The 65 Best TV Shows of the 2000s—And Where to Stream Them
The best TV shows of the 2000s span well beyond just Gossip Girl and Breaking Bad. In fact, the aughts marked the peak of what many describe as the Golden Age of television.
In the late ’90s and early ’00s, shows like The Sopranos and Sex and the City changed television forever with their groundbreaking storytelling, complex characters, and cinematic style. While HBO was delivering prestige shows, reality TV was on the rise. CBS's Survivor became a pop culture moment in 2000 that opened up the possibilities for the genre, and MTV evolved from The Real World in the ’90s to Laguna Beach and The Hills in the aughts.
As the decade went on, shows got more prestigious, with AMC introducing Mad Men in 2007 and Breaking Bad in 2008. But while television was getting a little more serious, there were still, of course, the fun, lighthearted sitcoms like Girlfriends and Reba and teen dramas like Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill. Basically, the best TV shows of the 2000s—specifically, shows that debuted starting in 2000 and through 2010—are a delightful mix of prestige drama, reality TV, comedies, and soapy teen dramas.
There were some true gems airing in the decade, as evidenced by how many are still popular on streaming services (The Office, 30 Rock) and by the shows that have already gotten reboots (Dexter, Gossip Girl, Sex and the City). Some of the most successful shows of the era are still on the air, including Survivor, Grey's Anatomy, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. So whether you're looking to revisit a nostalgic old favorite, find out what the fuss was all about, take a look back on disturbing Y2K fashion, or get caught up before a hit comes back, you'll find a great show here.
Find out where to stream the best TV shows of the 2000s, below.
©AMC/courtesy Everett Collection1/65Breaking Bad (2008–2013)
It dominated the Emmy Awards and dinner-party conversations every year it was on and became the show that once and for all proved television could compete with the movies. When mild-mannered chemistry teacher Walt (Bryan Cranston) discovers he has cancer, he teams up with former student Jesse (Aaron Paul) to make and sell crystal meth, becoming a violent, some would say evil, man in his quest for money, security, and power. Every list of the best television shows of all time has this somewhere near the top. It even spawned a successful spin-off, Better Call Saul.
©Paramount Television/Courtesy Everett Collection2/65Girlfriends (2000–2008)
Tracee Ellis Ross, Golden Brooks, Persia White, and Jill Marie Jones star in this fun show about four friends living in Los Angeles who help one another navigate life, love, and womanhood. The show is praised for showcasing Black women's stories and providing a place for these characters to be the focal point of storylines.
Michael Yarish/CBS3/65The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019)
The longest-running multi-cam sitcom in the history of television was more than just a ratings juggernaut—it was a smart, clever series about finding community when you feel like no one else understands you. Thanks to the addition of Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik as Bernadette and Amy, the show became an ever bigger hit that hilariously focused on the everyday ups and downs of friendships, relationships, and finding your place in your career. There's a reason Big Bang airs non-stop on cable, but if you haven't watched the sitcom, start from the beginning on HBO Max to watch the all-star cast of Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Kunal Nayyar, Simon Helberg, Rauch and Bialik perform a master class in acting for 279 episodes.
©Showtime Networks Inc./Courtesy Everett Collection4/65Dexter (2006–2013)
A killer twist on the detective genre: Dexter is a serial murderer with a conscience. First he finds the bad guys, then he takes them out, fulfilling both his compulsion to kill and his need for bloody justice. If you can stomach the violence, you might just get addicted to this creepy, savvy series.
CBS Photo Archive5/65The Good Wife (2009–2016)
Alicia Florrick is a wife and mother who returns to work as an attorney after her husband, the Illinois state's attorney, is jailed for political corruption and a sex scandal. Yeah, it's complicated, to put it lightly. With any other actor, Alicia could have ended up falling into the scorned-wife cliché, but Julianna Margulies breathes life into her character. Watching her kick ass in court against a wild cast of judges, lawyers, and her own coworkers never gets old.
©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection6/65Friday Night Lights (2006–2011)
“Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!” If that phrase pulls at your heartstrings, then that means you're at least somewhat familiar with the NBC drama focused on a high school football team, the Dillon Panthers. If the thought of watching five seasons of football makes you want to gag, don't worry! The show is more about family, friendship, and the passion it takes to dedicate yourself to something.
Getty Images7/65Sex and the City (1998–2004)
Are you a Carrie, a Charlotte, a Miranda, or a Samantha? What group of friends hasn't discussed which iconic character they're most like? We're not sure there is one. The series about four women making their way in New York City is always a great choice for a binge.
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HBO8/65True Blood (2008–2014)
If you're just a little too old for Twilight, Buffy, or The Vampire Diaries (not that you can ever really be too old for those classics) and looking for an adult take on the vampire romance genre, check out True Blood, the sexy, spooky Southern gothic fable about what happens after vampires “come out of the coffin” and live among society.
©ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection9/65Grey's Anatomy (2005–)
Do we have to explain what a phenomenon this show was? It's still on! And no, it's not too late to get into it and caught up. Find out what McDreamy, McSteamy, and “my person” meant, and enjoy the drama, because just when you think things are going well…just trust…there is about to be a tragic accident of some kind.
Andrew Eccles/Getty Images10/65Gossip Girl (2007–2012)
The best, hottest, dumbest, best show ever. Like, this series is iconic. The fashions, the comebacks, the sex that inspired a wave of parental backlash, which the show turned around and used as marketing. The finale may have committed the major mistake of trying to make the identity of Gossip Girl make sense (who cares!), but for the first couple seasons at least, this was the greatest teen soap of all time. Not an exaggeration.
©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection11/65Arrested Development (2003–2006)
This is the story of a family…and a show that was canceled way too soon. This cult hit is full of deadpan humor, wry satire, self-references, and callbacks, making it hard for its original audience to understand when it aired weekly. It was canceled after three seasons and gained new fans who binged episodes after it came out on DVD, enough so that Netflix revived the series for two more seasons that are, let's be honest, just not great. But those original eps, once you start to understand them, are nothing short of genius.
©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection12/65Heroes (2006–2010)
J.J. Abrams’s superhero series got off to a strong start before hitting a few snags, but it's still peak Milo Ventimiglia and Zachary Quinto cuteness. If this were a limited series on Netflix, it would be all anyone could talk about for a couple of weeks, that's for sure.
©CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection13/65How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014)
Told in a series of flashbacks, this sitcom focuses on a group of friends living in New York City. Main character Ted Mosby tells the story to his son, Luke, and daughter, Penny, of how he met their mother. The series won 10 Emmys and is responsible for making Neil Patrick Harris a household name.
©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection14/65Glee (2009–2015)
This cultural juggernaut got kids born in 2000 belting Journey on the school bus. Glee was a teen soap with plenty of comedy thrown in and an out-and-out musical, following the members of a small-town high school show choir as they used pop songs to process their feelings. And boy, did they have a lot of feelings.
Getty Images15/65Six Feet Under (2001–2005)
If you're looking for a happy-go-lucky show, keep scrolling. But for those who like dark humor, then this is the series for you. The story focuses on the subject of death through the eyes of a family who own a funeral home in Los Angeles. It's full of irony, and 20 years after its premiere, it's still considered one of the best TV shows of all time.
©FX Networks/Courtesy Everett Collection16/65It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005–)
Now the longest-running scripted comedy ever on television, this low-budget show started as a project made by friends and was a pretty under-the-radar project at the fledgling FX network before Danny DeVito took a shine to it and decided to join the cast, propelling the edgy series to new heights and insane gags.
©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection17/65House (2004–2012)
This clever adaptation of Sherlock Holmes (get it? Holmes? Homes? House?) makes the famous detective a doctor solving medical mysteries and saving lives while ruining his own with his gruff and unfriendly bedside manner. Hugh Laurie was nominated for an Emmy almost every year this show was on, prompting audiences to say, “Wait, he's British? But his American accent is so good!” And it is so good.
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©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection18/65Lizzie McGuire (2001–2004)
A transformative show that took The Disney Channel from a repository for old movies and spin-off cartoons into a star-making entity in its own right. This beloved series was very nearly rebooted, but even though that never came to be, the original episodes will always have a special place in our hearts—if not for the sweet stories, then for the hair fashions alone!
©ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection19/65Desperate Housewives (2004–2012)
This primetime soap opera glorified and parodied the rich, bored suburban trophy wife, reveling in her sexual escapades and secrets…up to and including murdering her neighbor. There was a time when calling someone dramatic a resident of Wisteria Lane was the funniest joke on the planet, truly.
©ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection20/65Lost (2004–2010)
This show, about the survivors of a plane crash stranded on an island, basically invented the “event series” format, and the amount that it got people talking is what every buzzy Netflix limited series is trying to replicate. Especially in the first season, before it got so complicated, people could not shut up about theories for this show. And then when they introduce all the new elements…die-hard fans lost their minds. It gets people hooked to this day.
©AMC/courtesy Everett Collection21/65Mad Men (2007–2015)
One of the best drama series of all time, and certainly the best prestige TV series that isn't massively violent, this novelistic show followed advertising savant Don Draper and his colleagues at Sterling Cooper through the ’60s as they attempt to sell and live the American Dream—secondhand smoke and all. It's sexy, stylish, and blessedly grown-up. And the performances are killer too.
