The 90's was a memorable decade that gave way to classic Pepsi commercials and marked an era when Fridays were seen as a relief; not only for the end of the work week, but for the anticipation of grabbing a seat in front of the tube for ABC's TGIF. It was most notably a time when Michael Jordan ruled the NBA and when cable was considered a luxury instead of a necessity.

Even though Reality TV is today's desired form of entertainment, it is also the number one leading killer of scripted TV shows. The beauty of the 90's sitcom/series was that when it was watched, the viewers connected or idolized the characters; and often times found themselves feeling like part of the family. The viewer would look forward to not only the drama but to the loving and cliffhanging moments a scripted drama had to offer.

It seems like TV execs are starting to get exhausted with their tummy-full of reality TV and are now jumping in their time machines to bring back the TV shows that shaped the 90's. With Melrose Place and Beverly Hills 90210 experiencing revamps in the new millennium, it is high time that these shows that were the soundtrack to the 90's reemerge and take their place on the primetime TV show time slots of today; but instead of them being remade, how about they pick up right where they left off just for old times' sake.

Martin

"Martin" aired from 1992 to 1997 on the Fox network and starred comedian Martin Lawrence as Martin Payne and Tisha Campbell as Martin Payne's longtime girlfriend Gina Waters. "Martin" was must see TV on Thursday nights and was a part of a TV line-up which included "In Living Color" and "New York Undercover". The show was one of the networks highest rated shows and depicts Martin Payne as a disc jockey at fictional radio station WZUP that resides in the Detroit, Michigan area. When he's not portraying various characters like his flamboyant next door neighbor "Sheneneh" or the Security Guard Old Otis, Martin is seen getting into all sorts of trouble and adventures with girlfriend Gina and friends Pam (Tichina Campbell), Tommy (Thomas Mikal Ford) and Cole (Carl Anthony Payne II). After 132 episodes, the series finale ended with Martin and Gina leaving Detroit to move to Los Angeles for new jobs, having to say good bye to their friends. It sure would be nice to see what trouble Martin and Gina find themselves in now and if "Sheneneh" is still the epitome of a nosy annoying neighbor.



Married With Children

"Married with Children" aired from 1987-1997 and was the first primetime television show to air on Fox. The sitcom starred Al Bundy (Ed O'Neil) a former High School football player turned grumpy shoe salesman and his wife Margaret "Peggy" Bundy (Katy Sagal) a stay-at-home mom with fashion and common sense stuck in the 60's; the two were the original believers in chivalry being dead. The couple was joined by their promiscuous daughter Kelly (Christina Applegate) who did not aid in proving the "dumb blonde" myth wrong and girl-crazy yet intelligent brother Bud (David Faustino) the only Bundy to go to college. The show mainly followed Al trying to scheme and get by only to hit constant road blocks due to his bad luck and not so bright antics. After 259 episodes, the series finale ended with Bud's pen-pal from prison becoming an unexpected guest in the Bundy household. Being the promiscuous girl Kelly was, she ends up falling in love with Bud's pen-pal's boyfriend and gets engaged to him. Before Kelly could marry her hubby-to-be, Al finds out that Kelly's fiancé is interested in another woman. Though the Bundy family were not the brightest in the fleet of 90's TV families, it would be nice to see the family that put the fun in dysfunctional back on the small screen.

Image © Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Family Matters

"Family Matters" had a good run in the 90's with episodes airing from 1989-1998. The sitcom was a part of the Friday night line-up known as TGIF. "Family Matters" was a spin-off from "Perfect Strangers" and revolved around the Winslow family. The initial idea was to have a show that focused primarily on the Winslow's; however, Steve Urkel (Jaleel White) who was introduced midway into the season, stole the show with his geeky looks and clumsy personality that chased after the heart of Laura Winslow (Kellie S. Williams). Jaleel White would go on to play numerous characters on the show, which included his alter ego Stefan Urquelle and Myrtle Urkel Steve's cousin who falls helplessly in love with Eddie Winslow (Darius McCrary). The series finale ended with Eddie, who at the time was a rookie cop, surviving a shoot out and Urkel returning to Earth after being sent out into space and nearly vanishing. When Urkel returns, Laura promises to kiss him if he promises to never leave her again. The topics covered on the show which ranged from self-image and peer pressure would be ideal programming for the youth of today; plus, the occasional laughs that the show provided wouldn't hurt either.

Image © Nickelodeon

Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air

Who could forget the show with the theme song that took on a life of its own? "Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air" starred Academy Award-nominee Will Smith as a street- wise teenager from West Philadelphia who gets shipped out by his mother to live with his aunt and uncle in the Bel-Air section of Los Angeles, California. The sitcom aired from 1990-1996 on NBC. Here's a little show history; during the late 1980's, Will Smith was a popular rapper with a Grammy award under his belt facing Bankruptcy as a result of backed unpaid taxes. Lucky for him, he was offered a contract to have a sitcom built around him; the sitcom would eventually be named "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and would go on to save Will financially as well as become a television success. Carlton Banks, the uppity cousin of Will, was the second biggest comedic presence on the show with Will's constant teasing of his height and his fanatic love for singer Tom Jones and his song "It's Not Unusual" that he crafted a signature dance to. In the series finale, sisters Hillary and Ashley Banks prepare to move to New York and Carlton embarks on attending Princeton University. Since the kids would be gone, Aunt Viv and Uncle Phil decide to sell the mansion and move out East. Will, however, decides to stay in LA to finish school. Seeing Will Smith on prim time again would give way to comedic relief even if the show only revolves around him. And who knows, maybe his son Jaden Smith could make an appearance or two; he was adored in The Pursuit of Happyness.

