175 Fun Facts About 90s TV Shows

Which novelist created the NBC medical drama ER, which premiered in 1994?

Crichton, a Harvard-trained doctor, wrote the original screenplay in 1974 and Steven Spielberg's company finally produced it as a series two decades later.

What was unusual about the 1997 ER episode 'Ambush'?

'Ambush' was broadcast live, twice: the cast performed the September 1997 season-four opener live for the East Coast, then again three hours later for the West Coast.

The first five seasons of The X-Files were filmed in which city before production moved to Los Angeles?

Vancouver, British Columbia, hosted the first five seasons; its damp Pacific Northwest weather gave the show its gloomy look, which faded after production moved to Los Angeles in 1998.

The 1998 X-Files feature film carried which subtitle?

The X-Files: Fight the Future opened in June 1998, between seasons five and six of the show; the second film, I Want to Believe, followed in 2008.

David Lynch co-created Twin Peaks with which writer?

Frost had been a writer on Hill Street Blues; the pair later reunited for the 2017 Showtime revival.

Whose murder drives the plot of Twin Peaks?

Laura Palmer was played by Sheryl Lee, who was hired as a local extra and then kept on as Laura's lookalike cousin Maddy; 'Who killed Laura Palmer?' became 1990's catchphrase.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered in March 1997 on which network?

It jumped to UPN for its final two seasons in 2001, one of the first high-profile network switches of the era.

The Buffy TV series was based on a Joss Whedon film released in which year?

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer film, starring Kristy Swanson, opened in July 1992; Whedon disliked what the studio did with his script and the series let him do it his way.

Why did at least 30 ABC affiliates initially refuse to air NYPD Blue in 1993?

Partial nudity and raw language were the objection: Bochco and Milch pushed broadcast standards deliberately to compete with cable, and Dennis Franz went on to win four Emmys as Andy Sipowicz.

Which star left NYPD Blue after its first season, after which the show was built around an ensemble?

Caruso left to make movies; Jimmy Smits arrived as Bobby Simone and stayed for four seasons.

At its peak Baywatch was cited as the world's most-watched TV series, with roughly how many weekly viewers?

Guinness World Records cited 1.1 billion weekly viewers in more than 140 countries, making Baywatch the most-watched series in the world in the mid-1990s.

On Beverly Hills, 90210, twins Brandon and Brenda Walsh moved to California from which city?

The Walsh twins came from Minneapolis, Minnesota; creator Darren Star's fish-out-of-water setup, produced by Aaron Spelling, ran ten seasons on Fox.

Which apartment-complex soap spun off from Beverly Hills, 90210 after Grant Show's Jake romanced Kelly for several episodes?

Melrose Place outgrew its parent once Heather Locklear's Amanda moved in, and it spun off Models Inc. in turn.

What does composer Mike Post call the famous two-note transition sound heard on Law & Order?

Mike Post calls it 'The Clang', a composite that includes a jail door slamming; most viewers remember it as an ominous 'chung CHUNG' or 'doink doink'.

Which award did the 1994 Star Trek: The Next Generation finale 'All Good Things...' win?

It was the show's second Hugo; TNG was also the first syndicated series ever nominated for the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy.

Which Star Trek: The Next Generation episode featured the first on-screen appearance of the Borg?

In 'Q Who' (1989) Q flings the Enterprise 7,000 light-years to meet the Borg; the cliffhanger 'The Best of Both Worlds' came a season later.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's station sits next to a wormhole leading to which quadrant?

The Bajoran wormhole leads to the Gamma Quadrant, home of the Dominion, whose war with the Federation dominated the show's final seasons.

Star Trek: Voyager premiered in January 1995 as the very first show on which new network?

Voyager's pilot launched UPN on 16 January 1995 as the new network's flagship; Kate Mulgrew's Captain Janeway was the first woman to lead a Star Trek series.

Roughly how far from home was the USS Voyager stranded when it was flung into the Delta Quadrant?

Voyager was thrown about 70,000 light-years into the Delta Quadrant, a 75-year journey at maximum warp that the crew cut down to seven seasons.

Which studio, which also animated the first Simpsons shorts, produced Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys for Nickelodeon?

Klasky Csupo's founders Arlene Klasky and Gábor Csupó animated the Simpsons shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show; Rugrats premiered on August 11, 1991 and was Nickelodeon's longest-running cartoon until SpongeBob.

Made for $24 million, roughly what did The Rugrats Movie (1998) gross worldwide?

The Rugrats Movie grossed about $141 million worldwide, and its $100 million US take made it the first non-Disney animated feature to pass that mark; it introduced Tommy's brother Dil.

