10 Best ’90s Action Shows, Ranked
Ah, the action genre in the ‘90s, the time when one man could defeat an army of 25 bad guys, the guns were bigger, and the bravado was even bigger. While the genre had a renaissance in the ‘80s, it was the ‘90s where action became all the rage, not just in movie theaters, but on television screens as well.
Yes, an argument can be made that action TV wasn’t necessarily in the same league as its movie counterparts, but that doesn’t mean that there were no great action shows in the ‘90s. You just had to search a little harder to find them—and luckily, that work’s already been done with this list of the best action shows from the ’90s that are absolutely worth streaming ASAP.
10
‘Stargate SG-1’ (1997–2007)
Action movies were a huge hit in the ‘90s, from straight-up affairs to those intertwined with the sci-fi genre. One of the best (and most underappreciated) of the decade was 1994’s Stargate, which centered on a wormhole that allows people to travel elsewhere in the universe using the device. The movie was a moderate hit, so much so that creators Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner wanted to see how well it would translate to television, and thus, Stargate SG-1 was born.
Set a year after the events of Stargate, SG-1 follows a military team that goes to distant planets to defend the Earth against extraterrestrial threats. While more militaristic than the movie, Stargate SG-1 was heavy on action and expanded on the storyline established in the movie. As one of the longest-running action shows of the ‘90s, Stargate SG-1 was a hit and will be great for modern audiences hungry for a little action nostalgia.
9
‘Nash Bridges’ (1996–2001)
14 years after he tried to rid Miami of drug violence, Don Johnson wasn’t done with the action format just yet. In 1996, he teamed up with Cheech Marin for an underrated partnership in Nash Bridges, which was one of the highest-rated police procedurals on CBS during the ‘90s.
Johnson starred as the titular character, an Inspector with the San Francisco Police Department’s “Special Investigations Unit” that investigates some of the department’s toughest cases. While not necessarily the cool and hip cop show that Miami Vice was, Nash Bridges was an underrated series that had plenty of police action to satisfy your taste buds. Nash Bridges doesn’t break any boundaries, but it doesn’t need to as long as it was entertaining and action-packed, and this show had plenty of both.
8
‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ (1993–1995)
Don’t act like you didn’t rush home, get your homework done in time to watch the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. When it came to action shows for kids, few could do it better than the Power Rangers, a collection of teenagers who were granted powers to help save the world from the evil plans of Rita.
Yes, the Power Rangers look outdated today, and it was a masterclass in cheesy aesthetics and acting, but that was the charm of the show. It had a low budget, sure, but the action was top-notch, and you were never bored watching the Rangers do their thing in their Dinozords. As much as Nash Bridges and Stargate defined the ‘90s, you have to put the Power Rangers right up there on the Mount Rushmore of great action shows from the decade.
7
‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ (1995–2001)
Xena: Warrior Princess was one of the best action fantasy shows of the ‘90s and for good reasons. Starring Lucy Lawless in a career-defining role, she was fantastic as Xena, a warrior who was looking to redeem herself for her past sins and use her awesome fighting skills to defend the vulnerable. Set in a mythical version of ancient Greece, the show mixed sword-swinging adventure with surprisingly deep character development.
Xena: Warrior Princess is often considered one of the best syndicated shows of the ‘90s thanks to its good acting and good episode pacing. Case in point, Xena was one of the best badasses of the ‘90s, effortlessly stealing every scene with her signature battle cry, iconic chakram, and no-nonsense attitude—which made this show a must-watch.
6
‘JAG’ (1995–2005)
Who said that a great action show had to be all about shooting and fighting bad guys? Like science fiction, action shows can rope in a lot of other genres to make a good show, and one of those genre-bending action shows was JAG. Yes, the series is technically a legal drama, but it earns its spot on this list—and here’s why it absolutely qualifies.
The action of JAG lies not only in the courtroom battles, but in getting the bad guys and bringing them to justice. JAG was a different type of action show, one that relied more on audiences gravitating to the plot instead of it blowing them off the couch. That’s what makes JAG not only an effective legal drama, but an effective action show as well.
5
‘The Pretender’ (1996–2000)
Most of the shows we have discussed in this piece so far are shows that were widely known to audiences both in the ‘90s and today. Now, we’re going to talk about a great ‘90s action drama that is criminally underappreciated. That show was The Pretender, and not only was this show packed with action, it was smart, meaning that it used its brains just as much as it used its brawn.
The Pretender starred Michael T. Weiss as Jarod, a man who impersonates a genius to master complex skill sets. Why would he want to fake being smart? To gain the skills needed to fake being a member of any profession, thus his nickname, “The Pretender.” His ability to fake any profession is where the action lies, and figuring out how to master that profession also gives The Pretender a level of sophistication that other ‘90s shows kind of lacked.
4
‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ (1993–2001)
There was truly no one more badass in the ‘90s than Cordell Walker (Chuck Norris), the legendary Texas Ranger who made the bad guys in the Lone Star State quiver in their boots. Walker, Texas Ranger was, to put it mildly, a truly legendary action show, and one of the best syndicated shows ever produced.
As the title implies, Walker, Texas Ranger focuses on the Ranger as he investigates crime and takes down the bad guys in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. You really can’t find an episode here that didn’t satisfy your action taste buds, and it was always satisfying watching Walker and his team stand tall at the end of the episode. Yes, it’s pretty dated and a bit cheesy at times, but, hey, it was the ‘90s, and that was its charm.
3
‘La Femme Nikita’ (1997–2001)
In 1990, an acclaimed French film about a female criminal who becomes a trained assassin became a hit in its native France, and even found some fans on this side of the pond. Seven years later, Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran brought the unique story to America and developed it into a TV adaptation called La Femme Nikita, with Peta Wilson starring as Nikita, the criminal-turned-assassin who uses her skills for good.
While the CTV/USA Network version was quite similar to its film predecessor, La Femme Nikita allowed the condensed story of the movie to grow and flourish into a longer narrative that spanned five seasons, and was a moderate ratings hit. Today, the series has obtained cult classic status, and is one of the defining action shows of the ‘90s.
2
‘NYPD Blue’ (1993–2005)
Whenever you saw that subway car blaring toward your screen in the ‘90s, you knew you were going to be in for 60 minutes of raw, cop action. That famous title card opening is to NYPD Blue, the edgy police procedural that turned the normally “by-the-books” procedural upside down and introduced viewers to how police work is really conducted, which is oftentimes messy and complicated.
NYPD Blue was definitely a different type of cop show, not only for its grimy, realistic atmosphere, but also for its legendary characters, especially Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz), a flawed cop who would probably be canceled in today’s television landscape, but in the ‘90s, was seen as the example of the rough NYPD detective who was definitely not politically correct. Unafraid to push things to the limit, NYPD Blue was a different type of cop action show, one that made you squeamish in your chair, but one you could not turn away from.
1
‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ (1997–2003)
You can’t talk about ‘90s action shows without talking about one of the most celebrated of the decade, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The TV adaptation of the 1992 movie of the same name, the TV version, is one of the rare adaptations in which it was more well-known than the film, which isn’t surprising, given that the show improved on a lot of misfires from its film counterpart, and expanded the interesting lore behind the supernatural action series.
The show follows Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), a typical ‘90s teenage girl by day, and a vampire slayer by night. The hybrid of teen drama, horror, and action made Buffy the Vampire Slayer one of the more unique shows to come out of the ‘90s. To this day, it’s regarded as a cult classic that, in all honesty, should never be rebooted.
