"Star Trek: The Next Generation" actually started in the 1980s but the majority of the episodes aired in the 1990s, with the series running from 1987 to 1994. Taking place 70 years after the final mission of Captain Kirk's Enterprise, the updated "Star Trek" featured a crew led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Like the original series, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was created by Gene Roddenberry, who produced the show until his death in 1991. Stewart was apparently not Roddenberry's first choice to play Picard; he envisioned the character as having a full head of hair, but when Picard offered to wear a toupee, luckily Roddenberry changed his mind.
2. Friends
Answer: David Schwimmer
"Friends" ran from 1994 to 2004 and was intended to be a true ensemble sitcom with no one lead performer. The show revolved around brother and sister Ross and Monica (David Schwimmer and Courtney Cox) and their friends Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Chandler (Matthew Perry).
The "Ross and Rachel" romance, which was on-again-off-again throughout the series, was one of the main themes of the show and the reason that I used David Schwimmer for this quiz instead of Matt LeBlanc or Matthew Perry. Additionally, Schwimmer was the first of the male leads to receive an Emmy nomination for his work on the show (1995 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series).
3. Home Improvement
Answer: Tim Allen
"Home Improvement" ran from 1991 to 1999 and was created as a vehicle for stand-up comedian Tim Allen. His character in the show, Tim Taylor, was an accident-prone handyman who hosted a home improvement show, "Tool Time". While part of the series was devoted to Taylor's home life with his family and barely visible neighbor, Wilson W. Wilson, much of the comedy revolved around "Tool Time" escapades with his much more competent assistant Al Borland (Richard Karn). Tim Allen received an Emmy nomination in 1993 for his work on the show.
4. Roseanne
Answer: John Goodman
Another sitcom created for a stand-up comedian, "Roseanne" ran from 1989 to 1997 and featured the adventures of the working class Conner family, headed by Dan (John Goodman) and Roseanne (Roseanne Barr). The show earned kudos in its early years for its portrayal of a blue collar family where both parents worked, moving from job to job to make ends meet, with the Dan Conner character declared to be "a prototypical everyman" by the "IGN" entertainment website. For his work on the show, John Goodman received seven consecutive Emmy nominations from 1989 to 1995.
5. Law and Order
Answer: Sam Waterston
The original show that launched a franchise, "Law and Order" ran for two decades from 1990 to 2010, but is included in this quiz since it started in the 1990s. Based in New York City, the series focused on both the investigation of a crime and then the legal proceedings that followed.
The show featured an extensive cast that changed over the life of the series, and I was torn between using Jerry Orbach, who played Detective Lennie Briscoe from 1992 to 2004, or Sam Waterston, who portrayed Assistant District Attorney (later District Attorney) Jack McCoy from 1994-2010, for this quiz. I opted for Waterston because he earned two Emmy nominations during the 1990s for his work on the show (1997 and 1999, and another nomination in 2000). Orbach's only Emmy nomination for the show came in 2000.
6. Agatha Christie's Poirot
Answer: David Suchet
Another series with a long life, "Agatha Christie's Poirot" ran from 1989 to 2013, but is included in this quiz because half of the show's 70 episodes were first broadcast in the 1990s. David Suchet had actually been recommended to portray Hercule Poirot by Agatha Christie's family, based on his performance in the 1985 BBC series "Blott on the Landscape", with Christie's grandson stating that he regretted his grandmother "never saw David Suchet" because his performance as Poirot was "most convincing". For his work, Suchet received a Best Actor nomination in 1991 for the British Academy Television Awards.
7. The X-Files
Answer: David Duchovny
"The X-Files" initially ran from 1993 to 2002 and followed FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) as they investigated cases involving unexplained phenomena. Although the show was associated with aliens, most of the episodes were science fiction "monster-of-the-week" stories. Duchovny portrayed Mulder through season seven and only appeared occasionally in the remaining seasons as Robert Patrick took over as the male lead on the show, playing agent John Doggett. For his work, Duchovny received Emmy nominations in 1997 and 1998.
8. Frasier
Answer: Kelsey Grammer
"Frasier" was a spin-off series developed from the 1980s show "Cheers", based on the character, psychiatrist Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer). "Frasier" ran from 1993 to 2004 and followed the adventures of Crane, who hosted a radio show in Seattle, and his family and co-workers.
The critically-acclaimed show received 108 Emmy nominations during its run, the most of any series at that point in time, and Grammer won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 1994, 1995, 1998 and 2004.
9. NYPD Blue
Answer: Dennis Franz
Crime drama "NYPD Blue" ran from 1993 to 2005 and was originally created with John Kelly (David Caruso) as the lead character, but Caruso left after a few episodes into the second season to pursue a film career, leaving Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) to emerge as the lead character of an ensemble cast. Sipowicz was an unusual protagonist in that he was a hard-drinking bigot and bully, but he was dedicated to his job and grew as a person over the life of the series. Franz received Emmy nominations for his role each year from 1994-2001, and he won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1999.
10. Quantum Leap
Answer: Scott Bakula
Having the shortest run of the shows included in this quiz, the science fiction series "Quantum Leap" originally aired from 1989 to 1993. In the show, Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) was able to use time travel to inhabit another body to change history, in some cases inhabiting the body of real people from history, like Lee Harvey Oswald.
Despite its short run, the show developed a cult following and received numerous Emmy award nominations and a few wins for technical categories. Bakula received Emmy nominations for his role in the years 1990-1993.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Gamemaster1967 before going online.
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