It’s not too hard to push the nostalgia button for someone who grew up in the ‘90s. All you need to do is mention the Power Rangers or Pearl Jam, and their eyes will light up. The same goes for these four little letters: T-G-I-F. No matter how many mozzarella sticks they scarf down from the other TGIFs (TGI Fridays, of course), for them, those letters in that order will immediately trigger the sound of Steve. Urkel’s distinct laugh or Michelle Tanner’s “You got it, dude!”
On September 22, 1989, ABC launched a Friday primetime block of shows aimed at revitalizing one of TV’s most difficult nights to program by consolidating two hours of family-oriented comedies. It was called TGIF to trade on the familiarity of the phrase “Thank God it’s Friday,” although officially it stood for “Thank goodness it’s funny” to avoid legal issues with the TGI Fridays restaurant chain.
Over the course of its original run, TGIF encompassed a total of 31 shows. Some were huge successes, like Boy Meets World and Step By Step, while others were short-lived failures like Teen Angel and Aliens in the Family. Still others only found success after leaving the hallowed grounds of TGIF, like Sister, Sister and Making the Band. Regardless, all 31 were at one time or another technically TGIF shows. And so, over the last few weeks, I assembled a crack team of ‘90s nostalgia experts to rank every one of them from best to worst.
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For those interested in the methodology behind the ranking, after I asked my experts to rank all 31 shows, I totaled up the results by assigning everyone’s top choice the biggest value (31), their second choice with the second biggest value (30) and so on and so forth until the last-place show and its paltry value of one. Then, I added the scores together and multiplied that sum by the number of seasons the show aired as that’s a somewhat objective barometer of any show’s success. The show with the highest score sits at the number one spot, and the show with the lowest score is ranked at 31.
It’s worth noting that this methodology produced a few abnormalities. For example, Full House is ranked fairly low considering it was arguably TGIF’s biggest success, but a couple of my experts just didn’t like the show’s saccharine style. Muppets Tonight, meanwhile, probably ranks higher than it deserves thanks to the general goodwill my experts have for the Muppets, not because they actually remember the show.
Still, I felt it best to just trust the judgment of my panel, however biased they may be. Here then is a somewhat scientific ranking of every single TGIF show as determined by ‘90s nostalgia experts…
You Wish (1997-1998)
You Wish was a show about a family that found a genie that had been trapped in a rug for 2,000 years. According to Ajay Vandertunt, co-host of The Delicious Recap podcast, “The little I did see of You Wish made me wish I never watched it.”
Billy (1992)
Despite the fact that Scottish comedian Billy Connolly is an incredibly funny man, no one remembers the TGIF sitcom in which he played a Scottish teacher who moved to America.
New Attitude (1990)
The same can be said of the beauty-salon-set show New Attitude — it’s totally been forgotten, even though it was based on the successful Shelly Garrett play, Beauty Shop.
Baby Talk (1991-1992)
“No, I don’t remember Baby Talk. I’ve seen the commercials. I think I’ve probably watched one episode,” says Kay Hartley, a moderator for the TGIF-Friday Night Fans Group on Facebook, of this Look Who’s Talking sitcom knockoff. Its biggest claim to fame these days is that the first season featured George Clooney.
Home Free (1993)
Home Free starred Matthew Perry as a young bachelor living with his mom, his newly divorced sister and his sister’s two kids. “I feel kind of bad saying this about a show starring Matthew Perry, but Home Free was garbage,” says Ryan, founder of the ‘90s Nostalgia Facebook group and host of The ‘90s Vault Podcast
Brother’s Keeper (1998-1999)
Brother’s Keeper is one of several Odd Couple-type series on this list. It followed a wild pro football player forced to move in with his brother, a mild-mannered college professor.
On Our Own (1994-1995)
“On Our Own only got one season. It deserved more. It was a really good show,” Hartley insists. “It was a story about some kids that, I think their parents had passed away and their older brother didn’t want them to go into the system. So, he took on this alter ego as their great aunt. He dressed up like a woman, and he tried to fool the CPS people. It was ridiculous and great.”
The show starred six different children from the Smollett family, which is precisely why another one of my experts ranked it so low. Jon Francois, co-host of The Delicious Recap podcast, says, “This show deserves a low spot just because of Jussie Smollett. He knows what he did.”
Hi Honey, I’m Home! (1991-1992)
This high-concept show centered around a cornball 1950s-style sitcom family that ended up getting transported into the “real world.” It was a joint venture between ABC and Nick-at-Nite, but ABC bailed after only a few episodes. Nick-at-Nite, however, finished out Season One and even gave it a second season. Despite running on two separate channels, though, none of my nostalgia experts remembered anything about it.
