As children of the ’90s we grew up watching Stephanie Tanner fighting and then always reconciling with her sisters, DJ and Michelle. Seriously, there was nothing so horrible in their household that it couldn’t be resolved in 30 minutes. And in honor of their great relationship with each other, we’re ranking all the ’90s TV siblings. So bust out your scrunchies, pull on your overalls and join us as we run through our fave families.
10. The Walsh siblings, Beverly Hills, 90210
These two are on the bottom of the list for obvious reasons: Brenda was the classic drama queen, while Brandon was trying to be everyone’s hero. Neither of them were necessarily bad people, but no one watching was that excited about them — and they were supposed to be the main characters! Everyone remembers them more as the people Dylan and Kelly dated before they found each other. Isn’t that more depressing? Best of the worst: when Brenda and Kelly wore the same horrible black dresses with big white bows to prom.
9. The Camden siblings, 7th Heaven
Simply said, there are too many of them and the show was on for way too long. While there were brief phases in which I liked a single Camden sibling (it is impossible to like more than one of them at any given moment), the sheer presence of the show for 11 years was exhausting and took up nearly half my life. It does get points though for staying relevant for over a decade, particularly with the introduction of much more mature teen content popping up in the 2000s. Something we couldn’t relate to: when Mary asks Matt to help her learn how to kiss…by him kissing her. EW.
8. The McPhee siblings, Dawson’s Creek
Jack and Andie McPhee were two of the most clever and progressive siblings on television in the ’90s. The siblings would have scored higher on the list if they had been as prominent as the four main characters of the show. While on the show, they introduced us to issues about sexual orientation and mental health with a healthy, well-rounded perspective earlier than most other shows on at that time. And to add to their greatness, the McPhees also taught us the power of self-deprecating humor to get through tough times.
7. The Halliwell sisters (2.0), Charmed
I chose to specify the Halliwell sisters post-Shannen Doherty’s Prue with replacement Paige, played by Rose McGowan, because they were much better after her addition. Once Prue “died” (I mean she did, but we know it’s because Doherty quit), the other sisters’ roles truly fell into place. Piper was much better as the motherly oldest sister, and Phoebe naturally likes to mediate problems, leading to her acquisition of the empathy power. And the introduction of Paige cheered up the show, whereas Prue was always a major downer and didn’t really seem to be that protective of her sisters except out of obligation. Also, does anyone remember how with every season promo the sisters’ outfits got skimpier and skimpier? Not desperate for ratings or anything.
6. Roman brothers, Brotherly Love
You’re probably reading this right now asking who the hell Roman brothers are. What I should tell you is I mean the Lawrence brothers, who played the Roman brothers. Or as I like to think of them, the Hansons of TV. Never has a trio of brothers been as dreamy as Joey, Matt and Andy. The Lawrence brothers starred on this short-lived series and went on to do two Disney Channel Original movies, Horse Sense and Jumping Ship. Joey joined fellow ’90s darling Melissa Joan Hart in Melissa & Joey, Matt went on to star in Boy Meets World and who knows where the little one is now.
5. Landry twins, Sister, Sister
“Go home, Roger!” is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Sister, Sister. Second is how much you love Tia and Tamera! Tia was the brainy, logical sister and Tamera was the spontaneous troublemaker. Like the Lawrence brothers before them, the Mowry sisters went on to create three Disney Channel Original Movies. Most awkward Sister, Sister moment? When we all thought Tia’s mom Lisa and Tamera’s dad Ray were destined to be together throughout the whole series, but then Lisa married that random guy Victor in the series finale instead. Seriously, what was that?
4. The Geller siblings, Friends
Friends is the most iconic series of the ’90s and it wouldn’t be nearly as amazing without Monica and Ross Geller. Monica was a chef who wanted a husband and baby, while Ross was a paleontologist who had too many wives and babies. Through all the hijinks that ensued among their circle of friends, the Geller siblings’ relationship never wavered and made us wish we had a brother or sister like theirs. How else would we know we need unagi to excel in karate or how to shimmy shake with an entire turkey on our head?
3. The Tanner sisters, Full House
Fewer ’90s TV siblings got into as many misadventures as DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle. Among others, there’s the time DJ’s babysitting charge got his head stuck in the staircase, Stephanie crashed Joey’s car in the kitchen, and Michelle climbed up the top of the playground and couldn’t get down. Okay, so the last one wasn’t that bad, but I would have been more scared than she was. Luckily for these girls, they had three great dads, one of which was the incredibly sexy Uncle Jesse. And one of which was the less sexy Joey.
2. The Matthews brothers, Boy Meets World
I specify “brothers” because Morgan was so irrelevant they re-cast her mid-series without skipping a beat or the audience even really noticing. One of the things that made the show was the relationship between Eric and Cory. Cory was trying to make sense of the world around him, and Eric was always available to completely misguide him. Do we also all remember the major transition Eric made from being the attractive older brother to the “is there something wrong with him” brother who used to shout “feennaayyyy!!” so loudly?
1. The Olsen twins, the entirety of the ’90s
Though they started off sharing the role of Michelle Tanner on Full House, they become such big stars that they eventually each just got to play themselves. Yep, you’re remembering that right. They played characters named Mary-Kate and Ashley on Two of a Kind. In addition to the TV shows, they starred in the You’re Invited to Our Party and Mystery Adventure straight-to-video series as well as so many amazing full-length films. They also went on to create an empire that I’m pretty sure my parents contributed to financially, you know, with all my demands for anything Olsen twins-related. So though they were only on TV for a second, they top the list because they were everything that has to do with the ’90s.