20 '90s Teen Shows Fans Completely Forgot About

In the early days of TV, teenagers struggled to find programming that catered and pandered to their needs. Shows were either for children or adults, often failing to capture the crucial demographic in between. Yet, the '90s proved to be a seminal period for teen TV as it exploded with an abundance of adolescent-driven comedies and dramas. Seeing the ratings successes and positive reception from the audience, the networks quickly realized that this was an untapped market with immense potential, and invested millions in it.

From the drama of young love to the strong bond of high-school friendship, teen TV did the unthinkable: it transcended its demographic. Viewers from all age groups would tune in to watch the likes of Dawson's Creek and Blossom every single week. These shows became instant pop-culture sensations, establishing themselves as hot topics around the water coolers at work and the stairs at every school and college.

While teen TV is wildly different now than what it was in the '90s, older audiences remember the good old days shared with Pacey, Dawson, and all the other pin-ups of the time. Unfortunately, time does forget, and many other classics have withered in the memory. It's unfair on all those shows, really. We refuse to allow this to happen, though, so we're about to give your brain a refresher and revive the feelgood vibes of that period.

So, take a stroll down nostalgia lane with us as we showcase 20 '90s Teen Shows Fans Completely Forgot About.

My So-Called Life

For many people, My So-Called Life is solely remembered because of Jared Leto's star-making role as Jordan Catalano. It's a shame, because Claire Danes' Angela Chase was the real MVP of the show and deserves much more credit than she got.

Though it only lasted one season, the teen drama delved into the big issues plaguing society at the time.

It never insulted or spoke down to its audience with a preachy message, choosing to focus on presenting a social problem and a possible solution but also understanding there might be more than one answer. Possibly the show's biggest strength was its realness. Teenagers spoke and acted like teenagers, and not like highly censored versions of themselves.

Clarissa Explains It All

Melissa Joan Hart might be better known as Sabrina, but she cut her teeth on Clarissa Explains It All. It was a quirky sitcom that explored the dynamics of a young girl becoming a woman.

The series creator, Mitchell Kriegman, explained to Flavorwire why he thought it was so popular. "It opened up sitcoms in a lot of different ways for that audience. She was an original voice, she was ahead of the curve, and encouraged everyone to be ahead of the curve. It was the show of a generation. Obviously it was the beginning of Nickelodeon being 24/7, but there was other stuff, too," he said. Additionally, who could ever forget the catchy theme song courtesy of Rachel Sweet?

Weird Science

John Hughes' Weird Science became a cult hit in the '80s, as it successfully blended science fiction with comedy. Unexpectedly, a reimagining of it was released as a TV series in 1994. Of course, none of the movie's original cast members returned for the TV show, but it still followed the same premise as the movie: two high-school students use a computer to create the perfect woman who possesses the powers of a genie.

Against all odds, the series ran for five seasons and 88 episodes.

While the TV show isn't remembered as fondly as the movie is, it certainly gave us enough laughs and more than its fair share of entertainment in the mid '90s.

Malibu Shores

Created by Aaron Spelling and starring Keri Russell and Tony Lucca, Malibu Shores was meant to be the next big thing on TV. However, it didn't exactly set its timeslot on fire and was canceled after 10 episodes. Speaking to TV Guide, Lucca discussed his memories of the show, admitting he enjoyed his time but is happy it didn't go on forever.

"Driving to Malibu every day to go to work on Malibu Shores didn't suck. But thank God that was short-lived, you know? It could have been detrimental had it gone on too long," he said. "We had a Saturday at 8 o'clock timeslot, so it seemed doomed from the get-go and you wonder who was in on the sabotage [laughs]."

Sweet Valley High

When news broke that a TV show based on Francine Pascal's Sweet Valley High book series would be released, fans rejoiced. The best part is that it actually captured the magic of the novels and added its own comedy-drama twist.

Starring twin sisters Brittany and Cynthia Daniel, Sweet Valley High aired for 88 episodes and many fans were devastated when the series ended because of low ratings.

In 2015, Brittany mentioned there are talks of a reboot to Entertainment Weekly. "We have a conversation with Francine Pascal in the next couple of weeks, so yeah, we’re definitely interested in doing a reboot," she said. Well, it's been a few years now, Brittany. Do you have any feedback for us?

