Everyday a ton of new shows come out for people to watch and enjoy, but despite this, shows that first aired over 10 years ago like Gilmore Girls, Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy and Pretty Little Liars still hold just as much popularity to the teenage audience.

Many students at CSCS agreed that they found 2000s dramas very appealing to watch, but there is a wide variety of reasons that these old shows grasp Gen-Z interest.

“I enjoy watching older shows from the drama genre because they are simple and easy to watch,” said sophomore Anika Van Rooyen. “Shows ten years ago weren’t so complex that you had to watch every second in order to understand what was going on. Instead, I can bounce back into the show wherever in the series.”

It was a sort of iconic time back then. The fashion was unlike it is today and provides some unique diversity to the usual shows we watch. Phones weren’t heavily relied on, so many characters were out doing something interesting that created an actual plot rather than being based on playing video games or being on social media 24-7.

Back in the 2000s, the shows were created to be long series and turned into comfort shows to teens today. The series usually consisted of over five seasons with roughly twenty episodes in each. Nowadays, we have to wait over a year for a ten episode show to come out, which would easily be finished over the course of a weekend.

“Series like Gilmore Girls or Grey’s Anatomy total over 100 hours of watch time, so if you like the show then there’s a wide variety of episodes to watch, compared to a show that you’d have to rewatch and expect what’s going to happen,” said freshman Rylie Gentile.

Many characters went through relatable situations and issues. They share similar highs and lows of life. We watch them go through experiences like family problems, insecurities, and social drama to better understand our own issues we face daily. Some people might relate to Blair Waldorf, the main character on Gossip Girl, who sometimes gets pushed away by her mom but still has to maintain a seemingly perfect social life. Even though she is much more privileged than the average American she still goes through similar experiences as other teens. It feels nice knowing that you’re not alone in your struggles and millions of other people go through the same problems but can eventually get past it.

Freshman Anabella Thornberry prefers these older shows because of the nostalgic feelings they provide. She explained that the time shows were set in were sometimes years we were born in which brings back warm memories.