Let’s face it. The 90s were the best. Those of us who were able to grow up and experience the best of the decade were able to experience the best out of life. The fashion, music, television, it was all my favorite. It was a time where technology was just starting to grow. We could enjoy that without being glued to our phones and computers. Heck, we still got sunshine. I’m pretty sure I’m vitamin D deficient now because of my laptop. There was an innocence in the air that just seemed to change forever after 9/11.
The National Geographic Channel presents a 3 night 6 hour event. Hosted by Rob Lowe, the channel will debut The ‘90s: The Last Great Decade?
The special will feature more than 120 interviews that includes the likes of Jason Alexander, Roseanne Barr, Tony Blair, Shannen Doherty, Newt Gingrich, Vanilla Ice, Monica Lewinsky, Courtney Love, Matthew Perry, Susan Sarandon, Martin Sheen and more.
The ’90s: The Last Great Decade? Narrated by Rob Lowe, to Air
July 6-8 at 9 PM ET/PT
(WASHINGTON, D.C. – May 30, 2014) The ten years sandwiched between the Cold War and the War on Terror was a decade of highs and lows. Bill Clinton swept into office on the promise of change; the world made new “Friends”; the LA Riots kept us glued to our TVs; Nirvana gave Generation X a voice but everyone danced the Macarena; “The Real World” and Jerry Springer changed the television programming landscape. It was a time when technology accelerated us into our digital future; a time when the United States had defeated communism yet faced a new enemy driven by fanaticism; a time when billionaires were created faster than ever before. With a star-studded cast of actors, eyewitnesses, politicians and celebrity interviewees, National Geographic Channel presents the network’s next epic miniseries event: The ’90s: The Last Great Decade? Narrated by Rob Lowe the three-night, six hour special will tell the story of 10 years before boom turned into bust; 10 years when the Web was wide open; 10 years before global terror hit hard.
Beginning Sunday, July 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT and airing for three straight nights, The ‘90s: The Last Great Decade? will look back at the last pre-9/11 decade and spark conversation about this in history. Were the strides in technology significant, or merely stepping stones? Was the entertainment entertaining, or entertainingly awful? Did Bill Clinton bring change, or was Clinton the change we needed? Were tragedies at the World Trade Center, Oklahoma City and U.S. embassies unheeded warnings of the terror to come, or components of an unstoppable build-up?
Revisiting the decade through “inside out” storytelling and analysis, The ’90s: The Last Great Decade? includes 120 original interviews — from unsung heroes behind the decade’s most riveting stories to the biggest names in politics, technology, movies and music. Among those sharing their stories will be major entertainers including Jason Alexander, Roseanne Barr, Arsenio Hall, Vanilla Ice, Courtney Love, Matthew Perry, Susan Sarandon and Martin Sheen; newsmakers including, Tony Blair, Paula Coughlin, Christopher Darden, Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, Monica Lewinsky, DeeDee Myers, and Colin Powell; and thought leaders including Kurt Anderson, Grayson Carter, Connie Chung, Thomas Friedman, Dan Rather, David Sirota and Brian Williams.
Partnering again with Nutopia, the critically acclaimed creator of mega-documentaries including “America The Story of Us,” The ’90s will also premiere globally in 440 million homes in 171 countries and in 45 languages, and on the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo.
Among the history-changing stories the special will examine:
- The televised “video game” that was Desert Storm, and how it changed the public’s impressions of war forever
- The new era of television entertainment with reality programming (“The Real World”), tabloid talk shows (“The Jerry Springer Show”) and barrier-breaking comedies (“Roseanne,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”)
- A music industry that began offering something for everyone, from alternative (Nirvana) to gangsta rap (Tupac and Notorious B.I.G.)