Get Real

It's not often that a TV show presents us with more than one young performer who'd go on to achieve massive success in Hollywood, but Get Real did just that. Both Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg started their long walks to fame on the program and stole the spotlight from their co-stars.

The comedy-drama explored the lives of the dysfunctional Green family, as the parents dealt with a midlife crisis and the children embarked on the hormonal journey known as the teenage years. It only aired for 20 episodes, but there were some interesting topics discussed in that time. With Eisenberg and Hathaway's astronomical fame, it's unlikely that we'll ever see this series receive a revival ever again.

Boy Meets World

Ben Savage proved that talent runs in the family as he followed his older brother, Fred, in becoming a household name, thanks to Boy Meets World. Chatting with Rolling Stone, Savage explained what the show meant to him. "I knew it was a highly-regarded show, and I know it holds a special place in people's hearts after all this time. Like I said, it's very flattering. But, you know, the other thing is, it was a big part of my childhood as well," he said.

"As important as it is to a lot of fans and a lot of people who watched our show, it's just as important to me after all this time. It was an integral part of my life too, obviously."

Kenan & Kel

We first met Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell on the live-action sketch show All That. Their chemistry was so apparent that it led to them receiving their own sitcom, Kenan & Kel. For four seasons, Kenan and Kel made us laugh until our stomachs hurt.

It was one of the funniest shows on TV, even if it wasn't always revered in the same light as other comedies of the era.

After the series ended, the two stars lost touch before finally reuniting years later. As Thompson told the Huffington Post: "It was immediate, like I had seen him yesterday or something like that. He had gone through his own tribulations or whatever and he was on the other side of that finally."

While it only aired for two seasons, it displayed both sides of the high-school coin, as we cheered for everyone to come together as one group of friends. It also wasn't afraid of tackling tough issues, even if it did so in a roundabout way. The likes of Bibb and Pope have gone on to have their own successful careers in film and TV, which is their just rewards after their sensational performances here.

Roswell

Everyone has heard a story about Roswell, New Mexico, so when a teen sci-fi drama based on Roswell High was released, it appealed to a new audience. It was like The X-Files, but with more charm and love stories. Sadly, it only lasted three seasons.

"I think we all feel in some small way that we were cut short," Jason Behr, who portrayed Max Evans on the show, told Entertainment Weekly. "And that's not to blame anyone or whatever else, I'm just saying everyone gets their time and then you're gone, but it was one where I felt there was so much more potential for that show to go on longer. There were so many more stories to explore and so much more to tell."

Party Of Five

In many ways, Dawson's Creek would've never existed if Party of Five hadn't laid the groundwork for other teen dramas.

Airing for six seasons, it didn't ever dominate the ratings war, but it did receive numerous nominations and awards.

Scott Wolf, who starred as Bailey Salinger, revealed to Vulture that the cast and crew thought the series would be canceled all the time. "There was always this sense [that] we might get cancelled at any second," he said. "We used to come to the set and kind of trepidatiously flick the light switch. Does it work? Do we still have power? We aired on Monday nights at first, so Tuesday was like, 'Lights? Okay, we're still at it.'"

Daria

Before Rick & Morty gave us existential crises week after week, Daria utilized sarcasm to provide stinging commentary about the world around us. As a spin-off of Beavis and Butt-Head, it also contained the same sort of razor-sharp humor and misanthropy.

The series' story editor, Glenn Eichler, summed up to The Washington Post why Daria appealed to the generation of the time. "It's just part of high school – some people mature quickly intellectually, but they're stuck in this Romper Room mentality," he said "They wish they had someone to turn to and say, 'Aren't these people stupid?'" Daria aired for five successful seasons and a reboot titled Daria & Jodie was recently announced this year.

Freaks And Geeks

Paul Feig is a name familiar to moviegoers, after having directed Bridesmaids, Spy, and the recent A Simple Favor. In 1999, he was the brains behind Freaks and Geeks, a teen comedy-drama series that starred Linda Cardellini, Jason Segel, James Franco, and Seth Rogan.

Despite the show's short-lived run, it launched the careers of its cast members and established itself as a cult classic. Feig told Paste how the cancelation proved to be a blessing in disguise. "It getting canceled early also gave us a lot of people who were defenders carrying the torch for us, beyond what we were doing. Obviously, I was desperate for anybody to see it. We really had loyal, vocal fans when we were on," he said.

