10 Problematic Early 2000s TV Shows That Couldn’t Be Made Today

Times have changed. While there are TV shows that were considered totally acceptable, or at least tolerable, decades ago, some of them would never fly today. In a few cases, the series are still available to watch via reruns in syndication, and they remain beloved by fans. But if the concept behind them was pitched today, especially for a network, they likely would not be made with all the same storylines, dialogue, and/or questionable moments or character traits.

Not surprisingly, many of the shows from the early 2000s that fall into this categorization are within the reality TV show genre, and it’s questionable how they were made even back then. But some others are sitcoms that are by and large fantastic, but that have elements that might be frowned upon today.

10 Two and a Half Men’s Charlie Treats Women Like Objects

Charlie Harper was not just a womanizer on Two and a Half Men, he treated women as if they were objects designed merely for his entertainment and sexual fulfillment. Most of the women who appeared as his conquests were depicted as stereotypical ditzy “bimbos” who dressed provocatively and lacked intelligence.

Along with his misogynistic comments, not to mention his behavior in front of his young nephew, so many storylines seemed icky at the time and even worse now. Of course, that was the point of the show. But if Two and a Half Men were made today, Charlie’s juvenile and insulting behavior towards women, as well as his handling of situations involving Jack, might be toned down a bit.

Two and a Half Men

Release Date

September 22, 2003

Cast

Jon Cryer , Ashton Kutcher , Angus T. Jones , Conchata Ferrell , Charlie Sheen , Holland Taylor

Main Genre

Comedy

Seasons

12

Creator

Lee Aronsohn, Chuck Lorre

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9 How Gay Are You? Really Did Happen

It’s incredible to believe that a show called How Gay Are You? did, in fact, exist. It aired for a single season on Sky One in the U.K. back in 2004. The show asked self-proclaimed heterosexual men along with their wives or girlfriends various questions about things they like to do and their general lifestyles. They would then be told how in touch they were with their “gay” side.

The show perpetuated stereotypes, claiming that men doing things like using face cream or drinking mocha lattes meant they were a little bit “gay.” It made no sense at all. There was no purpose, nor value to the show, not even from an entertainment perspective. How Gay Are You? might have been tongue-in-cheek, but there’s no way it would make it to air today.

8 How I Met Your Mother’s Barney Was A Deplorable Misogynist

Two words: Barney Stinson. While Neil Patrick Harris somehow got away with dialogue and storylines that arguably no other actor could, his character was smarmy, misogynistic and downright deplorable when it came to how he spoke about and treated women. Some of his most egregious acts in the darkest episodes of How I Met Your Mother include weighing potential mates before they entered his house and devising a playbook about ways to manipulate, lie to, and treat women in order to bed and deceive them.

Sure, How I Met Your Mother was a sitcom and meant to be taken lightly. A lot of things about Barney were taken for what they were, depicting a heavily embellished character who was more like a caricature than a real person. The fact that Harris is gay in real life made his portrayal of a stereotypical “ladies’ man” more palatable, at least subconsciously for many viewers. Nonetheless, some of his dialogue would likely be toned down or outright cut by today’s standards.

How I Met Your Mother

A father recounts to his children – through a series of flashbacks – the journey he and his four best friends took leading up to him meeting their mother.

Release Date

September 19, 2005

Cast

Josh Radnor , Jason Segel , Neil Patrick Harris , Cobie Smulders , Alyson Hannigan

Main Genre

Sitcom

Seasons

9

Creator

Carter Bays, Craig Thomas

Production Company

20th Century Fox Television, Bays Thomas Productions

Number of Episodes

208 Episodes

Creator(s)

Carter Bays , Craig Thomas

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7 There’s Something Deeply Wrong With There’s Something About Miriam

Considering the increased attention on the LGBTQ community in this generation, There’s Something About Miriam would be admonished today, and it was even considered shameful back when it aired. The British reality show, which was available in the U.K. through Sky One, had a similar format to The Bachelor, but on a much smaller scale. Six men try their best to impress Miriam Rivera, a 21-year-old model. They compete in challenges, then go on group and individual dates with her to try and win her affection. In the end, she selects the one she wants to date. But then, there’s a big reveal.

Miriam is a transgender woman who was assigned male at birth. But the men aren’t told this until the very end. The male contestants filed a lawsuit against the show after the twist was revealed. The show was completely unfair and manipulative to both Miriam and the men involved. There are even moments where the voiceover cracks jokes about Miriam’s genital area. It’s a wonder Miriam even agreed to go through with it. The show was exploitative to all involved, and perpetuated stereotypes and misconceptions about trans people. Sadly, Rivera passed away in 2019, according to People.

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6 A Few Things With Malcolm in the Middle Don’t Sit Right

Malcolm in the Middle in general is a great show and arguably one of the best sitcoms of that decade. It employs a concept that has been done again and again, centering on a child who stands out as being a gifted genius and telling the stories of his interactions with family members on Malcolm in the Middle as well as friends. But there are a few elements of the show that some people found problematic and that would likely not pass on network television today.

Chief among these is Malcolm’s best friend Stevie and the fact that he gets bullied at school for no other reason than that he’s in a wheelchair. This might reflect sad realities in society. But today, chances are the show would use its platform to give the character a more positive storyline about acceptance. Plus, Hal and Lois might have been frustrated, relatable lower-middle-class parents, but some of the things they did were over-the-top. For example, Hal once beat up the admittedly rather large 15-year-old older brother of Malcolm’s bully. On another occasion, the parents spent Malcolm’s college money.