Going Places (1990-1991)
Starring Alan Ruck, Heather Locklear and a few other less notable actors, Going Places was a self-serving Hollywood sitcom about four sitcoms writers renting a house together in Hollywood. Despite its name, the show never went anywhere.
Making the Band (2000-2009)
“I see Making the Band more as an MTV show,” says Johnny, creator of ‘90s Era Nostalgia on Instagram, which is a sentiment echoed by every one of my experts. The show just had no business on TGIF. Yet, it did spend its first season there before becoming a hit on MTV.
Where I Live (1993)
Where I Live was an autobiographical take on Doug E. Doug’s life as a Trinidadian teenager in Harlem. Despite some promise and some critical praise, it didn’t last beyond two short seasons.
Odd Man Out (1999-2000)
“I don’t remember this one being too bad,” Ryan says. Regardless, Odd Man Out sounds pretty terrible, as it centered around a 15-year-old boy who lives with four women, including his widowed mom and his three sisters. Back in the ‘90s, it was totally acceptable to have a premise like, “Can you imagine what it would be like being a boy having to live with four girls?!?!”
Teen Angel (1997-1998)
When trying to describe Teen Angel, Hartley struggles a bit, saying, “Teen Angel, yeah, I remember that. I think he died from eating an old piece of pizza or something like that. Then he started to be his best friend’s guardian angel — or something weird.”
Yes, that’s essentially the premise. And I’d like to point out just how strange it was to have an ABC family sitcom centered around a dead child. It was even stranger that such a cheesy, obnoxious show was created by famed Simpsons writers Al Jean and Mike Reiss.
Aliens in the Family (1996)
“The costumes on Aliens in the Family were absolutely amazing,” recalls Ryan. This Jim Henson program, which began production years after Henson’s death, featured characteristically impressive creature work, but that doesn’t mean the show, which was about a mixed family of aliens and humans, was any good.
Two of a Kind (1998-1999)
After Full House ended in 1995, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen briefly returned to the TGIF lineup in 1998 with Two of a Kind, a sitcom about twin girls who are total opposites. Naturally, one is into fashion, cheerleading and dancing while the other is a sports-loving “tomboy.” When you combine Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen with that premise, you get the most ‘90s show ever made.
Camp Wilder (1992-1993)
In Camp Wilder, a 28-year-old single mother takes guardianship over her two teenage siblings after their parents’ death. The show featured some star power with Hilary Swank and Jerry O’Connell, but it also included renowned creep Jared Leto and the chronically mediocre Jay Mohr, so that’s basically two steps forward and two steps back.
Getting By (1993-1994)
“Getting By wasn’t a bad show,” says Vandertunt, who expressed some support for the series led by Telma Hopkins, best known as Aunt Rachel on Family Matters, and Cindy Williams of Laverne & Shirley fame. The duo played best friends and single mothers who moved in together. It saw one season on ABC before it was canceled, then another season on NBC before its second cancellation.
Just the Ten of Us (1988-1990)
“Just the Ten of Us sounds familiar,” Johnny says of the Growing Pains spin-off that existed before TGIF, but was later added to the lineup. The show followed the gym teacher character Coach Lubbock (Bill Kirchenbauer) and his big, Catholic family, which included eight kids. It enjoyed a modest, three-season run before ABC axed it.
Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place (1998-2001)
“I like that one a little bit” is Ryan’s endorsement for a show that’s often accused of being a Friends rip-off. Still, the four-season run of Two Guys, a Girl and Pizza Place means it was at least a modest success, which makes number 13 a fair ranking. It also helped launch Ryan Reynolds’ career, so you can decide how you feel about that on your own.
Muppets Tonight (1996-1998)
Muppets Tonight was essentially a ‘90s take on The Muppet Show. It combined big-name guest stars and the classic Muppet characters with newer Muppets like Pepé the King Prawn. The two-season show’s central flaw was taking hosting duties away from Kermit and handing them off to the now-forgotten Muppet Clifford. Still, the show was sharp and funny. “We should have gotten so much more of Muppets Tonight,” Ryan laments. “That could have been our generation’s Muppet Show.”
Clueless (1996-1999)
Among my panel, the merits of the Clueless TV adaptation were highly divisive. “Clueless is one of my favorite movies, and the show was also really good,” says Hartley. But Johnny disagrees: “I only watched Clueless because of the movie, and it wasn’t the same without the movie cast.” Network executives also weren’t sure what to make of it. ABC killed Clueless after one season, but then UPN swooped in and renewed the show for Seasons Two and Three, giving it a modest run of 62 episodes.
Dinosaurs (1991-1994)
Johnny calls Dinosaurs “just a super funny show. The Jim Henson Productions series about a family of dinosaurs was conceived by Henson two years before his death. The decision to create a show with a cast of animatronic dinosaurs along with some traditional puppets was a bold one that, unfortunately, Henson wouldn’t live to see. Still, it went on to have a successful four-season run and still maintains a cult following thanks to memorable characters like Earl Sinclair, his rampaging boss B.P. Richfield and, most of all, the snarky, violent, utterly hilarious Baby Sinclair.
