12 Most Successful Franchises of the ’90s

There have been two adaptations of Melinda Metz’s Roswell High books, about aliens and their human friends: the three-season Roswell, which premiered in 1999, and the four-season Roswell, New Mexico, which will be ending in 2022.

Total: 7 seasons (over two shows)

Viewers met Will Smith’s character, a fictionalized version of himself, in 1990, when he was sent from West Philadelphia to live with his aunt and uncle in their Bel-Air mansion in the six-season sitcom. Then, in 2022, after a fan film, the series was rebooted as the dramatic Bel-Air (with Jabari Banks taking on the character of Will) and a two-season order from Peacock.

Total: 8 seasons (over two shows)

For eight seasons and premiering in 1993, Walker, Texas Ranger followed Chuck Norris’ character in the Texas Ranger division. There was also a TV movie in 2005 and a one-season spinoff, Sons of Thunder. The CW began airing a reimagining, Walker, starring Jared Padalecki, in 2021, and it has been picked up for a third season, which will air alongside its own prequel spinoff, Walker: Independence, in the fall.

Total: 13 seasons (over four shows), one movie

The sitcom starring Roseanne Barr aired 10 seasons total, premiering in 1988 and briefly returning in 2018 for a revival. Following controversy surrounding Barr, the pickup of the 11th season was reversed and instead a spinoff with the cast except Barr was ordered. The Conners is entering its fifth season in the fall.

Total: 15 seasons (over two shows)

Mike Judge’s series about the titular teenage slackers (originally a recurring segment on Liquid Television) premiered on MTV in 1993 and ran eight seasons. It was first revived (briefly) in 2011 for another season. The first movie, Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, was released in theaters in 1996, with the follow-up film, Beavis and Butt-head Do the Universe, premiering on Paramount+ in 2022. Two new seasons will be coming to the streaming service as well (after first being ordered at Comedy Central). Plus, the five-season Daria is a spinoff, and while there was talk of a spinoff of that, it will now be the animated film Jodie.

Total: 16 seasons (over three shows), three movies

TV viewers first met the babies at the center of Rugrats in the original series, which premiered in 1991 and aired nine seasons. The All Grown Up! spinoff aired five seasons, and there was a four-episode special Rugrats Pre-School Daze. There have also been three films: The Rugrats Movie (1998), Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000), and Rugrats Go Wild (2003). A new version of Rugrats has already aired one season (in 2021) and been picked up for a second on Paramount+.

Total: 16 seasons (over three shows), four specials, three movies

For 25 seasons, beginning in 1996, Judge Judy Sheindlin presided over court on Judge Judy. Just a few months after it wrapped, a new courtroom series with Sheindlin, Judy Justice, premiered on IMDb TV. It has been renewed for a second season on Freevee (IMDb TV rebranded).

Total: 27 seasons (over two shows)

AFHV has been a staple on TV since it premiered in 1989, and while the host has changed over the years (Bob Saget, John Fugelsang, Daisy Fuentes, Tom Bergeron, Alfonso Ribeiro), fans can still tune in to see viewers’ funniest home videos. Season 33 premieres in the fall on ABC.

Total: 33 seasons

After debuting as a short on The Tracey Ullman Show, the Simpsons family got their own show in 1989 and will be entering Season 34 in the fall on Fox. In addition to the feature film The Simpsons Movie in 2007 and the aforementioned shorts, the Simpsons have also been featured in six short films: The Longest Daycare (2012), Playdate With Destiny (2020), The Force Awakens From Its Nap (2021), The Good, the Bart, and the Loki (2021), Plusaversary (2021), and When Billie Met Lisa (2022).

Total: 34 seasons, one movie, six shorts

JAG, premiering in 1995, followed the Judge Advocate General division, the officers prosecuting and defending those accused of military-related crimes, for 10 seasons. The long-running NCIS (entering its 20th season in the fall) was introduced as a two-part backdoor pilot in 2003 and has had its own spinoffs: Los Angeles (entering its 14th season this fall), New Orleans (which wrapped after seven seasons in 2021), and Hawai’i (back for its second season this fall). And NCIS: Sydney is slated for 2023 on Paramount+.

Total: 54 seasons (over six shows)

We first met the police who investigate the crimes and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders in 1990. After 20 seasons, it went off the air in 2010…then returned in 2022 for its 21st season, with Sam Waterston and Anthony Anderson reprising their roles. It’ll be back for Season 22 (without Anderson) in the fall, as will spinoffs SVU (for its 24th season) and Organized Crime (for Season 3). Criminal Intent aired 10 seasons, while Trial by Jury, LA, and True Crime each had one. (And while there are shows like One Chicago and the FBIs, for the purposes of this list, we’re only looking at Law & Orders.)

Total: 62 seasons (over seven shows)

MTV first started putting roommates together in 1992, for a total of 33 seasons. So far, Paramount+ has reunited three of the casts in seasons of The Real World: Homecoming, while MTV also aired a reunion series for its Las Vegas cast in 2007. The Real World led to Road Rules, in which strangers lived in RVs, for 14 seasons. And both led to The Challenge, which takes contestants from reality shows such as The Real World and sends them off to compete for a grand prize—that’s been renewed through its 39th season (37 have aired). Its spinoffs include one season of Champs vs. Pros, two of Champs vs. Stars, three of All Stars, and the upcoming USA.

Total: 97 seasons (over seven shows)