
Some decades have left their mark on TV history, and 2005 was one of them, as it saw the release of some of the best TV shows of the decade. The 2000s were a strong decade for TV shows, with many popular shows like Friends, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Wire ending during this decade.
However, the 2000s were also a big decade thanks to the arrival of many great TV shows. Some of the best TV shows of all time were released in the 2000s, such as Breaking Bad, Six Feet Under, and Parks and Recreation, but one year, in particular, saw the debut of many great TV shows and became a key year in TV history: 2005.
Some Of The Best TV Shows Of The Century Premiered 20 Years Ago
Many Great Shows Turn 20 In 2025
Every year sees the debut of, at the very least, one highly successful TV show, but throughout TV history, there have been some years that were more productive and successful than others. As mentioned above, the 2000s were huge in the world of TV, but specifically, 2005 brought some of the best TV shows of not just the decade but the century, as well.
2005 brought a bit of everything, such as sci-fi horror and fantasy with Supernatural, action drama with Prison Break, a very generous dose of laughs with The Office and How I Met Your Mother, a highly influential medical drama with Grey’s Anatomy, and animated TV shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender.
2005 also saw the release of some underrated and even forgotten TV gems, such as Zoey 101, Life with Derek, Masters of Horror, and American Dragon: Jake Long, but it mostly had a lot of big releases that won over critics and general audiences thanks to their quality, complexity, sense of humor, and/or performances.
Some of the best TV shows of all time turn 20 in 2025, such as Grey’s Anatomy, Avatar, The Office, and the current relaunch of Doctor Who, and there are others that, while not found on every “best of all time” list, deserve every ounce of praise they have gotten, as is the case for Bones, Criminal Minds, and Supernatural.
2005 Changed The TV Landscape Forever
2005 Marked A New Chapter In TV History
The 2000s had a strong start on TV, so even without all the great shows released in 2005, the decade would have been an important chapter in TV history – but all those shows in 2005 made it better and a highly influential decade. The 2000s were the beginning of streaming services, so TV was on its way to an inevitable big change.
The audience’s interests, time, and more had evolved, and TV shows had to evolve with them as well.
Of course, streaming services weren’t the only trigger of change for TV in the 2000s, as the audience’s interests, time, and more had evolved, and TV shows had to evolve with them as well. 2005 was the year that saw these changes go into effect, most notably a shift towards serialized dramas (Medium, Bones, and Rome, to name some).
As the branch of sitcoms is one of the most popular ones, it also went through changes that marked a new beginning on TV. 2005 saw the rise of more character-driven comedies, with shows like the above-mentioned How I Met Your Mother and The Office, along with My Name Is Earl and Everybody Hates Chris.
More specifically, some shows changed the way TV used to be in their genres, with the best example being Grey’s Anatomy. The show has gone for character-driven narratives, has had diverse characters and representation, and tackled serious topics through which it has also added social commentary.
Even if it isn’t always 100% accurate, Grey’s Anatomy has also given the audience awareness of health issues and the struggles and pressures of medical staff everywhere. TV nowadays would be very different had 2005 not had all these shows and more, and to make it even more impressive, some of them have been so good that they are still going.
Plenty Of The Franchises That Began In 2005 Are Still Going
2005 Was The Beginning Of Many Popular Franchises
Of course, many of the TV shows released in 2005 have already ended (either soon or many seasons later), but others have been so good that they are still going or keep expanding. The most notable examples are Grey’s Anatomy and Criminal Minds, which, at the time of writing, are in their 21st and 18th seasons, respectively.
Adding to that list are the sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, currently in its 17th season, and the 2005 relaunch of Doctor Who.
Other shows have already ended, but their success and popularity are such that they are now expanding in different ways. The Office is getting a follow-up series titled The Paper, scheduled for a September 2025 release, and Prison Break is being rebooted, with production having started in June 2025.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is getting a sequel TV show (animated, thankfully), titled Avatar: Seven Heavens, and an animated movie titled The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender, set for a January 2026 release. 2005 earned its place in TV history, and its influence continues to be felt.
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Grey’s Anatomy
- Release Date
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March 27, 2005
- Directors
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Rob Corn, Kevin McKidd, Debbie Allen, Chandra Wilson, Allison Liddi-Brown, Jeannot Szwarc, Tony Phelan
- Writers
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Shonda Rhimes, Julie Wong, Jen Klein, Tameson Duffy, Meg Marinis
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Ellen Pompeo
Dr. Meredith Grey
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Chandra Wilson
Dr. Miranda Bailey
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The Office
- Release Date
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2005 – 2013-00-00
- Showrunner
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Greg Daniels
- Directors
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Greg Daniels, Paul Lieberstein, Paul Feig, Randall Einhorn, Ken Kwapis
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Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Release Date
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2005 – 2008
- Network
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Nickelodeon
- Showrunner
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Michael Dante DiMartino
- Directors
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Giancarlo Volpe, Ethan Spaulding, Lauren MacMullan, Dave Filoni, Joaquim Dos Santos, Anthony Lioi
- Writers
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Tim Hedrick, Elizabeth Welch Ehasz, Joshua Hamilton, James Eagan, Joann Estoesta, Nick Malis, May Chan, Katie Mattila