The 2000s are typically known for peculiar fashion, the retro cellphones, and the rise and fall of boy bands such as NSYNC and Backstreet Boys, but for me, it’s different. I might have only been 1 year old when the 2000s started, but it was for sure the best time. Along with the chunky sandals and Blackberry’s came some of the best shows to grace our screens from the dramatic storylines to the heartthrob leading characters (let’s forget about the sometimes shoddy camera work and graphics because trust me it’s worth it). If you’re looking for T.V. shows that give you a sense of nostalgia, but somehow never grow old look no further because sadly they don’t make them like this anymore.
Drama
Friday Night Lights
Rating: 9/10
Where to Watch: Hulu
How Long: 5 Seasons
Status: Ended
Friday Night Lights follows the lives of the coach, Eric Taylor, and the football players, Matt Saracen, Tim Riggins, Jason Street, and Smash Williams, in a small town, Dillon, Texas where football is basically its’ own religion. Along with the conflicts of the game comes drama with relationships and finding that balance between the love of the sport and living life as a high school student. Friday Night Lights is a show that can make you want to scream from frustration or cry for some of the hard situations each player faces, which is why it makes for good drama television. Not only do I watch for the relationship drama and dreamy characters, but the football aspect also plays into my competitive side, making it all the more binge-worthy. Unlike most “football dramas” now, Friday Night Lights has the perfect mixture of drama, football, comedic relief (thank you, Matt, for your sweet and sometimes oblivious personality). Friday Night Lights is the epitome of what a 2000s drama was, and will continue to live on no matter how many years have passed (Also, we all deserve a love story like Eric and Tami Taylor).
Crime
Veronica Mars
Rating: 8.4/10
Where to Watch: Hulu
How Long: 4 Seasons & 1 Movie
Status: Ended
Veronica Mars is about once-popular and now unpopular and sometimes PI Veronica Mars. Through a series of flashbacks on her personal and family traumas, viewers can watch what led to her fall down the social ladder within the affluent town of Neptune, California. Although the sometimes dark storylines and traumas can seem like too much at times, a definite highlight of the show is Mars’s failure to not make a snarky or sarcastic comment every chance she gets, which also serves as a bit of comedic relief. If Mars can pick at the rich and famous, trust me, she will and trust me, you will laugh. Another highlight comes in the form of fan-favorite, Logan Echolls. No matter how much he sucks as a person, in the beginning, you have to love his blunt and bold personality, which pairs perfectly with Mars’s overly sarcastic character (I just hurt my own feelings, and if you know you KNOW). Like every other perfect 2000s show Veronica Mars has the ideal mix of solving crimes and keeping the viewers invested in the storylines, a for sure must watch so much so that a reboot and a movie has been made following the series and Kristen Bell does not disappoint.
Drama
The O.C
Rating: 8.8/10
Where to Watch: Hulu
How Long: 4 Seasons & 1 Movie
Status: Ended
“CALIFORNIAAAA (California) Here we come!” If the theme song isn’t stuck in your head after the first three episodes, something has gone wrong! Three words to best describe The O.C. is drama, drama and more drama. It follows Chino’s very own bad boy, Ryan Atwood’s transition to the other side of town, Newport Beach where people party in mansions and live on waterfronts. Lawyer, Sandy Cohen and his family take Ryan in and he must navigate his way through wealthy high schoolers with bougie tendencies with the help of not so popular, Seth Cohen leading to very entertaining moments. The O.C. primarily focuses on the core four: Summer Roberts, the popular girl, Seth Cohen, the sarcastic but lovable nerd, Ryan Atwood, the bad boy, and Miss Congeniality, Marissa Cooper, as they all figure out life like every other high schooler… just with a lot more money in their bank accounts. From upside-down Spiderman kisses (an ICONIC scene) to cheating scandals and addiction, The O.C. has it all, and it does not disappoint when it comes to the drama. The O.C. serves as one of the best/memorable 2000s show because of its’ over the top and, at times, unrealistic storylines. If you love sarcastic characters, Seth Cohen’s slights at the rich and famous will have you laughing through your frustrations as some of the characters have you wanting to pull your hair out or SPOILER if you love the trope where the popular girl doesn’t realize the nerd exist but somewhere along the way it happens and she likes him back, then The O.C. is for you!
Childhood Honorable Mentions (what I could actually watch in the 2000s)
- Kim Possible (Disney Plus)
- That’s So Raven (Disney Plus)
- Phil of the Future (Disney Plus)
- Wizard of Waverly Place (Disney Plus)
- Brandy and Mr. Whiskers (Hopefully Coming to Disney Plus)
- The Proud Family (Disney Plus)
- The Suite Life of Zack and Cody (Disney Plus)
- American Dragon: Jake Long (Coming to Disney Plus)
- The Replacements (Disney Plus)
- The Emperor’s New School (Coming to Disney Plus)
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