The early 90s were an awkward time.

The Seattle grunge scene and countless inconsequential bubblegum acts split popular culture down the middle. The fashion spilled over from the 80s - all big hair and acid washed jeans.

In the political arena, American leadership underwent a major change. After 12 years of old-guard Republican stewardship, the nation elected its first Baby Boomer president, who talked openly about marijuana and boxer shorts, while openly canvassing the votes of the MTV Generation.

The Gulf War became a footnote and a sweeping complacency, supported by general US prosperity, took hold.

And Fox (NWS) was there to reflect it all back to its steadily growing audience.

When it was launched in the mid 80s, no one took the network seriously - least of all its stated competitors, ABC (DIS), NBC (GE) and CBS (CBS). But a partnership with legendary TV producer Aaron Spelling -- he of Charlie’s Angels and Dynasty fame -- helped swing the pendulum. Ditto a deal with Matt Groening, creator of the animated satire The Simpsons. But first more about the Spelling synergy.

His Beverly Hills, 90210, a fish-out-of-water teen soap about a pair of Minnesota twins who relocate with their parents to the poshest of all zip codes, captured the imaginations of millions of mallrats in search of a new teen idol. And the show, which set out to juxtapose the central characters’ Midwestern values with the vapid pursuits of southern California, served up a baker’s dozen of them. And single-handedly breathed new life into the sideburn, pompadour and classic car.

At its height, no American teenager, whether they wanted to or nor, could escape its influence. Similarly-styled shows like Melrose Place and Party of Five helped the fledgling network maintain its stranglehold on the youth culture of the day.

On the opposite end of the spectrum was Groening’s The Simpsons. With almost fearless, whip-smart writing, it lampooned American culture and excess, and shattered a glass ceiling for animation: Mature subject matter ceased to be the exclusive province of live action.

Also on the roster was Married… with Children. By resorting to every stereotype in the book -- the lazy, beer-guzzling father, oversexed, ditzy mother, do-nothing son and perfect teenage daughter -- it succeeded in being the anti-Cosby Show - at the time, one of competitor NBC’s biggest hits.

The Simpsons and Married pushed the envelope in a way the Big 3 networks were unaccustomed to. And while CBS continued to make its bones with the antiquated Murder She Wrote, Fox pushed ahead with the urban sketch comedy show In Living Color and later That 70s Show and Ally McBeal, whose “dancing baby” spawned one of the first viral Internet forwards.

Today, Fox regularly beats rival networks in ratings, usually on the strength of American Idol, which has proven to be a programming juggernaut. But back in the 90s, as it strove to gain mindshare, it took chances and actively pursued the youth market - at the time a demographic largely ignored by its stodgy competitors.

In so doing, the network wielded some of the greatest influence over the popular culture of the day.