Every time you try to rewatch something from the ’90s, you’re either hit with a dead end or greeted by the usual suspects: Friends, The X-Files, Frasier, rinse, repeat.
But believe it or not, a bunch of lesser-known or long-forgotten series from the same era are available to stream — and some of them are actually worth the dive.
Others? They’re a beautiful mess. Either way, they all offer a slice of what the ’90s felt like: weirdly experimental, syndicated to hell, and somehow full of stars we either forgot or miss seeing on our screens.
These shows might not be on every nostalgia list, but they ran for multiple seasons, had loyal followings, and still carry that unmistakable ’90s energy.
And the best part? You can actually find them (in full) right now.
Poltergeist: The Legacy
This supernatural drama starred Derek de Lint as the mysterious lead of a secret society investigating paranormal threats, but what made it appealing to ’90s audiences was its polished, shadowy tone and ensemble vibe.
You might recognize Helen Shaver from The Color of Money or Tremors 2, but she was a steady TV presence before stepping behind the camera to direct dozens of acclaimed series (Station Eleven, Orphan Black).
But Martin Cummins, you know from Riverdale and When Calls the Heart. He hasn’t always been a silver-haired fox!
The show wasn’t exactly high art, but it scratched that X-Files-adjacent itch with plenty of Gothic flair — and it looks exactly like a 1996 fever dream.
Watch Poltergeist: The Legacy Online
Renegade
Created by Stephen J. Cannell (of The A-Team and 21 Jump Street fame), this one was a vehicle for Lorenzo Lamas, fresh off of soap stardom on Falcon Crest.
With his leather pants, flowing hair, and brooding delivery, he played a wrongfully accused cop on the run… on a motorcycle… solving crimes. It’s not good. But it is pure, uncut ’90s testosterone, and somehow it ran for five seasons.
Lamas may not be headlining today, but he was basically the patron saint of syndicated action shows for an entire decade.
Watch Renegade Online
Relic Hunter
Tia Carrere, hot off her Wayne’s World success and a run on General Hospital, led this Canadian-produced globe-trotting adventure series.
It was clearly inspired by Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones, and while the production values were low, the charm was high.
Carrere played a history professor-slash-artifact hunter, and the show leaned into camp and charisma over accuracy or realism. It’s a great reminder of how the ’90s loved strong female leads, as long as they wore tight pants.
Watch Relic Hunter Online
New York Undercover
Created by Dick Wolf (Law & Order), this was the first cop drama to feature two people of color in the lead roles — Malik Yoba and Michael DeLorenzo — and it brought a slick, street-level vibe to the genre.
It also leaned heavily into R&B and hip-hop culture, with live music performances woven into its storylines.
It ran for four seasons, but it rarely comes up in Wolf’s vast empire today. That’s a shame — it was bold, stylish, and way ahead of its time.
Watch New York Undercover Online
Profiler
Before Criminal Minds made criminal profiling a network staple, Profiler was doing it with a lot more mood lighting and psychological tension.
Ally Walker (Sons of Anarchy, Longmire) starred as Dr. Samantha Waters, a forensic psychologist haunted by her past and gifted with an almost psychic ability to understand killers.
The show played out like a psychological chess match, especially with the recurring antagonist, “Jack of All Trades,” always lurking in the background.
Roma Maffia co-starred as Grace, Sam’s rock-solid ally and the show’s emotional anchor — and fans might recognize her best from Nip/Tuck, where she reunited with fellow Profiler alum Julian McMahon.
That connection alone makes Profiler feel like a warm-up for early 2000s cable drama, but it’s also a solid example of how the ’90s flirted with darkness before it was cool.
Watch Profiler Online
Silk Stalkings
Rob Estes (Melrose Place) and Mitzi Kapture headlined the early seasons of this sultry crime drama, which focused on “crimes of passion” in sunny Palm Beach.
