Before getting too caught up with a large helping of negativity, it should be stressed that some sitcoms that began airing during the 2000s were excellent. Erasing every sitcom that began between 2000 and 2009 would mean eradicatingthe likes ofArrested Development,Scrubs,Curb Your Enthusiasm, andIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and there’s probably no one asking for that.
But where there’s good, there’s also bad, andthe following sitcoms are here and noteworthy as a stark reminder of that. Some of these continued airing beyond the 2000s, sure, but all of them began at some point in the 2000s and, for present purposes, that’s what makes them count as 2000s sitcoms. If you think that’s a silly way to approach it, then by all means, play a continuous laugh track while reading the following.
10’Freddie' (2005-2006)
Freddie Prinze Jr.has kept a lower profile in the 2010s and 2020s compared to decades past, but he was at his most popular during the 1990s and 2000s, mostly thanks to some film roles.Freddiewas a fairly ambitious attempt of his to find success in a leading role for a sitcom, where he shares a first name with the titular character: Freddie Moreno, who’s a chef.
Prinze co-created the show, so big fans of the actor might find some things to be amused or entertained by here, but it wasgenerally considered a critical misfire, and only aired one season, in the end. Still,seasons of TV were generally longer back in the 2000s, so “only” having one season meant 20-ish episodes, compared to nowadays, where an average show canceled after one season might only amass eight episodes… for whatever that’s worth.
Freddieisn’t available on streaming services in the U.S.
9’Hannah Montana' (2006-2011)
Created by Richard Correll, Barry O’Brien, Michael Poryes
Okay, maybe it’s controversial to go afterHannah Montana, because it’s a show mostly aimed at kids and there are a fair few people now who were young when it was on the air, and therefore probably feel nostalgic about it. But still, it’s not one of the better family-friendly sitcoms of its era by any means, filled with music that is annoying to some and catchy to others, all the while also having the kind of expected corny/repetitive humor you’d expect it to.
There were several seasons ofHannah Montana, plus a movie, and then starMiley Cyrusseemed to do whatever she could to stop being associated with the role in the years that followed its conclusion. Anyone not nostalgic about this show with a teenage idol protagonist who uses a secret identity to stay hiddenmight want to similarly distance themselves from it all.
Hannah Montana
8’Joey' (2004-2006)
Created by Shana Goldberg-Meehan, Scott Silveri
Talking about bad sitcoms and avoiding one of the most beloved punching bags, theFriendsspin-off,Joey, is just too difficult to actually resist. Sorry for being predictable, but yes, this spin-off that just focused on one of six friends going off to do his own thing fell short in the eyes ofFriendsfans andFriendsskeptics alike, and stands as a cautionary tale about doing a spin-off for spin-off’s sakes.
Joeywas also responsible for givingDrea de Matteo’s career whiplash, given sheexitedThe Sopranosin 2004and then joinedJoeythe same year, going from perhaps the best drama series of all time to one of the worst sitcoms of its decade. Perhaps a little likeRick and Ilsa at the end ofCasablanca, we’ll always have New Jersey…
Buy on Amazon
7’The Big Bang Theory' (2007-2019)
Created by Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady
Hey look, it’s another easy target, much likeJoey. Also, much likeHannah Montana, fans of this one might not react well to the suggestion of it being called an all-time bad show, but come on,The Big Bang TheoryisThe Big Bang Theory. For hundreds of episodes, week after week, it was like, “Hey, nerds are weird and science is funny and isn’t this humor smart?” and the responses to those statements were maybe, not really, and no!
The Big Bang Theorywas a grift. Non-nerds couldwatch it and laugh at nerdy characters, and people who wished they were nerds could watch it and get a false sense of representation.But this show hated you, no matter what reason you watched it for, and it was a deeply cynical piece of entertainmentthat conned multiple people from multiple walks of life… actually, does that make it secretly impressive? Hmm. No, because it’s still not funny, as a sitcom.
The Big Bang Theory
6’The Bill Engvall Show' (2007-2009)
Created by Bill Engvall, Michael Leeson
The Bill Engvall Showis a bit of a weird one, because most people nowadays don’t seem to know about it, or it might more be the case that most people today just don’t remember it.But people know aboutJennifer Lawrenceand certainly remember her, with one of her earlier roles (so a few years before the likes ofWinter’s BoneandThe Hunger Games) being on this drab family sitcom.
