‘Hum Paanch’, ‘Dekh Bhai Dekh’, 'Yes Boss': Top TV comedy shows from the 90

The 90s were hands down the best time for Indian TV. We didn't have a hundred channels, but we had shows that actually made us laugh. Families would sit together for these, and the humor was just pure and relatable. There were no forced laugh tracks, just amazing acting. If you want a trip down memory lane, here are the best comedy shows from that era with the legends who made them great.

This show was absolute chaos in the best way possible. It ran from 1995 to 1999. The story followed Anand Mathur, played by Ashok Saraf, who was always stressed out by his five wild daughters. Shoma Anand played his dramatic second wife. The cast was iconic. You had Vidya Balan as the nerdy Radhika, Rakhee Tandon as the crazy Sweety, and Bhairavi Raichura as the tomboy Kajal. The funniest part was Anand talking to his dead wife’s photo, and her actually talking back to roast him.

‘Dekh Bhai Dekh’ aired from 1993 to 1994 and gave us the most lovable family ever. It was about the Diwan family living in a huge bungalow. The cast was stacked with talent. Shekhar Suman played the younger brother, Sameer, and Navin Nischol played the elder brother, Balraj. Farida Jalal was the adorable aunt, Suhasini. The show also starred Deven Bhojani and Sushma Seth. It showed three generations living together, dealing with business and relationships. It was fast-paced and genuinely heartwarming.

Before modern sitcoms took over, ‘Shriman Shrimati’ ruled the screen from 1994 to 1999. The plot was simple but hilarious. It was about two neighbors who secretly liked each other's wives. Jatin Kanakia played Keshav, who had a crush on his glamorous neighbor Shalini, played by Archana Puran Singh. Meanwhile, Shalini’s husband Dilruba, played by Rakesh Bedi, was obsessed with Keshav’s homemaker wife, Kokila. Reema Lagoo was brilliant as the innocent Kokila. The characters were unforgettable.

‘Tu Tu Main Main’ ran from 1994 all the way to 2000. It took the typical saas-bahu fighting and turned it into comedy. The late Reema Lagoo played the dominant mother-in-law, and Supriya Pilgaonkar played the feisty daughter-in-law. Instead of plotting against each other, they played pranks and had verbal battles. Mahesh Thakur played the husband caught in the middle. Directed by Sachin Pilgaonkar, it was refreshing to see women leading a comedy show with such great chemistry.

‘Zabaan Sambhalke’ aired from 1993 to 1997. It was the Indian version of the British show ‘Mind Your Language’. Pankaj Kapur starred as Mohan Bharti, an engineer forced to teach Hindi to a class of diverse students. The late Shubha Khote played the strict principal. The cast included Tom Alter, Viju Khote, and Bhavana Balsavar. The humor came from everyone butchering the language and the cultural clashes. Pankaj Kapur’s frustration as the teacher was just comedy gold.

‘Flop Show’

Although it started in 1989, ‘Flop Show’ was a huge part of the early 90s TV culture. It was created by the legendary satirist Jaspal Bhatti, who also starred in it. His wife, Savita Bhatti, played his on-screen wife. The cast also featured Vivek Shauq. Each episode tackled a different social issue like medical negligence or red tape. It was low-budget, but the writing was incredibly smart. It proved you don't need fancy sets to make people laugh.

Before we had Instagram reels mimicking Bollywood, we had the ‘Filmi Chakkar’ family. Aired from 1993 to 1995, this show was pure gold for movie lovers. It starred the brilliant late Satish Shah as Prashant and Ratna Pathak Shah as his wife, Rukmani. The entire family, including the grandmother (played by the legendary Shammi Aunty) and the kids, was obsessed with Hindi cinema. They would solve their daily life problems using dramatic Bollywood dialogues and situations. It was loud, musical, and hilarious.

‘Yes Boss’ technically started in 1999, just sneaking into the 90s, but it ran for a whole decade because it was that good. The show revolved around Meera and Mohan, a married couple who worked in the same office but had to hide their marriage from their flirty boss, Vinod Verma. Rakesh Bedi played the frustrated husband Mohan, Kavita Kapoor was the smart wife Meera, and Aasif Sheikh was the hilarious boss. The best part was Mohan disguising himself as an old man named "Bunty-ji" to fool his boss.

Although it wrapped up its main run in 1990, this show was a staple of early 90s television culture. Directed by Prakash Jha, it starred Raghubir Yadav as Mungerilal, a small-time clerk who gets bullied by his boss and his wife. To escape his sad reality, he daydreams about being a hero, bossing people around, or saving the day. The transition from his wild dreams back to his pathetic reality was always the punchline. It gave us the popular phrase "Mungerilal ke haseen sapne" (Mungerilal's beautiful dreams).