A historic decade for television, the 1990s was even more influential than its current reputation would suggest. Nearly everything that critics and audiences herald in modern TV was either introduced or fine-tuned in this decade, hence the enduring relevance of certain shows.
It was a time in which the medium itself still played second fiddle to theatrical films, but nevertheless blazed its own singular trail of pop culture iconography. One might call it TV’s quintessential water-cooler decade, during which last night’s home entertainment was the next day’s collective experience. (There would also have been plenty of next-day talk, of course, around the most successful movies of the ‘90s.)
To determine the best TV episodes of the 1990s, 24/7 Tempo reviewed audience ratings from IMDb, an online movie and TV database owned by Amazon. Television episodes that aired between 1990 and 1999 were ranked based on IMDb user ratings as of February 2023. Only TV episodes with at least 2,500 user ratings were considered. In the case of a tie, the episode with the greater number of user votes was ranked higher.
Click here to see a ranking of the best TV episodes of the 1990s
To list out all the best shows and episodes of the era is to touch down across a slew of important milestones and game-changing paradigms. Sitcoms such as “Seinfeld” redefined comedy while serialized dramas like “Twin Peaks” and “The Sopranos” helped pave the way for the modern era of television. The sci-fi classic “The X-Files” remains popular enough for the occasional reboot while animated hits such as “South Park” and “The Simpsons” are still running to this day. (These are the best animated sitcoms of all time.)
Thanks to streaming, many of these shows are available to watch at the click of a button. And unlike so many contemporary programs, most of these don’t require the viewer to start from the very beginning in order to reap the most rewarding experience. That said, it certainly wouldn’t hurt.
50. Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean (1992)
> Show: Mr. Bean (1990-1995)
> IMDb user rating: 9.0/10 (2,504 votes)
> Directed by: John Birkin
> Starring: Rowan Atkinson, Matilda Ziegler, C.J. Allen, Owen Brenman
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49. The Way of the Warrior (1995)
> Show: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)
> IMDb user rating: 9.0/10 (2,648 votes)
> Directed by: James L. Conway
> Starring: Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Michael Dorn, Terry Farrell
48. Two-Face Part II (1992)
> Show: Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995)
> IMDb user rating: 9.0/10 (3,180 votes)
> Directed by: Kevin Altieri
> Starring: Kevin Conroy, Bob Hastings, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Murphy Cross
47. Heart of Ice (1992)
> Show: Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995)
> IMDb user rating: 9.0/10 (3,330 votes)
> Directed by: Bruce Timm
> Starring: Kevin Conroy, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Michael Ansara, Mari Devon
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46. All Good Things… (1994)
> Show: Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
> IMDb user rating: 9.0/10 (8,732 votes)
> Directed by: Winrich Kolbe
> Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn
45. I Will Remember You (1999)
> Show: Angel (1999-2004)
> IMDb user rating: 9.1/10 (3,281 votes)
> Directed by: David Grossman
> Starring: David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, Glenn Quinn, Carey Cannon
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44. Two-Face Part I (1992)
> Show: Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995)
> IMDb user rating: 9.1/10 (3,341 votes)
> Directed by: Kevin Altieri
> Starring: Kevin Conroy, Bob Hastings, Richard Moll, Murphy Cross
43. The Visitor (1995)
> Show: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)
> IMDb user rating: 9.1/10 (3,821 votes)
> Directed by: David Livingston
> Starring: Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Michael Dorn, Terry Farrell
42. The Bizarro Jerry (1996)
> Show: Seinfeld (1989-1998)
> IMDb user rating: 9.1/10 (4,264 votes)
> Directed by: Andy Ackerman
> Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Jason Alexander
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41. The Wish (1998)
> Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
> IMDb user rating: 9.1/10 (4,344 votes)
> Directed by: David Greenwalt
> Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Charisma Carpenter
40. Anasazi (1995)
> Show: The X-Files (1993-2018)
> IMDb user rating: 9.1/10 (5,001 votes)
> Directed by: R.W. Goodwin
> Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Peter Donat, Floyd ‘Red Crow’ Westerman
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39. Cape Feare (1993)
> Show: The Simpsons (1989- )
> IMDb user rating: 9.1/10 (5,168 votes)
> Directed by: Rich Moore
> Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith
38. Marge vs. the Monorail (1993)
> Show: The Simpsons (1989- )
> IMDb user rating: 9.1/10 (5,211 votes)
> Directed by: Rich Moore
> Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith
37. The One with Ross’s Wedding: Part 2 (1998)
> Show: Friends (1994-2004)
> IMDb user rating: 9.1/10 (6,081 votes)
> Directed by: Kevin Bright
> Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc
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36. The One Where Ross Got High (1999)
> Show: Friends (1994-2004)
> IMDb user rating: 9.1/10 (6,098 votes)
> Directed by: Kevin Bright
> Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc
35. Isabella (1999)
> Show: The Sopranos (1999-2007)
> IMDb user rating: 9.1/10 (7,559 votes)
> Directed by: Allen Coulter
> Starring: James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli
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34. A Game of Checkers (1997)
> Show: Oz (1997-2003)
> IMDb user rating: 9.2/10 (2,571 votes)
> Directed by: Jean de Segonzac
> Starring: Ernie Hudson, Terry Kinney, Harold Perrineau, Eamonn Walker
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33. Graduation Day: Part 2 (1999)
> Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
> IMDb user rating: 9.2/10 (3,864 votes)
> Directed by: Joss Whedon
> Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Charisma Carpenter
32. Ballad of Fallen Angels (1998)
> Show: Cowboy Bebop (1998-1999)
> IMDb user rating: 9.2/10 (4,133 votes)
> Directed by: Tetsuya Watanabe, Shin’ichirô Watanabe
> Starring: Kôichi Yamadera, Unshô Ishizuka, Megumi Hayashibara, Norio Wakamoto
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31. Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part One (1995)
> Show: The Simpsons (1989- )
> IMDb user rating: 9.2/10 (4,258 votes)
> Directed by: Jeffrey Lynch
> Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith
30. Doppelgangland (1999)
> Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
> IMDb user rating: 9.2/10 (4,260 votes)
> Directed by: Joss Whedon
> Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Charisma Carpenter
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29. Innocence (1998)
> Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
> IMDb user rating: 9.2/10 (4,275 votes)
> Directed by: Joss Whedon
> Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Charisma Carpenter
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28. Treehouse of Horror V (1994)
> Show: The Simpsons (1989- )
> IMDb user rating: 9.2/10 (4,688 votes)
> Directed by: Jim Reardon
> Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith
27. The Best of Both Worlds Part II (1990)
> Show: Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
> IMDb user rating: 9.2/10 (4,852 votes)
> Directed by: Cliff Bole
> Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn
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26. The Marine Biologist (1994)
> Show: Seinfeld (1989-1998)
> IMDb user rating: 9.2/10 (5,245 votes)
> Directed by: Tom Cherones
> Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Jason Alexander
25. Yesterday’s Enterprise (1990)
> Show: Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
> IMDb user rating: 9.2/10 (5,384 votes)
> Directed by: David Carson
> Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn
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24. Beyond Life and Death (1991)
> Show: Twin Peaks (1990-1991)
> IMDb user rating: 9.2/10 (5,490 votes)
> Directed by: David Lynch
> Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Mädchen Amick Amick, Dana Ashbrook
23. You Only Move Twice (1996)
> Show: The Simpsons (1989- )
> IMDb user rating: 9.2/10 (5,835 votes)
> Directed by: Mike B. Anderson
> Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith
22. Bad Blood (1998)
> Show: The X-Files (1993-2018)
> IMDb user rating: 9.2/10 (6,082 votes)
> Directed by: Cliff Bole
> Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, Luke Wilson
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21. Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose (1995)
> Show: The X-Files (1993-2018)
> IMDb user rating: 9.2/10 (6,672 votes)
> Directed by: David Nutter
> Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Peter Boyle, Stuart Charno
20. I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano (1999)
> Show: The Sopranos (1999-2007)