It felt like Miami Vice met a steamy romance novel, and USA Network aired it forever. Estes moved on to bigger network gigs, but this was the show that let him simmer.
It’s a relic of a time when crime shows were dripping with innuendo and always just one beach shot away from a body.
Watch Silk Stalkings Online
Pacific Blue
Known affectionately (and sometimes mockingly) as “Baywatch on bikes,” this show featured a crew of impossibly attractive bike cops patrolling Santa Monica.
Mario Lopez joined the cast in later seasons, but Jim Davidson and Paula Trickey were the early faces. An early face you might know is Rick Rossivich of Top Gun and Roxanne.
It’s very low-budget, full of awkward stunts, and deeply committed to its spandex. If you ever wanted to see what Saved by the Bell alumni did next, here’s your gateway.
Watch Pacific Blue Online
LA Heat
You probably don’t know the leads — Wolf Larson and Steven Williams — but this syndicated buddy-cop series had all the clichés: explosions, car chases, sweaty warehouses, and one-liners.
The show was shot in the mid-’90s but delayed for years, eventually airing overseas before getting dumped into U.S. syndication.
It’s not exactly prestige, but if you like your action shot like a music video, it’s oddly watchable. Plus, the theme song slaps.
Watch LA Heat Online
Coach
Craig T. Nelson (Parenthood, Poltergeist) plays Hayden Fox, a gruff but lovable college football coach balancing the demands of sports, fatherhood, and his relationship with the ever-patient Christine (Shelley Fabares).
Bill Fagerbakke (SpongeBob SquarePants) nearly steals the show as daffy assistant Dauber. The humor is broad, but there’s heart underneath it.
It ran for nine seasons — nine! — and is one of the few ’90s sitcoms that has aged better than expected.
Watch Coach Online
The Commish
Before he reinvented TV antiheroes on The Shield, Michael Chiklis was Tony Scali, a small-town police commissioner with a big heart and an unconventional approach to law enforcement.
It blended light family drama with crime-of-the-week storylines, and it worked mostly because of Chiklis’s grounded charm.
This was the era when TV let its leads be both tough and empathetic, without irony.
Watch The Commish Online
La Femme Nikita
Based on the 1990 French film, this Canadian-American co-production starred Peta Wilson as Nikita, a convicted criminal turned assassin for a covert government agency.
She wasn’t a household name before this role, but her intense, deadpan energy carried the show. It leaned heavily on cold aesthetics, psychological games, and stylized violence.
Think of it as Alias before Alias, just with grayer lighting and fewer wigs.
Watch La Femme Nikita Online
Nash Bridges
Don Johnson (Miami Vice, Doctor Odyssey) made his big comeback here, playing a laid-back San Francisco cop with a flashy car and plenty of attitude.
He was paired with Cheech Marin, of all people, and the dynamic actually worked. Jodi Lyn O’Keefe (She’s All That, Prison Break) played his daughter, and a rotating roster of familiar faces filled out the cast.
It’s got that late-’90s Saturday night energy — equal parts charm and chaos.
Watch Nash Bridges Online
Absolutely Fabulous
Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley owned this Britcom as Edina and Patsy, a pair of fashion-obsessed disasters stumbling through middle age with zero grace and endless cocktails.
It’s technically a UK import, but American audiences embraced it thanks to Comedy Central reruns.
It’s loud, unapologetic, and still brutally funny — and if you want a crash course in ’90s maximalism, look no further than Edina’s wardrobe.
Watch Absolutely Fabulous Online
These shows might not be topping “Best of the ’90s” lists, but they represent something we’re sorely missing in today’s overly curated, algorithm-friendly world: chaos, charm, and a little bit of mess.
Whether they’re genuinely good, fantastically bad, or just comforting background noise, they deserve a second look, even if only to remember what television used to feel like before streaming turned everything into a science.
Which ones have you rewatched (or never heard of until now)? Let us know what ’90s gems (and disasters) you think deserve a comeback.
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