©USA Networks/Courtesy Everett Collection22/65Monk (2002–2009)
This goofy caper series follows ex-detective Adrian Monk, who, after his wife's murder, sinks deep into obsessive compulsive disorder, maniacally cleaning and straightening everything around him. And while he can't get life to fit into his perfect squares, looking at the details and imperfections of a crime scene does come in handy when trying to solve a case.
©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection23/65The Office (2005–2013)
Does this series even need an introduction? Good luck finding someone who's never heard of The Office. Actually, you probably won't even be able to find anyone who hasn't seen at least one episode. Get to know the characters at Dunder Mifflin—you might recognize some of the hilarious personalities in your own coworkers.
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection24/65Nip/Tuck (2003–2010)
Ryan Murphy's first show for FX was an addictive, savvy look at the appearance-obsessed world of high-end plastic surgeons in Florida, and all the power and intrigue that comes along with it. Groundbreaking in ways, but not for the faint of heart.
©ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection25/65Modern Family (2009–2020)
This beloved and Emmy-winning sitcom is just like it says on the box: about a very modern family. We've got the patriarch with his much younger second wife, starting his family over again. The “normal” suburban nuclear family with kids they can barely control. And a gay couple adopting. All the pieces fit together to form a picture that's heartwarming and fun. Very much a series for viewers of all ages.
©Showtime Networks Inc./Courtesy Everett Collection26/65Dead Like Me (2003–2004)
This cult hit dramedy, about dead souls that become grim reapers before they can pass on, never found enough of an audience to really take off, but thanks to streaming, you can still enjoy what it had to offer and probably binge the whole thing in a weekend too, if you're diligent about it.
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection27/65The O.C. (2003–2007)
The O.C. walked so Gossip Girl could run. We're being serious. Creator Josh Schwartz was one of the brains behind both teen dramas. The Newport Beach, California–based series followed newcomer Ryan, semi-nerd Seth, troubled girl-next-door Marissa, and popular girl Summer on their drama-filled adventures.
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection28/65One Tree Hill (2003–2012)
Most people were either team O.C. or team One Tree Hill, but One Tree Hill doesn't take place in a flashy city or rich suburb. It's based in the small town of Tree Hill, North Carolina, where half-brothers Lucas and Nathan Scott are at odds—on the basketball court and off. Characters Peyton Sawyer, Haley James, and Brooke Davis are also crucial to the show as they befriend, date, and fall in love with the brothers. The show spans a decade as the friends learn about life, love, and loss.
©USA Networks/Courtesy Everett Collection29/65Psych (2006–2014)
What could be the best asset to law enforcement? Being able to predict the future. Well, that's what main character Shawn Spencer convinces the police that he can do. Except his knowledge comes from a powerful and practiced skill of observation—not from being able to see the future.
©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection30/65Parks and Recreation (2009–2015)
Amy Poehler will have you in tears—tears of laughter, that is. Poehler's character, Leslie Knope, works as a midlevel bureaucrat in an Indiana parks and recreation department. In an effort to improve her town and therefore help her career, she is determined to turn an abandoned construction site into a community park. Of course, she runs into (hilarious) difficulties with her project.
BOB D'AMICO31/65Pushing Daisies (2007–2009)
Imagine being able to bring people back from the dead. It sounds a little creepy, but stay with us here. The main character, Ned, can touch a dead body and bring it back to life. He uses his gift for good and brings back victims in order to find their killer. The only problem is that he brings his childhood love back from the dead and if he touches her again, then she'll go back to being dead.
©Touchstone Television/Courtesy Everett Collection32/65Scrubs (2001–2010)
Think of this as Grey's Anatomy's funny friend. Like Grey's, the show focuses on a group of medical interns completing their residency at a teaching hospital. The series ran for nine seasons and follows characters J.D., Elliot, Turk, and the perpetually grumpy Dr. Cox.
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection33/65Supernatural (2005–2020)
If getting to watch Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles for more than 300 episodes isn't reason enough to tune in, then everything else about this supernatural series definitely is. What starts as a monster of a family drama—brothers Sam and Dean begin their journey searching for their missing father while hunting down the thing that killed their mother—transforms into an epic saga about good, evil, and everything in between.
SCOTT HUMBERT34/65The Game (2006–2009)
If you're a fan of Girlfriends, then you'll love its spin-off, The Game. Even if you've never watched its predecessor, you'll no doubt become obsessed with the show about the wives and girlfriends of pro football players who work behind the scenes to help the athletes' careers.
©Channel Four/Courtesy Everett Collection35/65Skins (2007–2013)
Like a British Degrassi, this adolescent soap featured an ensemble cast of classmates coming of age and losing their innocence. The show tackled tricky topics like mental health and eating disorders, not to mention sex of all kinds, and was the launch pad for a generation of stars including Dev Patel, Daniel Kaluuya, and Nicholas Hoult. An American version never made it far, but the U.K. original remains a gritty fan favorite.
