Depending on your risk tolerance or where you live, a summer full of social distancing and self-isolation is still looking like a very real possibility, meaning many Americans will continue to be feeling frayed nerves and high anxiety as the temperatures soar. Now is still very much the perfect time to discover a new show, but sometimes all you wanna do is unwind with the familiar comforts of a show you already love and know like the back of your hand.
From big hitters like the nothingness of Seinfeld to the haziness of That ’70s Show, here’s where to watch the best sitcoms of the 1990s and 2000s online.
Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards, Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Amazingly, this now 30-year-old zany comedy still holds up — perhaps because the absurd situations Jerry ( Jerry Seinfeld), Kramer (Michael Richards), George (Jason Alexander), and Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) found themselves in week after week are still relevant today. Jealous, spiteful, petty, vengeful, and selfish, the Seinfeld gang never could quite get the hang of humanity right, and as they experienced unforgettable moments like George’s “shrinkage,” “Festivus,” and the Soup Nazi, you’ll remember why you loved those obnoxious New Yorkers all over again. Stream it on Hulu.
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Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, and Matthew Perry, Friends
Friends
Obviously. No list of old-school sitcoms can even be taken seriously without Friends, although if you want to see Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, and Matt LeBlanc pal around in this ’90s classic, you’ll need to watch it on DVD, Apple or rent or buy episodes on Amazon. Netflix pulled Friends earlier this year, but it’ll be on HBO Max when that launches in May.
Kim Field, Terrence C. Carson, Queen Latifah, Living Single
Living Single There are some very legit theories that Living Single, the Queen Latifah-led series about friends living in Brooklyn that debuted a year before Friends, was the inspiration for Friends since it debuted first –– only “updated” with one noticeable difference. (Star Erika Alexander pointed it out in a scathing tweet earlier this year.) All that aside, Living Single, which ran for five seasons on Fox, is still very much an enjoyable romp, and whether you’re seeing Régine (Kim Fields) try to take somebody’s man for the first time or the 50th, the show never gets old. Living Single is on Hulu.
Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney, Frasier
Frasier
Chances are you never really caught all the highfalutin references or the sick burns Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and Niles (David Hyde Pierce) threw each others’ way in the 11 seasons Frasier ran on NBC, so it’s never a bad time to play reruns of this classic and coast through hours of brutal brotherly banter. It’s on Hulu.
Patton Oswalt and Kevin James, The King of Queens
The King of Queens
The sitcom so beloved that CBS kinda-sorta tried to replicate it, The King of Queens spent nine seasons making fans root for working class Joes Doug Heffernan (Kevin James), wife Carrie (Leah Remini), and their extended clan, including Doug’s cousin Spence (Patton Oswalt). It’ll be on NBC Universal’s streaming service Peacock come July, but for now, you can watch on TBS, TNT and the TruTV apps.
Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro, Will Smith, Karyn Parsons, Fresh Prince of Bel Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air Having trouble finding a pre movie-making Will Smith cracking wise with Uncle Phil (James Avery)? That’s because this ’90s staple isn’t streaming — yet. You can rent or buy episodes on Amazon but if you can hang on a few months, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air will be on HBO Max when that launches in late May.
Tim Allen, Home Improvement
Home Improvement Believe it or not, Hulu — which is home to a number of shows from ABC, where this series ran from 19991 to 1999 — quietly dropped this Tim Allen-led title about a somewhat bumbling handyman who hosted his own show, Tool Time. No word yet on where Home Improvement is headed, but if you’re desperate for some early-’90s nostalgia courtesy of the Taylor family, you can rent or buy episodes on Amazon.
Kristen Johnston, John Cleese, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Lithgow, 3rd Rock From the Sun
3rd Rock from the Sun
3rd Rock from the Sun might not be one of the first titles to come to mind when thinking about unforgettable old-school series, but it ought to. With John Lithgow and Kristen Johnston delivering Emmy-winning performances (three Outstanding Lead Actor wins for John and two Best Supporting Actress trophies for Kristen) and a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt posing as a family of aliens trying to make their way through a very confusing Earth, this laugh-a-thon can transport you to an unfamiliar world (the late ’90s) and leave you laughing. It’s streaming on Amazon.
Christina Applegate, Katey Sagal, Ed O’Neill, David Faustino, Married with Children
Married…with Children
It’s crass, it’s potty-mouthed, it’s full of retrograde ideas about women…and it’s hilarious. Married…With Children is on Hulu.
Wilmer Valderrama, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Don Stark, Tanya Roberts, Mila Kunis, Lisa Robin Kelly, Debra Jo Rupp, Kurtwood Smith, That ’70s Show
That 70s Show
Relive the era before Wilmer Valderrama was a Hollywood hottie, and Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher were… just co-stars in the retro romp that is That 70s Show. It’s on Netflix.
Peter Boyle, Doris Roberts, Ray Romano, Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond
Brad Garrett, one of the stars of this enduring CBS sitcom, told TV Guide in 2017 that there will probably never be an Everybody Loves Raymond reboot, and for people who loved it, that’s probably just fine. There’s no way of recreating the magic made with Ray Romano, Brad Garrett, Patricia Heaton, and deceased stars Doris Roberts (2016) and Peter Boyle (2006), so it’s best to enjoy this sitcom staple as it is. This one’s not streaming but you can rent or buy episodes on Amazon.