In 1996, the television culture was being set by some of the alternative cable channels. This was essentially the medium's counterculture, as Friends and Seinfeld were more popular than anything, but the people "in the know" were over on MTV and HBO. Eventually, it all falls down and nostalgia is affixed to any era. I'm also noticing that comedies have a storied history on television, but it took a long time for dramas to become genuinely compelling. Procedurals aren't my thing. Onward!
H: Magic School Bus, Kenan & Kel