The ‘90s were a great time to be a sitcom fan. Shows like Seinfeld arrived as the peak of the multi-camera sitcom, right before its demise throughout the 2000s as single-camera comedies became the norm and overenthusiastic live audiences were sent home.
The Frasier proved that a spin-off can be just as popular as the original series. There were also a handful of iconic sitcoms airing in Britain at the time, courtesy of Irish priests and London fashion publicists. So, we’ve ranked the 10 best casts from ‘90s sitcoms.
Absolutely Fabulous
Inspired by a classic French and Saunders sketch, Absolutely Fabulous tells the story of hard-drinking PR agents Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone, played with spectacular chemistry by Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley.
Julia Sawalha’s straight-laced portrayal of Saffron Monsoon contrasted hysterically with her drug-abusing mother. And on top of that, June Whitfield contrasted with both of them as Edina’s unnamed mother (only ever referred to as “Mother,” “Gran,” or “Mrs. M”).
Family Guy
The only entry on this list that’s still on the air today, the show’s reliance on cutaway gags, the voice actors are all perfectly suited to their (in some cases, multiple) roles.
Series creator Seth MacFarlane plays about half the characters, including the three funniest of the Griffin family – Peter, Brian, and Stewie – while Alex Borstein, Mila Kunis, and Seth Green all bring a dash of comic magic to their characters. The ing cast shine, too, from Patrick Warburton as Joe Swanson to Adam West as a bastardized version of himself.
Father Ted
Graham Linehan’s Father Ted is one of the best British sitcoms of all time, thanks to sharp writing, a Seinfeld-inspired absurdist sensibility, and of course, brilliant acting.
Dermot Morgan anchored the series in the title role, while he had hysterical repartee with his co-stars Ardal O’Hanlon as the simple-minded Father Dougal McGuire and Frank Kelly as the filthy-minded alcoholic Father Jack Hackett.
The Larry Sanders Show
The cast of The Larry Sanders Show – a delightfully meta sitcom (and precursor to Curb Your Enthusiasm and 30 Rock) about the production cycle of a late-night talk show – was anchored by the legendary Garry Shandling as the titular TV host, hilariously playing the dichotomy between Larry’s on-air persona and his real-life personality.
Shandling was backed by some fantastic ing players: Jeffrey Tambor as Larry’s sidekick, Penny Johnson as Larry’s personal assistant, Rip Torn as the show’s producer, and Janeane Garofalo as the show’s talent booker.
I’m Alan Partridge
It might’ve seemed unlikely that Steve Coogan could transplant his sportscaster character Alan Partridge into a traditional sitcom, but I’m Alan Partridge worked beautifully.
Coogan is hilarious as ever as Partridge, and he surrounded himself with a stellar ing cast: Felicity Montagu as Alan’s embattled assistant Lynn Benfield; Simon Greenall as his mentally imbalanced ex-soldier friend Michael; and Phil Cornwell as rival DJ Dave Clifton.
The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air
When he was given a sitcom vehicle, Will Smith slipped effortlessly from music to comedic acting. As the voice of ‘90s youth, he contrasted hilariously with the stuffy, conservative Uncle Phil, played by James Avery. The more somber dramatic moments between Will and Uncle Phil were played spectacularly by Smith and Avery, who shared brilliant on-screen chemistry as a misunderstood teenager and his unlikely father figure.
Terrific was provided by Alfonso Ribeiro as Carlton, Karyn Parsons as Hilary, and Tatyana M. Ali as Ashley, as well as Janet Hubert-Whitten and Daphne Maxwell Reid, the two actors who played Vivian. Joseph Marcell was great as the butler Geoffrey, the outsider to the Banks’ wealth.
Frasier
With its farcical plotting taking precedence over rapid-fire jokes, Frasier was one of the ‘90s’ most sophisticated comedies. Kelsey Grammer relishes the chance to take center stage as Frasier Crane, formerly a ing character on Cheers, while he has such incredible chemistry with David Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney that you could believe they were actually his brother and father, respectively.
Jane Leeves and Peri Gilpin also provided strong as Marty’s physical therapist Daphne and Frasier’s producer, respectively.
Everybody Loves Raymond
The great thing about the cast of a relatable married couple.
Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle shared the same connection as an older married couple in the roles of the overprotective Marie and the curmudgeonly Frank, respectively. Meanwhile, Brad Garrett earned a shelf full of Emmys for his portrayal of Ray’s mopey cop brother, Robert.
Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld is the first to it that he’s not an actor, but his dry, deadpan portrayal of a the hilariously unpredictable Cosmo Kramer.
As a bonus, all the actors in ancillary roles – Wayne Knight, Estelle Harris, Jerry Stiller, Patrick Warburton etc. – steal every scene they’re in.
Friends
Say what you will about Friends – it’s far from perfect – but it had a phenomenal cast. The main reason why its countless imitators have failed is that getting an ensemble of actors together that have the magical chemistry shared by the cast of Friends is a million-to-one shot.
Friends wouldn’t have worked nearly as well without the dynamic created by Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, and Matt LeBlanc. It’s also rare that a cast of six has no dead weight, but that’s the case here.