Bill Engvall put his name in the show’s title, sure, but he was cowardly like Freddie Prinze Jr., going the route of just sharing a first name with the character he played: Bill Pearson: a therapist. He had a wife, three kids, and lots of craaaaazy wacky hijinks to contend with on an episode-by-episode basis.Oh, watch out! Things are just getting too weeeeird and wiiiiild in this family, but gosh darn it, Bill still loves them or whatever.
The Bill Engvall Show
A sitcom revolving around the life of therapist Bill Pearson and his family.
5’My Big Fat Greek Life' (2003)
Created by Marsh McCall, Nia Vardalos
The line between television and cinema can get blurred in strange ways, with it tending to be the fact that a good movie will be spun off into a (hopefully) good TV show.Something likeBuffy the Vampire Slayeroutperformed its movie while on TV,MAS*Hwas arguablybetter as a show than a movie, and thenFargo… well,the originalFargomovie was perfect, but some of the show’s also been pretty great.
Then, on the other side of things, you have the failures, likeMy Big Fat Greek Life, which aimed to capitalize upon the surprisingly successful feature film that was 2002’sMy Big Fat Greek Wedding. There were actors who appeared in the movie who crossed over to the show, but the writing was what let the whole thing down, or a more cynical person might say that the film’s 15 minutes of fame were up too soon. Anyway,My Big Fat Greek Lifewascanceled after just seven episodes, which is a pretty pitiful way to go out.
My Big Fat Greek Life
4’Two and a Half Men' (2003-2015)
Created by Lee Aronsohn, Chuck Lorre
Some might want to offer begrudging support for certain areas ofThe Big Bang Theory, and sure, it can be thanked for the fact that it allowedYoung Sheldonto exist, which is seen as a surprisingly good prequel/spin-off series by some. But there’s very little sentimentality attached toTwo and a Half Men, which has always been an aggressively dude show about dudes doing dude things and aren’t they cool, stupid, and funny all at once?
There were three central characters here, andall had the same sets of jokes attached to them, more or less, episode after episode, season after season. Admittedly, the changeover fromCharlie SheentoAshton Kutcherdidn’t happen until the very early 2010s, but whether you count that era of the show or not, one thing remains:Two and a Half Menis not good, and it should be happily left back in the 2000s and/or 2010s.
Two and a Half Men
3’The Jeff Dunham Show' (2009)
Created by Jeff Dunham
The idea of something having 15 minutes of fame was mentioned before, and it’s something that kind of applies toJeff Dunhamand his style of comedy, too. If you know him for anything, it’s for the viral Achmed the Dead Terrorist routine that your dad probably found extremely funny back in 2007. That attention led to bigger and (not exactly) better things for Dunham, includinghis own TV sitcom/sketch comedy show:The Jeff Dunham Show.
Those who didn’t like Dunham’s style found the humor here offensive as always, and those who did like the offensive humor Dunham used might’ve been disappointed in other ways, owing toThe Jeff Dunham Showbeing tamer in its approach to dark comedy than Dunham’s other live shows. So,few were pleased by this one, and it got canceled after just seven episodes, in the end.
The Jeff Dunham Show
Buy on Apple TV
2’Hank' (2009)
Created by Tucker Cawley
PoorKelsey Grammercouldn’t keep up hishot streak in the world of TV sitcomsforever, but he gave it a damn hot go. He was credited as being in more than 202 episodes ofCheers, which aired from 1984 to 1993. With seemingly no rest, he then jumped ontoFrasier, which was similarly well-liked and ran for more than 250 episodes between 1993 and 2004.
There were some other projects between 2004 and 2009, when the sole season ofHankaired… well, half the season.There were 10 episodes in total, and only five made it to air. It was a family sitcom that crashed and burned in a particularly fast and fiery way, and the fact it’s generally been forgotten in the 15+ years since kind of speaks volumes.
Hankisn’t available on streaming services in the U.S.
1’House of Payne' (2006-)
Created by Tyler Perry
Tyler Perryis best known for making some ofthe worst movies of all time; movies that nonetheless find audiences and remain critic-proof. One can respect that kind of dedication and clear business know-how without necessarily celebrating the quality of the entertainment Perry attaches his name to, though, and this feeling extends into the world of television, with Perry being the main name behindHouse of Payne.
This one seems totally obscure outside America, but it’s functioned as a very generic family sitcom with family members of wildly different ages living under the one roof, and getting on their nerves, for a gargantuan 372 episodes now.House of Payneis showing no signs of slowing down or preventing one from feeling the Payne. Bow down and submit to Tyler Perry’s continued existence/dominance, or run as far as you can from hisHouse of Payne. The choice is yours,because Perry is inevitable, and you are not.
