Ah, the 90s. A decade that gave us NSYNC, *Dial-up internet, and fashion that still makes us scratch our heads. Now, there's talk. Whispers. Rumors. About a 90s show. A new 90s show.
And it makes me wonder. Do we, as a society, truly need this?
Let's be honest. The 90s were… a time. A very specific time. We had JNCO jeans that could swallow small children. We had frosted tips that defied gravity. We had pagers. Remember pagers? Beep beep. What did that even mean? Probably that someone wanted us to call them. From a landline. Because cell phones were either bricks or not a thing yet for most of us.
And the music! Oh, the music. We had grunge. We had bubblegum pop. We had one-hit wonders that still get stuck in our heads. "Macarena!" shudders. We had boy bands and girl groups. And they all had choreographed dances that were, shall we say, enthusiastic. Not always good, mind you, but definitely enthusiastic.
Now, imagine this new 90s show. What would it even be about? Would it be another teen drama? We’ve had plenty of those. Would it be a sitcom about a group of quirky friends living in a big city? Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Is it just going to be a parade of flannel shirts and bowl cuts? Because I think my closet has enough of those already.
We already have so many ways to relive the 90s. We have streaming services packed with 90s gems. You can watch Friends until your eyes glaze over. You can rewatch Seinfeld and ponder the meaning of nothing. You can dive into Buffy the Vampire Slayer and relive your teenage angst. We have 90s playlists on Spotify that will transport you back faster than a DeLorean. We have retro fashion revival weeks where everyone suddenly remembers how to wear overalls.
So, why the need for a brand new show? Are we so starved for nostalgia that we need it spoon-fed to us in a new package? Or is it that we’re afraid to move on? Are we so comfortable in our plaid-clad past that we can’t face the present?
Perhaps I’m being a bit dramatic. Maybe this new 90s show will be brilliant. Maybe it will capture the magic of the decade in a way we haven't seen before. Maybe it will introduce a whole new generation to the wonders of dial-up sounds and the agony of waiting for a song to download on Napster. (Okay, maybe not Napster. That might be pushing it.)
But here’s my unpopular opinion. I’m not sure we need it. I think we want it. And that’s different. Wanting is good. Wanting is what drives us to buy that limited-edition 90s-themed cereal. Wanting is what makes us dig out our old Tamagotchis from the back of the junk drawer. Wanting is what fuels the endless cycle of cultural trends.
We can appreciate the 90s. We can celebrate the 90s. We can even wear 90s-inspired clothing without shame. But do we need to recreate it? Do we need to bottle lightning again?
Maybe the true need isn’t for another 90s show, but for a show that reflects today. A show that captures the current anxieties and joys of our lives. A show that deals with smartphones and social media and the existential dread of climate change. A show that feels… well, now.
But then again, maybe a little escapism is exactly what we need. Maybe a trip back to a simpler time, a time of frosted tips and boy bands, is the perfect antidote to our complicated present. Maybe this new 90s show will be a warm, fuzzy blanket of nostalgia, a comforting reminder of a time when our biggest worry was whether our favorite Spice Girl would get her own solo. (Posh, obviously.)
So, here’s to the possibility. Here’s to the what if. Maybe this new 90s show will be amazing. Or maybe it will be a glorious, cringe-worthy mess. Either way, it will probably give us something to talk about. And in this fast-paced, ever-changing world, sometimes that’s enough. Even if it involves another viewing of a slightly out-of-tune rendition of "I Want It That Way."
For now, I'll just keep my flannel shirts handy. Just in case.