Malcolm in the Middle

A gifted young teen tries to survive life with his dimwitted, dysfunctional family.

Release Date

January 9, 2000

Cast

Frankie Muniz , Jane Kaczmarek , Bryan Cranston , Christopher Masterson , Justin Berfield , Erik Per Sullivan , Catherine Lloyd Burns

Main Genre

Comedy

Seasons

7

Creator

Linwood Boomer

Distributor

20th Television, Disney+

Main Characters

Malcolm, Lois, Hal, Francis, Reese, Dewey, Jamie

Production Company

Satin City, Regency Television, Fox Television Studios, New Regency Productions

Number of Episodes

151

Network

FOX

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu

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5 Are You Hot? Missed The Mark

What does it mean to be “hot”? According to the reality show Are You Hot?, also called Are You Hot? The Search for America’s Sexiest People, being “hot” has everything to do with physical attractiveness based on societal biases. The show was like a beauty pageant kicked up 10 notches without the need for competitors to show talent or intelligence. Instead, the men and women were paraded on stage while the judges determined who was hot and who was not.

Not surprisingly, Are You Hot? only lasted a single season. The show was even sued by Howard Stern, whose production company alleged that the concept was taken from a popular segment on his radio show. Stern is known for pushing the envelope on his show, but a similar concept in network series format was too much. The series even got the Saturday Night Live spoof treatment, with a parody that featured cartoon characters.

4 Ed, Edd n Eddy Had Some Questionable Kids

An animated series, Ed, Edd n Eddy centers around three pre-teen boys, all named some variation of Ed. The main plot is pretty innocent: the three boys come up with various schemes to earn money to buy their favorite candy, jawbreakers. The show was well received, but some elements might be cause for concern for especially cautious parents nowadays.

For one, the kids are all outcasts, but not in a way that might make them positively relatable. One child in particular named Jonny is a loner who talks to an imaginary friend, who is really just a wooden board he has named Plank. It intensifies the feeling of loneliness some kids feel rather than finding a way to make Jonny feel included. There’s also Jimmy, a feminine boy who plays with all the girls and likes traditionally female things, like dolls and cooking. He’s also portrayed as weak and cowardly, as though these two things equate to one another. The show is no more irreverent than others like Family Guy. But some might argue that Ed, Edd n Eddy, and some of the episodes it produced, wouldn’t fly today.

ed edd n eddy

The off-the-wall, day-to-day life of three friends who have exactly the same name.

Cast

Matt Hill , Sam Vincent

Creator

Danny Antonucci

Main Cast

Matt Hill, Sam Vincent, and Tony Sampson

3 Black. White. Was All Sorts of Wrong

Another reality show that should never have passed to make it to air, Black. White. was a social experiment where two families swapped races thanks to the use of elaborate make-up. The white family members were given studio-quality make-up to resemble Black persons and vice versa. They then went about their daily lives to see how they might be treated differently.

The hope was that Black. White, produced and created by Ice Cube, would shed light on racial divides and concerns about obvious biases and prejudices. But it was controversial from the jump, criticized for reinforcing racial stereotypes. Some critics called Black. White. provocative and intelligent. But even so, the concept would be put through the ringer today.

2 The Swan Does A Number On Self-Esteem

Women have enough to worry about with unrealistic beauty standards and constantly comparing themselves to celebrities, models and even social media personalities. They are inundated with advertising that suggests their physical appearance needs to be improved. But a show like The Swan made this much worse. The reality show is an extreme makeover series whereby two women who consider themselves to be “ugly” are transformed. This includes everything from personal training to dentistry work, therapy, and yes, even cosmetic surgery.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with a makeover show if it’s something a woman wants for herself and agrees to have televised. But The Swan takes it to another level by going to extremes with surgery, and making the women feel like they need the makeover in order to be beautiful. The grand finale is the worst: the two women compete in a beauty pageant where the one voted most attractive wins. From promoting negative body image to doing a number on a woman’s self-esteem, not to mention parading them around for entertainment, there was so much wrong with this show.

1 That ‘70s Show Did Fez Wrong

No, it isn’t the obvious drug use with a cloud of smoke that surrounded the underage kids that makes That ‘70s Show a series that wouldn’t fly today. A similar concept has actually been replicated in the sequel series That ‘90s Show, so it’s clear viewers can laugh that off as clever entertainment. It’s another specific element from the show that doesn’t sit right.

Fez, nicknamed as such because he’s a “Foreign Exchange Student,” was an immigrant who was often made fun of because of his accent. The group didn’t even bother to learn how to pronounce his real name, giving him this offensive nickname instead. He was portrayed as a stereotype and was the butt of many jokes throughout the show. The series perpetuates stereotypes by creating a storyline where he marries Lori only so that he can stay in the country. Admittedly, That ‘70s Show is set in the ‘70s, which was a different time. But today, producers would likely handle the subject of an immigrant much differently and more sensitively.

That ’70s Show

A comedy revolving around a group of teenage friends, their mishaps, and their coming of age, set in 1970s Wisconsin.

Release Date

August 23, 1998

Cast

Topher Grace , Laura Prepon , Mila Kunis , Debra Jo Rupp , Kurtwood Smith , Ashton Kutcher , Wilmer Valderrama , Danny Masterson

Main Genre

Comedy

Seasons

8

Creator

Mark Brazill, Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner

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