Test Your TV Trivia Knowledge with This Quiz About Shows from the 1990s

1. The first five seasons of The X Files were filmed in:

a. Wells, Nevada

b. Moab, Utah

c. Vancouver, British Columbia

d. Rupert Murdoch’s palacial estate

2. In the ongoing battle of pranks between Drew and Mimi on The Drew Carrey Show, in one 1998 episode, Mimi sent Drew to:

a. The deli

b. China

c. A Rolling Stones concert

d. The Price Is Right

3. On Home Improvement, which character was based on Tim Allen’s childhood memories?

a. Wilson, the neighbor

b. Al Borland, Tim’s TV sidekick

c. Jill, his wife

d. Lisa, the Tool Time girl

4. “Food that’s pretty good,” was the slogan from which fictional fast food chain on Beavis and Butthead?

a. Crusty’s

b. Butt Burger

c. Fast Food Emporium

d. Burger World

5. Before its debut in 1998, which title was originally slated for That 70s Show?

a. Teenage Wasteland

b. Disco Fever!

c. That Groovy Wisconsin

d. Those Darn Kids

6. Brad Garrett played the big, lovable, insecure brother, Robert Barone, on Everybody Loves Raymond. He also made an appearance as a rather deranged individual on which program in the 1990s?

a. Dallas

b. Seinfeld

c. Ugly Betty

d. 60 Minutes

7. In one memorable 1999 episode of The Simpsons, Homer inadvertently sprouted a brand new form of produce as a crop when he fertilized his gardens with plutonium. What did Homer create?

a. caulcolli

b. applebeans

c. tomacco

d. carrobeets

8. Which melodrama used the following tagline: “Lying, cheating, stealing, seduction, backstabbing, betrayal, murder…it’s just another day at _________”

a. 3rd Rock From The Sun

b. Babylon 5

c. Bobby’s World

d. Melrose Place

9. What edible substance was either mentioned or shown on every episode of “Roseanne?”

a. salt

b. corn

c. Incredible Edibles

d. butter

10. On Saturday Night Live’s recurring skit “Wayne’s World,” what did Wayne say to Garth when he became too overzealous?

a. “Stop acting so gnarly, dude”

a. “Sit down and shut up”

c. “Don’t have a cow”

d. “Take your ritalin”

11. What was the name of the dog featured on Frasier?

a. Lilith

b. Eddie

c. Benji

d. Frasier Jr.

12. On 3rd Rock From The Sun, the alienistic main characters patronized a coffee house named Johnny Foam’s. After whom was this cozy hangout named?

a. An infamous alien leader

b. A European soap star

c. The show’s costuming supervisor

d. John Lithgow’s uncle

13. Cicely, the Alaskan town featured on Northern Exposure, is a fictional location.

a. True

b. False

14. Who is the cab driver seen in the opening sequence on “Fresh Prince of

Bel-Air?”

a. Red Foxx

b. Michael J. Fox

c. Danny DeVito

d. Quincy Jones

15. Speaking of coffee shops, what was the name of the java joint where the Friends gang liked to congregate?

a. Good To The Last Prop

b. Javalicious

c. Central Perk

d. Star Backs

16. Sally Struthers’ voice played a starring role on which curiously amusing sitcom?

a. The Jeffersons

b. Dinosaurs

c. Spongebob Squarepants

d. The Lucy Show

17. The street address for the main character on Sabrina The Teenage Witch is:

a. 113 Collins Road

b. 1313 Mockingbird Lane

c. 1164 Morning Glory Circle

d. 1428 Elm Street

18. What was the name of the murderous supernatural being on Twin Peaks?

a. Eraserhead

b. Abominable Mudman

c. Tragimaniac

d. Killer Bob

19. In one 1999 episode of The Sopranos, which old black-and-white movie does Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) claim to watch on his new DVD player?

a. The Bank Dick

b. Citizen Kane

c. Grapes of Wrath

d. What Price Glory?

20. On Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, what was the name of Dr. Mike’s boyfriend, whom she eventuallly married?

a. Adam Chandler

b. Byron Sully

c. Dennis T. Mennis

d. Elmer Gantry

A N S W E R S

1. c – Vancouver, British Columbia. For production of its sixth season, The X Files trekked to Los Angeles.

2. b – China. Titled “The High Road to China,” this episode marked the first time an American sitcom had ever been shot within this ancient Asian country.

3. a – Wilson (Earl Hindman). The partially hidden neighbor concept allegedly originated from Tim Allen’s inability to see his neighbor over the fence as a child. Lisa, the Tool Time girl was played by Pamela Anderson, Richard Karn portrayed Al Borland, and Patricia Richardson was Jill, Tim’s TV wife for the show’s duration.

4. d – Burger World, the imaginary restaurant chain where Beavis and Butthead worked. This animated MTV duo ultimately caused their Burger World to shut down as a result of their unsavory and unsanitary on-the-job antics.

5. a – Teenage Wasteland, which is also the title of a song by The Who.

6. a – Seinfeld. Garrett was convincing in his role as the maniacal mechanic who stole Jerry Seinfeld’s car.

7. a – tomacco. This dandy little tomato-esque fruit was red on the outside, brown and tobacco-y on the inside. It was also unpleasant tasting, yet highly addictive.

8. d – Melrose Place, which was home to a hefty slice of Nielson viewership between 1992 and 1999.

9. b – corn. Isn’t it amazing how corn was “ear”marked for Rosanne’s show?

10. d – “Take your ritalin.” This partyriffic SNL segment spawned two movies, and starred one of the most memorable comic duos of the ’90s, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey.

11. b – Eddie. Frasier, a witty and popular 11-year spinoff of Cheers, starred Kelsey Grammer.

12. c – The show’s costuming supervisor, Johnny Foam.

13. a – True. Northern Exposure, one of the most interesting TV shows of the decade, was filmed in Roslyn, Washington.

14. d – Quincy Jones, the show’s executive producter, is the cameo celebrity cabbie.

15. c – Central Perk. Since the debut of Friends in 1994, numerous other establishments named Central Perk have opened in various locations around the globe.

16. b – Dinosaurs. Struthers’ vocal abilities gave life to the materialistic, Muppet-y character of Charlene Sinclair, a typical tweenage dinosaur chick.

17. a – 113 Collins Road, a vague reference to the “Collins” name on Dark Shadows. 1313 Mockingbird Lane was the eerie address of the magnificent Musters, 1164 Morning Glory Circle was the Stephens’ address on Bewitched, and 1428 Elm Street scares up memories from “Nightmare on Elm Street.”

18. d – Killer Bob. David Lynch, producer of Twin Peaks, portrayed the near-deaf bureau chief Gordon Cole on the show.

19. a – The Bank Dick, a W.C. Fields’ comedy classic from 1940 that was not released on DVD until 2000, the year after this episode aired.

20. b – Byron Sully, played by Joe Lando. Dr. Mike (Jane Seymour) and Sully were married during the finale of the third season, in an episode titled “For Better Or Worse.”

S C O R I N G G U I D E

17-20 correct – Noted ’90s TV Expert

13-16 correct – Native of ’90s TV

10-14 correct – Noteworthy Knowledge of ’90s TV

5-9 correct – ’90s TV Neutral

2-4 correct – ’90s TV Napper

0-1 correct – ’90s TV Negative