On Are You Afraid of the Dark?, what was the name of the storytelling club that met around a campfire?

Each tale opened with 'Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society' and a handful of midnight dust thrown on the fire.

Are You Afraid of the Dark? was a Canadian-American co-production filmed mainly in which city?

It was shot in and around Montreal by the Quebec studio Cinar, airing on Nickelodeon's SNICK block in the US and YTV in Canada; co-creator D. J. MacHale later wrote the Pendragon novels.

Which actor played teacher and neighbour Mr. Feeny on Boy Meets World?

Daniels was also the voice of KITT on Knight Rider, and he followed Cory from sixth grade all the way to college.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers built its fight scenes from stock footage of which Japanese franchise?

Super Sentai footage, specifically 1992's Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger, supplied the first season's fights, which is why the original Rangers' Zords are dinosaurs.

In which fictional California town did the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers fight Rita Repulsa?

Angel Grove was the Rangers' hometown; Rita had been sealed in a space dumpster on the Moon, exactly the kind of detail that made the show a playground obsession.

The 1995 Goosebumps TV series, based on R. L. Stine's books, was filmed largely in which country?

Goosebumps was shot in Canada, largely in and around Toronto; it ran four seasons and 74 episodes on Fox Kids from 1995 to 1998.

After a 1993 incident in Ohio, MTV removed all references to what from Beavis and Butt-Head?

'Fire' was scrubbed after a 1993 Ohio house fire set by a five-year-old was blamed on the show; the word did not return until the 2011 revival, though Beavis and Butt-Head Do America reached cinemas in 1996.

Which MTV series was spun off from Beavis and Butt-Head in 1997?

Daria Morgendorffer was the smart girl who tolerated the pair in Highland; her own show ran five seasons.

What does Hank Hill sell, along with its accessories, at Strickland in Arlen, Texas on King of the Hill?

Propane and propane accessories is Hank's answer to everything; Mike Judge and Greg Daniels launched the show in January 1997 and it won the animated-program Emmy in 1999.

MTV's The Real World (1992) was inspired by which 1973 PBS documentary series?

An American Family (PBS, 1973) followed the Loud family of Santa Barbara; Bunim and Murray updated the idea with seven strangers in a SoHo loft.

AIDS activist Pedro Zamora starred on the 1994 season of The Real World, set in which city?

San Francisco's season made The Real World a hit through Zamora's clashes with housemate Puck; he died the day after the finale aired, and President Clinton paid tribute.

In the Seinfeld finale, the four friends are arrested and tried in which fictional town?

In Latham, Massachusetts, they broke a local Good Samaritan duty-to-rescue law by filming a carjacking instead of helping, and a parade of old guest characters testified against them.

How many viewers watched the Seinfeld finale on May 14, 1998?

About 76 million viewers watched, one of the largest audiences for any series finale; Larry David returned to write it, and it was still widely panned for its moralising courtroom plot.

The Cheers finale 'One for the Road' in May 1993 drew about how many viewers?

About 93 million people watched, a 64 share of everyone viewing TV that night; NBC even aired a special Tonight Show from Boston's Bull & Finch Pub.

Frasier won the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy for how many consecutive years, starting in 1994?

Frasier took the comedy-series Emmy five years running, 1994 through 1998, and finished with 37 Primetime Emmys, a sitcom record at the time.

Dr. Frasier Crane's call-in psychiatry show aired on which Seattle radio station, with Roz Doyle producing?

KACL's call letters honour the show's creators, David Angell, Peter Casey and David Lee; the Cheers spin-off premiered on NBC in September 1993.

Which Fresh Prince of Bel-Air role did Daphne Maxwell Reid take over in later seasons?

Aunt Vivian was originated by Janet Hubert; Daphne Maxwell Reid took over from season four in 1993, in one of TV's most famous recastings.

On Home Improvement, which company sponsored Tim Taylor's show-within-a-show Tool Time?

Binford Tools sponsored Tool Time; the series, set in suburban Detroit, ran on ABC from 1991 to 1999 with Richard Karn as Al Borland.

Dawson's Creek was set in Capeside, Massachusetts, but filmed in which city?

Wilmington, North Carolina, stood in for Capeside; Kevin Williamson, fresh off Scream, created the show for The WB in 1998, with Paula Cole's 'I Don't Want to Wait' as its theme.

Xena: Warrior Princess, a Hercules spin-off starring Lucy Lawless, was filmed in which country?

New Zealand, around Auckland, hosted Xena; Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi's production made the country a fantasy filming hub years before The Lord of the Rings.

