9 forgotten 2000s TV gems you secretly miss

Let’s be honest: if you quiz anyone about 2000s telly, you’ll get the same predictable list. People still bang on about Lost, The Office, Grey’s Anatomy, Gossip Girl—maybe Glee if they were the sort who thought high notes were a personality. Streaming kept those shows on life support, handed them their ’legacy’ status, and we got all the inevitable reboots and reunions to go with it. But if you were glued to the screen in those years, you know there’s loads more to the story than the big five.

The 2000s weren’t just about the stuff that’s survived on streaming or has a second career as a meme. There were just as many cracking TV shows that, for whatever reason, barely get a mention now. Some made future stars, a fair few were ahead of the curve, and all of them had something to say that’s worth remembering today. Here’s a line-up of nine shows from the 2000s that are overdue a proper revisit. We’re not doing this for nostalgia’s sake—these are shows you want to actually experience, not just tick off some list of TV you “should have watched.”

For the record: After six years professionally neck-deep in every sort of show under the sun, and half that time writing list after list, I don’t recommend anything here lightly. These series helped shape how I look at telly. So if you missed them at the time, now’s as good a moment as any.

• 'Dead Like Me' (2003 – 2004)
  Morbid Comedy, But Comforting
  Showtime’s Dead Like Me took on the hackneyed “life after death” routine and made it feel like some sort of dark comfort food. Lead character George Lass gets killed off in a freak accident on her first day temping, only to land a gig as a grim reaper, and discovers the bureaucracy of death is as soul-destroying as any dodgy office job. Bryan Fuller’s the brains behind it (at least for episodes one through five) and he set the tone—equal parts whimsical and a bit bruised by the world. Two short seasons, then it evolved into Pushing Daisies, but George’s blend of bratty vulnerability is what makes this one tick. The story interweaves her stubborn refusal to grow up with her family’s slow-motion collapse after her death.
  Watch if: You want a black comedy that’s strangely reassuring; you like shows about death that don’t get preachy or melodramatic.
  Give it a swerve if: You really have to like your main character straight off. George is a tough sell at first, for sure.
• 'Everwood' (2002 – 2006)
  Family Drama That Doesn’t Sugar-coat Grief
  Everwood gets overshadowed by higher-profile WB dramas, which is criminal because it’s easily one of the most truthful. You’ve got Andy Brown, a neurosurgeon ditching a Manhattan career after his wife dies, uprooting his kids to a tiny Colorado town. It could’ve coasted on generic teen heartbreak with some nice scenery but instead focused in on a father completely out of his depth and a son who’s got zero trust left to give. The beauty’s in how wrong Andy gets things—intentions don’t fix years of distance—and Ephram’s sour teenage resentment puts most TV angst to shame.
  Watch if: You need a series that leans in to the complicated stuff and doesn’t force a neat resolution after every argument.
  Skip if: You haven’t got the patience for stories that unfold slowly. Everwood’s not in a hurry.
• 'Southland' (2009 – 2013)
  The Anti-cop Show Cop Show
  NBC gave Southland the chop after seven episodes, then weirdly brought it back… then binned it again, at which point TNT hoovered up what was left, shrunk the budget, slimmed the cast, and – here’s the twist – the show got better every single year. Unlike just about every other law enforcement drama, there’s no attempt at turning the LAPD into superheroes or giving you a new villain every season. It’s brutally mundane—sometimes boring, often ugly, occasionally devastating, and painstakingly honest about the grind. Plot’s less important than nailing the rhythm of the job and the toll it takes.
  Watch if: You want your cop shows closer to reality, no melodrama, just the harsh bits and quiet moments side by side.
  Don’t bother if: You need your TV to deliver a twisty murder plot or an ongoing narrative. Southland isn’t fussed with any of that.
• 'Agatha Christie’s Marple' (2004 – 2013)
  Cosy, But Not For Purists
  Marple always took a back seat to Poirot and I get why: the producers freely shoved Miss Marple into Christies she never appeared in and happily rewrote endings as they fancied. Stuck-up fans never forgave it, but the show is a sly treat if you treat it as a riff on the source, with atmosphere trumping slavish accuracy. Geraldine McEwan’s Marple, all with a glint in her eye, runs the first stint; Julia McKenzie’s cooler approach takes over in the later series. Both are worth your time.
