If you were a '90s kid, these mostly forgotten TV shows defined your sick days
"The results are in!"
These mostly forgotten '90s TV shows comforted kids during sick days.
If you were home sick from school in the '90s, you likely didn't have much to do. Your friends weren't around, and you couldn't risk getting them sick anyway. And if you felt well enough to play video games or roam outside, your parents probably argued you had enough energy to sit through science class. That left one obvious option: sprawl out under the covers, thermometer in your mouth, belly full of crackers and Sprite, and watch whatever TV shows happened to be on.
This daytime programming might have felt like transmissions from an alien world. After all, you typically weren't even home to watch the game shows, soap operas, and talk shows that filled morning and early afternoon TV. Looking back now, many '90s kids feel a sparkly nostalgia for this retro entertainment, much of which has faded into the pop-culture rearview mirror, if not been forgotten entirely.
Here are five series that make adults of a certain age look back fondly on their "sick at home" days. (Disclaimer: We're not including The Price Is Right. It's the ultimate example—too obvious.)
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Judge Judy
Reality court shows were a big thing in the '90s, and Judge Judy remains the most iconic, having run from 1996 through 2021.
Its namesake star was Judith Sheindlin, whom New York Magazine once described as a "tart-tongued, bouffant-headed fury." She presided over small-claims disputes with a satisfyingly no-BS style. The show became a ratings smash and one of the highest-rated programs in syndication, and it wasn't only kids home with the flu tuning in. After Judge Judy ended its run, Sheindlin launched another courtroom series, Judy Justice, on Amazon's streaming platform Freevee.
"Judge Judy at 3pm, man," one person wrote in a Reddit thread about sick-day TV. "That was the s—."
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Ricki Lake
There were so many daytime talk shows in the '90s: Maury, The Jerry Springer Show, and the long-running Oprah Winfrey Show. Younger viewers today, however, may be less familiar with Ricki Lake, which aired from 1993 to 2004.
"The conflicts of real people are what people want to watch," Lake told The Los Angeles Times, explaining her vision for the show, which tackled topics like relationship turmoil and family drama, often with a more youthful slant. In 1995, Time wrote that
"[h]er impact on TV has been enormous."
Lake, who has also worked as an actor, later went on to host another talk show, the short-lived The Ricki Lake Show (2012–2013), and appeared on several reality TV series, including The Masked Singer and Dancing With the Stars.
"Ricki Lake because 1. That was my mom's favorite and 2. That intro song f---ng hits," one Redditor recalled. Others added, "The results are in!" and "I literally can't choose over Jenny Jones, Ricki Lake, Maury or Jerry."
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Allegra's Window
Nickelodeon was a staple for many '90s kids, airing innovative cartoons alongside goofy but endearing live-action shows. Not everyone remembers the short-lived Allegra's Window, however, which ran from 1994 to 1996 and blended live actors with puppets and animation in the style of Sesame Street.
There's a real sweetness and innocence to the show, which follows a little-girl puppet named Allegra as she navigates daily life. (Fun fact: One of the show's co-creators was Jim Jinkins, who later went on to create the beloved Nickelodeon animated series Doug.)
"Holy s---! I forgot all about this," one Redditor wrote. "I remember this being on whenever I would stay home sick from school…"
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Wings
It's a strange sitcom setting: Wings, which ran from 1990 to 1997 on NBC, starred Tim Daly and Steven Weber as pilots operating a one-plane airline in Nantucket.
As Variety reported in 1995, Wings truly took off through reruns: "Instead of dropping off in the ratings during their regular primetime run on NBC, the original episodes of Wings actually took flight in the Nielsens—the show went from being a modest success to a genuine winner, a vital cog in NBC's powerhouse Thursday sitcom block."
If you were home sick in the '90s, you may have caught some of those reruns yourself.
"Price is Right in the morning," one Redditor wrote. "Wings on the small tv while eating ramen or soup at the kitchen table. Then later Maury while laying on the couch."
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Classic Concentration
Concentration, a game show spun off from the classic card memory game, enjoyed an impressively long run from 1958 to 1991, with various hosts passing the torch over the years. The last in line was Alex Trebek, who helmed a revival titled Classic Concentration from 1987 to 1991. (Wild fact: He did this while simultaneously hosting Jeopardy! and, briefly, To Tell the Truth.) Like the original, contestants solved puzzles by translating visual clues into words—a perfect setup for moments of minimal brain power.
"Classic Concentration," one Redditor added. "Alex Trebek's other game show gig. I loved it! Used to make my own version of the board and have my cousin as my only contestant."
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