Who turned out to have shot Mr. Burns in The Simpsons' 1995 two-part cliffhanger?

Maggie pulled the trigger; Fox ran a 1-800-COLLECT contest to guess the culprit, and the randomly drawn winner had not picked her, so they took a cash prize instead.

When David Letterman moved to CBS in August 1993, his Late Show was taped in which venue?

CBS bought and renovated the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway for him; NBC, having given the Tonight Show to Jay Leno, even claimed the Top Ten List as its intellectual property.

The Sopranos premiered on HBO on January 10 of which year?

The Sopranos debuted on 10 January 1999; David Chase's mob drama went on to win 21 Primetime Emmys and rewrite what television drama could be.

On Sabrina the Teenage Witch, why was Salem the cat sentenced to a century as a feline?

Salem Saberhagen was a warlock sentenced to 100 years as a cat for plotting to take over the world; the show began on ABC's TGIF in 1996 and moved to The WB for its final three seasons.

Which Hollywood director was executive producer of Animaniacs?

Steven Spielberg also produced Tiny Toon Adventures and Pinky and the Brain; Animaniacs won eight Daytime Emmys and a Peabody, and Spielberg returned for the 2020 revival.

In which Batman: The Animated Series episode did Harley Quinn first appear?

'Joker's Favor' (September 1992) introduced Harley Quinn as a one-off henchwoman for the Joker; Paul Dini and Bruce Timm's creation became one of DC's most valuable characters.

Which actor voiced the Joker on Batman: The Animated Series?

Hamill has kept the role for decades of games and films; the show's 'Dark Deco' look was painted on black paper.

On Hey Arnold!, Arnold lives with his grandparents, who run what?

Grandpa Phil and Grandma Gertie run the Sunset Arms boarding house; Craig Bartlett's show is set in Hillwood, a mash-up of Seattle, Portland and Brooklyn.

Who hosted Nickelodeon's Legends of the Hidden Temple (1993-1995)?

Kirk Fogg hosted all three seasons; Dee Bradley Baker voiced Olmec, the giant talking stone head, and returned for the 2021 CW revival hosted by Cristela Alonzo.

Which US vice president publicly criticised Murphy Brown in 1992 for having a baby on her own?

The show answered with the season premiere 'You Say Potatoe, I Say Potato', and Candice Bergen thanked Quayle when she won her next Emmy.

Who first won the top prize on the US Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, in November 1999?

John Carpenter, an IRS agent, used his phone-a-friend on the final question only to tell his father he was about to win, becoming the first top-prize winner of any version worldwide.

Who played the therapist in Ellen's 1997 coming-out story 'The Puppy Episode'?

Oprah Winfrey played Ellen's therapist; about 42 million people watched, Laura Dern played the love interest, and the script won an Emmy.

Paul Feig's Freaks and Geeks aired its single season on which network?

It was cancelled before all 18 episodes aired, then became a cult classic that launched Seth Rogen, James Franco and Jason Segel.

Ally McBeal worked at which Boston law firm?

Cage & Fish, run by John Cage and Richard Fish, was the firm; David E. Kelley's show, with its dancing baby and unisex bathroom, won the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy in 1999.

Who was the green-striped-shirt host of Blue's Clues when it premiered on Nickelodeon in 1996?

Steve Burns left in 2002 after more than 100 episodes, handing the shirt to Donovan Patton's Joe; his 2021 'checking in' video for the show's 25th anniversary went viral.

Which rapper performed the Kenan & Kel theme song 'Aw, Here It Goes'?

Coolio performed 'Aw, Here It Goes'; the sitcom spun off from All That, with Kenan working at Rigby's grocery and Kel devoted to orange soda.

Nickelodeon terminated the contract of which Ren & Stimpy creator in September 1992?

John Kricfalusi was fired over missed deadlines and content disputes; Games Animation took over the show, which had launched alongside Doug and Rugrats as one of the original three Nicktoons in August 1991.

Northern Exposure sent New York doctor Joel Fleischman to which fictional Alaskan town?

Cicely, Alaska, was the fictional town, filmed in Roslyn, Washington; the show won the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy in 1992.

Who was the original host of MTV's Total Request Live, counting down videos from Times Square from 1998?

Carson Daly hosted TRL until 2003 and parlayed it into a late-night NBC show; the Times Square countdown helped launch Britney Spears, NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.

Which rock and roll pioneer performed the theme song of PBS's The Magic School Bus?

Little Richard sang the Magic School Bus theme; Lily Tomlin voiced Ms. Frizzle and won a Daytime Emmy for the role in 1995.

