by Shamindri De Sayrah

The 2000s brought us so many iconic TV shows, its hard to keep track, but there are some that just stand out above the rest, they gave us so many great characters, stories, plot twists and much more. These are a few shows that shaped the millennial generation, shows that we grew up watching, shows that every millennial should watch.

1) One Tree Hill (2003 – 2012)

‘“One day you’re 17 and planning for someday. And then quietly and without you ever really noticing, someday is today. And that someday is yesterday. And this is your life.”

We’ll always remember the lessons we learned in the not so quiet town of Tree Hill, North Carolina and the amazing characters who taught them to us. The series follows half-brothers Lucas and Nathan Scott as they trade between kinship and rivalry both on the basketball court and in the hearts of their friends. This show was iconic for every millenial that followed it, because of the very real adventures this show took us on along the way.

Recommendation – If you loved One Tree Hill you might love 90210

2) The Vampire Diaries (2009 – 2017)

“For over a century, I have lived in secret. Until now. I know the risk, but I have to know her.”

The lovestory that this show brought to the table was not only a romantic one, it was a killer one, literally. TVD was a total game-changer when it came to vampire story-telling. The American supernatural, drama series based on the popular book series of the same name written by L. J. Smith follows the lives, loves, dangers and disasters in the town, Mystic Falls, Virginia. Creatures of unspeakable horror lurk beneath this town as a teenage girl is suddenly torn between two vampire brothers. This show spanned across not just one but two spinoffs, that is still going even now.

Recommendation – If you loved TVD you might love Teen Wolf and Supernatural

3) Pretty Little Liars (2010 – 2017)

“It’s Immortality, My Darlings.”

There’s one thing all PLL fans had in common, and that is we all went crazy trying to figure out who the show’s antagonist A is. The series follows the lives of four teenage girls – Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily; four estranged friends whose darkest secrets are about to unravel as an annonymous foe threatens to reveal all. This drama, mystery, thriller is loosely based on the novel series of the same name written by Sara Shepard. This show taught us a lot about friendship, but even more it taught us about what secrets can do to you.

Recommendation – If you loved PLL you might love Riverdale

4) Glee (2009 – 2015)

“Life only really has one beginning and one end, and the rest is just a whole lot of middle.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sefQqCMusJI

If you love music, dance, drama and comedy, GLEE was probably one of your favourite shows. A show that was very much one of a kind. About a group of ambitious misfits who try to escape the harsh realities of high school by joining a glee club headed by a passionate Spanish teacher who tries to transform the school’s show choir helping the students express themselves and compete. Glee brought so much entertainment, so much drama and romance, so much great choreography, iconic covers, it also brought a lot of heartbreak. we learned something new with every episode. The Glee cast was one of the most diverse casts on TV at that time. There has never been a show quite like Glee.

Recommendation – If you loved Glee you might love Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

5) The Office (2005 – 2013)

“There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn’t that kind of the point?”

https://youtu.be/cRpbuYnHWQY

This is the show we have to thank for so much of the meme material out there on the internet. The office changed sitcoms forever, and lets face it, this is probably one of the top funniest comedic series ever made. You would think an mockumentary sitcom television series that depicts the everyday work lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company would seem like a dull un eventful thing, when really it is quite the opposite.

Recommendation – If you loved The Office you might love Schitt’s Creek and How I Met Your Mother

6) Gossip Girl (2007 – 2012)

“Gossip Girl Here, Your One And Only Source Into The Scandalous Lives Of Manhattan’s Elite.”

The glamour, the scandal, the intrigue, the fashion, the drama, the high society. Gossip Girl was the coming of age series that defined a generation. Based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar, the show follows the lives of privileged teens living on the Upper East Side of New York who can hide no secret from the ruthless blogger known as Gossip Girl who is always watching.

Recommendation – If you loved Gossip Girl you might love Dynasty and Elite

7) Prison Break (2005 – 2017)

“Preparation can only take you so far. After that, you have to take a few leaps of faith.”

Prison Break still remains one of the best written shows of all time, with one of TV’s most genius characters, Michael Scofield. Due to a political conspiracy, an innocent man is sent to death row and his only hope is his brother Michael, an engineer, who makes it his mission to deliberately get himself sent to the same prison in order to break the both of them out, from the inside.

Recommendation – If you loved Prison Break you might love Lupin and Money Heist

8) Smallville (2001 – 2011)

“That’s The Thing About Heroes. No Matter How Brightly You Shine The Light On Them, They Always Want To Stay In The Shadows.”

This one is for all you geeks out there, anyone and everyone who loves geek culture, especially Superman has either heard of or passionately followed Smallville, a superhero tv series based on the DC Comics character Superman that follows a young Clark Kent’s adventures as he struggles to find his place in the world and learns to harness his alien powers for good and deals with the typical troubles of teenage life in Smallville, Kansas. Despite it’s differences from the comics the show was received well and loved by many.

Reccomendation – If you loved Smallville you might love Superman and Lois

9) How I Met Your Mother (2005 – 2014)

“Whenever I’m sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead.”

Yet another comedy series that has stood the test of time, I mean it’s even getting a spinoff. The series follows Ted Mosby, an architect, who recounts to his children through a series of flashbacks the events that led him to meet their mother. His journey is made more eventful by the presence of his friends Lily, Marshall, Robin and Barney. It’s a Legen wait for it dary love story in reverse.

Reccomendation – If you loved How I Met Your Mother you might love New Girl and Community

10) Breaking Bad (2008 – 2013)

“Jesse, you asked me if I was in the meth business, or the money business… Neither. I’m in the empire business.”

Be it the writing, the character development, the attention to detail or the perfect ending, more than that, knowing when to end, Breaking Bad has often been revered as one of the best shows on TV. This crime drama tells the story of Walter White, an underpaid, overqualified and dispirited high school chemistry teacher who is struggling with a recent diagnosis of stage-three lung cancer. White turns to a life of crime, partnering with his former student Jesse Pinkman, by producing and distributing crystal meth to secure his family’s financial future before he dies, while navigating the dangers of the criminal underworld.

Reccomendation – If you loved Breaking Bad you might love Ozark