10 Old Series You Forgot About That You Have To Rewatch
Every day, we are refreshing our Netflix screens, our NowTV, or Amazon Prime, searching for new episodes of our new favourite series. Whether it’s Stranger Things, Suits, or Black Mirror, we’re always waiting for the next one and the next one to entertain us. So why don’t we take a moment to rewind, and revisit the shows we used to love for a change – the ones we don’t have to wait a week for the next episode to appear. Here are 1o old series you forgot about that you have to rewatch.
1. One Tree Hill
Producing eight seasons over eight years, beginning in 2003, One Tree Hill is your ultimate early noughties nostalgia TV. Set in the small North Carolinian town of Tree Hill, the show follows the lives of a group of teenagers, focusing on two half brothers, Lucas and Nathan Scott – both talented basketball players. Complete with low waisted jeans, side fringes, and of course, Chad Michael Murray, this old favourite definitely deserves to be revisited.
2. Gilmore Girls
You may recognise the name from Netflix’s 2016 revival series Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life, but before you delve into the reboot, the original seven seasons need a rewatch. Gilmore Girls is a heart-warming and hilarious drama series that ran between 2000-2007, set in a tiny town in Connecticut called Stars Hollow. It follows the lives of single-mother Lorelai Gilmore as she raises her daughter Rory (who is fifteen when the series begins) and the colourful characters that surround them. The fast-paced witty dialogue, brimming with pop culture references, combined with the authentic and rich relationships between the characters makes Gilmore Girls a must-watch series.
3. Sex and the City
One of the most iconic series of the nineties, Sex and the City ran from 1998-2004, starring Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw – a name that we all recognise. Based on Candace Bushnell’s novel, Sex and the City is set and filmed in New York City, following the lives of four very different, but tight-knit women as they navigate love and romance in their thirties. The six seasons of this TV classic undeniably deserve a rewatch, and if you can’t get enough, there are two movies to sequel it!
4. Desperate Housewives
Murder, gardening, adultery, home baking, arson, babysitting; what do these all have in common? You can find them on Wysteria Lane. This mystery comedy-drama, airing from 2003-2012 delves into the hidden lives of four suburban women, narrated by their recently deceased neighbour and best friend, Mary Alice. Desperate Housewives is funny, scandalous and absolutely addictive so it definitely needs a rewatch.
5. Charmed
Running between 1998-2006, this fantasy drama series focuses on three sisters; the most powerful good witches of all time. Set in San Francisco, the eight seasons of Charmed follows these sisters and the individual powers that they possess as they try to both protect humans from the supernatural world and assimilate themselves into regular life. Charmed is fun and easy – an old classic that needs a revisit, if not just to entertain us with the special effects of the early 2000s.
6. Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights is set in the small, fiction town of Dillon in rural Texas, documenting the lives of a close-knit high school football team. When the all-star quarterback Jason Street is injured, ending his football career, quiet and unsure Matt Saracen must step up to fill his place. The series tackles bigger issues of alcoholism, abortion and drugs against this small town backdrop, whilst also creating complex and raw characters that are incredibly relatable.
7. Ugly Betty
Starring America Ferrera as Betty Suarez, Ugly Betty revolves around the life of Betty, who despite her clear lack of fashion and style, lands a job at a prestigious fashion magazine in New York, working for new CEO Daniel. This light-hearted and funny series, also starring Vanessa Williams, is gripping in its plot and dialogue, but most of all addictive in America Ferrera’s unique and impressive performance as Betty. She makes this character likeable, relatable and very human. Ugly Betty only ran for four seasons, so this is an easily bingable series to bring back some hilarious lines, and 2006 fashion to your screen.
8. Full House
Especially after its 2016 revival Fuller House, this eighties family series is undoubtedly one to revisit again and again. The show centres around Danny Tanner, a recent widower, and his three daughters as they grow up in San Francisco. Along with his best friend Joey and brother-in-law Jesse (played by John Stamos), the three embark upon raising the three girls, despite their limited experience. Despite its unconventional structure, this family becomes incredibly close as they navigate childhood and adulthood together. Danny’s youngest daughter Michelle is played by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, so put on some reruns of Full House to get a glimpse of where the Olsen twins first began.
9. Scrubs
This medical comedy-drama aired for nine years between 2001-2010, following several doctors and nurses through their not so smooth careers. The comedy of Scrubs is inherently slapstick, and it is delivered well through the hilarious duo of J.D. and his best friend Turk, who begin the series as medical interns. Dr Cox and Bob Kelso, as the senior staff of the hospital, work against the two young doctors with sarcasm and deadpanned humour to create this hilarious hospital comedy.
10. Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl is your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite – if you recognise this opening line then you’re probably a fan of the hit series Gossip Girl. Based on a book series written by Cecily von Ziegesar, this series follows a group of rich teenagers living on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and the Brookylnite outcasts that attend their private high school as they drink in exclusive clubs, dabble in drugs and have sex in limousines. Gossip Girl is scandalous and salacious and well aware of it, once even flaunting the review “every parent’s worst nightmare” on its advertisement. This series ended in 2012, but with rumours of a reboot circulating, now is the time to revisit it.