Who sang 'Eyes of the Ranger', the theme to Walker, Texas Ranger?

The CBS series ran from 1993 to 2001 with Clarence Gilyard as Walker's partner Jimmy Trivette.

Which company bought Doug from Nickelodeon in 1996 and moved it to ABC?

Disney acquired Jumbo Pictures in 1996 and revived the show on ABC as Brand Spanking New! Doug, with Doug still dreaming of Patti Mayonnaise.

Which Fox drama about the orphaned Salinger siblings won the 1996 Golden Globe for Best Drama Series?

Party of Five's upset Golden Globe win in January 1996 rescued a low-rated Fox show and made stars of Neve Campbell, Matthew Fox and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

The West Wing won the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy how many years in a row, starting in 2000?

The West Wing won four straight, 2000 through 2003; Aaron Sorkin's walk-and-talk drama premiered on NBC in September 1999 with Martin Sheen as President Bartlet.

Married... with Children was the first primetime series broadcast on which network?

It ran 11 seasons to 1997, still the network's longest-running live-action sitcom, with Al Bundy forever reliving four touchdowns for Polk High.

On Space Ghost Coast to Coast, which former villain served as the talk show's bandleader?

Zorak, the mantis villain from the 1960s cartoon, led the band while Moltar directed; the 1994 Cartoon Network show was the first production of Williams Street, which later created Adult Swim.

Which actress played Roz Doyle, Frasier's radio producer?

Peri Gilpin played Roz Doyle for all eleven seasons, 1993 to 2004; Jane Leeves was Daphne and Bebe Neuwirth played Frasier's ex-wife Lilith.

Which two people created Friends?

David Crane and Marta Kauffman, who had previously created HBO's Dream On, sold the show to NBC in 1993 and ran it with Kevin Bright for ten seasons.

What was the working title of Friends when it was pitched in late 1993?

Insomnia Cafe was the title on the 1993 pitch; later candidates included Six of One and Friends Like Us before NBC settled on Friends.

Which band's 'I'll Be There for You' was the Friends theme?

The Rembrandts recorded 'I'll Be There for You', co-written with the show's creators; it reached number 3 on the UK singles chart in September 1995.

About how many Americans watched the Friends finale in May 2004?

About 52.5 million Americans watched 'The Last One' on 6 May 2004, the most-watched TV episode of the decade and the fifth-largest audience for any series finale.

Where does Rachel Green become a buyer in season five of Friends?

Rachel lands a job at Ralph Lauren in season five, having started as a Central Perk waitress and then an assistant buyer at Bloomingdale's.

How many episodes of Full House were made?

Full House produced 192 episodes over eight seasons on ABC from 1987 to 1995 and spawned Netflix's Fuller House.

Which twins alternated in the role of Michelle Tanner on Full House?

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen shared Michelle from the 1987 pilot; only one episode, 'Comet's Excellent Adventure', was actually taped in San Francisco.

Saved by the Bell was a reboot of which Disney Channel series?

Good Morning, Miss Bliss ran one season on the Disney Channel in 1988-89 before NBC retooled it as Saved by the Bell, set at Bayside High and airing Saturday mornings from 1989 to 1993.

Which producer envisioned Zack Morris as a kid who could 'lie to your face' and be loved anyway?

Sam Bobrick created the show, produced by Peter Engel Productions for NBC.

Family Matters was a spin-off of which sitcom?

Harriette Winslow had been the elevator operator at the Chicago Chronicle, the newspaper where Perfect Strangers' Larry and Balki worked.

Steve Urkel was originally intended to appear on Family Matters how often?

The nerdy neighbour became the breakout character and eventually a lead.

To which network did Family Matters move for its ninth and final season?

Step by Step made the same ABC-to-CBS jump in 1997.

In which Wisconsin town is Step by Step set?

Port Washington, a real Lake Michigan town north of Milwaukee, is the setting; Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers play parents blending two families of three children each.

Which fictional Illinois town is Roseanne set in?

Lanford, a fictional Illinois town, is the Conners' home; the show hit number one in the Nielsen ratings in its second season, 1989-90.

How many Primetime Emmys did Mad About You win?

Mad About You's twelve Emmys include four straight lead-actress wins for Helen Hunt (1996-99) and three guest-actor wins for Mel Brooks as Uncle Phil.

What is Paul Buchman's profession on Mad About You?

Paul is a documentary maker who runs Buchman Films, and wife Jamie starts the series as a public relations specialist.

The alien Solomon family of 3rd Rock from the Sun settles in which fictional Ohio city, 52 miles from Cleveland?

