15 Sitcoms From The 2000s Everyone Forgot About

Summary

• The 2000s brought a wave of family sitcoms, but many have been forgotten due to changing TV landscapes.
• Shows like “The Bad Girls Guide” and “Freddie” didn’t last long, despite star-studded casts and interesting concepts.
• Sitcoms like “Center of the Universe” and “The Pitts” experimented with unique storylines, but struggled to find audiences.

Family sitcoms from the 2000s were a huge draw for television audiences at the time, but some of them have all but faded from viewers’ memories. Many of these shows focused on the typical humorous misadventures of a family who has their share of dysfunctions but also has a lot of love to share. It is a familiar concept that has been around since the early days of television with shows like Leave it to Beaver, but the 2000s was the last decade where these shows were dominating the TV landscape.

While there are certain shows of this kind from the 2000s, like Two and the Half Men and Malcolm in the Middle, that still hold some popularity, there are many sitcoms from the era that are forgotten. With the gradual move away from network television to premium channels and streaming, these shows quickly felt out of place in the world of more challenging shows. It is interesting to look back on the sitcoms of the 2000s and see which of them might sound familiar.

1 Two Guys And A Girl (1998-2001)

The Series Ushered In The Noughties

Originally titled Two Guys, A Girl, And A Pizza Place, this sitcom debuted just as the century turned, and it went through a lot of changes over its run, which might be why so many people don’t remember the gem. Starring Ryan Reynolds as a college student who worked at a pizza place in the first season, the show initially focused on Berg (Reynolds), his friend Pete (Richard Ruccolo), and his classmate Sharon (Traylor Howard).

While the show focused on the relationships between those characters, it quickly got them out of college and introduced new love interests for all of them. It also eventually abandoned the pizza place entirely, hence the title change, and saw the characters rapidly change career paths. Berg, for example, eventually goes to med school to become a doctor, and Pete goes from being the vice president of a cosmetics company to being a firefighter. The show didn’t have a problem drastically changing things up to keep the audience interested.

2 The Bad Girls Guide (2005)

Bad Girls Attempt To Give Advice

Despite a pretty stellar comedic cast that included Jenny McCarthy and Christina Moore, The Bad Girls Guide didn’t last long, which is why a lot of TV sitcom fans might not even remember this show exists. Only six episodes aired on UPN before the network pulled the plug on the series because ratings and audience interest just didn’t catch on.

The series was inspired by a series of books by Cameron Tuttle, which were, in turn, inspired by some of her own life experiences. The idea of her books was to provide humorous advice from a “bad girl” who had already been in the situations the reader might find themselves in. The show aimed to do the same, with each episode spotlighting a different piece of advice in a sitcom format. The series kicked off with “The Guide To Procrastination” and might have worked if it had been on a more popular television network.

3 Center Of The Universe (2004-2005)

John Goodman Stars As Another Sitcom Dad

Before Ty Burell became the “every dad” thanks to Modern Family, there was John Goodman on TV. He’s best known for being the patriarch on Roseanne, and the sequel series The Conners, but he’s played the dad that everyone loves in a variety of movies and television shows including forgotten gems like Coyote Ugly on the big screen and Center of the Universe on the small screen.

Here, Goodman is the dad who finds himself the “center of the universe” for his family as his kid, his parents, and his extended family all seem to rely on him to get them through financial difficulties and day-to-day problems. It’s a relatively straightforward idea for a family sitcom, but it’s the cast that really could have made the show great. While Goodman was the lead, his son was played by Spencer Breslin, his wife by Jean Smart, and his father by Ed Asner.

The show was stacked with talent but failed to find an audience. Only 12 of the 15 episodes produced made it to air.

4 The Pitts (2003)

A Family Has The Worst Luck

The Pitts took the idea of a family sitcom and turned it up to 11. Instead of typical family sitcom antics, the show gave the Pitts the worst luck they could possibly have in some of the most outlandish scenarios possible. Because of just how far out there some of the ideas were, the show might have actually done better on a family channel instead of FOX, aiming some of the ideas at a younger audience instead of at adults in primetime.

Some of those outlandish ideas included a car falling in love with the teenage daughter of the family and the parents becoming werewolves. With David Henrie and Lizzy Caplan as the children of the Pitts and Dylan Baker and Kellie Waymire as the parents, the cast had great comedic timing even with the ridiculous nature of the story. After the show’s cancelation, the idea was floated of developing the series into animation instead, but it never got off the ground.

