12 1990s Fox TV Shows Rarely Mentioned Today
Back in the 90s, Fox programmed TV with the same energy as a kid with a Surge and a late-night TV streak.
Weird ideas got greenlit, stranger ones made it to air, and we all watched like it was sandwiched between homework and AIM away messages.
These shows built loyal fanbases, disappeared without closure, and now live in the same memory vault as dial-up tones and rewinding VHS tapes. One of them is about to pop back into your brain like a long-lost theme song.
Disclaimer: Publicly available information about broadcast history and series details is reflected here as of the time of writing, and scheduling details, episode availability, and distribution notes can vary by market, rerun package, or later releases.
12. The Adventures Of Brisco County, Jr.
Bruce Campbell strapped on a gun belt and cracked wise in the Old West.
This 1993 series mixed cowboys with steampunk gadgets, creating something nobody had seen before. Harvard-educated bounty hunter Brisco chased outlaws while stumbling onto mysterious technology that felt decades ahead of its time.
The show lasted just one season, but fans still quote its clever one-liners at comic conventions. Friday nights never felt quite the same after Fox pulled the plug in 1994.
11. Millennium
After The X-Files, creator Chris Carter pushed into even darker territory with Millennium.
At the center stood Lance Henriksen as Frank Black, a former FBI profiler haunted by an ability to see the world through the eyes of killers. Running from 1996 to 1999, the series leaned into apocalyptic dread and serial crime stories that left many viewers checking their locks at night.
While its predecessor chased extraterrestrials, this show focused on human darkness and never looked away.
Critics admired the heavy atmosphere, yet the intensity proved too much for many audiences to follow week after week.
10. Sliders
Basement science goes sideways in Sliders, launching four travelers into a chain of infinite parallel Earths.
Each week delivers a new reality where history took a different turn, including worlds where history took wildly different turns.
Comic book style wonder powers the premise, keeping the possibilities wide open for endless variations. The first three seasons aired on Fox, and the series later moved to the Sci-Fi Channel for its final two seasons.
Fans still debate which alternate Earth they would most want to visit.
9. M.A.N.T.I.S.
Brilliant science and determination drive M.A.N.T.I.S., where a paralyzed researcher builds an advanced exoskeleton and steps into the role of a superhero.
At the center, Dr. Miles Hawkins fights crime in Ocean City, becoming one of the first Black heroes to lead a live action television series. Social themes weave through the action, while ambitious sequences stretched the limits of 1994 television effects.
M.A.N.T.I.S. ran for one season on Fox (with its final two episodes later airing on the Sci-Fi Channel).
8. Space: Above And Beyond
Marines launched into space to fight an alien invasion in this gritty 1995 series.
The show felt like Top Gun meets Starship Troopers, following the 58th Squadron as they battled mysterious enemies called Chigs. Dogfights happened in zero gravity, and characters actually died in combat, making stakes feel real.
Fox canceled it after one season despite strong reviews. Science fiction fans mourned the loss of a series remembered for high-stakes aerial combat and unusually gritty battlefield tension.
7. Harsh Realm
Virtual reality becomes a trap when a soldier enters a simulation he cannot escape in Harsh Realm.
Created by Chris Carter in 1999 as his third series for Fox Broadcasting Company, the show centers on a military training program that spirals out of control, where digital deaths feel alarmingly real.
Inside the system, Lieutenant Hobbes realizes the simulation has turned into a prison, trapping soldiers in endless combat scenarios. Fox pulled the show after three of its nine produced episodes aired.
Arriving just as audiences were still processing The Matrix, the concept may have been a bit ahead of its moment.
6. VR.5
Strange signals travel through phone lines in VR.5, where a telephone technician discovers she can slip into virtual reality.
Sydney Bloom sits at the center of the story, with Lori Singer using that role to wander through subconscious minds, uncover buried secrets, and unravel mysteries. Conspiracy themes blend with early internet anxiety, arriving at a time when most households still relied on screeching dial up modems.
Thirteen episodes were produced, but only ten aired during the original Fox run.
Looking back, the show predicted society’s digital fixation years early, and Singer’s performance still feels worthy of a longer run.
5. Kindred: The Embraced
Vampires ran San Francisco’s underworld in warring clans.
Based on the role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, this 1996 series explored immortal politics and forbidden romance. Julian Luna, the vampire prince of the city, struggles with romantic feelings for human reporter Caitlin Byrne, while Detective Frank Kohanek investigates the violence surrounding the clans.
The show ended after eight episodes when star Mark Frankel died in a motorcycle accident. Gothic horror fans lost a promising series that blended Anne Rice vibes with mob drama.
4. Damon
Undercover police work collides with sudden parenthood in Damon, a 1998 sitcom built around unexpected family life. At the center, Damon Wayans plays a detective who ends up juggling undercover police work with complicated family responsibilities at home.
Family comedy blends with light crime drama as homework help and bedtime struggles interrupt stakeouts and investigations. Fox kept the series on air for only one season before canceling it during a crowded era of competing sitcoms.
Warmth in the premise carried genuine emotion about family bonds beneath the humor.
3. The Critic
Savage wit and rapid fire pop culture references defined the reviews delivered by Jay Sherman in The Critic.
Created by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, the 1995 animated series took sharp aim at Hollywood with jokes that flew by faster than many viewers could catch them.
Perpetually exasperated delivery from Jon Lovitz gave the character a memorable voice, and the catchphrase “It stinks!” became shorthand for blunt reviews.
The Critic began on ABC in 1994, then moved to Fox in 1995 for a second season.
2. Toonsylvania
Mad scientist Dr. Vic Frankenstein hosted horror-themed cartoons in a haunted mansion.
This 1998 Fox Kids series blended classic monster movies with slapstick comedy, featuring segments about bumbling Igor and other creepy characters. The show aimed for Looney Tunes energy with a Halloween twist that kids could watch year-round.
DreamWorks produced it, but the series ran for two seasons on Fox Kids, ending in 1999 despite creative animation. Saturday morning lineups moved on, leaving Toonsylvania in the graveyard of forgotten cartoons.
1. Time Of Your Life
Starting over in New York City, Sarah Reeves Merrin sets out on her own after leaving her family behind in Time of Your Life.
Spinning off from Party of Five, the 1999 drama follows Jennifer Love Hewitt as Sarah searches for her biological father. Themes of identity and independence run through the story, capturing those early adult years when freedom feels both exciting and overwhelming.
Cancellation came after a single season despite strong performances and heartfelt storytelling.
Viewers who loved the original series often wished Sarah’s journey had lasted much longer.