Rutherford is home to Pendelton State University, where Dick Solomon teaches physics; John Lithgow won three Emmys for the role.

Which 1993 film by the same creators shared 3rd Rock's premise of aliens blending in?

Coneheads (1993) was co-written by Bonnie and Terry Turner, who created 3rd Rock from the Sun three years later.

For which newspaper does Ray Barone write sports on Everybody Loves Raymond?

Ray writes a sports column for Newsday, Long Island's daily; Ray Romano based the Barones on his own family, and the show ran nine seasons on CBS.

How many Emmys did Everybody Loves Raymond win?

Everybody Loves Raymond won 15 Primetime Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy Series in 2003 and 2005; it ran 210 episodes over nine seasons, produced by Worldwide Pants.

Which actor took over as the lead of Spin City after Michael J. Fox left in 2000?

Charlie Sheen joined as Charlie Crawford for the final two seasons after Fox, diagnosed with Parkinson's, left in 2000 following four seasons.

What job does Mike Flaherty hold on Spin City?

Mike Flaherty is Deputy Mayor of New York City, running City Hall for hapless Mayor Randall Winston (Barry Bostwick); Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence created the show.

Who created Will & Grace?

Max Mutchnick and David Kohan created it, drawing on Mutchnick's friendship with a straight woman; it ran on NBC from 1998 to 2006 and returned from 2017 to 2020.

What is Grace Adler's profession on Will & Grace?

Grace runs Grace Adler Designs, an interior-design firm; Will Truman is a gay lawyer, and the show became a Must See TV staple.

In which newspaper did Candace Bushnell's Sex and the City column appear?

Bushnell's column ran in The New York Observer from 1994; Darren Star adapted the 1996 book collection for HBO in June 1998.

How many episodes of Sex and the City aired over its six seasons?

Sex and the City aired 94 episodes from 1998 to 2004, winning seven Emmys and eight Golden Globes along the way.

From which Queens neighbourhood does Fran Fine of The Nanny hail?

Fran Fine is 'the flashy girl from Flushing', as the theme song puts it; Fran Drescher created the show with her then-husband Peter Marc Jacobson.

What is the profession of Maxwell Sheffield, Fran's employer on The Nanny?

Maxwell Sheffield is a British-born Broadway producer; Fran turns up at his door selling cosmetics after being dumped by her boyfriend-boss Danny.

On Living Single, Queen Latifah's Khadijah James edits and publishes which independent urban magazine?

Flavor is the magazine, and Khadijah's staff includes her cousin Synclaire; Living Single premiered in 1993, a year before Friends used a similar six-friends-in-New-York setup.

On Martin, what is the name of Martin Payne's girlfriend and later wife?

Gina Waters, played by Tisha Campbell, was Martin's girlfriend and later wife; Tichina Arnold played her friend Pam, and Martin Lawrence himself played neighbour Sheneneh.

Who played Lisa Landry, Tia's adoptive mother, on Sister, Sister?

Jackée Harry played seamstress Lisa Landry opposite Tim Reid's Ray Campbell; the twins, separated at birth, reunite by chance in a Detroit shop in the 1994 pilot.

Which singer starred as the title character of Moesha?

Brandy played Leimert Park teenager Moesha Mitchell for six seasons on UPN, 1996 to 2001, while her singing career took off.

Which Moesha spin-off followed Countess Vaughn's Kim Parker to college?

The Parkers (UPN, 1999-2004) followed Kim Parker and her mother Nikki, played by Mo'Nique, to Santa Monica College.

Who created the Nickelodeon sketch show All That?

Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin, whose Tollin/Robbins Productions also made Kenan & Kel, created All That; early seasons were taped at Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando before moving to Hollywood.

How many episodes of Melissa Joan Hart's Nickelodeon sitcom were produced?

Clarissa Explains It All ran 65 episodes over five seasons, 1991 to 1994, and headlined the SNICK lineup from August 1992.

What was the unaired spin-off pilot for Melissa Joan Hart's Nickelodeon character called?

Clarissa Now, a 1995 pilot made for CBS, put Clarissa to work as an intern at a New York newspaper; the network never aired it.

What kind of animal is Rocko in Joe Murray's Nickelodeon cartoon set in O-Town?

Rocko is a wallaby who emigrated from Australia to O-Town; Joe Murray's show ran on Nickelodeon from 1993 to 1996.

What is the name of Rocko's turtle friend?

Filburt is the neurotic turtle; Heffer is a steer raised by wolves and Spunky is Rocko's dog.

Who created Dexter's Laboratory?