“I read somewhere that it took over 140 man hours to make one episode of that show. The sheer amount of manpower, determination and motivation was amazing,” says Ryan. “Dinosaurs set this new precedent for what a TV show could be because we’d never seen anything to that scale before.”
The Hughleys (1998-2002)
UPN also came to the rescue for The Hughleys, comedian D.L. Hughley’s show about a vending machine salesman and his family, which aired on ABC for its first two seasons and on UPN for its final two. “There was something so fun about having this family-friendly Black TV show that still had this rough-edge comedy to it. It worked so well,” Vandertunt says.
Hangin’ with Mr.Cooper (1992-1997)
With a five-season run amounting to 101 episodes — all of which aired on ABC — the Mark Curry vehicle Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper was a big success for the network and is still fondly remembered. “Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper was always funny to me. It was lighthearted, and it wasn’t too heavy,” Hartley says. “It wasn’t too cheesy either.”
Perfect Strangers (1986-1993)
Another series that predated TGIF and later joined the lineup was Perfect Strangers, which Ryan describes as “an updated version of The Odd Couple.” The show centered around a Wisconsin native (Mark Linn-Baker) who moves to Chicago to escape his big family, only to be joined by his eccentric European cousin (Bronson Pinchot), who moves in without invitation. The two had such great comedic chemistry that it ran for eight seasons. Francois also points out that Family Matters was a Perfect Strangers spin-off — Jo Marie Payton’s Harriet Winslow began as an elevator operator on Perfect Strangers.
Full House (1987-1995)
“Full House is definitely a top-five TGIF show,” says Hartley. And yet, some of my experts found the show too corny, even by TGIF standards. Regardless, with an eight-season initial run and a recent follow-up series that lasted five seasons, Full House is, arguably, TGIF’s biggest success. It also helped launch the careers of several household names and has maintained its status as a pop-culture touchstone. “Full House was just always on. It’s one of those staple shows from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s that I, and everybody else, watched over and over again,” Johnny explains.
Sister, Sister (1994-1999)
Sister, Sister followed identical twins who reunited after being separated at birth. “This show was huge for me growing up. I had a big crush on both Tia and Tamara Mowry,” Francois says. “They were great, funny, beautiful actresses. It was a great comedy.” Its greatness, however, was mostly overlooked by ABC; the network canceled the series after just two seasons. Fortunately, The WB stepped in and gave the show four more well-deserved seasons.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996-2003)
Similar to Sister, Sister, Sabrina the Teenage Witch began its run on ABC for four seasons, then was rescued by the WB for an additional three. Following the success of her Nickelodeon show Clarissa Explains It All, Melissa Joan Hart played Sabrina, a teenage witch living with her aunts, who were also witches. She lived with a talking black cat named Salem (voiced by comedian Nick Bakay) as well, who, according to Vandertunt “totally stole the show.”
Step by Step (1991-1998)
“I love me some Suzanne Somers,” says Ryan of the beloved family sitcom Step By Step. Somers, along with Patrick Duffy and a cast of truly talented child actors playing their blended family, enjoyed a seven-season run. However, only six of those seasons were on ABC, as its final season ran on CBS. “Step by Step had a great theme song, and it was a really cute show,” adds Hartley.
Boy Meets World (1993-2000)
“With Boy Meets World, I feel like I grew up with them,” says Hartley of the beloved coming-of-age series starring Ben Savage. Hartley goes on to ask, “Who doesn’t love Mr. Feeny? Who doesn’t love Eric Matthews? Who doesn’t love Cory and Topanga, the ultimate love story?”
Family Matters (1989-1998)
With Family Matters, what began as a grounded, heartfelt show about a blue-collar Black family became a bizarre science-fiction series about the world’s biggest nerd. Still, there’s no denying that people ate it up — just google “Urkelmania,” and you’ll get a sense of how nuts people still are over Steve Urkel (Jaleel White).
For eight seasons on ABC, Family Matters raked in tens of millions of viewers before moving to CBS for an ill-advised ninth season. In it, Jo Marie Payton — again, whose Perfect Strangers character originated the series — was recast. Although the show overstayed its welcome — not to mention abandoned its original premise and disappeared one of the show’s family members (Judy Winslow) — Family Matters remains a part of the cultural zeitgeist even today.
“I’m a huge, huge Urkel fan, so Family Matters is number one to me,” Hartley says. “Steve Urkel was funny. He was charismatic and a little bit goofy. Annoying? Yes, but he was still the nerd everybody loves.”
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