How '90s Shows Would Be Completely Different Today

Now that Netflix and Hulu have made us rethink the way we watch TV, reliving our favorite '90s shows has never been easier. Who doesn't want to waste a weekend on the couch, binge-watching Friends for the 900th time? It's like time traveling back to the days before Twitter and Instagram took over our lives; before our bosses could email us 24/7. The world is a different place, and it's hard to watch these shows without realizing how different they'd be if they premiered today.

Rachel, Monica, Chandler, and the gang might spent their days at Central Perk, but today's Friends would meet at Starbucks, soaking up the Wifi and sucking down caramel macchiatos like water. Plus, who doesn't love cake pops? Joey would still be able to find just as many dates, but he'd totally get girls through Tinder instead of actually hitting on them in person, and Monica's career as a chef would be made way more difficult when she has to deal with Yelp reviews from disgruntled diners. Phoebe wouldn't be playing in coffee shops. Nope, she'd be too busy trying to get discovered on YouTube, and a homemade video of "Smelly Cat" would most definitely go viral. Oh, and that apartment would still be way too expensive for any of them to afford. What's rent control again?

Instead of a sitcom, we totally see Fresh Prince as a reality show. Real Housewives of Bel Air, anyone? It would still center around Will coming to live with his wealthy aunt and uncle, but his cousin, Hilary, would be super obsessed with becoming an Instagram beauty guru. Oh, and there's no way Carlton would be such a geek. These days, everybody knows that the nerds grow up to be the Steve Jobs of the world, and Carlton would probably make bank inventing apps after school.

The fact that Danny Tanner is so obsessed with a clean house is endearing even today, but on the modern Full House, he'd be super into his Roomba. Joey's path to fame would forego those random nights at the local comedy club in favor of a shot at fame on a show like Last Comic Standing. Meanwhile, instead of getting grounded for sneaking out to see Tiffany, D.J. and Stephanie would get in trouble for maxing out their dad's data plan and FaceTiming boys from school. And by boys, we mean Steve, because duh. Oh, and don't even get us started on poor Uncle Jesse trying to kickstart a music career in today's oversaturated market. We'd hear a lot of complaining about Jesse & The Rippers making pennies on the dollar through Spotify.

Boy Meets World wouldn't be too different from today's spin-off, Girl Meets World, but there would definitely be a few changes. For one, Shawn the badass would probably get in trouble for vaping at school, and there would be a big learning moment from Mr. Turner about how vaping is dangerous, just like smoking. Cory and Topanga would never get engaged at their high school graduation, and she would go to Yale because long-distance romances are no big deal. We've got FaceTime and iMessage, guys!

Many of the themes and plotlines in Dawson's Creek are still central to what teenagers go through today, so the only adjustments we'd make would be minor tweaks to keep the show current. For example, instead of working at the B&B, Joey's sister would probably own a Chipotle, and Joey would work there instead. Dawson would try to reach Steven Spielberg status—excuse us, J.J. Abrams status—by making short films for Vine, and let's not act like Pacey's affair with his teacher would not have become huge news all over the web!

Good news: It's even easier to make a show about nothing today! Jerry, Elaine, and George would probably spend their days mindlessly scrolling through their phones together and complaining about how late their Uber drivers are. Kramer would be way more understood because, let's face it, isn't he basically today's version of a hipster? He'd hang out at Trader Joe's, and literally everyone would buy his coffee table book about coffee tables from Urban Outfitters. And yes, we'd still be watching and loving every minute of it.