©BBC/Courtesy Everett Collection36/65Torchwood (2006–2011)
After the 2005 revival of Doctor Who proved a hit, the franchise expanded to include Torchwood, a spin-off series aimed at a slightly older audience, which eventually found crossover appeal with American audiences, as well. The series follows a con man from the future and his team of alien hunters. Though it lasted only four seasons—as opposed to Doctor Who, which is still running—Torchwood lives on in games and comic books. A must-see for Whovians.
©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection37/6530 Rock (2006–2013)
One of the funniest sitcoms of all time, dense with jokes and references, and bitingly satirical too. If you're ever wondering whether something in this series is self-aware, trust, it is. Tina Fey created and stars in this show, based on her time as head writer of SNL, as the head writer of a fictional NBC sketch program, who is good at her job but bad at pretty much everything else in life, which is where her executive mentor Jack (Alec Baldwin) comes in. Between juggling the actors with big personalities and the writers with no social skills, Fey's alter ego Liz Lemon is always at her wits' end, but somehow things work out in this Emmy-winning show.
Disney Channel/Courtesy of Everett Collection38/65That’s So Raven (2003–2007)
One of the biggest hits in Disney Channel history has a surprisingly strange premise: Fashion-obsessed teen Raven Baxter can see glimpses of the future…and that is the one and only supernatural element in the show. It's never even explored or explained! It's just a thing that gets her into trouble sometimes as she navigates high school with her best friends by her side. Ah, well, maybe not everything needs to make sense! And thanks to the reboot Raven's Home, a whole new generation is getting in on the funky fun.
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection39/65Veronica Mars (2004–2007)
This neo-noir teen mystery show was a marvel, combining sharp writing, an incredible performance from Kristen Bell, and a truly sharp whodunnit. As our teen detective dealt with her own trauma surrounding the death of her best friend and a sexual assault, the series also included storylines about race, class, and adolescence that have aged remarkably well. But if you find yourself getting in your feelings over one of the greatest ships to ever sail (no spoilers), mayyyybeee skip the Hulu reboot.
©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection40/6524 (2001–2010)
The gimmick is so simple it's a wonder it wasn't used before: Every hour-long episode in the 24-episode-long season takes place over the course of an hour in one day. It just happens to be the most exciting day of all time. This post-9/11 series follows special agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) as he tries to stop a suicide bomber, or an assassination, or whatever threat the country is facing that day. It's dated now, but still gripping.
©Showtime Networks Inc./Courtesy Everett Collection41/65Weeds (2005–2012)
After her husband dies suddenly, a suburban mom turns to selling pot to make ends meet in this dramedy from Jenji Kohan, creator of Orange Is the New Black. Deftly blending satire, family dynamics, and a little mystery, this show earned a slew of Emmy nominations, and holds up well, even as the ongoing movement to legalize weed makes it more and more an artifact of its era. (Warning: Things get kooky by the end.)
HBO / Courtesy: Everett Collection42/65The Wire (2002–2008)
Often cited as one of the best shows of all time, this intricate drama about drugs (and poverty, violence, corruption, and education) in Baltimore pulled no punches and provided no happy endings, but people were addicted anyway. Though famously snubbed by the Emmys, it's still considered an example of early prestige television, and an educational one at that.
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection43/65Gilmore Girls (2000–2007)
What can we say about Gilmore Girls that hasn't already been said? If you haven't watched the drama about the fast-talking, coffee-drinking mother-daughter duo, you haven't lived.
©Nickelodeon Network/Courtesy Everett Collection44/65Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008)
This Nickelodeon show has had surprising staying power, with fans ranking it among the best all-ages storytelling they've ever seen (the live-action movie, however, is reportedly quite bad). The epic series follows Aang, the only person who can “bend” or manipulate all four elements: earth, fire, water, and air. He and his friends are tasked with keeping harmony between the elements and the nations as war looms, essentially saving the world through a combination of martial arts and humor. People seriously love this show and its spin-off series, The Legend of Korra.
©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection45/65Bones (2005–2017)
For 12 seasons, this hit procedural follows a scientist with a knack for uncovering the secrets of dead bodies and a hot shot FBI agent as they solve all kinds of crimes but mostly just fall in love. Yes, it takes them a frustratingly long time to admit what was obvious from the get-go, but this weirdly addicting series is still fun and charming. A lighter take on Law and Order–style television or The X-Files without the paranormal.
©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection46/65Chuck (2007–2012)
You know how everyone's always trying to find a show that's got action but isn't scary, is enough of a mystery to keep you entertained without being confusing, and has plenty of humor and romance? That show is Chuck. It's not a perfect series, but it's kind of the perfect watch, anchored by sparkling performances from Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski as an accidental super-spy and his secret agent handler. He's a hapless geek who accidentally got government secrets in his brain! You love this!