Millennials all have fond memories of coming home from school, sitting down in the living room, and turning on the TV instead of doing our homework like our mom told us to. As we witnessed the turn of the century, new shows flooded the tube, and we suddenly had novel things to watch. We saw darling dogs, sibling squabbles, fearless friendships, and so much more.
Well, it’s been almost 20 years since the year 2000, and while we’re all grown up, it’s hard to believe that some of our favorites will be 20 years old as well. Here are 10 shows you may remember that are turning 20 next year:
Clifford The Big Red Dog
He’s big. He’s red. His collar could be used as a hula hoop. It’s Clifford the Big Red Dog! The beloved oversized canine from the books by Norman Birdwell hit the small screen in September 2000 along with his owner Emily Elizabeth and his friends Cleo and T-Bone.
Teacher’s Pet
For a young boy named Leonard, the school cafeteria feels just like his dinner table, and that’s because his mother is also his teacher. He is thus dubbed a “Teacher’s Pet,” much to his dismay. Missing him while he’s getting an education is his dog Spot, who comes up with a plan to secretly dress as a new boy named Scott and attend Leonard’s school along with him.
The cartoon was on ABC for 39 episodes in over 20 countries, and it won six awards while it was on the air, including two Emmies.
Even Stevens
Comedy show Even Stevens premiered on Disney Channel in June of 2000 with Shia LaBeouf and Christy Carlson Romano playing siblings that often butt heads. Romano plays a girl called Ren, a successful smarty-pants goody two shoes, while LaBeouf’s character Louis is the complete opposite - a lazy troublemaker who only cares about himself and not the rules.
They have an older brother named Donnie, who’s a jock and the resident hunk of the family. While the siblings’ quarrels were both hilarious and entertaining, the series was cut short in 2003, having met the maximum episodes that Disney allowed.
Maggie And The Ferocious Beast
Great googly moogly! This cartoon series is based on books by Michael and Betty Paraskevas, the first of which was titled The Ferocious Beast with the Polka-Dot Hide. While Maggie and the Ferocious Beast originally began as a series of shorts, the show was turned into a series with full length episodes in August 2000. In the program, an adventurous little girl named Maggie invents a make-believe place called Nowhere Land where she spends time with her imaginary friends, including a large spotted beast (who, spoiler alert, is not very ferocious at all). After 2 years, Maggie hung up her hat, and the series came to a finish.
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue
Red, green, blue, yellow, and pink. What do those colors have in common? They’re the colors of the Power Rangers! The eighth installment of the Power Rangers franchise was titled Power Rangers Light Speed Rescue, which debuted in February 2000.
The Rangers were chosen by the head of a government organization called the Lightspeed Rescue to defend a California city being threatened by escaped demons. Before joining alliances, they were a lifeguard, a nurse, a firefighter, a pilot, and an athlete. Supplied with powers and weapons, they’re an unstoppable team, which was later joined by a sixth person, the Titanium Ranger. Demons didn’t stand a chance for the 40 episodes the show ran!
Malcolm In The Middle
Malcolm in the Middle is about a boy genius named Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) who is, you guessed it, the middle child of his family. He is one of several brothers, and he is the smartest out of all of them. His home life is a bit chaotic, and his days at school are no better with other kids making fun of him due to his classes for advanced students.
Malcolm tries to juggle it all while attempting to have a somewhat normal childhood, but being a gifted student is tough! The series debuted in January of 2000 and ran for a total of seven seasons.
Rainbow Fish
Who’s the coolest fish in the ocean? It’s the little guy with the shiny shimmery scales from the books by Marcus Pfister, and in 2000, he was given his own show! Rainbow Fish features the famous aquatic swimmer, his friends, and his family as it follows their adventures under the sea in Neptune Bay. None of the episodes match the plots from the original books, but we still enjoyed watching the familiar little fishy swim through new stories. Sadly, the show aired only 26 episodes before it was flushed in November 2000.
Between The Lions
“Come on, come in, begin,” starts the opening theme of Between the Lions, a Sesame Street style show that uses puppets and people to teach children how to read. The show is about a family of library owning lions - Theo, Cleo, Lionel, and Leona - that focuses on reading, spelling, punctuation, rhyming, vocabulary, and parts of words and sentences.
The familiar segments and characters matched with new songs each episode made learning fun for elementary-aged children. Between the Lions debuted on PBS Kids in April and ended in 2010 after 10 seasons.
The Weekenders
Everyone knows that the best part of the week is clearly the weekend, and these four kids always take advantage of it when it rolls around. The Weekenders focuses on the lives and friendship of Lor, Tino, Tish, and Carver and the things they do with their Saturdays and Sundays. One distinction that caused the show to stand out from other series of its time is that each character has a different ethnic background, creating a diverse group among them. The show released its debut episode in February 2000 and ended 4 years later on Leap Day.
Dora The Explorer
Who was your favorite Spanish teacher growing up? Well, ours was none other than Dora the Explorer! The little Latina girl and her best friend Boots the monkey always have somewhere to go, and with their trusty map and backpack, they’re ready for adventure! Along the way, they come across scenarios that present opportunities to teach the viewer Spanish words, a large purpose of the show.
Dora has been translated into over 30 languages, with the Spanish portion often being changed to English. The series also spawned books, toys, and multiple spin offs, including a stage show. Spanning 8 seasons, it remains one of the longest-running shows on Nick Jr. Muy bueno!
