There’s nothing like throwing a ton of alpha females into one house to see what happens. And, despite some women having a more difficult time developing a thick skin than others, Bad Girls Club made for some iconic stars and memorable moments that are still seen in gifs across the internet. Although most reality shows that were popular in the early 2000s can’t be found on many streaming platforms, even watching them in standard definition is enough for some die hard fans. And now, a whole new generation is sharing clips on TikTok from shows like Rock of Love and Flavor of Love, which proves just how important these types of shows were back in the day.
Over 500 men from San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego were interviewed for a potential role in the series. Getzlaff originally interviewed for the role of a suitor, although i loved this producers ultimately offered him the leading role. As the leading man, Getzlaff was required to bring his “best female friend” to offer him guidance as he eliminated suitors.
American Gladiators
One of streaming television’s earliest investments in LGBTQ shows, Orange Is the New Black is also one of the best shows on Netflix—and one of the most popular. Set in a federal women’s prison in upstate New York, the ensemble cast, including transgender actor Laverne Cox in a star turn, addresses race, sexuality, and incarceration with depth and humor. Co-created by Steven Canals, the groundbreaking series follows the lives of Black and brown transgender women and gay men of the 1980s New York City ballroom scene. Jumping through time, the three seasons show how these chosen families navigated the AIDS/HIV epidemic and faced various tragedies that challenged them as a community. The British coming-of-age series adapted from the graphic novel of the same name by Alice Oseman tells the story of Charlie Spring , a gay schoolboy who falls in love with his classmate, Nick Nelson . Renewed for seasons 2 and 3, the breakout romcom also follows the lives of Tao , Elle , Tara and Darcy .
However, once he got his own spin-off show, he didn’t do as well. The show only lasted one season, as the other spinoff “Snooki and JWoww” was more successful. Die-hard “Jersey Shore” fans definitely watched Pauly D pursue his DJ dreams while the show was on. This was Ryan Seacrest’s follow-up to “Keeping Up With The Kardashians.” It was not nearly as successful but still somewhat entertaining. It followed Denise Richards and her family after her divorce from Charlie Sheen. The series tried to show that Richards isn’t just a celebrity, but a regular person, but many critics argued it didn’t work.
See Michael Jackson’s Son Prince Now
“God Hates Fangs” memorably appeared in the opening credits, vampires were “coming out of the coffin” to demand rights, and Lafayette Reynolds served up one of television’s most beloved gay characters. That the show was led by a bisexual actress, Anna Paquin, was just icing on the cake. Boy Meets Boy is an American reality television series broadcast by Bravo. The six-episode series premiered on July 29, 2003, and concluded on September 2, 2003. Filmed in Palm Springs, California, the series followed James Getzlaff, a 32-year-old human resources manager, in search of a partner among a group of fifteen men.
CBSErica BettisHelen ShaverErica is a heterosexual trans woman. She is a good friend of Max.2001–2002Leap YearsShowtimeGregory PagetGarret DillahuntThis series follows characters in three different time settings, 1993, 2001 and 2008. DorisDee Dee SamuelsDoris is lesbian, and Cindy’s partner. Schitt’s Creek is a bright spot on the comedy landscape. Created by Eugene Levy and his son Daniel Levy, who is gay, Schitt’s Creek brims with absurdist humor that’s sadly missing from pop culture these days.
Friends didn’t feature the first same-sex marriage on network television, but it did have the first lesbian one. ” on a 1996 episode of Friends, no one had ever seen two women tie the knot on a show. “It was the first lesbian wedding to ever be shown on TV, and they blocked it out in some affiliates,” Jane Sibbett, who played Carol, explained on the British TV show Lorraine. “But it all worked out as we got so much press because they blocked it.
Set in the same world as Love, Simon, the Hulu series felt more true to the young queer experience than its film counterpart. Even though the show is coming to an end, the story of Victor and his friends navigating high school and their own sexual discoveries are still binge-able for its heartwarming take on sexuality, culture, and youthful transgressions. Even though it indulges in the Bury Your Gays trope, Willow and Tara will forever be a major milestone in representing young lesbian couples. The witches got together in 2001, and sometimes we pretend their storyline ended after they shared their first kiss in the season 5 episode, “The Body,” so we don’t have to live with the pain. This charming comedy tells the story of a wealthy family that loses their entire fortune and is forced to rebuild their lives in the titular small town — their only remaining asset.
‘Sorority Life’ (
“Happy Endings,” which originally aired on ABC between 2011 and 2013, has recently found a second life on Hulu, Netflix, and HBO Max. “Enlightened” on HBO was named the best series of its time and won Laura Dern a Golden Globe. Fans were disappointed when “Reba” didn’t continue beyond its sixth season.
Clueless survived for three seasons on TV, from 1996 to 1999. The Fifth Wheel , in which four people, two of one sex and two of another, are allowed to meet and bond to an extent, before a “fifth wheel,” a person of one of either gender, but always a heterosexual, enters and attempts to break up the equilibrium. The genre waned for a while but it was later revived by The New Dating Game and the UK version Blind Date, and the original shows were popular in reruns, unusual for any game show.
What other facets of early aughts reality TV seems problematic to you looking back? Share in the comments!
If you like gritty teen movies, it’s time to add Euphoria to your queue. Do you vaguely remember people balancing on platforms and trying to knock one another off with long foam-covered poles? American Gladiators aired from 1989 to 1996 and involved contestants facing off against each other and the show’s resident “Gladiators” in a series of stunts in order to win money. The Gladiators’ costumes in particular are really a blast from the past.
It undoubtedly paved the way for more gay characters in TV shows. Regardless of the decade, dating shows are always interesting when presented in some type of preposterous format. So the decade’s new take on “reality” was destined to result in some of the best TV shows of the 2000s.