The family sitcom formula went old school -- like prehistoric old school -- in 1991 by focusing on a family of dinosaurs in the aptly named comedy series 'Dinosaurs.' The show, produced by Jim Henson Productions, brought puppetry to a massive scale, putting puppeteers in complex animatronic suits to properly portray the larger-than-life members of the Sinclair family.
Many of us had imaginary friends growing up, but none were so wild as the green suited anarchist at the center of 'Drop Dead Fred!'
This off-the-walls comedy from 1991 followed Lizzie Cronin, a grown woman who'd failed to blossom after her parents locked away her fantastical BFF. But when her life hits a serious low point (no husband, no job, no money or car), she comes across a taped-up Jack-in-the-Box and rediscovers her moxie as well as Drop Dead Fred.
Back in the late '80s and early '90s, '21 Jump Street' was the thing, holding a cast that was all-too-cool among a story that stood all-too-unbelievable, but that didn't stop young viewers from eating it up.
Focusing on a team of blessedly young-looking police officers who posed as students to bust crimes in high school, college and any other teenage hot spot, the '21 Jump Street' cast became rather popular -- especially one guy just a few years later named Johnny Depp.
In 1985, the then 'Family Ties' cast member Michael J. Fox had not only a hit television show under his belt but also two blockbuster successes. One was the legendary 'Back to the Future' while the other was the not-as-legendary-but-still-successful-and-entertaining 'Teen Wolf.' The film told the story of a high school student (Fox), who suddenly discovers that he has the ability to transform into a werewolf, a trait passed down in his family.
The teen drama 'Dawson's Creek' told the tale of a group of friends who lived in the sleepy seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts.
If 'The Little Mermaid' put Disney back in the animated fairy tale game, 'Beauty and the Beast' proved that they were back to stay. The film was a huge hit for Disney, earning both box office success and critical acclaim. It was even the first animated movie ever to be nominated for the top Oscar prize of Best Picture.
Back in 1999, the world was introduced to arguably the best TV show ever created. Set primarily in New Jersey, 'The Sopranos' explored the story of mobster Tony Soprano, a man attempting to keep his home life as well as his mental stability intact amid a profession where a bullet could come flying around any corner.
Then: Mark-Paul Gosselaar had worked in a few television commercials before being cast as Zack Morris on NBC's 'Saved by the Bell.' He had a giant cell phone and could freeze time and was apparently a secret genius (remember that SAT score of 1502), even though he seemed like a totally dumb slacker. Everybody loved him.
1987 was a big year for trios of men banding together and raising families. On the big screen you had 'Three Men and a Baby' and on TV there was the debut of 'Full House.'
After New Line's live-action 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' movie grossed more than $201 million worldwide, the heroes in a half-shell were guaranteed a sequel. That came just a year later in 1991 in the form of 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze.' This turtle-powered action movie didn't fare as well at the box office, but was nonetheless beloved by kids that couldn't get enough of these pizza-loving crime fighters.