Thanks to shows like The Wire, Lost and How I Met Your Mother, the 00s is often heralded as one of the best decades for television.
But with so many hits, some shows entirely flew under the radar when they broadcast, meaning that there were plenty of underrated shows during the decade.
From forgotten crime dramas to incredible two-season dramas, discover some of the biggest hidden gems from the 00s…
© Alamy Stock PhotoThe show still has a devoted fanbase
Pushing Daisies
Despite being critically acclaimed, this quirky crime-comedy show was pulled off the air after just two seasons, and while it still remains a firm favourite for many, the show is hardly talked about in comparison to other shows from the time period.
The show follows Ned, played by Lee Pace, a humble pie-maker who can bring people back to life just by touching them, although if someone remains alive for more than a minute, then someone nearby dies to keep the balance.
Ned teams up with private investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) as they solve crimes together, while Ned's love interest, Charlotte (Anna Friel), is resurrected by the chef, leaving them unable to touch each other, while still pursuing a relationship.
It wasn't just the character drama and witty script that viewers loved, with the show told from a fairytale perspective, including narrator Jim Dale, and the vibrant visuals were a thing to behold.
© Alamy Stock PhotoFans managed to briefly revive the show
Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars is another show that fans just couldn't get enough of at the time, even if it's hardly discussed nowadays. But following its initial cancellation, the critically acclaimed series returned for both a standalone film, released in 2014, and a surprise fourth season in 2019.
The show starred Kristen Bell as the title character, a high school student and private investigator under the tutelage of her father. While some episodes featured a case-of-the-week style format, others formed a large arc throughout the whole season.
Despite returning for a critically acclaimed fourth season in 2019, the show hasn't come back again.
© Alamy Stock PhotoJericho concluded as a comic
Jericho
After starting as a TV series in 2006, Jericho briefly continued as a comic series after it came off the air in 2008. The two-season show has a massive cult following, but given its quality, this should have been a mainstream one.
The show focuses on the lives of people living in the fictional town of Jericho, Kansas, after the United States is devastated by a co-ordinated nuclear attack on 23 of its major cities. Among its cast are Skeet Ulrich, Ashley Scott, Lennie James and Michael Gaston.
© Alamy Stock PhotoLove Virgin River? Then give Everwood a try
Everwood
While Virgin River is one of Netflix's biggest hits, this four-season cosy town drama that aired between 2002 and 2006 barely gets a mention nowadays, despite positive reviews, including perfect Rotten Tomatoes scores for later seasons.
Everwood, which starred the likes of Treat Williams, Gregory Smith and Vivien Cardone, followed a widowed neurosurgeon who moves from New York City to the small town of Everwood, Colorado following the death of his wife.
© Alamy Stock PhotoThis sitcom quickly became forgotten
Yes, Dear
There were dozens of hilarious sitcoms during the decade, including Scrubs and Two and a Half Men, but one of the forgotten shows was Yes, Dear, which aired between 2000 and 2006.
The hilarious show followed the differing parenting styles of the Warner and Hughes family, who are forced to live together. The CBS show was loved by many, but it barely gets a mention nowadays when we reflect on our favourite sitcoms from the decade.
Principal cast members included Anthony Clark, Jean Louisa Kelly, Mike O'Malley and Liza Snyder.
© BBCThe BBC sitcom is sadly no longer remembered
The Smoking Room
We finish this list off with one of the BBC's most underrated shows of all time, The Smoking Room. The quirky sitcom only lasted for 17 episodes, and was set entirely in a smoking room at a business where the show's characters interacted with awkward dialogue, just like any team building exercise we've been subjected to.
The show starred the likes of Debbie Chazen, Jeremy Swift, Fraser Ayres, Mike Walling, Emma Kennedy, Selina Griffiths, Leslie Schofield, Paula Wilcox, Robert Webb, Nadine Marshall, Siobhan Redmond and Sunetra Sarker.
The show ended up being cancelled after the UK government passed legislation banning smoking indoors, rendering the show's central premise no longer feasible.
