If there’s one decade the world can’t seem to let go of, it’s the ‘90s. Arguably the best when it came to fashion, music, movies, and television. Well, if arguing with anyone who spent their formative years in that decade, of course. Alas, Hollywood has also been quite obsessed as it seems like ever since 2008’s 90210, every time one turns around another show from the ‘90s has been rebooted or revived, but have all of them been worth the watch? Whether they managed to get the gang back together like on The Conners or started anew like Bel-Air, it’s time to rank these ‘90s revivals and reboots.
11. Rugrats (2021-Present)
Nickelodeon had been around long before Rugrats crawled, or rather sprinted into the hearts of kids in 1991 alongside Doug and The Ren & Stimpy Show. Those odd-looking toddlers then led viewers on wild adventures for nine seasons before growing up in 2003. All Grown Up! kept Tommy Pickles and Co. around five more years and while fans were interested to see how Paramount+ would bring Rugrats back in 2021, the reboot was as misshapen as those babies’ heads. Computer animation should have enhanced Rugrats, instead, the jarring adaptation looked like a PlayStation game from 1994. Not only was the look off, but some parents’ voices just weren’t right as Chas Finster (Tony Hale) sounded more depressed than skittish. All in all, it was like Rugrats had to learn to walk all over again.
10. And Just Like That… (2021-Present)
Sex and the City left an impressionable mark on fans and fashion during its original run, and after six seasons and two movies, fans thought they wanted more. Then And Just Like That… came, and fans thought hmm, yeah, no. When a show relies so much on a core group of characters, it’s hard to deliver when a piece of that puzzle is missing. Without the try-sexual Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), this comeback felt like when The Golden Girls tried to go on without Bea Arthur in The Golden Palace. It was fine but not as appealing.
9. Melrose Place (2009-2010)
Before The CW became the home of comic book adaptations, it tried to relive the ‘90s with two reboots. Melrose Place was one of them. Kudos to the new version being inclusive and highlighting Los Angeles as a diverse city, but that was all it had going for it. The 2008 Melrose Place desperately tried to recapture the shock and awe of the original by incorporating old school characters into the lives of the new ones. One of the ways they attempted this was by making Violet (Ashlee Ross) the daughter of a notable troublemaker of the past, Sydney (Laura Leighton), but it all fell flat.
8. All That (2019-2020)
Kids that couldn’t keep their eyes open long enough to catch Saturday Night Live almost 30 years ago didn’t need to worry because Nickelodeon delivered a kid-friendly alternative with All That. So when original cast members Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell signed on as executive producers for a reboot in 2019, hopes were high. The fresh cast of young performers showed promise, but it seemed as if the new generation of Nick viewers just weren’t that interested, and All That was, unfortunately, no more after 35 impressive episodes.
7. 90210 (2008-2013)
While Melrose Place was a bust after one season, its network neighbor 90210 managed to hold onto viewers for five. 90210 was also more successful utilizing cast members from Beverly Hills, 90210 with Shannon Doherty, Jennie Garth, and Tori Spelling all coming through. What also set it apart though from Melrose Place was their new faces. AnnaLynne McCord owned her role as Naomi Clark, and the same can be said of Shenae Grimes’ Annie Wilson. Four seasons on Degrassi: The Next Generation under her belt helped Grimes dive into the drama of this reboot, and it ultimately helped it to not be a total nightmare.
6. Will & Grace (2017-2018)
Will & Grace started bumpy when it came back for three more seasons in 2017. It went heavy with forced political humor, ignored the original ending, and just didn’t give the same energy fans had grown to love. Things eventually smoothed out and the cast (and writers) fell into place once more. The only downfall of bringing Will & Grace back was having to see a second finale fall short compared to the original series finale that was near-perfect.
5. The Conners (2018-Present)
Roseanne gave fans one of the most realistic portrayals of life in America when it premiered, and because of that people dedicated themselves to nine seasons. Then after more than a decade, Roseanne was back with every Conner in tow for a tenth in 2018. The excitement dwindled just a bit when Roseanne Barr was let go, but the family managed to march on with The Conners and was…better. Barr’s character was undoubtedly missed, but out of everyone who returned, she didn’t quite step back into the role as naturally as the rest of her on-screen family. The Conners then pushed Darlene (Sara Gilbert) and Becky (Lecy Goranson) into a shared matriarchal role, and it worked.
4. Saved by the Bell (2020-Present)
As great as Saved by the Bell was back in the day, the new version became slightly better because of its ability to be self-aware. The show recognized how incredibly cheesy its predecessor was and leaned into being part of the joke while at the same time delivering impeccable witty comedy. Plus, there’s a wonderful balance of nostalgia with Slater (Mario Lopez) and Jessie (Elizabeth Berkley) appearing regularly and Zack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and Kelly (Tiffani Thiessen) appearing occasionally, and the amazing new students of Bayside. That includes scene-stealer Josie Totah.
3. Girls Meets World (2014-2017)
Disney presented a reboot that was truly almost perfect with Girl Meets World. Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel) became parents in New York City with two kids of their own, and it was their daughter, Riley’s (Rowan Blanchard) turn to meet the world. Riley was a perfect combination of her parents, and alongside her BFF Maya (Sabrina Carpenter) made the series their own. It felt throwback enough, but also unique enough for a new generation of fans to feel as if it was theirs and not just something pandering to their parents. However, speaking of pandering, the only misstep Girl Meets World took was not reuniting Shawn (Rider Strong) with Angela (Trina McGee-Davis).
2. Fuller House (2016-2020)
When it comes to reboots, Fuller House did everything right. Aside from the Mary Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen, everyone came back and gave fans the 21st-century version of their characters perfectly and proved if it ain’t broke, don’t try and fix it but do make sure things are up to code. Unlike Girl Meets World, the Netflix series managed to balance out the plots of the adults and the kids in a way that somehow gave way to a legit family comedy that was reminiscent of TGIF. All that was ever missing was Barbara Walters coming on after each episode to introduce 20/20. That would’ve given it that extra Friday night in 1995 feel.
1. Bel-Air (2022-Present)
Of all the shows on this list to be rebooted and revived, Bel-Air is the only one that took the biggest swing by changing the genre of the original it spawned from. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air wasn’t without its drama. Who can forget Will Smith’s tears over his father in season four’s “Papa’s Got a Brand New Excuse?” However, Smith and his family were usually more about the laughs as part of NBC’s Must-See TV lineup. So when the dramatic revival was announced, some were skeptical but Bel-Air quickly became Peacock’s 2022 must-see series.
Jabari Banks take on Will does present a familiar comedic charm, but it’s hard to remain that funny when the rest of the Banks are total drama from Carlton’s (Olly Sholotan) nasal habits to Geoffrey (Jimmy Akingbola) going from a sassy butler to what fans have assumed is either a trained spy and/or hitman. Bel-Air raised the bar as far as revivals are concerned, and hopefully inspired others in the pipeline to shake things up in the future.