5 Freddie (2005-2006)

Inspired By Freddie Prinze Jr.’s Life

Freddie Prinze Jr. is probably always going to be best-known for his roles in She’s All That and I Know What You Did Last Summer because they were released during a golden age for teen movies. He did, however, try his hand at television by developing a series loosely based on the life of him and his friends when they were younger. Unfortunately, the show fell flat with critics and audiences, so it only lasted for one season, leaving plenty of TV audiences forgetting it was one of the most talked about TV shows to debut in 2005.

The series follows a lot of typical sitcom plots as Freddie (Prinze Jr.) stresses about work, tries to find the perfect date, and often babysits his niece Zoey (Chloe Suazo, now known professionally as Chloe Bridges). Much of the conflict comes from Freddie realizing some hard truths about himself, and for some of the episodes, the characters just wasn’t likable enough for the audience to engage with him, despite some funny plot lines like taking his niece and her friends to a Rocky Horror Picture Show screening or a grandma playing a drinking game to pass the time on Halloween.

6 Dharma & Greg (1997–2002)

It Started In The 90s But Had A Great Run In The 00s

Dharma & Greg may have started in the late ’90s but the bulk of its run was actually during the 2000s. Created by Chuck Lorre, the same person behind The Big Bang Theory, the sitcom ran for five seasons and had over 110 episodes. What made this series fun was that Dharma and Greg got married after having one date together.

Despite their vast differences, the two get to know each other once they’re married. Dharma was seen as the free-spirit who was hyper-emotional, whereas Greg was a lawyer who didn’t show his feelings. There were mismatched, but incredibly entertaining. According to Looper, the series ended because it wasn’t performing well with viewers, but there are still some fans who may be interested in rewatching Dharma & Greg after all these years.

7 So Little Time (2001)

The Olsen Twins Final Sitcom

So Little Time was a TV series starring the Olsen sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley as Riley and Chloe Carlson. The sitcom followed the sisters throughout their days at high school, work, and play. It was one of the first times where the two were allowed to play more mature teenagers after having roles as children in most of their previous movies and shows. The audience got to see them start to grow up as they dated and began thinking about their future.

So Little Time would be the famous twins’ last sitcom to date, as the Olsens did not return for the Full House revival, but it was a likable TV series regardless. Although it only lasted for one season, it’s still widely loved, with reruns playing on Disney. According to its Fandom page, the show ended due to network changes because Fox Family soon became ABC Family.

8 8 Simple Rules (2002–2005)

John Ritter And Kaley Cuoco Star In The Family Sitcom

After John Ritter starred as Jack Tripper in Three’s Company but before Kaley Cuoco was Penny in The Big Bang Theory, there was 8 Simple Rules with Ritter as the family man alongside Katey Sagal as the mom of the family and Cuoco as the oldest daughter. 8 Simple Rules only lasted for three seasons as it focused mostly on the struggles of being a dad with teenage daughters. Most of the storylines revolved around the father having to deal with the fact that his teenagers were growing up.

It was based on the book 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter written by W. Bruce Cameron. Sadly, John Ritter’s tragic death played a role in the series being canceled, as it was hard to recover from the loss of such a great star. Though the show wrote his death in and tried to continue without him, it didn’t last much longer.

9 Grounded For Life (2001–2005)

Parents Raise Kids While Trying To Maintain Their Youth

Grounded For Life was an interesting take on the 2000s family sitcom. Parents Claudia and Sean have a lot of learning to do as they try to grow up themselves while raising their three children. With the help of Eddy, Sean’s offbeat brother, and Walt, Sean’s old-fashioned Irish-Catholic father, Claudia and Sean are able to be the best parents they can be while still having their own fun from time to time.

It was a unique look at the family dynamic with the parents wanting to recapture some of the youth they lost after having kids. The dynamic between the characters was incredibly entertaining as a result of the parents wanting to punish their kids for bad deeds, but also engaging in the bad deeds themselves. The series aired for five seasons before it was canceled.

10 Still Standing (2002–2006)

A Husband And Wife Struggle With Different Parenting Styles

Still Standing aired for four seasons before it ended, and it was yet another sitcom of the 2000s with the main focus being parents trying to figure out how to raise their kids. The series centered on blue-collar Chicago parents Judy and Bill, who attempt to find common ground in their differing parenting styles as they raise their three children, Brian, Lauren, and Tina.

