20 TV Shows That Are Still Popular

There are tons of TV shows out there to watch. Nothing beats the classic ones from the 1970s-1990s. They still hold up to this day. Thomas West, a writer for the MSN.com page YardBarker, has compiled a list of 20 TV shows that are still popular

Ironically, I actually watch quite a few of these shows. Such as The Golden Girls, I Love Lucy, The Carol Burnett Show, Scooby Doo, Where Are You?, Murder, She Wrote

1. The West Wing

-This political drama gives a good side to government. It shows that there are people who work in government offices who really do have the best interests of the people as their top consideration. This show is a great reminder of alternative options to handling situations

2. The Nanny

-It's a pretty hilarious sitcom. There was humor all around, from Fran Drescher's character to the kids, and there was romance between Fran Fine and her boss Mr. Sheffield. Then, of course, was the long running rivalry between C.C. and Niles. Overall, the show had a good heart as well

3. Maude

-Bea Arthur is mostly known for playing outspoken, sarcastic Dorothy Zbornak on The Golden Girls. Prior to this, she starred on the 1970s television show Maude, as an outspoken feminist. She played a fiery feminist not afraid to speak her mind about the issues of the day, including abortion. And who doesn't love Bea Arthur?

4. All in the Family

-This 1970s-era television show dealt with all of the issues in the world at that time, such as gay rights, feminism, abortion, etc. There was an almost constant battle of the wits between Archie Bunker and his  daughter and son in law. The issues they debate about are still hot topics to this day and it makes the show feel relevant

5. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

-For many who grew up in the 1990s, Will Smith will always be The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. There is a strong sense of culture clash, as Will's character came from the working class area of Philadelphia and suddenly finds himself in the affluent area of Bel-Air, California. His humor is constantly present, making the show funny and also an overall good show to watch. It even spawned a new spin off called Bel-Air

6. Seinfeld

-There is not really much of a premise or plot to the show. It's a show about nothing. Somehow, it's found popularity with people. It's still popular thanks to streaming services. The characters still resonate with people, despite going off of the air nearly thirty years ago

7. Star Trek

-This is one of the most influential sci-fi shows around. It still holds up well to this day. The costumes and special effects seem incredibly outdated, especially in a world that now uses CGI and AI to do special effects. But, it's the outdated costumes and special effects that people love most. The show provided something that was joyful, exciting about the extents that it would go to regarding progressive points of view. It's from a time where things were far simpler. It's still popular to this day and finding new fans almost constantly

8. Scooby Doo, Where Are You?

-There have been few animated characters who have had a long, successful career. One of them is Scooby Doo. He is one of the most successful animated characters, inspiring spin off TV shows, television movies, such as Zombie Island, Alien Invaders, etc. Airing in the late 1960s, the show featured a cowardly Great Dane and five kids solving mysteries the old fashioned way, with clues and investigations. It's a reminder of the days when Saturday morning cartoons were a tradition with kids while others love the simply fun of an old fashioned mystery

9. Gunsmoke

-One of the many Western television programs on TV, they were quite popular in the 1950s. While many of the shows have been long since forgotten, Gunsmoke is not one of them. This show ran twenty seasons, from the 1950s to the 1970s. Today, it might seen as old fashioned, but it still holds up well. Many love the show for the great performances of James Arness, Milburn Stone and Amanda Blake

10. The Jeffersons

-This show was a revolution in TV. Staying on the air from 1975-1985, it showed an upwardly moving black couple and their family. It showed this family in a positive way in an era where black actors and actresses often got stuck in typecast roles. The show appealed to many because of the heartfelt and humorous relationship between Louise "Weezy" Jefferson and her husband George, played by Isabel Sanford and Sherman Hemsley. To this day, this show is still popular and is also gaining new fans

11. The Carol Burnett Show

-This show is still popular thanks to streaming services. When it aired on TV, it was sure to be a night of laughs and music. The lady for whom the show is named, Carol Burnett, starred in sketches along with comedic actors Harvey Korman and Tim Conway. Many of the sketches are still remembered to this day, like the spoof of Gone with the Wind. In the case of the show, it was Went with the Wind. And there were so many guest stars, both actors, actresses and musicians, that everyone loved to see who was going to turn up in a sketch, from Julie Andrews to Jim Nabors to Maggie Smith to The Jackson 5 and more. Each episode of the show would end with the current guest star signing their autograph in a book for Carol. This show even inspired a spin off called Mama's Family, starring Vicki Lawrence as the titular Mama. Carol Burnett would appear from time to time playing Eunice

12. The Mary Tyler Moore Show

-Despite being something straight out of the 1970s, and a second wave of feminism following, the show is still popular. It was revolutionary at the time because it featured an unmarried, independent w

