Four must-see shows from the 2000s

You might think that watching a show from before you were born is not worth your time. However, the timeless pieces from the 2000s are some of the most  prominent TV shows ever produced in the United States. The following are four shows we think everyone, from middle schoolers to young adults, should watch.

Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls aired in 2000, ran until 2007, and is one of the most popular teen shows from the early 2000’s. The show stars Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel as the iconic mother-daughter duo, Lorelai and Rory. The two live in a small fictional town named Stars Hollow just outside of Hartford, Connecticut. The show was a wondrous success for Warner Brothers and was the network’s second most popular show during its fifth season. Lorelai works at an inn called The Independence Inn along with her best friend, Sookie St. James, who is played by Mellissa McCarthy. Sookie also works as the chef at the inn. Lorelai’s dream is to eventually own her own inn which she does accomplish later in the show. Her daughter,Rory, is known for being an academic prodigy who plans to attend Harvard University. Rory gets accepted into the prestigious prep academy, Chilton, and learns to navigate her new school and all of the obstacles that come with it. Rory learns to balance her large amounts of school work while still maintaining her personal and social life. The show is filled with romance, drama, and humor. This is one of those shows that when you watch it over and over again, there are still things that feel new, fresh, and exciting. 

The Office

Airing from 2005 to 2013, The Office is one of the most well known shows of the 2000’s. The show has nine seasons and follows the employees of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. The show is known for its boss, Micheal Scott, who is played by Steve Carell, and known for his iconic sense of humor. He’s also widely popular for his infamous line, “That’s what she said!”. The show takes place in Scranton, Pennsylvania and features an array of characters mostly based on the characters from the original show, The Office UK. The first episode begins when a documentary crew comes to film how the day to day life of people who work in office buildings, and thus The Office was born. With romance, humor, and dramatic events it’s clear why The Office is one of the most well known shows from that time period. There are few words to describe the show and how much of an impact it has had. To truly understand The Office, the best way is to watch it through, and I think anyone who has watched the show will tell you that.

Friends

Running for ten years from 1994 to 2004, Friends is one of the most notorious TV shows of the century. The show follows the lives of six twenty year-olds living in Manhattan, including: Chandler Bing, Phoebe Buffay, Monica Geller, Ross Geller, Rachel Green, and Joey Tribbiani. Friends’ large success can be partly attributed to the varied, often relatable perspective the show brought through highlighting the lives of young adults. Not only were the characters and scripts humorous, but incredibly relatable to both the young adults of the time and as a form of nostalgia for an older audience. The sitcom was seemingly simple enough and furthermore was able to also deal with extremely candid topics of economic disparity, beauty standards, and more in a lighthearted manner. Many celebrities and even political figures participated in cameos on the show, providing a realistic glimpse into the culture and interests across the decade. This trait was largely exemplified by the genuine connection between not only the characters but the cast as well. In one instance, in 1996, the Friends cast publicly demanded equal pay for each of the main six cast members, as some members received twenty thousand dollars per episode, while others received muchmore. Jenifer Anniston, who played Rachel Green, and David Schwimmer, who played Ross Geller, were paid significantly more and took pay cuts in order to ensure equality. Later, cast members were paid up to one million per episode, Matthew Perry stating to his peer Schwimmer, “I owe you thirty million, David.” It is also notable that Perry, who played Chandler Bing, found much shelter in the cast during his troubles with addiction and alcohol, the cast even intervening at one point to assist in getting professional help for the actor. Upon his death, the cast released a joint statement expressing their grief over Perry’s passing and reunited to attend their castmate’s funeral. This sincere, authentic connection off-screen brings accurate portrayals on the show and encourages the lovable and hilarious characters that dominated the screens of the 2000s.

Grey’s Anatomy

Piloting in 2005 and still ongoing, Grey’s Anatomy is one of the longest running and most popular, widespread shows of the 21st century. This twenty-one season show follows five interns and their supervisors at what is currently Grey Sloan Hospital, formerly Seattle Grace and Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital. The original interns include Merideth Grey, Christina Yang, Izzie Stevens, Alex Karev, and George O’Malley who are supervised by Miranda Bailey. However, many characters are introduced and we are able to view the progression of familiar ones across the vast series. While the show offers an exceptional perspective into the medical world and takes place in a hub of medicine within the United States, it also is unique in a focus of the balance between medicine and the characters’ personal lives. This made the medical portion of the show relatable enough and easy to understand through highlighting emotions and morality, while preserving the drama of their personal lives through medical interceptions. Something that made Grey’s unique in the early 2000’s was an emphasis on diversity. Director, Shonda Rhimes, appointed multiple people of color, of varied sexuality, and more to be stars in her show. Not only is this diversity shown through character attributes, but their holistic storylines as well. The show highlights positions of depression, abusive relationships, grief, sexual assault, and traumatic situations, something commonly overlooked by previous medical shows of Grey’s time. These developments were rare in the 2000’s, even now, especially on medically focused shows, again reinforcing an idea of a focus on the people holding the scalpels rather than just the tools themselves. These themes are what make Grey’s such an everlong, captivating show beyond its medical premises, but into the characters that make it up as well.