It's Practically Impossible To Pass This '00s TV Shows Quiz! Can You?

By: Morgan Hill
Published: Saturday, April 20, 2024
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The aughts were packed with entertainment. While many still rode the Netscate Navigator waves of 1995, most found themselves delving into the action and adventure posited by American television’s ever-expanding, intricate seasons.

We’re talking the best-of hitters founded in ABC, MTV HBO and more: Weekly spectacles kept viewers glued to primetime, and seasonal hits smashed numerous records—time and time again. The 2000s might seem like history, but can’t deny the early years for what they were. The 2000s were a precursor to the riveting, complex character-driven dramas we currently know. Even when examining shows from 2010, it’s important to acknowledge the historical lens attached to them.

Unique to 2000s television are the sheer number of niche shows. Currently underscoring some of Netflix’s most popular viewing categories, these iconic hits spanned across comedies like 30 Rock to reach top-tier suspense flicks like The Wire. Sure, we might’ve skipped a few heartbeats when following the threads—but the more visceral shows deserved such rapid transitions.

Unique to the Second Golden Age of television was its number of internationally acclaimed programs. Stations benefited from media distribution technology advancements, like HFTV and TV streaming. When we account for on-demand shows and the massive, rolling wave of web TV hits, it’s easy to see why the 2000s were so impactful.

A significant homogeneity between network series and cable series helped spawn the truly legendary one-two-punch stories like Breaking Bad. Longer stories like Lost, meanwhile, followed the rise of digital platforms. We saw more than a few antiheroes, back then—those which drove the complex plots needed to encapsulate diverse perspectives.

Also prevalent in the 2000s were the rise of comedy-dramas: shows which diverted from typical sitcom designs to subvert the way we viewed the weekday programs we couldn’t wait to see. When considering the overwhelming viewing audiences consuming them, these shows weren’t without critique. Still, many shone all the brighter—surpassing all odds proposed by the gray areas of dynamic stories existing in multiple genres.

Let’s check out some of the defining moments of 2000 through 2010, tick by tick. While today’s new-gen viewers might not recognize their cultural roots in modern spectacles, we have a feeling you’ll knock this quick out of the park. You’ll likely recognize some of the decade’s more notable figures during their peak—but you just might glimpse the early-career breakthrough roles currently defining today’s headline actors and actresses.

Let’s dive in.