13. Designing Women

-Similar to The Golden Girls, this program, created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, focused on a group of four women who run a design firm in Atlanta, Georgia. This show dealt with touchy topics, such as HIV / AIDS. It was on TV during the 1980s and 1990s and is still a beloved TV show to this day

14. Cheers

-Everyone knows the iconic theme to this show centered around a Boston bar. This show was the very definition of workplace sitcom. It centered on Sam Malone, a bartender running a Boston bar and the various people who enter and leave the bar. Despite being on in the 1980s, it seems dated by today's standards. It's still popular for those looking for a good laugh. And some can even quote the show, like people quoting Norm by saying "It's a dog eat dog world and I'm wearing Milk Bone underwear"

15. M*A*S*H

-This TV show was based on a book of the same name. It told the story of a medical unit in Korea during the Korean War. It found the right balance between drama and comedy, creating tear-inducing laughing and heartbreaking grief. It's easy to see why this show still holds up today

16. Murder, She Wrote

-This show takes place in the Maine town of Cabot Cove. It centers on a murder mystery writer named Jessica Fletcher who always manages to find herself at the center of a juicy mystery. Angela Lansbury plays this role perfectly. There's just something about this show that people love. Whether it's the cozy, timeless feel of it or that it's good old fashioned detective work, this show never gets old

17. The Twilight Zone

-Rod Serling and his show The Twilight Zone, have remained one of the most thought-inducing programs out there. Each episode had a moral to learn. So it was as much educational as it was entertaining. Rod Serling had the ability to take anxieties people felt and turn them into stories that were terrifying to watch for the time. When you watch it, it takes you back to 1950s era America and the concerns plaguing the world at that time and their relation to current events

18. Kolchak: The Night Stalker

-This was a short lived television series. It had just 20 episodes. Despite its short run, it did make an impact on some people. It was said to have even inspired The X-Files. Darren McGavin played the title character and the stories were quite scary for the time period. While it doesn't rely on special effects, it relies on an eerie atmosphere, which is the reason it's still entertaining to watch

19. I Love Lucy

-Two of the most remembered episodes of this program were "Lucy Gets a Job" and Lucy Does a Commercial." There's no doubt Lucille Ball was the genius of comedy in the 1950s. She was thrown into superstardom with her program I Love Lucy. Despite airing in the 1950s, something about the show just makes it loveable. Her comedy style was hilarious, joyful and a refreshing change. Lucille Ball is a master of physical comedy as well as sarcastic remarks and facial expressions. It's no wonder the show is still highly popular, thanks to streaming services allowing people to re-discover this show and new fans to discover the show

20. The Golden Girls

-No one can deny the comedic genius of Bea Arthur (Dorothy), Estelle Getty (Sophia), Rue McClanahan (Blanche) and Betty White (Rose). Despite going on the air in 1992, the show was funny, heartfelt, with great actors and actresses, and politically relevant for the time period. They often discussed issues that were just as relevant then as they are now, from same-sex marriage to care and concerns for the elderly and the problems with aging. They tackle these issues with comedy, and cheesecake, of course

Untold Secrets of 90s Shows Pt. II

We all love watching TV. There are shows from the 1990s, especially, that still survive today. Here are some cool facts you may or may not know about some of them

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

-A sitcom that just screams 1990s. From the heavy influence of hip hop to the style of clothing, this show just screams 1990s. Starring Will Smith, it tells the story of a young man who lives in a rough Philadelphia neighborhood and his aunt sends him to live with family in Bel-Air, an affluent suburb in Los Angeles.

Janet Hubert, who played Aunt Vivian on the show, was the only cast member with whom no one got along

The last name of the famed, loved, Caribbean-accented butler Geoffrey was Butler

The last name of the famed, loved, Caribbean-accented butler Geoffrey was Butler

70% of the money that Will Smith earned during the first three seasons was seized by the government to pay back the $3 million he owed in back taxes

Home Improvement

-This 1990s show starred Tim Allen as Tim "Tool Man" Taylor, the host of a Michigan-based home improvement show who had no skills at home improvement while his assistant Al was actually the one with the DIY skills.

The next-door neighbor, Wilson, who was a sort of Buddha-like figure, always imparting wisdom, was based on an actual next-door neighbor that Tim Allen knew from childhood

The audience on "Tool Time" was the actual live audience for the series

Boy Meets World

-Almost every kid who was born and raised in the 1990s pretty much grew up on this show. They can name episodes, guest stars, characters and more they loved about this show. Sadly, I'm one of those kids who grew up on this show. It was a nice, wholesome show that they just don't make anymore. Not only that, but most kids probably thought the English teacher on the show, Mr. Turner, was cool because he drove a motorcycle

Cory's love interest Topanga, despite being a strange name, was named after a canyon in Los Angeles

Full House

-This other wholesome 1990s sitcom tells the story of a widower living in San Francisco with his three daughters. He invites two of his friends to move in to have additional help around the house

Bob Saget was considered less than family friendly when the cameras weren't rolling. He was known to have a dark sense of humor in addition to swearing on set

Michelle appeared to be ambidextrous because Mary-Kate Olsen was left-handed, and Ashley Olsen was right-handed

Saved By the Bell

-This show, despite being filmed in the 1990s, was supposed to take place in the 1980s. 

