During the 1990s, sitcoms saw success and popularity in US television. "Sitcom" is short for situational comedy. Sitcoms typically follow a "code" where they follow one main cast of characters through the entirety of the show, and storylines often begin and are resolved within the same episode. ^[1] Sitcoms are commonly lighthearted and funny, but sometimes cover deeper issues, like family values. Sitcoms have been successful in other decades, but saw especially high levels of success and popularity in the 1990s, and many went on to perform extremely well in syndication.

Sitcom Popularity in the 1990s and in Syndication

In the 1990s, sitcoms were extremely popular on cable television and then eventually through syndicated television. Many popular sitcoms, such as Home Improvement and Seinfeld, were desired for TV's most lucrative time periods, which was not common before the 1990s. ^[2] Cable networks quickly began to realize the popularity of sitcoms and the potential that they held. Cable networks moved to become contenders for hit sitcoms, such as Friends, which TBS picked up. ^[3] Many 1990s sitcoms were not only popular and successful in their first runs. Sitcoms began to show lasting success when shown through syndication. Syndication for sitcoms showed the potential to continue bringing in money for decades after their initial airtime. Timeless writing, good quality, a high number of episodes, and focus on appealing to audiences to come allowed sitcoms to become classics which are still desired today. ^[4] Despite early hesitation that sitcoms would not be successful in syndication, shows like Seinfeld and Home Improvement quickly began to earn excellent ratings and top the charts. Broadcasters that took a chance by paying near-record license fees for sitcoms quickly began to see the return on their investments. Early success in syndication with shows like these greatly increased the market for off-network sitcoms and allowed for other sitcoms to follow suit. The demand for sitcoms in syndication began to skyrocket. Sitcoms heading to syndication occurred at the time of deregulation which allowed the Big Three ( ABC, NBC, and CBS) to show off-network shows during the most lucrative time slot, which the previous prime time access rule did not allow them to do. This gave off-network sitcoms an even bigger platform and more opportunity to grow. Big Three network affiliates would go on to bid over blockbuster shows like Friends. ^[5] Sitcoms began to sweep the Nielsen Syndication Ratings throughout the 1990s and even today there is a high demand for syndication of 1990s sitcoms. ^[6]

Friends

Friends originally aired on NBC from 1994-2004. It was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman. It was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions in association with Warner Bros Television. Friends is set in Manhattan and follows a group of 6 friends throughout their lives, through all the ups and downs. The main cast consisted of Jennifer Anniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry. It was successful in its first run, earning consistently high ratings, and has since been extremely successful in syndication. The show's success led to the main cast going through several contract negotiations throughout its time on air. As the show grew and the cast learned about the heavy demand for Friends reruns in syndication, they would negotiate to increase their per-episode salaries more and more. ^[7] Friends now earns $1 billion dollars each year for Warner Bros. Because of the negotiations the main cast made with Warner Bros, they each make 2% of syndication revenue, so they each continue to make around $20 million dollars a year from the show. ^[8] In the streaming industry, Friends streamed on Netflix for 5 years before moving to WarnerMedia owned HBO Max after its release in 2020. Friends has been named one of the best TV Shows of All-Time according to Time. ^[9]

Seinfeld

Seinfeld originally aired on NBC from 1989-1998. It was created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David. The main cast consisted of Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Michael Richards. The show is set in Manhattan and centers around a fictional version of Jerry Seinfeld as he interacts with his 3 friends in their everyday lives. Seinfeld also saw great success when it came to syndication, with many stations going into bidding wars over who would get to show the reruns. ^[10] As the reruns began to perform extremely well in syndication, stations offered up unprecedented licensing fees. ^[11] The finale of Seinfeld earned the 2nd-highest non-sports rating of the 1990s. ^[12] Seinfeld also went on to become one of the best TV Shows of All-Time according to Time. ^[9]

The Nanny

The Nanny originally aired on CBS from 1993-1999. Fran Drescher and her then-husband Peter Marc Jacobson created and produced the show. The show centered around the character of Fran Fine, who was based off of Fran Drescher herself. Fran Fine, an over the top and stylish Jewish woman from Queens unexpectedly gets hired by a single British Broadway producer to be the nanny to his three children in New York high society. The main cast consisted of Fran Drescher, Charles Shaughnessy, Daniel Davis, Lauren Lane, Nicholle Tom, Benjamin Salisbury, and Madeline Zima. Many high profile guest stars would make appearances throughout the show. It has been described as "one of the few consistently bright spots on CBS's prime time lineup." ^[13] The Nanny moved onto syndication ^[14] and has since entered the streaming world, debuting on HBO Max on April 1st, 2021. ^[15]

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air originally aired on NBC from 1990 to 1996. It was created by Susan and Andy Borowitz. The main cast consisted of Will Smith, James Avery, Janet Hubert, Daphne Maxwell Reid, Alfonso Ribeiro, Karyn Parsons, Tatyana M. Ali and Jospeh Marcell. The show centers around a fictional version of Will Smith, who after getting into a fight has to move from West Philadelphia to Bel-Air with his aunt and uncle into their mansion. According to ad-agency executives, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air had the highest advertising rate ever by a show in its first season at the time. ^[16] In it's Monday night time period, it held the #1 ratings for the coveted 12-34 age consumers. The show often used this in order to appeal to advertisers who wanted to reach this hard to reach demographic in order to boost its advertising spot value. ^{[17] [18]} The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was another 1990s sitcom that performed very well in syndication. When making its syndication sales, the show often highlighted Will Smith's success in blockbuster films like Bad Boys, Independence Day, and Men in Black, that he was in while filming or shortly after the show wrapped. ^[19] The show is now streaming on HBO Max and some of the cast reunited for an HBO Max Original: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion. ^[20]

Home Improvement

Home Improvement originally aired on ABC from 1991-1999. It was created by Matt Williams, Carmen Finestra, and David McFadzean. The main cast consisted of Tim Allen, Earl Hindman, Taran Noah Smith, Zachery Ty Bryan, Patricia Richardson, and Richard Karn. The show is set in suburban Detroit and centers around Tim Taylor and his family. Home Improvement, along with Seinfeld, often held the highest shares of all syndicated series in the key adult demos in prime time access. ^[21]