With Scrubs restart now streaming and Malcolm in the Middle revival just around the corner, it got us all thinking at Watch With Us – what other great sitcoms of the 2000s should get a second chance?
Sometimes, the end doesn’t have to be the end of a funny, funny game.
Some shows were popular but were quickly killed off, while others had a lot of gas left in the tank. Series like Happy Endings it was turned into cult classics, and others like them Schitt’s Creek warm, funny vibes we could all use right now.
Without further ado, here are five sitcoms we think should get the second chance treatment.
‘Community’ (2009-2015)
At Greendale Community College, a group of students joined together to form a study group, originally organized as a strategy by failed attorney Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) approaching a student named Britta (Gillian Jacobs). But when more students than Britta show up for study group, Jeff has to move on. Other students include pop culture obsessive Abed (Danny Pudi), high school football king Troy (Donald Glover), the overachieving Annie (Alison Brie) and millionaire Pierce (Chevy Chase).
Community he won favor with critics at the time but struggled in the ratings. And although it has developed a cult following, its determination to survive during the last few seasons was met with the ominous promise of “six seasons and a movie.” While six seasons did, against all odds, it has come to fruition, the movie has yet to come out (although it may go into production this year). Movie or not, the huge rise in popularity of fans of Community should be enough to give it a second chance, even one season, especially since the show lost something major creatively in the last season.
‘My Name Is Earl’ (2005-2009)
Small time villain Earl Hickey (Jason Lee) finds his fortunes turning for the better, literally, when he wins a $100.00 lottery ticket after losing it and getting hit by a car. While recovering in hospital, he learned about karma and decided to change his life for the better – a feeling only strengthened when he found his lost lottery ticket shortly afterwards. So Earl dedicates his life to making up for all his mistakes and doing good to everyone he’s hurt. But his life is filled with many flawed, interesting characters, like his ex-wife Joy (Jaime For Pressure), her new husband Darnell (Eddie Steeples) and Earl’s younger brother Randy (Ethan Suplee).
My name is Earl ended on a cliffhanger note for season 4 in 2009, much to the dismay of fans. The show was well-received by critics and viewers, but was abruptly canceled, with the creators still wanting to do more with the story and characters. According to Suplee, despite the show’s success, financial negotiations between the network and the studio fell through, and another season never happened as a result. But we think it’s not too late for Earl to turn his life around.
‘Happy Endings’ (2011-2013)
Dave (Zachary Knightonand Alex (Elisha Cuthbert) were considered perfect friends in their group of friends. But when Alex leaves Dave at the altar on their wedding day, the friends are torn apart, unsure whose side they should take. Thankfully, former lovers realize that even though their romantic relationship is over, they can still be friends. As Alex and Dave learn to navigate their new friendship, they have their entire team to help them, including businessman Brad (Damon Wayans Jr.), his mentally disturbed wife and Alex’s sister, Jane (Eliza Coupe), slacker Max (Adam Pally) and party girl Penny (Casey Wilson).
While it got off to a shaky start, critics began to see it as a bona fide sitcom. Unfortunately, the ratings continued to not match the enthusiasm of the critics, as some continued to hail it as one of the best shows on television. Since the show’s cancellation in 2013, it has garnered many fans who agree it deserved much more than it got — Vulture called the cancellation one of the worst TV decisions of its time. With its fan following and critical acclaim, it feels like there’s no reason not to give this gang another shot.
‘Freaks and Geeks’ (1999-2000)
Freaks and Geeks has become the poster child for a popular cult TV show that was canceled early. But back in 1999, it was met with little success in part due to a flawed release schedule, and was canceled after only one season. The show followed the lives of high school students in Detroit in the early 1980s, with Linda CardelliniLindsay Weir is our main character. He joins a group of kids known as “the freaks,” created by Daniel (James Franco), Ken (Seth Rogen), Nick (Jason Segel) and Kim (Phillips is busy). Meanwhile, Lindsay’s brother, Sam (John Francis Daley) and his friends Neal (Sam Levine) and the Bill (Martin Starr) make up “heroes.”
Created by Paul Feig and the executive produced by Judd Apatow, Freaks and Geeks it may have gone unnoticed at the time, but thankfully it is now regarded as a high school comedy series, and served as a springboard for the successful careers of its then-unknown cast. It is possible Freaks and Geeks it would be better if it was left where it died, but it feels like there is some untapped potential here. With Feig and Apatow still working, maybe there’s a take on the series that can sympathetically avoid the woes of Gen Z. We’re just spitballing here.
‘Parks and Recreation’ (2009-2015)
In the small town of Pawnee, Indiana, Parks Department Deputy Director Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) truly believes in the possibility of politics and is committed to making Pawnee a better place. But in addition to dealing with many strange townspeople, he must also fight his colorful allies. There is Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), his liberal boss who does not believe in government interference, his outgoing assistant, Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari), April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza), and concerned citizen Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones), a local nurse who wants to turn an abandoned lot into a public park.
From sitcoms and game shows to dramas and cartoons, the list of TV reboots and revivals is long. Waiting to Exhale and Conan the Barbarian were both made into TV shows, while Gilmore Girls was turned into a four-season Netflix revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, which […]
Parks and Recreation enjoyed a successful and popular run between 2009 and 2015, where it garnered several Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe for Poehler. The game also had a happy ending, so why would we want to bring it back? While the show is airing a reunion special in 2020, we just think the world needs more of Leslie Knope right now. It will have to come back for a good reason, but it’s the end it does means that Leslie or her husband Ben (Adam Scott) eventually becomes president. Wouldn’t that be a nice dream to have for a while?
