15 TV Shows That Remind Us Of The 90s

For those of us that grew up in the 1990s, it was a pretty magical and amazing time. We may not have known it at the time because, hey, we were kids. But now we know better. We all wore plaid (still can't get enough), lived in a blissfully simple world that didn't involve texting or checking social media 24/7, and we had some pretty incredible television to keep us entertained. Of course, the shining stars of the 90s TV landscape were the teen dramas, and although we might have been too young to truly understand what was going on in these shows, we re-discovered them and re-watched them as we got older. TV has definitely changed since then -- now we have streaming services and we barely watch TV on an actual TV. But some things never change, and that's the fact that some shows on the air right now (and some shows that are recently over) that have shades of that perfect time period. Here are 15 TV shows that remind us of the 90s.

15 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

This wonderful show definitely reminds us of the 90s show Ally McBeal. They are both pretty wild and wacky and feature musical scenes that involve the characters in all kinds of silly and crazy situations. We love Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which premiered last fall because it is about a lawyer, Rachel, who realizes she is super depressed and should move to California. That's not the only reason, though, although she denies it (and her denial is pretty much a running joke in every single episode): she's following her ex-boyfriend, Josh there, hence the show's title. This is the kind of magical television that the 90s was famous for. While Ally would always hallucinate crazy stuff and hear a theme song in her head when she was walking down the street, Rachel actually sings and dances and her songs always are about the situation that she's going through. Both are definitely worth watching.

14 Switched At Birth

This Freeform drama follows two families which you can figure out since the title suggests that, their kids were switched at birth. Daphne may have been raised by Regina Vasquez, but her real parents are John and Kathryn Kennish. Bay Kennish's real parents are Regina and her ex, Angelo. It is a super sweet, charming and heartwarming show, and it's also socially important since Daphne is deaf. This show has a real 90s feel since it's all about the characters and it's all about the tough moments in life that no one really wants to face but that we all know make us stronger and better people. Think about shows like Dawson's Creek and Party Of Five -- it was totally okay for everyone to walk around feeling a whole lot of feelings. This show is totally the same way, and we really think it's a great piece of television.

13 The Fosters

This Freeform series is essentially the 90s gem Party Of Five when you think about it. Both series follow a family with several children and both shows deal with all kinds of coming-of-age issues from first loves, crushes, friendships, learning who you are, balancing your family's expectations with your own dreams, and learning to separate from the people that raised you… while still believing that home is the best place of all. Plus, there is the fact that on Party Of Five, the second youngest kid Claudia ends up going to Julliard because she is a violin prodigy, and on The Fosters, Brandon recently had his big Julliard audition thanks to his piano prowess. We think this show is pretty much perfect: it may be a juicy soap opera that keeps us on the edge of our seat at times, but it's also a really smart and sweet family drama.

12 Finding Carter

R.I.P. This glorious MTV drama was canceled after only two seasons, and we really miss it. And we miss Max, let's just be honest here. If you're not familiar, here's the deal: Carter learns that her mom is not really her biological mom and that she kidnapped her. She is then put back in the custody of her real family. Her real parents are Elizabeth and David, and her siblings are Taylor and Grant. Carter is still in touch with her childhood best friend (and sometimes hook-up) Max, played by Alex Saxon. Taylor and Max fall for each other and they're pretty much the cutest couple since Joey and Dawson (or Joey and Pacey, depending on who you ask… it's a dicey subject). Max is such a 90s type character and he's got the long wavy hair to prove it. Seriously, his hair is the greatest. This is one of those sad cases where a really good show gets canceled way too soon and we never find out what was truly meant to happen. We're still not over it.

11 Awkward

This MTV comedy is now over after five awesome seasons, and if this isn't 90s, we don't know what is. Main character Jenna is an aspiring writer who has a weird tragedy at the beginning of the series that never really happened (no spoilers here -- you should totally watch for yourself). But the show becomes more about her and her love life. She dates Matty, her one true love and possible soulmate, then Jake, Matty's BFF. Oops. That kind of love triangle is straight up Joey/Dawson/Pacey stuff or even Brenda/Dylan/Kelly on Beverly Hills 90210. Jenna also dates a few other guys but Matty is really the real deal, and it's pretty much impossible not to wish that they would just end up together for real this time in every single episode. It's a shame the show had to end but since it's a high school show, it makes sense that it would end when the characters went off to college and went their separate ways.

10 Pretty Little Liars

Sure, this show may be super contemporary thanks to the girls' obsession with their phones… or the fact that someone mysterious is targeting them through their phones so they really have zero choice but to be obsessed with this piece of technology. Same difference. But the fact is that Pretty Little Liars is a friendship story as its core. It is about having friends that are basically your sisters and your family, and it is about sticking together no matter what happens or how life tries to tear you apart. We can't stop watching thanks to the crazy plot twists and the dramatic storylines (this season is definitely one of their best), but ultimately we really love the characters and we are pretty attached to them at this point. There are shades of all kinds of 90s teen girl characters in the liars, from Hannah's stylish self to Spencer's bookworm personality and ambition.

9 How To Get Away With Murder

The thing about this show is it's totally and completely timeless. We think it could take place in any era or decade and have the same dramatic impact, and that's why it reminds us of a 90s drama. It's smart, but also campy. It's funny but also serious. It's got that 90s feel because let's face it, sometimes the characters say some pretty crazy things and get themselves into some pretty ridiculous situations. And if 90s TV was defined by anything, it would be the fact that anything, and really anything, could happen. It was a time before streaming and tweeting and fans having a huge influence on any show. It was a more innocent time, that's for sure, and that meant really quality television that focused on the story above everything else. And this show definitely delivers in that kind of vein, which is why we love it so much (besides the Shonda Rhimes connection, of course).