- Violence that spilled from the streets (LA Riots) to the schools (Columbine) to our celebrities (O.J. Simpson)
- The economic highs (return of Steve Jobs and Apple) and lows (dot-com bubble burst)
- The roller-coaster ride of the Clinton administration, from the promises of change to the embarrassing personal scandals that nearly derailed a presidency
- The inexorable rise of Osama Bin Laden, and his rehearsals of terror that would lead to the earth-stopping events of Sept. 11, 2001
Over three nights, The ’90s: The Last Great Decade? will explore the decade’s most unpredictable, unforgettable and unbelievable moments like never before.
This sounds great. It’s just like when VH1 would air I Love The 90s. I miss those.
Great Expectations
Premieres Sunday, July 6, at 9 p.m. ET
Through candid and original interviews with actors, musicians, politicians and pundits, the first two hours of The ’90s: The Last Great Decade?, narrated by Rob Lowe, jumps right into the action of the high-tech Gulf War. Described asa “video game war,” it made TV more real than anyone could have expected, and turned the Hummer into a supersized civilian vehicle. From there, the miniseries charts the soap operas of Bill Clinton’s nomination and Roseanne Barr’s fights with her network; the unlikely rise of Vanilla Ice and Kurt Cobain; and the revolutionary broadcasts that transformed the LA Riots, the Anita Hill hearings and the trial of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer into major TV events. The real world was changing in other ways too, and as Microsoft and Netscape battled over who would be the gatekeeper of the Internet, MTV was preparing a new show called “The Real World” that would eventually give birth to “reality TV.” Just how frightening the “real” events in the world could become was made evident in February 1993 with the first attack by Muslim extremists on the World Trade Center, a message of intent America failed to grasp until it was too late.
Friends & Enemies
Premieres Monday, July 7, at 9 p.m. ET
In the second two-hour installment of The ’90s: The Last Great Decade? America becomes ever more divided and fragmented. In Waco, Texas, a religious cult becomes a lightning rod for a fear of big government invading our homes, a fear that also plays out in the popular idea that aliens walk among us. Meanwhile, the awful sight of dead American soldiers being dragged through the streets of Somalia’s capital divides America on its role in the world. Even in women’s figure skating we find ourselves divided along class lines with the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan saga and with the rise of Jerry Springer’s reality show. Tragedy on the home front strikes again with the Oklahoma City bombing, and following a government shutdown, Bill Clinton declares that the era of big government is over. The “shock jocks” are commanding huge audiences, as is the O.J. Simpson trial, which ends in a verdict that polarizes the nation. But unity returns following the homophobic murder of Matthew Sheppard, leading to a new wave of support for gay rights. New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani orders a clean-up operation in the formerly trashy, violent city, and the result is no more evident than when the new sitcom “Friends” makes us all yearn for a hip New York apartment and an oversized cup of coffee.
Politically Incorrect
Premieres Tuesday, July 8, at 9 p.m. ET
The decade is racing to the finish line on an information superhighway now seeminglypaved with gold. But bombs, computer bugs and the political sex scandal to end them all threatens to ruin a president and spoil the end-of-the-century party. A new generation of tech entrepreneurs are getting rich quicker than ever before as the dot com bubble grows. Sexual taboos are breaking as Viagra hits the market with an unlikely endorsement by failed presidential candidate Bob Dole. But no one was less prepared to see the walls of privacy crumble than President Bill Clinton, whose affair with intern Monica Lewinsky is revealed in detail, and fuels the rise of the online news blogosphere. Tragedies surrounding the death of Princess Diana and the Columbine shootings force Americans to take a long, hard look at the decade’s societal shifts. And while the al-Qaida menace grows, the bigger concern is a digital one as governments around the world prepare for Y2K. Guiding viewers through to the end is narrator Rob Lowe, who in this episode also steps in front of the camera to discuss what really happened behind-the-scenes of “The West Wing.”
Once again, be sure to tune in when The ’90s: The Last Great Decade? premieres on July 6-8 at 9 PM ET/PT on the National Geographic Channel.
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