5 ’90s Kids Shows That Hold Up When Rewatched As Adults

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Kids’ TV shows from the 1990s were diverse and entertaining, and surprisingly many of them are still enjoyable to watch today. When you look at the best TV shows ever made, you’ll find titles from all sorts of genres and eras, designed for viewers of all ages. A lot of these top shows are actually from the ’90s and were made for kids.

The 1990s offered a fantastic range of TV shows for kids, including cartoons, live-action series, and even spooky shows designed for younger audiences. Many of these shows remain enjoyable to watch even today, appealing to both kids and adults.

Dinosaurs

Four Seasons

Created by Michael Jacobs and Bob Young, Dinosaurs is a highly imaginative and memorable TV show from the 1990s. The show is set 60 million years ago in Pangea and centers on a family of dinosaurs who act like humans – Earl, the father, Fran, the mother, their children Robbie and Charlene, Baby, and grandmother Ethyl.

The show Dinosaurs centers around the everyday experiences of the Sinclair family, reimagining modern life in the prehistoric world. The characters, brought to life with impressive puppetry, were surprisingly relatable, funny, and full of personality.

While Dinosaurs is a fun show for the whole family, watching it as an adult reveals layers you missed as a child. The show’s connections to today’s world and its surprisingly mature themes actually make it more enjoyable for grown-ups, and the humor – especially from Baby Sinclair – still holds up brilliantly.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Three Seasons

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is a superhero TV show inspired by a Japanese series. It centers around five teenagers selected by the alien Zordon to transform into the Power Rangers. Together, they defend Earth from the evil monsters sent by the sorceress Rita Repulsa, who is determined to take over the planet after breaking free from her prison.

In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, a group of teens transform into brightly colored heroes to fight villains, all while navigating the typical challenges of being a teenager. The show was a massive hit and became a defining part of 1990s pop culture.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is a thrilling and energetic show. Revisiting it now is not only a fun trip down memory lane, but also allows you to notice and appreciate the show’s underlying messages, even with its occasional silliness.

Animaniacs

Five Seasons

As a cartoon fan, I absolutely loved Animaniacs! It was created by Tom Ruegger and felt like a really fun variety show, packed with different characters and short, hilarious skits. The stars were definitely the Warner siblings – Yakko and Wakko, and their sister Dot – who were basically locked up in the Warner Bros. Water Tower because they were just that wild and unpredictable!

Animaniacs is now considered one of the greatest animated TV shows ever made. It was incredibly popular in the 1990s, praised for its clever humor, vibrant animation, and imaginative storytelling. The show worked for both children and adults, and many find it even more enjoyable to watch now as grown-ups.

The cartoon Animaniacs is full of references to pop culture that might go over kids’ heads, but it also includes lots of jokes designed for adults – some obvious, and some more hidden. Watching it now as an adult, you’ll likely notice and appreciate these jokes even more, and the animation still holds up beautifully.

Hey Arnold!

Five Seasons

Created by Craig Bartlett, Hey Arnold! is widely considered one of the greatest animated TV shows ever, and a standout program for Nickelodeon. The show centers around Arnold, a fourth grader who lives with his grandparents in the city. His parents are missing, having disappeared years earlier while on a humanitarian mission in the jungle.

Hey Arnold! is a TV show that centers around the daily adventures of Arnold and his friends as they grow up in the city. It’s known for being clever and appealing to both children and adults, featuring characters viewers can connect with, heartfelt moments, and an ongoing mystery surrounding Arnold’s missing parents.

Hey Arnold! often tackles tough subjects like sadness and feeling abandoned, which might go over kids’ heads but resonate with adults. This gives the show a lot of emotional depth and makes it feel very genuine, contributing to why it’s considered one of the most heartwarming and rewatchable animated series ever.

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Seven Seasons

“Are You Afraid of the Dark?” is a spooky TV show made for kids and teens. Created by D.J. MacHale and Ned Kandel, the series centers around a group of friends called the Midnight Society. They meet in a secret spot in the woods at night to share scary stories with each other.

Each episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? features a new horror story, told by a different member of the Midnight Society. While it’s a spooky show geared towards kids – and a good introduction to the horror genre for them – it also includes some truly frightening tales that even adults can enjoy.

Revisiting Are You Afraid of the Dark? as an adult often reveals that many episodes are actually more frightening than they were in childhood. This is because grown-up viewers are more aware of the underlying themes and can appreciate the psychological horror more fully.

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2025-12-14 22:30