Breaker High

Breaker High didn't exactly reinvent teen TV. Sure, it tackled a few issues such as dating and friendships, but it didn't step into more controversial territory.

If anything, the series' strongest selling point was that it was about a high school set on a cruise ship - oh, and Ryan Gosling in an early role.

Speaking about the experience of working with Gosling and appearing on the show, Tyler Labine, who portrayed Jimmy Mortimor Farrell, told Interview Magazine: "It was awesome. Ryan and I became really good friends. I taught him how to drive a car. And it was almost like I was a member of a boy band in Canada for awhile. It was so wildly popular."

California Dreams

Every teenager dreams of forming a musical outfit with his/her friends. The thoughts of superstardom and grandeur are hard to shake off. California Dreams was the TV embodiment of this as a group of friends formed the titular band. The sitcom aired for five seasons and included the likes of Brentley Gore and Kelly Packard among the cast members. Surprisingly, it didn't shy away from tackling some real-life music industry problems, such as being ripped off by promoters and managers.

Fortunately, the series didn't end on a cliffhanger and was planned out. The California Dreams played their final gig together, then said their tearful goodbyes. Mind you, there wasn't a dry eye on the other side of the screen either.

Sabrina The Teenage Witch

We're all aware of the upcoming Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Much like love, though, you'll never forget your first and that was Sabrina the Teenage Witch, starring Melissa Joan Hart. Speaking to Yahoo about her role as Sabrina Spellman, Hart said: "The roles you play are kind of like your children, so you look on them fondly, but you also know their flaws."

She added that the cast made for an unforgettable experience. "We found every moment we could to celebrate the friendship we had on that set and the fun we were having and the fact that we all got such a long shot at a job for seven years, which is so rare in this industry."

The Famous Jett Jackson

Even as we reminisce about The Famous Jett Jackson, it's hard to do so without a sense of sadness since the show's star Lee Thompson Young took his life in 2013.

As the teenage-actor-playing-a-spy Jett Jackson, Thompson combined the thrills of James Bond with a relatable coming-of-age story.

The storylines weren't the only drawing card for the series as it featured guest stars such as Hayden Christensen, Destiny's Child, and Britney Spears. This coupled with the excitement and action made The Famous Jett Jackson an unmissable show in the late '90s. The series might've only consisted of three seasons, but they were of the highest quality and standard. Even to this day, there's nothing quite like this program on TV.

Clueless

Inspired by the Alicia Silverstone movie, Clueless was a hot favorite of the TGIF programming block. It had fashion, drama, comedy, and all the cool kids – what more could you ask for? Despite a decent start, the show was canceled by ABC because of low ratings. The reruns proved to be popular in a different timeslot, but ABC couldn't get the series back since UPN had swooped in and purchased the rights.

Still, ABC made life extremely difficult for UPN and prevented the network from airing Clueless until its own contract ran out. The show lasted for two seasons on UPN before being canceled for low rating as well. Sigh. Why didn't you watch Clueless?

That '70s Show

Hanging out… Down the street… If anything, That '70s Show should be remembered for having the catchiest theme song of all time. It also helped that the series was funnier than most shows in the '90s and tackled the '70s shtick with aplomb. There have been talks about a possible reunion, but Ashton Kutcher, who played Michael Kelso, isn't too keen on the idea.

"Whenever something is great, the first thing people want to have happen is to have it rebuilt, redone; they want more of what they love. But the minute you try to do that, in a lot of cases you end up losing the thing that was beautiful about it in the first place," he told Entertainment Weekly. Fair enough, we suppose.

The Secret World Of Alex Mack

Replacing Clarissa Explains It All was never going to be easy, but The Secret Life of Alex Mack managed to charm its way into our living rooms. It pretty much was one of the only superhero TV shows on at the time – and a good one at that.

It also turned its lead, Larisa Oleynik, into an overnight sensation and teen idol.

Reminiscing with the Huffington Post, Oleynik discussed the show and its aftermath. "It's funny because for a period of time it was very uncool to be Alex Mack, and so I'm glad that it's like cool and retro. I still get people asking me to turn into a puddle. It's kind of funny and cute," she said.

---

Are there any other '90s teen shows that most fans have forgotten? Let us know in the comments!