10 things you probably didn't know about TV shows from the 90s

The 90s fostered a passion for TV series among millions of enthusiasts, here are some anecdotes about the most cult shows you may haven't heard of.

1. The Simpsons creator Matt Groening named the main characters of the animated series after members of his own family. Bart is the only exception to the rule, "Bart" being the anagram of "brat".

2. Jennifer Aniston might have never appeared in Friends. The actress starred in the series Muddling Through, which aired before the first episodes of the cult series in 1994. David Crane, the co-creator of Friends, confided that he was afraid to shoot episodes with Jennifer Aniston, fearing a renewal of her other series. Luckily for him, and for the fans, it got cancelled, paving the way for the actress to becoming Rachel.

3. Twin Peaks' co-creator David Lynch enjoyed very much working with Sheryl Lee, who played Laura Palmer, the victim of a horrendous murder. So much so that he decided to offer her another role in the series, that of Maddy Ferguson. He even wanted to give her a third part, but that ultimately didn't happen, unless we count the character of Carrie Page, in the last episode of Twin Peaks: The Return.

4. The cast of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer could have been very different. For instance, Ryan Reynolds could have played Xander, but preferred to decline the offer. Charisma Carpenter had auditioned to play Buffy Summers, and Sarah Michelle Gellar wanted Cordelia. As for Willow... in a pilot that never aired, Alyson Hannigan did not play the part, Riff Regan did.

5. In Beverly Hills, 90210, Dylan could have never been the icon of a whole generation he became. In a 2015 interview, Luke Perry told the Hollywood Reporter that he was only due to appear in 2 or 3 episodes, but Aaron Spelling, creator and producer, fought to keep him. He even wanted to pay Perry's salary by himself if necessary.

6. At first, ER was not supposed to become a TV series. Twenty years before its first episode aired, Michael Crichton (who's behind Jurassic Park) wrote the synopsis for a film that would have been directed by Steven Spielberg. But nobody wanted it... Until NBC took over the project 20 years later to make the iconic show we all know.

7. Full House could have been shot without the Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley! According to John Stamos, the two sisters were crying so much during the filming of the pilot that he asked that they be replaced. Eventually, the two young stars returned. Wondering why? It went worse with the other children.

8. Small age issue in The Nanny? While actress Morgan Guilbert played Fran Fine's grandmother, Yetta, Renee Taylor was Sylvia, the protagonist's mother... these actresses were actually only 5 years apart in real life.

9. In The X-Files, Dana Scully, played by Gillian Anderson, is inspired by another iconic protagonist, a movie character. Her role was influenced by Clarice Starling, played by Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs. The X-Files creator Chris Carter told the Smithsonian: "It's not a mistake that Dana Scully has red hair."

10. In Dawson's Creek, Katie Holmes got the role of Joey (which Selma Blair wanted) thanks to an audition filmed in her own basement, in which her mother read Dawson's lines. After that, she refused to fly to Los Angeles to meet the creator because she was due to star in her high school play and didn't want to disappoint and let her friends down. The creator and casting crew therefore waited two weeks to finally meet her.