4 Nostalgic ’00s TV Shows Making Big Comebacks

When you think about it, it’s remarkable how much television has changed over the past two decades. And it’s not just about transitioning from using your DVR to cutting the cable in favor of streaming services, either: These days, many of the linear channels that brought our favorite programming are under fire for straying from their core focus, canceling beloved shows, and entirely shifting their scheduling.

But if you’re one of the many who feel like TV has become an unrecognizable landscape, you’re in luck. Some of the biggest hits of the aughts will soon be hitting the airwaves once more—with some so nostalgia-inducing you’ll be reaching for your Von Dutch hat and emo CDs. So get ready to go back in time with these 2000s TV shows that are making big comebacks soon.

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1. One Tree Hill

Over the past few years, this former WB (and then CW) teen drama has seen plenty of revived interest, thanks to the popularity of the rewatch podcast Drama Queens hosted by Sophia Bush, Bethany Joy Lenz, and Hilary Burton (who was eventually replaced by castmate Robert Buckley after the discussions passed her run on the series).

But while the on-air cast reunion revealed everything from behind-the-scenes musings to serious allegations of mistreatment and sexual harassment by the show’s creator, Mark Schwahn, Bush and Lenz also used it as an opportunity to reveal news of a reboot that’s in the works.

In August 2024, both actors teased their return to the air in separate messages on their Instagram accounts, People reported. “What if you really can go back home?” they wrote. “If there’s an opportunity to team with brilliant creatives and build a space where all our friends can show off their talents? Own our history? Reclaim our turf? Honor our fans? Sign us up.”

According to Deadline, Netflix was in the works to revive the series, which would take place 20 years after the series finale (which ended roughly 13 years ago). The new show will reportedly star Bush and Burton as they navigate raising teens who face very similar issues to the ones they faced decades ago.

So far, no other actors from the original series have been confirmed to appear, with original core cast member Chad Michael Murray already saying he won’t sign on. But as production becomes formalized, additional returning cast are expected to join the show.

2. Scrubs

It’s hard to sum up everything Scrubs accomplished in its nine-season run, a dramedy that followed the lives of medical residents and their advisors as they launched their careers as doctors. But now, the sentimental-yet-hilarious show has been revived on the table and is set to come back in early 2026 for another go.

In July, ABC announced that it had issued a series order for the program, which will reunite original cast members Zach Braff, Donald Faison, and Sarah Chalke with the series’ creator, Bill Lawrence, Variety reported.

“‘Scrubs’ means so very much to me. So excited for the chance to get the band back together,” Lawrence said.

Reportedly, the rebooted series will follow the friends through their old stomping grounds at Sacred Heart Hospital. But of course, the crew will also have to deal with changes in their professions—as well as in their relationships—that have occurred over the past 20 years. The first episode will premiere on Feb. 25 of next year.

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3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy has been through a lot as a franchise, as a movie adapted into a show that was cancelled, killed off the titular character, and then revived her when it was picked up by a different network.

But despite the chaotic arc, there’s no denying that Sarah Michelle Gellar’s bold and empowering portrayal of a young woman who happens to have a knack for battling the undead remains one of the most long-standing pop culture relics of the late 90s and early 2000s—so much, in fact, that the show is rising from the dead yet again next year.

The latest iteration, titled Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale, recently finished filming its pilot episode and will hit Hulu within months, Variety reports. The updated series will feature Ryan Kiera Armstrong as its main, alongside Gellar in a recurring role (the two have even been training together for their roles).

But while very little has been revealed about the premise of the reboot, the elder actor has made no secret that the show will bridge the gap for long-time elder millennial fans and brand new viewers.

“This is a show that will cater definitely to the [original fans],” Gellar recently told Variety. “There will always be Easter eggs because there was Easter eggs in the original…but we also want to introduce it to people that maybe haven’t seen the show.”

4. Malcom in the Middle

It’s not exactly fair to call this sitcom underrated, thanks to the many award wins and nominations during its run. But to longtime fans, there was nothing else on TV quite like this quirky family comedy that used the perfect combination of unparalleled writing and a stellar cast made up of actors of all ages who simply made it work.

And while the show didn’t exactly end on a cliffhanger (well, besides the fact that Malcom’s parents insisted he grow up to become President of the United States), you’ll be able to catch up with the entire gang with a run of new episodes.

Fortunately, you won’t have to wait very long. The forthcoming Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair will hit Disney+ in 2026, per Variety. Perhaps most impressively, the reboot is reuniting almost the entire core cast, with Frankie Muniz, Jane Kaczmarek, Brian Cranston, Christopher Masterson, and Justin Berfield reprising their roles. Erik Per Sullivan, who played younger brother Dewey, has since retired from acting and has avoided the spotlight for over a decade, but will be replaced by Caleb Ellsworth-Clark.

But even if you’re excited to reunite with the kooky characters, you might want to think of it as a quick visit rather than a long-term return: Unlike other full-run reboots, the beloved aughts show is only coming back for four half-hour episodes, which center around Hal (Cranston) and Lois’ (Kaczmarek) 40th wedding anniversary. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be worth watching.

“I think people will be surprised, in a sense, where everybody is and the story,” Muniz told Variety. “It’s hard to fit in 20 years of stuff into four 30-minute episodes, right? But I think people are going to be very happy with what they came up with.”