Image © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Baywatch

Baywatch was a drama series about lifeguards who patrolled the beaches in Los Angeles, California. The original series aired from 1989-1999 and is one of the most watched TV shows of all time in the world with over 1.1 billion viewers according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Notable actors that appeared on the show were Pamela Anderson, David Charvet, Yasmine Bleek, and David Hasselhoff among others. Though the dialog and show plots--which included shark attacks, serial killers, and earthquakes--may have been good, the fans were most interested in the tight and revealing lifeguard bathing suits and the unforgettable yet worth mentioning slow motion effect the show used excessively. The show was cancelled after one season on NBC but was later revived by David Hasselhoff in 1991. "Baywatch" became a success thereafter, giving way to spin-off shows like Baywatch Nights and a reunion movie Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding. Honestly, we have very little eye candy on the silver screen in this day and age not counting the handful of hotness that appears on reality TV. Getting sultry stars like Megan Fox and LL Cool J in lifeguard uniforms could probably help the recession.

Image © First Look

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

"Buffy The Vampire Slayer "aired from 1997-2003 on the WB Television Network and followed slayer Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) who was chosen by fate to battle vampires and demons. The show was ranked #41 on TV Guide's "50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time" list. "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" developed a cult following and was so successful that it gave way to a spin-off series titled "Angel". After 144 episodes, the final episode showed Buffy and her associates squaring off with the scythe; casting a spell to turn them into slayers. Now that Twilight and HBO's "True Blood" are catching like wild fire sparking everyone's attention and infatuation with vampires and the underworld, maybe Buffy can fight her way back into a TV time slot near you.

Image © Twentieth Century Fox.

In Living Color

"In Living Color" was a sketch comedy show that aired from 1990-1994 on the Fox Network. The show was created by brothers Keenen Ivory Wayans and Damon Wayans who also wrote and starred in the program. "In Living Color" was a show that jump-started a few well known acting careers some of which being Jim Carrey (who went by James Carrey) and Jamie Foxx as well as Jennifer Lopez who broke into showbiz dancing on the show as one of the "Fly Girls". Academy award-nominee Rosie Perez was the show's choreographer from 1990-1992. "In Living Color" was best known for pushing the envelope with their celebrity and music artist parodies and in turn received numerous censorships from Fox. Most notable characters were Homie D. Clown played by Damon Wayans and "Fire Marshall Bill" played by Jim Carrey. With the only sketch comedy show being SNL as of late, it would be great to have a little controversial comedy in the middle of the work week with the original cast members of "In Living Color".

Image © Courtesy BH Impact

Full House

Full House aired from 1987-1995 and was originally part of TGIF before being moved to a different time slot. The sitcom chronicled the life of widower Danny Tanner who enlists the help of his comedian best friend Joey Gladstone and his Elvis loving brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis to help raise his three little girls after their mother perishes in an automobile accident. "Full House" gave way to the introduction of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen who both played Michelle Tanner. The show covered real life issues like death and the changes of growing up as young women all the while giving us a twist of funny. In the two-part series finale, Michelle had fallen off of her horse landing her in the hospital with temporary amnesia. In the second part of the finale, as the Tanner family coped with Michelle's head injury, she regains her memory and sister DJ's ex-boyfriend Steve returns to take DJ to the prom. It would be great to see the cast pick up where they left off and see if DJ and Steve eventually reconcile and get married; plus, seeing the Olsen twins on TV again would be the topping on the cake. With all of the craziness that transpired in the house, it was always reassuring to know that family values are important even if it was just a show.

Image © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Charmed

Charmed aired from 1998-2006 on the WB Television Network. The drama series followed good witches Prue (Shannen Doherty), Piper (Holly Marie Combs), Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) and later Paige (Rose McGowan). Though the sisters were seen as normal everyday citizens by the non-supernatural community, they were known as "The Charmed Ones" in the magical community who fought off demons and warlocks to protect the innocent. What made the series great was that each sister had distinctive powers; Prue had telekinesis which later evolved into astral projection ability, Piper could freeze time and blow up objects at will, Phoebe had the power of premonition and later developed levitation, and Paige possessed the power of telekinesis but a different form than her older sister Prue. Shannon Doherty was eventually killed off and replaced by Rose. In the final episode of "Charmed", Piper along with her husband Leo were forced to travel back in time to change the course of events that caused the deaths of her sisters Phoebe and Paige. Wouldn't it be nice to see the "power of three" back on screen protecting the lives of the innocent bringing back the power in girl power?

Image © Paramount Pictures

Story by Samantha Greaves

Starpulse contributing writer