8 Jane The Virgin

This glorious show is not quite a drama, but not quite a comedy, either, so it definitely falls into that elusive dramedy category. It's got a touch of Ugly Betty but more than anything else, this is one show that reminds us of the 90s and we couldn't possibly be happier about it. In case you haven't seen it yet (and if that's the case then you really have zero excuses), this show follows Jane, who decides not to sleep with anyone until her wedding day… but, oops, she accidentally gets pregnant. It's a huge mistake at the doctor's office and it makes for an absolutely hilarious and heartwarming series. We can just picture this being a show back in the 90s, no doubt about it. It's got the camp and heart to be part of that time period, that's for sure, and we can never wait for another episode. It never seems like there are enough.

7 iZombie

This supernatural series follows Liv, who ends up becoming a zombie after a party that goes seriously awry. It's got a 90s feel thanks to the constant voiceovers and the fact that it focuses on Liv. It's super well-crafted and is worth checking out, even if you're a bit squeamish. We think your stomach can take it because the storyline is so great and interesting. This show reminds us of those glorious 90s days of voiceovers, like Angela on My So-Called Life. Oh man, was that an amazing show. Again, this show could time-travel back to the 90s and it would totally and completely fit in. Which is pretty cool to think about. You might not have seen this one because hey, there's a whole lot of TV out there these days, and to make it even worse, so much of it is so good and so worth watching. But give this one a shot.

6 American Gothic

This is a summer 2016 drama and who knows how long it will last or how good it will end up being, but the fact is that it's a drama that manages to make Boston feel like a super small town. And it makes that town feel like the creepy and beautiful town of Twin Peaks, that glorious show that ended in 1991 (but, of course, a revival is coming and the entire pop culture universe is super excited). This series follows a wealthy family who don't realize that one of their very own could be responsible for some pretty horrible things. As a case gets reopened, several of the family members realize that they should do some looking into their family background, and sometimes the biggest horror story of all is in your own backyard. Scary stuff. But it's not so scary that we feel like we have to hide under our bed or in the closet or anything like that. It's a more subtle kind of horror, and that's why it feels like a 90s show.

5 The Good Wife

This show is pretty much an older, more sophisticated and more modern version of Ally McBeal. At first glance, it does not seem like the two shows have anything even remotely in common, but they honestly and truly do. Because The Good Wife is a super intelligent show at its core, but as the seasons progress, it becomes kind of wacky and zany at times. There was the episode that was all about Alicia's POV that critics and fans alike aren't super sure actually worked out too well. There were a ton of returning wacky clients that seemed to come out of nowhere. There were moments when Alicia was hallucinating things that she wished would happen to her and trying to visualize where her life would take her. We love this show so much and were super sad to say goodbye to it, although it was a pretty polarizing finale.

4 Bloodline

This is such a 90s show. It's about a family that owns a hotel in total and complete paradise, aka Florida, and the prodigal son that returns and shakes things up for real. It's got Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler, in other words) and it's worth checking out if you haven't gotten around to this Netflix original series yet, but again, why are you even waiting?! This show is pretty much plucked right out of the 1990s because it's such a super sensitive show that focuses on the inner worlds of the characters. Sure, it's got an overarching mystery that is pretty fascinating and hard to turn away from, but at its core, this show is about the people and their feelings and thoughts. It's a family drama at its best and it's also pretty dark. Which is exactly what we like about it because sometimes (make that most of the time), the best dramas are super dark.

3 Dead Of Summer

This incredible teen drama has been airing as part of Freeform's summer 2016 line-up, and we love it. It may be set in 1989 with flashbacks set a few years previously, but although it's set in the 80s, it definitely reminds us of the 90s. It's got classic characters like a troubled teen, an aspiring filmmaker, a regular girl next door, a boy next door, and a few rebels. It's got mystery and magic and it's set at a summer camp and it's got flashbacks that give every single other show's flashbacks a total run for their money. It could be set in any time period at all and still totally work, and we really think it deserves to get renewed. TV gods, are you listening?! It's super rare for a new teen show to premiere and be just as good as the ones that we loved back in the 1990s, but this one holds up and we don't want to say goodbye to it after this season.

2 Parenthood

We watched this because, of course, we're huge Lauren Graham and Gilmore Girls fans. But this show has a lot to offer and is a stand-up drama in its own right. Plus it's got a real 90s feel and tone since it's so sweet and heartwarming. It's about a family, the Bravermans, who deal with all kinds of hard stuff in every single episode. Adam Braverman and his wife Kristina are dealing with their wonderful son Max who has Aspergers, plus all kinds of work and family drama. Sarah Braverman is a single mom to Amber and Drew, and while she's figuring out who she is, her kids are doing the exact same thing. Crosby Braverman realizes that he has a son that he never knew about, and that could make him grow up the most out of them all. And Julia Braverman is the breadwinner in her family of three, which is suddenly not working out so well. The series ran for six seasons and ended in January of 2015, and we're still not over that.

1 unREAL

Okay, so it might not seem like unREAL is a 90s-type show since it's pretty much the most 2015/2016 show we could possibly imagine. It's a drama about a reality show that is basically The Bachelor, and what's more modern and contemporary than that?! But here's the thing. This is a total and complete guilty pleasure and it's a pretty crazy and wild show. Sounds like a few other 90s shows to us… but it definitely is like Melrose Place in particular. That show was known for its crazy cliffhangers and season finales that left everyone talking for weeks and weeks. unREAL may only be two seasons old but we have a good feeling about this one and we think it's going to be on the air for a long, long time. And we honestly can't wait for all the drama to get even more wild and crazy. Our 90s loving selves are all in.