Genndy Tartakovsky pitched Dexter's Laboratory to Fred Seibert's What a Cartoon! showcase at Hanna-Barbera; the 1995 short became a series in 1996.

In which city was the creator of Dexter's Laboratory born?

Genndy Tartakovsky was born in Moscow in 1970; his father, a dentist, worked for the Soviet government before the family emigrated to the United States.

What was the original title of Craig McCracken's Powerpuff Girls short film?

Whoopass Stew! was McCracken's 1992 CalArts student film; renamed The Powerpuff Girls, the short joined Cartoon Network's What a Cartoon! showcase in 1995.

What was Mojo Jojo before he became the Powerpuff Girls' arch-enemy?

As Jojo, he was Professor Utonium's lab assistant; he was doused in Chemical X in the same accident that created the girls, which mutated his brain.

On which two celebrities is Johnny Bravo loosely based?

Van Partible modelled Johnny on Elvis Presley and James Dean; Jeff Bennett voices the sunglasses-wearing lunk, who lives with his mother.

What sound format did the 1995 lab-mice spin-off from Animaniacs pioneer for animated TV?

Pinky and the Brain was billed as the first animated TV series produced in Dolby Surround; the mice began as a 1993 Animaniacs segment before their own 65-episode run.

Which Tiny Toons character joined the two lab mice for their 1998 sequel series?

Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain followed the 65-episode original; the mice returned to Animaniacs in 2020.

From which country were the Gargoyles transported before waking in modern New York?

The clan stood at Castle Wyvern in tenth-century Scotland before a spell froze them in stone for a thousand years; season three was subtitled The Goliath Chronicles.

Which studio principally animated X-Men: The Animated Series?

AKOM, a Seoul studio, animated most episodes and was blamed for the rough-looking pilot; the show aired on Fox Kids from 1992 to 1997 and returned as X-Men '97 in 2024.

On which Japanese channel did the Pokémon anime premiere in April 1997?

TV Tokyo began airing Pokémon on 1 April 1997; Ash Ketchum and Pikachu set out to become Pokémon Masters.

Recess follows how many elementary school students?

Recess follows six fourth-graders, T.J., Vince, Spinelli, Gretchen, Mikey and Gus; Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere created it for Disney.

On what date did SpongeBob SquarePants officially premiere?

SpongeBob's official premiere was 17 July 1999; a sneak peek had aired after the Kids' Choice Awards on 1 May that year.

On which earlier Nickelodeon show did Stephen Hillenburg work before creating SpongeBob?

Hillenburg wrote and directed on Rocko's Modern Life, rising to creative director; his 1989 educational comic The Intertidal Zone seeded many SpongeBob ideas.

On what date is Philip J. Fry revived after 1,000 years in Futurama?

Fry falls into the cryogenic tube on 31 December 1999 and thaws out exactly 1,000 years later, on 31 December 2999, before joining Planet Express with Leela and Bender.

Which Simpsons writer helped Matt Groening develop Futurama?

David X. Cohen, a Simpsons writer, co-developed Futurama and ran it; after Fox cancelled it, Adult Swim reruns led to revivals on Comedy Central and Hulu.

What were the two short films that led to South Park called?

Both shorts were titled The Spirit of Christmas: 1992's Jesus vs. Frosty and 1995's Jesus vs. Santa, the latter becoming one of the first viral internet videos.

How was the South Park pilot animated?

The pilot was made with construction-paper cutouts shot in stop motion; the rest of the series uses computer animation that mimics the cutout look.

After which event did Family Guy premiere on January 31, 1999?

The Wonder Years had premiered after Super Bowl XXII in 1988.

What were Peter and Brian Griffin called in Seth MacFarlane's earlier short films?

The films were The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve.

Who narrated The Wonder Years as the adult Kevin Arnold?

Daniel Stern was the unseen adult Kevin; the show premiered right after Super Bowl XXII in January 1988 and ended in May 1993.

Who created Charmed?

Constance M. Burge created Charmed; Aaron Spelling produced it and Brad Kern was showrunner for its eight seasons on The WB, 1998 to 2006.

Which two future blockbuster directors created Felicity?

J. J. Abrams and Matt Reeves created Felicity for The WB in 1998; Keri Russell's Felicity follows a crush from Palo Alto to the fictional University of New York.

Oz was HBO's first what?

Oz was HBO's first hour-long drama series; Tom Fontana's prison show ran from July 1997 to February 2003.

What is the experimental prison wing on Oz called?

Emerald City, or Em City, is the glass-walled experimental unit run by Tim McManus; its name nods to the Oz books.

