The Nineties

Take a fresh look back at a decade many say changed everything. The Nineties surveys the people who shaped the era and the moments that defined it, from the birth of the digital age to the rise of home media and global politics. Through interviews, archival footage, and context from experts, the show links technology, pop culture, and policy to explain how the decade rewired everyday life. Each segment centers on a key figure or breakthrough that left a real mark on culture, media and innovation, showing how dreams and disruptions together wrote the rules for what came after. The result is a clear, patient map of a decade that still shapes our present.

The Nineties is a 2017 documentary series created by Gary Goetzman, Mark Herzog and Tom Hanks. The show examines a decade through interviews with journalists, policymakers, entertainers and tech pioneers, along with archival footage, looking at how trends emerged and collided.

Critics note the program presents a wide yet accessible portrait of a turbulent decade, weaving technology, media, politics and culture into a coherent narrative. It foregrounds change and adaptation while acknowledging contradictions and tensions, and its pacing blends big moments with everyday life, from late night TV to the birth of online commerce.

The series has become a talking point in classrooms and pop culture retrospectives, helping audiences connect the era's innovations and today. It also surfaces overlooked figures and turning points, inviting comparisons across generations. Its tone remains curious rather than celebratory, encouraging questions about risk, regulation and global influence that still echo in politics and tech policy.

There are no major awards publicly documented for this title, suggesting it did not land prominent nominations. Still, the program offers a concise, approachable lens on a complex era and may serve as a useful companion to other decade retrospectives.