> IMDb user rating: 9.2/10 (7,509 votes)
> Directed by: John Patterson
> Starring: James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli
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19. Trials and Tribble-ations (1996)
> Show: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)
> IMDb user rating: 9.3/10 (3,655 votes)
> Directed by: Jonathan West
> Starring: Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Michael Dorn, Terry Farrell
18. Passion (1998)
> Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
> IMDb user rating: 9.3/10 (4,611 votes)
> Directed by: Michael Gershman
> Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Charisma Carpenter
17. Arbitrary Law (1990)
> Show: Twin Peaks (1990-1991)
> IMDb user rating: 9.3/10 (4,840 votes)
> Directed by: Tim Hunter
> Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Mädchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook
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16. The Best of Both Worlds (1990)
> Show: Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
> IMDb user rating: 9.3/10 (5,162 votes)
> Directed by: Cliff Bole
> Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn
15. Homer’s Enemy (1997)
> Show: The Simpsons (1989- )
> IMDb user rating: 9.3/10 (6,151 votes)
> Directed by: Jim Reardon
> Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith
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14. The One with the Prom Video (1996)
> Show: Friends (1994-2004)
> IMDb user rating: 9.3/10 (8,093 votes)
> Directed by: James Burrows
> Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc
13. In the Pale Moonlight (1998)
> Show: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)
> IMDb user rating: 9.4/10 (3,785 votes)
> Directed by: Victor Lobl
> Starring: Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Michael Dorn, Terry Farrell
12. Lonely Souls (1990)
> Show: Twin Peaks (1990-1991)
> IMDb user rating: 9.4/10 (5,613 votes)
> Directed by: David Lynch
> Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Mädchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook
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11. The Outing (1993)
> Show: Seinfeld (1989-1998)
> IMDb user rating: 9.4/10 (5,912 votes)
> Directed by: Tom Cherones
> Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Jason Alexander
10. The Inner Light (1992)
> Show: Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
> IMDb user rating: 9.4/10 (7,398 votes)
> Directed by: Peter Lauritson
> Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn
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9. The One with the Embryos (1998)
> Show: Friends (1994-2004)
> IMDb user rating: 9.4/10 (8,751 votes)
> Directed by: Kevin Bright
> Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc
8. The Real Folk Blues: Part 2 (1999)
> Show: Cowboy Bebop (1998-1999)
> IMDb user rating: 9.5/10 (3,647 votes)
> Directed by: Yoshiyuki Takei, Shin’ichirô Watanabe
> Starring: Steve Blum, Kôichi Yamadera, Beau Billingslea, Unshô Ishizuka
7. Becoming: Part 2 (1998)
> Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
> IMDb user rating: 9.5/10 (4,825 votes)
> Directed by: Joss Whedon
> Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Charisma Carpenter
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6. The Opposite (1994)
> Show: Seinfeld (1989-1998)
> IMDb user rating: 9.5/10 (6,301 votes)
> Directed by: Tom Cherones
> Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Jason Alexander
5. The Soup Nazi (1995)
> Show: Seinfeld (1989-1998)
> IMDb user rating: 9.5/10 (6,491 votes)
> Directed by: Andy Ackerman
> Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Jason Alexander
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4. The Contest (1992)
> Show: Seinfeld (1989-1998)
> IMDb user rating: 9.6/10 (8,320 votes)
> Directed by: Tom Cherones
> Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Jason Alexander
3. Papa’s Got a Brand New Excuse (1994)
> Show: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996)
> IMDb user rating: 9.7/10 (3,008 votes)
> Directed by: Shelley Jensen
> Starring: Will Smith, James Avery, Daphne Reid, Alfonso Ribeiro
2. Hush (1999)
> Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
> IMDb user rating: 9.7/10 (7,594 votes)
> Directed by: Joss Whedon
> Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, James Marsters
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1. The One Where Everybody Finds Out (1999)
> Show: Friends (1994-2004)
> IMDb user rating: 9.7/10 (11,943 votes)
> Directed by: Michael Lembeck
> Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc
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