In terms of creative outbursts, nothing can beat the world of television in the 2000s. The 1990s were over, and the technological jump into the 2000s was loud and clear. High-definition TV sets were made available and accessible to everyone, and production studios saw the opportunity to capitalize on the craze that DVDs were leading. Fox, NBC, and ABC tried their best and left a mark on theannals of popular culturewith the introduction of high-quality television that wasn’t only available if you had cable.
Some of your favorite TV shows, in their majority dramas, had their peak in the 2000s, when creative views were widely welcome but didn’t tamper with the overall quality of the show or the show’s narrative direction. It was unbeatable as a format, and even a writers' strike couldn’t make the industry stumble. It just changed season schedules forever. Oh, and it introducedreality televisionin unimaginable ways.
To celebrate one of the most important decades in television, we dug around the bins and dusted off the box sets that made the 2000s the prime era for TV shows. These are the most rewatchable TV shows from the 2000s.
20CSI (2000-2015)
CSI, also known asCSI: Crime Scene Investigation, told the story of a team of crime-scene investigators who worked for the Las Vegas Police Department. Every night they dealt with crimes that went from the horrific to the weird, and their findings were usually key to capturing the perpetrator. They were led by Gil Grissom, the supervisor, who specialized in a unique area of evidence analysis, just like the rest of them.
Drama Among the Corpses
The show’s pilot was released in October 2000, and TV was never the same again. Suddenly, law enforcement agents and those weird enough to manipulate a corpse had lives and could compel the audience enough to get us hooked for countless seasons of a crime procedural that seldom changed its style of narrative. It’s rewatchable because it makes forensics appealing to viewers by making things simple, and also because the inside drama was based on likable characters.
It was so successful and groundbreaking that it inspired producers to makeCSI: MiamiandCSI: NY. It features something rare in television: a film director liked it so much that he was obsessed with directing an episode. That’s your very own Quentin Tarantino, directingGrave Danger, the fifth season finale.you’re able to streamCSIon Hulu.
19The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006-2010)
The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christinetold the story of Christine Campbell, a divorced mother who’s trying to keep everything together after she realizes her former husband is also dating someone named Christine. A younger Christine, for that matter. She’s constantly hanging around her brother Matthew, who lives with her, her son Ritchie, and her business partner Barb. Christine stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus in one of her finest performances.
A Comedy Master at Full Speed
The sitcom was extremely popular for a couple of years, and it made fora great debunking of the Seinfeld curse, which supposedly didn’t let its former stars be successful in other endeavors.
The comedian is great in the role of Christine, and she plays one of the important female characters in the comedy of the 2000s, when women couldn’t “succeed” if they weren’t paranoid or hysterical enough. Christine drew the line and wasn’t scared to make fun of herself, making the show a highly rewatchable compilation of physical comedy.Buy on Apple TV.
18Arrested Development (2003-2019)
Arrested Development
InArrested Development, Michael Bluth is trying to stay sane while trying to maintain the integrity of his family. In other words, he’s the only normal one in the outfit. The Bluths used to be wealthy, but the leader, George Bluth Sr., was a corrupt real estate mogul who led to the downfall of the family. However, he’s the only one convicted, and his sons and his wife think everything’s the same and have very expensive lifestyles. Michael stands up to the challenge, and at the same time, he tries to be a model father for his teenage son, George Michael.
A Clever Sense of Humor that Not Everyone Understood
The format is that of a mockumentary, but only in certain aspects of such a format.Arrested Developmentmostly plays like a regular sitcom, in which a film crew is recording the lives of the weirdest family that ever existed.
Comedy talents are nothing short of impressive in the show, and it often included cameos by film stars. It’s highly rewatchable because the comedy’s fresh and original enough to make for a comfort comedy show that you occasionally revisit because of the jokes. This one has plenty. Stream on Netflix.
Related:15 of the Most Highly Rewatchable Horror Movies
17In Treatment (2008-2021)
In Treatment
In Treatment, based on an Israeli drama show, was created by Rodrigo García for HBO, and it follows the life of a psychotherapist by the name of Paul Weston, played flawlessly by Gabriel Byrne. Weston’s line of work consists of sessions with patients that make him question his life and his own sanity. Eventually, he seeks the help of his mentor, with whom he had an argument, causing them to part ways.
One of HBO’s Underrated Dramas
The show would eventually give Byrne a Golden Globe Award in 2009, but that’s about all people remember about it. What makes the show one ofHBO’s underrated and noteworthydramas is that with it, you always felt within the confines of drama based on logic and not something as fictional as other peers.
In Treatmentfollowed through on just about every situation and didn’t leave any loose ends. This makes it a great show to revisit all over again occasionally, as you’ll probably discover new things about it with every rewatch.Stream on Max.
1624 (2001-2014)
24took viewers to modern-day America and the constant threat of terrorism by just about every nation on the planet. Jack Bauer, a counter-terrorist agent and often head of the CTU office in Los Angeles, was the relentless lead of the show that always managed to save the world in literally one day. The show took place in real-time, and every season consisted of 24 episodes, meaning everything took place on the same day. Yeah, at the time, no one believed it could be done either.
The Perfect White Knuckle Action Thriller
Oh, but it worked. Massively.24was Fox’s signature action show for more than nine seasons, and Kiefer Sutherland’s interpretation of Bauer became iconic in the world of action TV. What feels like an easy gimmick actually works in favor of the premise because it adds endless tension to any trouble Bauer gets into.
It’s rewatchable because seasons are designed to include as many cliffhangers as possible in every single one of their 24 episodes. In caseit gets revived, the question is simple: will they go for the real-time format? Hard to know.Stream on Hulu.