Who created Homicide: Life on the Street?

Paul Attanasio adapted David Simon's book for television; Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana produced, and Andre Braugher's Frank Pembleton became its breakout star.

In which Wisconsin town is Picket Fences set?

Rome, Wisconsin, is the setting; David E. Kelley's drama won the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy in 1993 and 1994 despite its Friday-night death slot.

How many episodes of David E. Kelley's CBS medical drama set in a charity hospital aired?

Chicago Hope aired 141 episodes over six seasons, September 1994 to May 2000.

Who plays the angel Monica on Touched by an Angel?

Roma Downey played Monica for all nine seasons; Della Reese was her supervisor Tess and John Dye's Andrew the Angel of Death.

Which city does Dr. Michaela Quinn leave to settle in Colorado Springs?

Michaela Quinn leaves Boston after her physician father's death to practise in Colorado Springs; Jane Seymour starred for six seasons on CBS, with Joe Lando as Byron Sully.

Which actor played Navy lawyer Harmon 'Harm' Rabb on JAG?

David James Elliott played Harmon Rabb Jr. for all ten seasons, 1995 to 2005; a 2003 JAG two-parter served as the backdoor pilot for NCIS, starring Mark Harmon.

Who created Babylon 5?

J. Michael Straczynski created and wrote most of Babylon 5, which ran five 22-episode seasons after the 1993 pilot movie The Gathering.

Which actor played Colonel Jack O'Neill on Stargate SG-1?

Richard Dean Anderson, fresh from MacGyver, played Jack O'Neill for eight seasons from 1997; Kurt Russell had played the character in the 1994 film.

Who played Superman on Lois & Clark?

Dean Cain had signed with the Buffalo Bills before an injury pushed him into acting; the ABC series ran from 1993 to 1997 and ended on a cliffhanger with a baby delivered to the couple.

Which NewsRadio star's death in 1998 led to Jon Lovitz joining the cast?

Phil Hartman, who played anchor Bill McNeal, was killed in May 1998, and his friend Jon Lovitz joined for the final season of the show's 1995-1999 NBC run.

In which city is The Drew Carey Show set?

Cleveland, Carey's hometown, is the setting, with Drew working at the Winfred-Louder department store; Carey created it with Bruce Helford and it ran on ABC from 1995 to 2004.

What is the name of the Hackett brothers' airline on Wings?

Sandpiper Air, the Hacketts' one-plane airline, flies out of the fictional Tom Nevers Field on Nantucket, competing with Roy Biggins' Aeromass.

On The Larry Sanders Show, what is the name of Larry's producer played by Rip Torn?

Rip Torn's Artie, Larry's fiercely loyal producer, won the 1996 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy; Jeffrey Tambor played sidekick Hank Kingsley.

Who created In Living Color?

Keenen Ivory Wayans created and hosted the Fox sketch show, which ran from 1990 to 1994 and launched Jim Carrey and Jamie Foxx.

In what year did The Daily Show launch?

The Daily Show launched on 22 July 1996 with Craig Kilborn as host; Jon Stewart took over in January 1999.

On which Minnesota station did Mystery Science Theater 3000 premiere in 1988?

KTMA-TV, a Minneapolis UHF station, aired the first season from Thanksgiving Day 1988; Joel Hodgson's creation later ran on Comedy Central and the Sci-Fi Channel.

How many episodes of Tales from the Crypt aired on HBO?

Tales from the Crypt aired 93 episodes over seven seasons, 1989 to 1996, with the Cryptkeeper hosting stories drawn from EC Comics.

Which Seattle public TV station produced Bill Nye the Science Guy?

KCTS, Seattle's PBS station, produced the show, which Disney's Buena Vista Television distributed; it ran 100 episodes from 1993 to 1998 with National Science Foundation funding.

In which fictional town does the aardvark Arthur Read live?

Elwood City is Arthur's hometown; Marc Brown's aardvark hero appeared in 253 episodes over 25 seasons on PBS, 1996 to 2022.

Which Teletubby is the largest, oldest and leader of the group?

Tinky Winky, the purple one with the triangle antenna, is the biggest and oldest of the four; the show's single 'Teletubbies say Eh-oh!' hit number 1 in the UK in December 1997.

Which a cappella group was the house band on Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?

Rockapella sang the theme and served as house band; Greg Lee hosted with Lynne Thigpen as the Chief, and 295 episodes were taped in New York.

In which fictional town is The Adventures of Pete & Pete set?

Wellsville's exact location is never specified; the show grew out of minute-long shorts and featured cameos by Iggy Pop, Michael Stipe and LL Cool J.