  Watch if: You’re up for a marathon of mysteries, aren’t fussed about Christie canon and want something that’s comfortable yet ever-so-slightly cheeky.
  Maybe not if: Any tampering with beloved murder plots makes you grind your teeth.
• 'Joan of Arcadia' (2003 – 2005)
  Spiritual, Not Soppy
  CBS backed a wild premise with Joan of Arcadia: a teenage girl starts chatting with God (who looks like random strangers) and is nudged to do small, cryptic tasks without an explanation. It sounds ripe for being preachy, but it’s nothing like that. The show’s God quotes Bob Dylan, won’t give easy answers, and values a string of tiny acts over grand miracles. For something that could have gone so wrong, it’s incredibly well-handled and wound up scooping a pile of awards. That comes down to genuinely caring about Joan’s everyday life, not just the big philosophical swings.
  Watch if: You’re up for a drama that seriously wrestles with meaning and faith without ramming a message down your throat.
  Steer clear if: You need proper closure. The show was axed before the story wrapped up, and you’ll be left hanging.
• 'South of Nowhere' (2005 – 2008)
  Queer Teen Drama Before It Was Cool
  South of Nowhere doesn’t get half the credit it deserves. Centred on Spencer Carlin moving to LA, questioning her sexuality, and falling for her friend Ashley Davies, it aired in 2005, back when the idea of queer romantic leads on teenage TV just wasn’t a thing—certainly not without strings attached or a tragic ending. The show cut out all the tragic clichés and let Spencer and Ashley be messy, make mistakes, and have storylines that weren’t just lessons for everyone else. It also dives into addiction, family bust-ups, race—you name it.
  Watch if: You’re curious about the origins of proper LGBTQ+ storytelling for teens on telly. Loads of today’s shows owe it a debt.
  Skip if: Overwrought, slightly melodramatic mid-2000s network teen drama turns you off completely.
• 'Yes, Dear' (2000 – 2006)
  Sitcom Success Story No One Admits Liking
  Critics hated Yes, Dear on arrival and CBS nearly dropped it before anyone gave it a shot, but six seasons and 122 episodes later, it became a quiet fan favourite. It pairs two couples—one uptight, one shameless—as in-laws obliged to live under the same roof. It’s all about the day-to-day friction rather than big “lesson of the week” moments, and the writing’s sharp enough for both sides to be right—and wrong—in turn. The chemistry between Anthony Clark and Mike O'Malley as brothers-in-law who wind each other up is what keeps it ticking.
  Watch if: You want no-stakes, genuinely funny comfort viewing, perfect for background telly with the odd laugh out loud.
  Avoid if: You want your comedies clever or boundary-smashing.
• 'Lizzie McGuire' (2001 – 2004)
  The Prototype Disney Coming-of-Age Show
  Lizzie McGuire is the obvious classic of Disney Channel’s golden years. With an early two-season greenlight, it chalked up 65 episodes, became Disney’s biggest hit, and by 2003 had raked in buckets in toy sales alone. What made it stand out was its core gimmick: visualising all the chaotic inner thoughts of an awkward teenager with an animated alter ego who butts in to blurt out what Lizzie’s really thinking. No adult narrator, just awkwardness and honesty—a format Disney Channel’s been recycling ever since.
  Watch if: You feel like digging up the origins of basically every modern tween comedy.
  Pass if: The animated pop-ins sound more irritating than charming.
• 'George Lopez' (2002 – 2007)
  Funny Comes First, Groundbreaking Second
  George Lopez isn’t just a solid sitcom; it broke new ground. Sandra Bullock stumbled on George Lopez’s stand-up, and three hours later convinced him there should be a mainstream American sitcom centred around a Latino family minus all the usual clichés. It happened, ran for 120 episodes on ABC, and was the first network series fronted by a Latino comedian to hit syndication. But it never felt like homework: it’s laugh-out-loud funny and quick with the dialogue, but also kept one foot in real working-class life—George with his unreliable mum and blue-collar factory grind.
  Watch if: You want a sitcom that's genuinely hilarious, but also ticks every 'first of its kind' box you'd want from 2000s telly.
  Skip if: You’ve gone off the whole multi-cam, studio audience thing for good.

Got one of these on your watchlist yet? Drop your pick below.

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