These TV shows are the biggest to air each year in the 2000s. Following the most exciting TV releases of the 1990s, including the beloved Friends in 1994, viewers were about to experience captivating prestige dramas and charming sitcoms.
From a miniseries that started a cool trend to a medical drama still on the air today, it was safe to say that these 2000s shows would be a big deal when their pilots aired. Even though many years have passed since then, we still think of these shows today, and they are just as impactful as they were then.
2000: Malcolm in the Middle
Following in the footsteps of family sitcoms like Full house, Malcolm in the Middle stood out during its premiere in 2000 thanks to its endearing family device. Frankie Muniz is charming as the main character who loves his parents and siblings but doesn’t fit in at home or at school.
Besides the nostalgic value of the sitcom, Malcolm in the Middle endures thanks to excellent performances from Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek as parents Hal and Lois. It’s also interesting to see siblings who don’t get along, and even though the characters treat each other harshly most of the time, you can tell there’s real love between them.
2001: Band of Brothers
The War Miniseries Band of brothers had a big impact in 2001showing how memorable this type of show could be, and it’s still talked about now. The HBO series juggles a large number of characters, which highlights the number of soldiers involved in each war and the emotional impact of it.
The 2000s were the start of many epic dramas, and the miniseries genre also began to take off during this period. From Generation Kill has Angels in Americathere are so many devastating limited series that still matter today.
Band of brothers of course appealed to fans of war stories, but also made us eager to see more of what this succinct style of storytelling had to offer.
2002: The Wire
The 2000s were a great decade for HBO prestige drama series, and after Six Feet Under created in 2001, The thread became a universally celebrated series when the pilot aired in 2002.
Whether we’re praising the crime drama’s gritty yet realistic plotlines about drug dealing and life as a Baltimore police officer or reflecting on the excellent writing, there’s always so much to discuss.
From The thread is both a singular story about Baltimore and also feels like it could share life in many major cities, each episode feels like it could have aired at any time, and it still has an impact today.
2003: NCIS
Excerpt from the pilot episode of NCISit was clear that the CBS show would last a long time. Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) is a fantastic character that you can’t help but want to know more about.
The teamwork between the main characters is a major draw, because if you don’t care about them, the procedural storytelling format might become stale. NCIS it’s still going strong todayand with season 23 currently airing, it’s hard to imagine the procedural becoming less and less beloved.
The fact that there are so many spinoffs, from the Paramount+ project Tony and Ziva to the prequel NCIS: Originsproves that the franchise’s exciting storylines and intelligent characters are still exciting.
2004: Lost
When Lost Created in 2004, it features an epic story about survivors of a plane crashand since the show paid a lot of attention to who they were before, it’s still an amazing example of the power of television. The twists and turns always hook us, the characters are always interesting and the setting always frightening.
Although we cannot forget the negative reaction to the Lost series finale, many of us still really like the 2000s sci-fi series and enjoy rewatching it to try to understand the story better. It might even be the coolest show we’ll ever rewatch since we’ll notice something different and new every time.
2005: Grey’s Anatomy
Just like EAST was one of the strongest shows created in 2004 and The Pitt is still a much discussed 2025 version, Grey’s Anatomy was the best series released in 2005. The pilot features the lovable and intelligent interns and the romance between Meredith Gray (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey).
Although it was clear that the series would have a great run, we might not have predicted that. Grey’s Anatomy would still be on the air in 2025. This resistance is rare for any genre, but particularly for a medical drama, since the cases and characters should keep us invested. Even EAST ended after 15 seasons.
Grey’s Anatomy keeps viewers coming back with effective cliffhangers, consistently compelling and sweet love stories, and characters who care deeply about their work.
2006: Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights got many people interested in sportswhich remains one of his greatest legacies. While other fascinating shows premiered in 2006, including the original and charming Psych and the HBO prestige drama Great lovethe series set in Dillon, Texas, was the strongest show that year.
Besides Season 2’s poorly constructed plot about the murder of a man by Landry Clarke (Jesse Plemons), most episodes of Friday Night Lights have aged well and experience as many beautiful, quiet character moments as they do exciting football game celebrations. Some other dramas from the 2000s have filler episodes and problematic plotlines, but not this one.
The series followed in the footsteps of the greatest coming-of-age dramas and featured fast-paced, engaging storylines about the personal lives of the adult and school-aged characters, as well as thoughtful storylines about class, race, love and family.
2007: Mad Men
The incredible Mad Men The pilot is just one reason we could tell the series would be a success when it premiered in 2007. Mad Men does a great job introducing us to the interesting world of 1960s New York advertising while making us feel the struggles of strong characters like Peggy Olsen (Elizabeth Moss).
The shocking sexism of the era, the power dynamics at Sterling Cooper, and the show’s inclusion of historical events combine to create a series as powerful today as it was then.
It’s always great to see how Don Draper (Jon Hamm) presents his clients and uses his emotions in his campaign, and he was one of the first main characters we wanted to watch despite being tough, self-centered, and sometimes overly ambitious.
2008: Breaking Bad
Sons of Anarchy also began in 2008, and no matter how fantastic and powerful the show’s storytelling is, it’s hard to argue that Break the bad remains the biggest TV release of 2008. Not every show has a series finale as devastating and memorable as the pilot, but that’s exactly how we feel about Walter White’s (Bryan Cranston) story.
Break the badAll five seasons of Walt mix Walt’s cancer journey with action, danger, and high stakes. Even though the show is anything but cheesy and sentimental, we still feel the emotions of him facing the end of his life. This adds an interesting sense of urgency to the story and a hook that sets it apart from many crime dramas.
2009: The Good Wife
Although other legal shows get more attention, Suits At Law and order franchise, fantastic storytelling on The good wife made it the most compelling show of 2009. After watching Juliana Margulies’ fantastic work as a passionate nurse, Carol Hathaway on EASTit was exciting to see her take on another strong-willed characterlawyer and mother Alicia Florrick.
These cases, of course, lag behind any law show, but The good wife sings because of its great characters. We commiserate with Alicia after her husband Peter’s (Chris Noth) cheating scandal and enjoy meeting her brilliant colleagues, including investigator Kalinda Sharma (Archie Panjabi).
Alongside Alicia’s smart boss, Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski), who is at the top of her game, Alicia’s journey is always inspiring to watch.