Mark-Paul Gosselar had to dye his hair blonde every day for his role as Zack

On the show, Jessie, played by Elizabeth Berkley, was supposed to have been addicted to methamphetamine instead of caffeine pills. Producers changed it to caffeine pills because the concept of meth addiction would have been incredibly controversial

The X-Files

-Everyone's favorite show about a government agency investigating aliens and other strange phenomena.

Gillian Anderson, who plays Agent Scully, lied about her age to get a role on this show

Everybody Loves Raymond

-This iconic 1990s show centers around an Italian family in Long Island, New York. It centers around the dysfunctional family of sports columnist Ray Barone. To add insult to injury, Ray's parents moved in right across the street and would invite themselves over any time they felt

The nicknames Ray came up with for Debra were ad-libbed

The houses in which Ray and Debra Barone and his parents lived were right across the street from each other

Charmed

-This supernatural program centered around three sisters who just so happen to also be witches. Their powerful book of spells, The Book of Shadows, was the book from which they cast all their spells

The Book of Shadows on the show weighed nine pounds

King of the Hill

-This show, which was made by Beavis & Butthead creator Mike Judge, centers around a propane salesman, Hank Hill, his wife Peggy and his dysfunctional family and also equally dysfunctional friends in Arlen, Texas

John Ritter voiced the music teacher, Mr. Grandy

Twin Peaks

-This mystery in itself TV show had horror, true crime, mystery and sci-fi. Fans of the show are still watching it to this day, trying to solve the mystery of the town. One of the biggest highlights was that no one knew who the murderer was

The network Twin Peaks was on had to cancel it after 20 episodes because a rival network revealed the identity of Laura's killer to the audiences

Seinfeld

-This "show about nothing" somehow ended up becoming massively successful.

When Julia Louis-Dreyfuss discovered she was pregnant, Jerry Seinfeld thought about a plot idea that had reduced Dreyfuss to tears, not the emotional, pregnancy-related tears, but genuine tears

The "show about nothing" tagline came not from creators, but from fans

Xena: Warrior Princess

-Many a guy had a crush on her when this program was on. Most likely it was because she was muscular, dressed in tight clothes and could handle a sword as well as any man.

The war cry that Xena used was based on something that Arab women used. Their war cry was called ululating

Will & Grace

-Will, a gay New York attorney and Grace, a straight interior designer, both share an apartment and are visited by their friends Jack and Karen, who's a rich socialite lacking morals

After getting the news from her agent that she had landed a role on Will & Grace, Megan Mullally had made an illegal U-turn and was given a ticket by police

3rd Rock from the Sun

-This completely out there show was about aliens moving to Earth and trying to assimilate into society

Ian Lithgow, who played Leon, was the son of John Lithgow, who played Dr. Dick Solomon

Dawson's Creek

-This show, aimed at teenagers, centered around four teenagers navigating adolescence in a coastal town

The necklace that Dawson Leery, who was played by James Van Der Beek, wore was made by his own mother

Living Single

-This show centered around six friends living in a Brooklyn brownstone as they navigated the turbulent waters that is life

The key that Queen Latifah wore around her neck was in honor of her brother, who was killed in a motorcycle accident

Ellen

-Bookstore owner Ellen tries to get by in life with the struggles of friends and family

Ellen received more hate mail for "The Puppy Episode" than any other episode because her character came out as gay

Oprah Winfrey had received more hate mail than ever for appearing in "The Puppy Episode"

Sabrina the Teenage Witch

-This show, starring Melissa Joan Hart as a teen witch living with her two aunts, who show her how to use her new powers

Melissa Joan Hart got the role as Sabrina because her mother was one of the producers of the show

Step By Step

-Two families become one, slowly but surely

Sasha Mitchell, who played Cody, was arrested and charged with domestic abuse

Ren & Stimpy

-This somewhat disgusting cartoon was, somehow, aimed at kids and centered around a cat and a chihuahua

John Kricfalusi, the creator, was known for dating underage girls

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers

-In the days before the spin offs of Power Rangers, there was this show, centering around a group of superheroes in brightly color spandex suits and masks

David Yost, who played the Blue Ranger, accused the crew of homophobic bullying. He said it got to the point where he started conversion therapy because the bullying was constant and as a result, he walked away from the show