A breakdown of the 2000s Television era

[TMC]

Complete timeframe: Winter 1997 - Spring 2015

Starts

• As early as the premiere of King of the Hill (Winter 1997)
  
• As late as the premiere of House, LOST, and Desperate Housewives (Fall 2004)

Ends

• As early as the finale of The Sopranos (Spring 2007)
  
• As late as the finale of Phineas & Ferb (Spring 2015)

Phase 1: First wave of '00s shows debut - Winter 1997 to Summer 2000

This was the first phase of 2000s television with premieres of many shows that would define the decade such as King of the Hill, Oz, South Park, Caillou, The King of Queens, Charmed, That 70s Show, Becker, Sex and the City, Will and Grace, The Sopranos, Family Guy, Futurama, SpongeBob SquarePants, Malcolm in the Middle, Survivor, Even Stevens, Dora the Explorer, etc. Television was still mostly stuck in the '90s during this time period but this was the first step of change.

Many of these shows actually started out with an '90s atmosphere (Sex and the City, King of the Hill, South Park, Oz, and That '70s Show are the only shows on this list that could arguably be more '90s than 2000s, even though they're either usually associated with the 2000s or they lasted well into the decade) but as they progressed, the '00s atmosphere would fully settle in.

Phase 2: The era of Reality TV - Fall 2000 to Summer 2004

This was the era when reality TV was KING! Many would say that the '90s extended until this period (which it arguably did) but reality TV was very popular during this time and really set television apart from the '90s. This was when the shows that began in the previous era really took over television while simultaneously bringing in new shows that would be just as important in defining the '00s. Shows such as MTV Cribs, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Lizzie McGuire, My Wife and Kids, 24, The Bernie Mac Show, Scrubs, Smallville, The Fairly Oddparents, Dr. Phil, The Wire, George Lopez, Clone High, Jimmy Neutron, Kim Possible, Chappelle's Show, That's So Raven, Teen Titans, The O.C., One Tree Hill, Lilo and Stitch, The Simple Life, Two & a Half Men, Ellen, Pimp My Ride, Drake and Josh, etc. premiere during this time.

This era would also see the first 2000s shows go out such as Sex and the City, Oz, Clone High, Futurama, Becker, Even Stevens, Lizzie McGuire, etc.

Phase 3: The apex of 2000s television - Fall 2004 to Spring 2008

This phase was the most defining period of '00s television. The reality TV era was over as shows like LOST, House, and Desperate Housewives premiere in the fall of 2004 and start a new era of television. Other shows like Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Unfabulous, Zoey 101, Prison Break, Hogan Knows Best, American Dad, The Office, Life with Derek, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, How I Met Your Mother, My Name is Earl, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Everybody Hates Chris, Hannah Montana, Ben 10, The Boondocks, Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock, Ugly Betty, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, Skins, iCarly, Cory in the House, Phineas & Ferb, Wizards of Waverly Place, Breaking Bad, Ben 10: Alien Force, etc. also premiere.

More '00s shows come to an end such as The King of Queens, Charmed, That '70s Show, Will and Grace, The Sopranos, Malcolm in the Middle, the Bernie Mac Show, The Wire, My Wife and Kids, The Bernie Mac Show, George Lopez, Jimmy Neutron, Kim Possible, Chappelle's Show, That's So Raven, Teen Titans, The O.C., Lilo and Stitch, The Simple Life, Pimp My Ride, Drake and Josh, Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Unfabulous, Zoey 101, Hogan Knows Best, Ben 10, etc.

Phase 4: The era of mockumentary sitcoms - Summer 2008 to Spring 2013

This was the era when shows like 30 Rock, Parks and Recreations, and The Office dominated television. 2000s television was still dominant but a new wave of TV that would define the 2010s was present. Shows like Suite Life on Deck, Parks and Recreation, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, True Jackson VP, Glee, Victorious, Big Time Rush, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Knight Rider, The Cleveland Show, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, The Penguins of Madagascar, etc. would premiere.

A ton of '00s shows would come to an end during this time such as Knight Rider, The Office, Life with Derek, My Name is Earl, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Everybody Hates Chris, Ben 10: Alien Force, Hannah Montana, Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock, Ugly Betty, 24, Smallville, Scrubs, iCarly, Cory in the House, Wizards of Waverly Place, etc.

Phase 5: The last '00s shows finally die - Summer 2013 to Spring 2015

This is the last phase of '00s television where the remaining shows of the decade finally come to an end such as Skins, Breaking Bad, How I Met Your Mother, The Boondocks, Two and a Half Men, Phineas & Ferb, etc. The '10s era of television was in full force with streaming starting to get popular and many '10s defining television shows in its prime during this time.

Some of these shows would end up even having a 10s atmosphere to it based on how deep into the new decade the show lasted in. Some of these shows (like Breaking Bad, Phineas & Ferb, and Skins) are arguably more 10s than 00s.