The 2000s was a pivotal moment in television, as the number of reality shows increased in the decade prior to the advent of streaming. This led to a wave of sitcoms lost to time and programming changes. Here are television sitcoms from the 2000s you may have forgotten about.
13 Sitcoms From the ’00s That Have Probably Disappeared From Your Memory
Freddie
Fan-favorite actor Freddie Prinze, Jr. co-created and starred in Freddie, an ABC sitcom loosely based on his own upbringing as the lone male figure in a Puerto Rican household. Only running for a single season from 2005 to 2006, Prinze played Freddie Moreno as he and his family are affected by friendships and changes to his life. Prior to its cancellation, Freddie actually had a crossover episode with fellow ABC sitcom George Lopez in its fifth season, with several main cast members from Freddie meeting the Lopez family.
So Little Time
The second and final live-action sitcom that Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen starred in was So Little Time, running for a single season on ABC Family from 2001 to 2002. The show had the twins playing siblings going through the trials and tribulations of high school, working part-time jobs, and dealing with teenage romance. Though short-lived, So Little Time would get a second life in a paperback novel series adapting several episodes, and a pop soundtrack.
Life with Bonnie
Actor and comedian Bonnie Hunt co-created the ABC sitcom Life with Bonnie, going on to co-write every episode and direct all but two episodes in the series’ entire two-season run. Airing from 2002 to 2004, Hunt played Bonnie Malloy, a daytime television talk show host who balanced her career with family life as a wife and mother of three children. Though only lasting two seasons, Life with Bonnie attracted some of the biggest guest stars on network television at the time, elevating its comedic profile.
Center of the Universe
Between stints starring as Dan Conner on Roseanne, beloved actor John Goodman starred in the CBS sitcom Center of the Universe, which ran for a lone season from 2004 to 2005. Goodman played John Barnett, who runs a security company in Oklahoma, while raising his family and their various dependencies on him. Though 15 episodes were produced, only ten ever aired, ending Goodman’s sitcom-starring run until he reprised his Roseanne role on The Conners in 2018.
The Middle
Leading ABC’s popular show The Middle was sitcom royalty Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn, fresh off of Everybody Loves Raymond and Scrubs, respectively. Premiering in 2009, the show ran for nine seasons as it followed a small town lower-middle class Indiana family facing middle age as they raised their three children, each with their own unique foibles. Funny and yet grounded, with a likable cast, The Middle is one of the more overlooked sitcoms of its era despite its long, nine season run.
Wanda at Large
After the success of The Bernie Mac Show, Fox greenlit Wanda Sykes’ Wanda at Large, which aired for two seasons throughout 2003. Mirroring Sykes’ own life and career, the show has Sykes play a former government worker who finds success in a career shift towards standup comedy and a commentator on a political talk show. Though not particularly long-lived, Sykes’ profile would gain wider exposure as a major voice in the comedy scene from her time headlining Wanda at Large.
Grounded for Life
Donal Logue has been one of the most prolific character actors in television and film for decades, taking center stage for the sitcom Grounded for Life, which aired for two seasons on Fox and three additional seasons on The WB. The show follows a working class family in Staten Island trying to make ends meet while raising their three children. Logue and co-stars Megyn Price and Kevin Corrigan shine, capturing the nuances of middle age and parenting with plenty of laughs along the way.
That ‘80s Show
After the success of That ‘70s Show, Fox was keen to follow it up with another period piece sitcom, That ‘80s Show. Featuring a new cast of characters in 1984 San Diego, That ‘80s Show was largely unrelated to its sister series and was canceled after its 13-episode run in 2002. Fortunately, its lead actor, Glenn Howerton, would find sitcom success elsewhere, as the co-developer and series regular on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on FX in 2005.
Method & Red
On paper, Wu-Tang Clan members Method Man and Redman starring in their own Fox sitcom sounds as outlandish as it does uniquely suited to become a cult classic. The resulting show, Method & Red, which only aired four of its 13 episodes in 2004, was a mixed bag elevated by its hip-hop lead actors and premise. The show depicts two fictionalized versions of Method Man and Redman moving into an affluent, predominantly white New Jersey suburb where they bristle with their neighbors in comedic ways.
Listen Up
In the wake of Seinfeld’s conclusion, several members of its main cast tried to headline their own subsequent sitcoms, with Jason Alexander’s second starring effort being Listen Up. Alexander plays Tony Kleinman, a Philadelphia-based sportscaster and columnist who co-hosts a television talk show with his friend and retired NFL player Bernie Widmer, played by Malcolm-Jamal Warner. Airing on CBS for a lone season from 2004 to 2005, Listen Up was a marked improvement over Alexander’s previous solo sitcom Bob Patterson, though it would only run marginally longer.
Joey
While Friends is consistently hailed as one of the greatest sitcoms of all-time, its lone spinoff series, Joey, received a significantly less favorable reception and reappraisal. Beginning four months after the Friends series finale in 2004, Joey ran for two seasons on NBC before ending due to low viewership in 2006. The show picks up with Joey Tribbiani relocating to Los Angeles to continue his acting career, reuniting with his older sister Gina and getting into romantic hijinks as he settles into his new digs without his usual friends.
Better Off Ted
The ABC sitcom Better Off Ted is a postmodern satire of modern workplace television comedies, running for two seasons from 2009 to 2010. Protagonist Ted Crisp works for the over-the-top evil megacorporation Veridian Dynamics, regularly breaking the fourth wall to address the audience directly about the given circumstances he’s facing. Though widely acclaimed for its sharp satire and sense of humor, Better Off Ted never quite found its audience during its broadcast run and was canceled midway during its second season.
Andy Richter Controls the Universe
While Andy Richter may be best known as Conan O’Brien’s affable sidekick for years of late night television, he briefly starred in his own sitcom, Andy Richter Controls the Universe. Running for two seasons on Fox from 2002 to 2003, the show’s fictionalized version of Richter is a writer living and working in Chicago. While well-regarded for its non-linear structure and surrealist style, Andy Richter Controls the Universe was canceled after two short seasons, with Richter rejoining O’Brien.
Published: Nov 15, 2024 09:00 pm