Modern Shows That Are Basically '90s Shows

While many of your favorite '90s shows are back on the air in 2016 (Fuller House! Girl Meets World! The X-Files!), in some ways, you didn't necessarily have to wait for your favorite shows to get reboots so you could see your favorite '90s shows on present-day TV. Perhaps because we are in an era of peak '90s nostalgia, many shows currently on TV almost seem like loose equivalents to popular shows of the '90s, if you really pay attention. Think about it: New Girl's comedic friendship dynamics fraught with sexual tension would probably not exist if Friends hadn't come before it, and the wholesome family sitcoms that is Modern Family has Full House to thank. Even the dark and surreal mystery Wayward Pines seems at least a little influenced by Twin Peaks.

This isn't to say that current TV is a copy of an earlier decade. It's hard to imagine many of today's shows, such as Girls, Orange is the New Black, or Master of None, existing in any time except this one. There are even many elements of more traditional and throwback shows that would have been controversial in the '90s. So while the following shows do seem pretty similar to of some of everyone's favorite '90s shows, many of them just contain distinctive elements that the shows that came before them did. They're modern-day equivalents to old favorites, if you will, and for that, we all love 'em even more.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer & Supernatural

The mission of the stars of both shows were the same: to kill vampires and demons, even though the tone of Supernatural is slightly more dramatic. There have even been crossover episodes!

Friends & New Girl

Both Friends and New Girl center on the relationships of friends and sometimes roommates who pair up in unexpected ways. Both shows deal with a lot of relationship-centered comedy, but definitely have the potential to give you warm fuzzies. Also, Central Perk on Friends is basically Nick's bar on New Girl, if you needed any convincing that they are the same show.

Are You Afraid Of The Dark? & American Horror Story

The '90s horror anthology changed every episode, whereas American Horror Story changes every season, but both had a lot of fun with popular horror tropes, from evil clowns to ghosts.

Full House & Modern Family

Both shows center on the dynamics of a complicated and nontraditional family and are wholesome entertainment, not always critically acclaimed but hugely successful. Both shows featured cute kids saying adorable one liners, with Full House's Michelle basically the mother of Modern Family's Lily.

Seinfeld & It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Like Seinfeld, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is about horrible people who rarely get punished for their bad behavior. While the characters on It's Always Sunny are more extreme in their awfulness, they often dealt with similar non-issues.

Twin Peaks & Wayward Pines

If you love the mystery and creeping feeling of Twin Peaks, you'll love M. Night Shyamalan's series. Everything from the names to the small town setting to the mystery plot are...eerily similar. The town of Wayward Pines is even so rural that it's basically stuck in the '90s.

Freaks And Geeks & Girls

While the Judd Apatow-created series are about different demographics, both will satisfy your craving for cringe comedy that's a little too real while still having a lot of feel-good moments.

Who needs revivals when we already have these shows on the air? Actually, never mind. We want the revivals.

Image: Fox