7:12 PM on February 2, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I came in to recommend Sports Night, and was way behind the crowd. Fabulous show that didn't get the support it deserved. Felicity Huffman, Peter Krause, Josh Malina (my geek crush), Robert Guillaume (who I've loved since Benson), and many other fabulous people.
posted by booksherpa at 7:25 PM on February 2, 2008

I'd second Wonder Falls. That show was definitely cut before its time. Netflix has it. Another great one that's been in replay on SciFi is Dead Like Me. I wish that had run for 10 years.
posted by GregWithLime at 7:33 PM on February 2, 2008

Well, I came in to recommend Get a Life (and to be appalled that no one else mentioned it yet!) But, you can't get a box set. Rhino released only two DVDs despite constant fan requests to release the whole thing...and they are out of print, to boot. So really, I'm no help at all.

You could email Rhino and beg them to put together a box set. If we all band together, maybe someday my dream will be realized...
posted by cabingirl at 8:14 PM on February 2, 2008

There was a wonderful, completely unknown show on CBS for one season called Now and Again (not to be confused with Once and Again). It was a espionage thriller that featured Eric Close and Dennis Haysbert (with Heather Matarazzo in an excellent supporting role). Close played a regular guy whose brain was transplanted into the body of a bio-engineered superman. He could have no contact with the outside world, except for missions he was forced to complete by Haysbert -- his government minder. It is not on DVD yet, but you can find torrents if you look around.
posted by Rock Steady at 8:26 PM on February 2, 2008

It's early 2000s, but Undeclared.
posted by jerseygirl at 8:28 PM on February 2, 2008

Yes, Undeclared. Sort of a zanier, snappier Freaks and Geeks, without quite as much melancholy (both were created by Judd Apatow).

I don't know if Northern Exposure and NewsRadio qualify as underrated, but they're highly recommended also (although NewsRadio's laughtrack sticks out like a sore thumb upon rewatching).

I liked what little of the Critic I managed to catch on cable, ditto the (original/animated) Tick.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 8:55 PM on February 2, 2008

American Gothic. Creepy and twisted and perfect and tragically canceled after a single season.
posted by mochapickle at 8:56 PM on February 2, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Get A Life. Chris Elliott. (You know, The Guy Under the Stairs.) It was once Fox's highest-rated series. Insane. Surreal. Gloriously idiotic. Writers included Charlie Kaufman and Bob Oedenkirk. You can't get a box set, but you can get gloriously crappy VHS-to-DVD bootlegs of the entire run on Ebay. Zoo Animals on Wheels! Wallet Boy! Spewey -- oh, the humanity! Need I say more? I think not.
posted by turducken at 8:57 PM on February 2, 2008

Definitely Freaks & Geeks. That was one of the biggest losses of the past ten years or so.. I'll definitely agree with Twin Peaks and Profit. The worst thing is I feel that there are short lived tv shows that I loved at the time that I can't remember now.. so, I think there's definitely more, and whatever I'm thinking of was probably on Fox.
posted by Mael Oui at 9:11 PM on February 2, 2008

Seconding Get A Life. Christ, how did that ever get on television?

The Critic also.
posted by damn dirty ape at 9:59 PM on February 2, 2008

Seconding American Gothic and Parker Lewis Can't Lose.
posted by chronic sublime at 11:26 PM on February 2, 2008

I'll second News Radio. It's sort of bittersweet to watch now with Phil Harman and shots of the Twin Towers in the opening credits. Definitely 90's nostalgia though.

Also Homicide, the best cop show I've ever seen. It was frustrating how it got jerked around by NBC.
posted by andreux at 4:45 AM on February 3, 2008

Get a Life. Brilliant, hilarious, irreverent... the show was damned-near perfect. So many geniuses touched that show:

The show was a creation of Elliott; his friend Adam Resnick, who, like Elliott, had been a writer for David Letterman's Late Night with David Letterman TV show; and David Mirkin, former writer and producer for Newhart and occasional writer and producer for The Simpsons. Notable writers of the series included Charlie Kaufman, screenwriter of Being John Malkovich; and Bob Odenkirk, co-creator of Mr. Show.

The show was unconventional for a prime time sitcom, and many times the storylines of the episodes were surreal. For example, Elliott's character actually dies in twelve episodes.

"I AM THE GIRAFFE! I AM THE GIRAFFE!"
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 7:10 AM on February 3, 2008

I'm not certain if this answer was included above, but I think 3rd Rock from the Sun needs a little consideration. It ended in 2001, but ran for a good part of the decade. I felt it was ahead of it's time in terms of the comedy it maintained.
posted by elavender at 7:46 AM on February 3, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Might as well throw Earth 2 in there as well, because no-one else here probably will. I think I may have been the only one who ever watched it.

If you hadn't suggested it, I would have. It gets a little campy in the first few episodes, but by the end of their first & only season they had settled down and were starting to build a fascinating mythology that J.J. Abrams would have been proud of.
posted by Johnny Assay at 8:14 AM on February 3, 2008

Fish Police.

I second the Andy Richter recommendation as well - incredible show. He had a more recent one whose name escapes me but was equally brilliant.
posted by troika at 8:47 AM on February 3, 2008

Also, I loved Earth 2. Is it on DVD? I would watch the crap out of that.
posted by troika at 8:48 AM on February 3, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I don't have additional suggestions, but noticed that you mentioned "dusting off" your old My So-Called Life dvds and wanted to mention that if you have the earlier dvd releases of the show as opposed to the most recent issue you might be missing out on a bunch of really worthwhile extras, like interviews with the characters. I'm also not sure if the earlier issue had episode commentary from the author/producer/characters, which for the pilot was really worthwhile. Loved that show, and wanted to be sure you knew about the additional features on the newer dvd release.
posted by onlyconnect at 12:12 PM on February 3, 2008

Duckman.
posted by heeeraldo at 4:04 PM on February 3, 2008

Seconding Dark Angel. It ran two seasons, but the 2nd was a throwaway as far as I'm concerned. I really don't think Jessica Alba has been as good since, and Michael Weatherly is so totally different than his role on NCIS I wasn't sure it was the same actor...
posted by lhauser at 6:19 PM on February 3, 2008

Releasing tomorrow are the first two seasons of Perfect Strangers (with Balki Bartokomous and Larry Appleton). Queue it up now!
posted by ijoyner at 6:26 AM on February 4, 2008

The Sifl & Olly Show.
posted by soundofsuburbia at 10:05 AM on February 4, 2008

Hey, check out Rude Awakening with Sherilyn Fenn. It was a comedy on Showtime for "adults". Very funny and underrated. It lasted 3 seasons but still felt as though it ended before it's time. I don't think it's out on DVD, though.

Also seconding The Critic.
posted by monarch75 at 10:05 AM on February 4, 2008

Key West
posted by Tenuki at 6:41 AM on February 5, 2008

geekguy, thank you for suggesting Parker Lewis Can't Lose, I have been trying to remember the name of that show forever! I was beginning to think I would have to Google "Koob!"

Sadly, this per Amazon: "Availability: NOT YET RELEASED: The studio is currently not producing this title, but to be notified when it is available, enter your e-mail address at right. You'll also be voting for this release; we'll let the studio know how many customers are waiting for this title."
posted by vignettist at 1:16 PM on February 7, 2008

The Parker Lewis pilot is on YouTube; haven't checked for any other eps yet. Apparently Sony has the rights to it but is too stingy to release it on DVD just yet.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 3:15 PM on February 11, 2008