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Best TV Series of 1989 Ranked

The definitive guide to the greatest TV series that premiered in 1989. Ranked by audience and critic ratings.

#1. Ranma ½ (1989–)

★ 8.6/10 1,542 votes

Ranma Saotome, a teenage martial artist, and his father Genma travel to the 'cursed training ground' of Jusenkyo in China. There, despite the warnings of the Chinese guard, they fall into the cursed springs. From now on, whenever Ranma is doused in cold water, he turns into a girl and a cute, well-built redhead at that. Hot water changes him back into a man again, but only until the next time. To make matters worse, his father engages him to Akane Tendo, a girl who hates boys.

#2. Dragon Ball Z (1989–)

★ 8.4/10 4,986 votes

Now happily married and with a son, martial arts champion Goku must defend Earth from a series of extraterrestrial invaders bent on destruction.

#3. Seinfeld (1989–)

★ 8.3/10 2,432 votes

A stand-up comedian and his three offbeat friends weather the pitfalls and payoffs of life in New York City in the '90s. It's a show about nothing.

#4. Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989–)

★ 8.2/10 576 votes

From England to Egypt, accompanied by his elegant and trustworthy sidekicks, the intelligent yet eccentrically-refined Belgian detective Hercule Poirot pits his wits against a collection of first class deceptions.

#5. The Simpsons (1989–)

★ 8.0/10 10,976 votes

Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, as well as a virtual cast of thousands. Since the beginning, the series has been a pop culture icon, attracting hundreds of celebrities to guest star. The show has also made name for itself in its fearless satirical take on politics, media and American life in general.

#6. Quantum Leap (1989–)

★ 8.0/10 794 votes

Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished... He woke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so Dr. Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home.

#7. Tales from the Crypt (1989–)

★ 8.0/10 1,010 votes

Cadaverous scream legend the Crypt Keeper is your macabre host for these forays of fright and fun based on the classic E.C. Comics tales from back in the day. So shamble up to the bar and pick your poison. Will it be an insane Santa on a personal slay ride? Honeymooners out to fulfill the "til death do we part" vow ASAP?

#8. Mobile Cop Jiban (1989–)

★ 7.9/10 224 votes

Naoto detective Jiban fights for justice against Bioron and his evil plans to conquer the world.

#9. Lonesome Dove (1989–)

★ 7.9/10 219 votes

A pair of longtime friends and former Texas Rangers crave one last adventure before hanging-up their spurs. After stealing over a thousand head of cattle from rustlers south of the border, they recruit an unlikely crew of hands to drive the herd 3,000 miles north to the grasslands of Montana.

#10. Saved by the Bell (1989–)

★ 7.8/10 728 votes

Lovable schemer Zack Morris leads his pals on adventures at California's Bayside High School. The friends navigate relationships, final exams, school dances, breakups and more while frequently frustrating their principal, Mr. Richard Belding, who does his best to keep them in check.

#11. Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1989–)

★ 7.7/10 229 votes

A stranded spaceship pilot captured by mad scientists survives a blitz of cheesy B movies by riffing on them with his funny robot pals.

#12. Beetlejuice (1989–)

★ 7.7/10 208 votes

The adventures of preteen goth Lydia Deetz and her undead friend Beetlejuice as they explore The Neitherworld, a wacky afterlife realm inhabited by monsters, ghosts, ghouls and zombies.

#13. Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers (1989–)

★ 7.6/10 564 votes

Chip and Dale head a small, eccentric group of animal characters who monitor not only the human world, but the animal community as well, solving mysteries wherever they may be. The "Rescue Rangers" take the cases that fall through the cracks.