Judy was a strong, notable sitcom mom, while Bill was seen as the laidback, “lazy” dad, a common trope for family-centered sitcoms in the era. Along for the ride is Linda, Judy’s unwed sister, who tries to help out with the kids while still being the fun aunt. The cast had some great chemistry, but it wasn’t enough to keep it on the air. Sadly, the 2000s sitcom was canceled due to low viewership, according to TV Series Finale.

11 What I Like About You (2002–2006)

Two Sisters Are Forced To Live Together

What I Like About You, starring Amanda Bynes and Jennie Garth, had a total of four seasons. The series tells the story of two sisters who live together in Manhattan. Val, played by Garth, is forced to take in her younger sister Holly, played by Bynes when their father leaves for Japan. The two sisters, however, haven’t spent much time together in the last few years, and they don’t really know one another that well when the series begins.

Along with the two sisters trying to figure out how to live together, the show also involves strong friendships and the ups and downs of romantic relationships. While most family sitcoms of the 2000s dealt with the whole family, it was interesting to see a show focusing solely on the sister relationship. Not to mention, Bynes and Garth have some fantastic comedic timing.

12 Rules Of Engagement (2007–2013)

Adult Couples And Their Single Friend Hang Out

Rules of Engagement was one of the only sitcoms in the 2000s that focused on a friend group without parenting responsibilities. The series aired from 2007 to 2013 with a total of 7 seasons. It centered on the friend dynamic between a married couple, Audrey and Jeff, a committed dating couple, Jennifer and Adam, and their fun-loving single friend Russell, played by David Spade.

Also joining in on the fun as the voice of reason was Timmy, Russell’s sensible assistant. Even though the series never received high reviews from critics, it always had high ratings as fans found the shenanigans of the group comical and relatable. According to Entertainment Weekly, the show was canceled due to “performance pressure” as the ratings began to dip in the last few seasons. That’s common for shows that run as long as it did.

13 Reba (2001–2007)

A Divorced Mom Raises Her Chaotic Family

Reba McEntire is a woman of many talents, as she is not only a singer of country music, which has earned her several Academy of Country Music awards, but she is also a talented actress. For 6 seasons, McEntire starred in her sitcom series Reba, about a newly divorced mother learning how to not only be a single working mom, but also how to deal with her ex-husband’s obnoxious new wife Barbara Jean, played by Melissa Peterman, who also happens to be the woman he cheated on her with, ending their marriage.

If the divorce wasn’t life-changing enough, Reba also finds out her teenage daughter is pregnant. The twists and turns made it a more interesting family sitcom. Unfortunately, according to Country Rebel, the show was canceled after WB Network merged with The CW, and it wasn’t one of the shows that carried over for the new network.

14 According To Jim (2001-2009)

A Childish Man Gets Help From His Understanding Wife

According to Jim followed the family life of married couple Jim and Cheryl. The couple has three children at the start, eventually having five altogether, and while Jim is the one who goes to work every day, Cheryl is the one who holds everything together. The series was a starring vehicle for Jim Belushi but worked best as an ensemble piece even if it felt familiar to other sitcoms of the time.

As was typical of many of the family sitcoms at the time, the dad of the family was a little wacky, the mom was straight-laced, and the two often clashed over their kids. Of course, there’s a fun aunt to help round out the family and add some fun B-plots to the show as well. Though not one of the longest-running shows of all time, According to Jim went eight seasons before getting canceled.

15 The New Adventures Of Old Christine (2006-2010)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Rare Overlooked Series

With Julia Louis-Dreyfus playing Elaine on Seinfeld and Selina Meyer on Veep, she is one of the most successful comedy actors in television history. However, she also has one sitcom that fans may have forgotten in The New Adventures of Old Christine.

Louis-Dreyfus had a much different role this time around, playing a divorced mom in her role as Christine Campbell. Not only is Christine a mother but she is also a gym owner. The actor excelled at playing self-centered and mean-spirited characters in her more popular series, but it is fun seeing Louis-Dreyfus take a more likable role here.

Clark Gregg was also a great addition to the cast as her ex, especially since he appeared in a string of dramatic roles around the same time, but has great comedy chops as well. Unfortunately, it didn’t have the strength of Louis-Dreyfus’ other shows and only ran for five seasons, making it one of the many forgotten sitcoms of the 2000s.