Which fictional Pittsburgh suburb is the setting of My So-Called Life?

Three Rivers, a fictional Pittsburgh suburb, is home to Liberty High; Claire Danes won a Golden Globe, and the show launched Jared Leto and Wilson Cruz.

Who created Sports Night?

Aaron Sorkin created Sports Night, his first TV series, in 1998; Robert Guillaume, Felicity Huffman and Peter Krause starred in the two-season ABC dramedy.

Which shift do the characters of Third Watch work?

The title refers to the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift; John Wells's NYPD and FDNY drama premiered on NBC in September 1999.

Which spin-off did The Practice produce in 2004?

Boston Legal spun off in 2004 from The Practice's final season, following James Spader's Alan Shore; The Practice won the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy in 1998 and 1999.

On what date did Judge Judy premiere?

Judge Judy premiered in syndication on 16 September 1996 and ended in 2021 after 25 seasons.

Who played Iolaus, Hercules' sidekick, on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys?

New Zealand actor Michael Hurst played Iolaus opposite Kevin Sorbo; five TV movies in 1994 preceded the New Zealand-filmed series.

Which Immortal does Adrian Paul play in Highlander: The Series?

Adrian Paul played Duncan MacLeod, a clansman of the film's Connor, whom Christopher Lambert reprised in the 1992 pilot.

Which segment attached to Cow and Chicken was spun off into its own show in 1999?

I Am Weasel, David Feiss's segment about a brilliant weasel and the jealous I.R. Baboon, got its own series in 1999 after running inside Cow and Chicken from 1997.

What breed of dog is Ren Höek?

Stimpy is a Manx cat; the show was one of the three original Nicktoons.

What is Doug Funnie's hometown?

Doug narrates each story in his journal; the show moved to ABC under Disney in 1996.

How much had Home Improvement grossed in syndication revenue by 1996?

It was ABC's number-one sitcom for most of its 1991–99 run.

Which two actors appeared in every episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?

The show ran 148 episodes over six seasons on NBC.

Which two actresses played Cory's sister Morgan on Boy Meets World?

Lily Nicksay played Morgan for the first two seasons and Lindsay Ridgeway took over in season three, a swap the show joked about on screen.

In which city is Kenan & Kel set?

Kenan & Kel is set in Chicago, where Kenan works at Rigby's grocery; it was one of three spin-offs from All That, with The Amanda Show and The Nick Cannon Show.

On Quantum Leap, Sam Beckett's companion Al Calavicci appears to him only in what form?

Al appears only as a hologram that Sam alone can see and hear; Dean Stockwell played the cigar-smoking admiral, and the computer Ziggy guides each leap.

After Fox cancelled Sliders, which network aired its final two seasons?

The Sci-Fi Channel picked up Sliders for seasons four and five after Fox dropped it in 1997; the wormhole-hopping show's final episode aired in February 2000.

7th Heaven's Reverend Eric Camden ministers in which fictional California town?

Glen Oak is the Camdens' town; Brenda Hampton's family drama debuted on The WB in August 1996 and ran eleven seasons, the last of them on The CW in 2006-07.

What confection are the three Eds forever scheming to buy on Ed, Edd n Eddy?

Jawbreakers are the prize behind every scam; Danny Antonucci created the Cartoon Network show, set in a cul-de-sac in the fictional town of Peach Creek.

On which network did David E. Kelley's legal drama The Practice run for eight seasons from 1997?

It won the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy in 1998 and 1999; the clash between legal ethics and personal morality was its recurring theme.

Jerry Springer's sign-off 'take care of yourselves and each other' dated from his newscasting days in which city?

The sign-off came from Springer's years anchoring the news at Cincinnati's WLWT, in a city where he had also served as mayor in 1977-78; the syndicated talk show ran 27 seasons from 1991 to 2018.

What is the everyday name of the suburban duck who becomes Darkwing Duck?

Drake Mallard parodies Kent Allard, alter ego of The Shadow; his sidekick and pilot Launchpad McQuack came over from DuckTales.

ReBoot, produced in Vancouver and first aired in 1994, is notable as one of the first TV series made how?

ReBoot was one of the first TV series animated entirely in CGI; Mainframe Entertainment made the show about Guardian Bob, Enzo and Dot Matrix inside a computer, and it aired on YTV until 2001.

Which actress played Gabrielle, Xena's companion who grows from farm girl to Amazon warrior?

Renee O'Connor played Gabrielle for all six seasons; Robert Tapert created the series in 1995 under his Renaissance Pictures banner, and it ran in first-run syndication until 2001.