15Firefly (2002)
Set in the year 2517, Firefly follows the crew of the Serenity, a smuggling ship operating on the fringes of Alliance space. Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) is a veteran of a civil war, bitter about having fought for the losing side and now making his living as an outlaw smuggler out among the distant colonies forgotten and ignored by the Alliance. However, after taking on paying passengers, Mal finds himself caught up in a conspiracy likely to bring the whole Alliance military down on him and his crew.
InFirefly, humans are now living in outer space in a whole new solar system. There’s no Earth, but Earths, that humans have now colonized. Aboard the Firefly-class spaceship known as the Serenity, Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds and Corporal Zoe Alleyne are in rogue mode, and running away from the authorities that have tried to catch them. 14 episodes of absolute sci-fi drama bliss with a story that was later extended into a movie and comic books.
The Definition of the Space Western Genre
Created by Joss Whedon in 2002,Fireflywasa single-season science fiction showwith an incalculable effect on modern television. Its story was interesting enough to feed its entire run, but it was the world designed by Whedon which hooked everyone. The characters were interesting, and not disposable as it often happened in genre TV.
The war element wasn’t invasive, so it wasn’t excessively dramatic. It was simply fun and entertaining; it had a great reception by critics and audiences who recognized something innovative in the “space opera turned Western” show.Stream on Hulu.
14Friday Night Lights (2006-2011)
Friday Night Lights
Based on the book of the same name, Friday Night Lights is a sports drama series that centers around the Dillon Panthers, a high school football team in Texas. The show focuses on the small town and the community they share, tackling major social and political issues and the players' challenges as they go through an increasingly difficult season.
Friday Night Lightsfollows the story of a high school football coach in Dillon, Texas, who tries to deal with the drama that ensues after his star quarterback gets injured. Coach Taylor will try his best to lead the team, but not everyone in Dillon believes in them. As the show progresses, Taylor migrates to other teams, but with that, other issues are brought to light. Themes like family issues, drug use, and racism are what makeFriday Night Lightsa very interesting television drama that still feels underseen.
A TV Follow-Up That Worked
After the success of the filmFriday Night Lights, director Peter Berg felt that the book on which the film and the show were based,Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream, had more in its core. This led him to produce the TV adaptation of the book, but this time he went for a full exploration and portrayal of American values in modern-day Texas. Coach Taylor’s journey is uplifting but also pretty realistic.
When it comes to sports dramas on TV,there’s nothing betterthan this one. After season one, it’s impossible to stop, and a rewatch is inevitable.Stream on Prime Video.
13The Wire (2002-2008)
The Wiretakes viewers to Baltimore, Maryland, where the police department is trying to establish order as usual. Unfortunately, organized crime proves to be too powerful, often messing with the dynamics of law enforcement and the agents who survive the daily ordeal of fighting criminals. However,The Wireis far from being an action-ridden vehicle with familiar actors. This is pure drama led by carefully directed performers who had one word in mind when shaping their characters: realism. It’s, without question,one of the best TV showsever made.
A Crime Drama in the Style of HBO
Perhaps five seasons (60 episodes in total) sounds like too much for a rewatch. But the reality is that this is HBO at its best. The performances, the direction, and the writing. It’s simply top-tier TV in one of the most popular genres of all: crime drama.
It’s complex enough to drift away from the formula of procedurals that had just one situation to solve per episode, but once you connect with one of its storylines or characters, you will find yourself in the middle of a blunt statement about a part of America that’s often incorrectly displayed in the media.Stream on Max.
12The Sopranos (1999-2007)
The Sopranos
The Sopranostells the story of Tony Soprano and his family. Soprano is a New Jersey mobster with all the traits of the leader of an Italian-American mafia organization in modern times. Unfortunately, one day he’s forced to seek the help of a therapist as he begins suffering from anxiety. That, along with the pressure from his family and the constant threat from his enemies, makes Tony explode at some point, but luckily his partners will be there to keep him sane.
Another HBO Crime Drama That’s Part of History
Yes, we know. Technically, it belongs in the ’90s, but considering how big the jump was in season two, we’d rather categorize it as a rewatchable gem from the 2000s. There aren’t many TV shows about the mafia, butThe Sopranosis enough.
Brilliantly written and starring relatively unknown actors at the time, the show went on to become a staple of HBO’s drama catalog, and today it’s regarded as one of the best TV shows of all time.It’s rewatchable because it has a human warmththat’s hard to find in crime shows. WithThe Sopranos, you feel like you’re home.Stream on Max.
11The O.C. (2003-2007)
The O.C.tells the story of Ryan Atwood, a troubled slacker who gets the opportunity of a lifetime. He has nowhere to go, and a wealthy law professor decides to adopt him. This is how Ryan heads over to Newport Beach and faces the posh lifestyle of a society that he used to steal from. The culture shock is almost overwhelming, but Ryan finds support in his adoptive brother and a girl he connects with very quickly.
One of the Few Compelling Teen Dramas on Modern Television
Lasting four seasons and a grand total of 92 episodes,The O.C.was the epitome of the Californian lifestyle in the 2000s. Sure, Ryan had what we all wanted overnight, but this doesn’t mean there wasn’t some drama added to the equation. Themes of materialism, social class, and mental health are only a few of the ones tackled in the Fox serieswith great characters.
It’s rewatchable because it’s written in a light tone that doesn’t require much from the viewer in terms of engagement. You will have fun, cry, and laugh, and you won’t even know how it all happened in a single episode.Stream on Max.
