0:03 The 2000s was a decade of big ideas and
0:05 big risks, especially when it comes to
0:07 sci-fi television. Some shows were
0:10 stylish and smart. Others were chaotic
0:13 and completely bonkers. But they all
0:15 tried something different. So, in this
0:17 part two of our deep dive into the world
0:20 of forgotten sci-fi TV, we're revisiting
0:22 the underappreciated cult classics of
0:25 the 2000s. the land of strange tech,
0:27 moody protagonists, and way too many
0:29 shows cancelled just as they were
0:31 getting good. And just like last time,
0:33 we're keeping things neat by listing the
0:35 shows in chronological order. Let's
0:37 rewind the time and rediscover some
0:40 forgotten sci-fi gems from the 2000s. Cleopatra
0:41 Cleopatra
0:44 2525. Set in a far-off future where the
0:46 surface world is ruled by machines,
0:50 Cleopatra 2525 embrace sci-fi chaos with
0:52 bold style and unapologetic attitude.
0:55 The show follows Cleo, an exotic dancer
0:58 who wakes up 525 years in the future.
1:00 Humanity is now driven underground by
1:03 killer robots, and Cleo teams up with
1:05 two badass freedom fighters to save
1:07 what's left of the world. The show
1:09 leaned hard into neon leather outfits,
1:12 slow-mo action, and sassy oneliners. It
1:15 was gloriously over-the-top, wildly
1:17 self-aware, and honestly kind of ahead
1:19 of its time in how it embraced genre
1:22 absurdity. It only lasted two seasons,
1:24 but if you're into campy sci-fi chaos
1:27 with girl power vibes, Cleopatra 2525 is
1:31 pure gold. Andromeda. Andromeda was a
1:33 bold attempt to deliver space opera for
1:36 the new millennium, and it worked for a
1:38 while at least. We followed Captain
1:40 Dylan Hunt, the lone survivor of a
1:43 fallen intergalactic civilization. He
1:44 spends the series flying around the
1:47 galaxy aboard the AI powered starship
1:49 Andromeda and trying to rebuild a
1:51 crumbled Federation. The show had big
1:54 ideas about politics, order, and chaos,
1:56 all dressed in slick space battles,
1:58 alien intrigue, and philosophical
2:00 musings. Over time, it veered into
2:02 messier territory thanks to creative
2:05 shakeups. But it still holds a special
2:07 place in the hearts of space opera fans.
2:09 If you like your sci-fi with starships
2:11 and brooding monologues, Andromeda
2:14 deserves a revisit. Dark Angel. Before
2:17 Jessica Alba was a blockbuster star, she
2:19 was the genetically engineered heroin of
2:21 Dark Angel. A dark, gritty, and
2:23 surprisingly stylish slice of early
2:26 2000's dystopia. The show takes place in
2:28 a post-apocalyptic Seattle after an
2:30 electromagnetic pulse knocks out
2:33 America's infrastructure. Alba plays
2:35 Max, a super soldier escapee from a
2:37 secret government experiment trying to
2:39 live a low-profile life while dodging
2:42 the agents hunting her. It had
2:44 motorcycles, cyberpunk vibes, high-tech
2:46 noir, and a killer industrial
2:48 soundtrack. Dark Angel had the makings
2:51 of a sci-fi classic, but it only lasted
2:53 two seasons. Still, it helped launch
2:56 Alba's career and left behind a cult
2:58 following who remember it as one of the
3:00 more ambitious network sci-fi swings of
3:01 the decade.
3:05 Special Unit 2. Think Men in Black, but
3:06 with Chicago cops and low-budget
3:08 creatures, and you've got Special Unit
3:11 2. This short-lived sci-fi comedy
3:13 followed a secret division of the police
3:15 tasked with handling links, the mythical
3:18 creatures living among us. The tone was
3:20 full-on tongue-in-cheek with plenty of
3:22 oneliners, practical monster effects,
3:24 and a delightfully offbeat energy that
3:27 leaned more cult classic than mainstream
3:29 success. While the show never took
3:31 itself too seriously, it did have some
3:34 genuinely fun world building. Special
3:36 Unit 2 only ran for two seasons, but
3:38 it's one of those forgotten shows that
3:41 feels ripe for rediscovery, especially
3:43 if you're into supernatural sitcoms with
3:46 a side of rubber suit mayhem. Firefly.
3:48 Firefly is the poster child for the
3:51 brilliant but canceled club. It wasn't
3:53 just a sci-fi show. It was a genre
3:55 blending space western heartbreak that
3:58 left fans wanting so much more. The show
4:00 followed the ragtag crew of the serenity
4:03 as they smuggled, struggled, and snarked
4:05 their way across the galaxy. Part cowboy
4:08 western, part dystopian sci-fi, and all
4:10 heart. It combined sharp dialogue,
4:12 memorable characters, and a richly
4:16 livedin universe. And the ensemble cast
4:18 helped make every episode feel like the
4:20 start of something epic. Fox aired the
4:22 episodes out of order, barely promoted
4:24 it, and cancelled it after just one
4:27 season. But the fandom unstoppable. If
4:30 you somehow missed Firefly, it's time to
4:34 correct that immediately. Kyle XY. Kyle
4:36 XY gave us one of the most memorable
4:39 sci-fi teen mysteries of the 2000s. And
4:41 no, not just because the main character
4:43 didn't have a belly button. The series
4:45 kicks off when a teenage boy with no
4:48 memory, no name, and some seriously
4:50 advanced abilities wakes up in the
4:52 woods. Taken in by a foster family, he
4:54 starts navigating suburban life while
4:57 trying to understand who or what he
5:00 really is. Spoiler, he's not exactly
5:02 human. The show balanced emotional
5:05 storytelling with big sci-fi twists, and
5:07 Matt Dallas brought real charm to the
5:10 role of Kyle. It ran for three seasons
5:12 and ended on a massive cliffhanger which
5:16 still haunts fans to this day. Eureka.
5:18 Eureka introduced viewers to a town
5:20 where science experiments regularly
5:23 spiraled into full-blown chaos. The show
5:25 followed US Marshal Jack Carter, who
5:27 stumbles into a secret town where the
5:29 government has stashed all its brightest
5:32 minds. Carter's the everyman surrounded
5:34 by rocket scientists, time travelers,
5:37 and reality bending inventions. and he
5:39 somehow ends up being the one who fixes
5:41 everything when it inevitably goes
5:43 haywire. It was light-hearted, quirky,
5:46 and full of lovable chaos with a cast
5:47 that made the technobabble feel
5:50 personal. There were wormholes, memory
5:52 wipes, invisible houses, you name it.
5:54 Eureka leaned into the fun side of
5:56 sci-fi while still tugging at the
5:58 heartstrings, making it one of the most
6:02 underrated shows of its time. Primeval.
6:04 Primeval was the bonkers but brilliant
6:06 sci-fi series that asked, "What if
6:08 prehistoric creatures just started
6:11 wandering into modern-day England?" The
6:14 answer, pure chaos. A government team is
6:17 assembled to investigate anomalies, time
6:18 rifts that bring through everything from
6:21 raptors to giant insects. It's part
6:23 action adventure, part monster of the
6:26 week, and part soap opera. Because of
6:27 course, there's romantic tension and
6:30 workplace drama amidst the chaos. The
6:32 creature effects were solid for the
6:34 time, and the show wasn't afraid to get
6:36 dark when it needed to. Primeval ran for
6:38 five seasons and even got a Canadian
6:40 spin-off, but it somehow still flies
6:43 under the radar today. So, if you like
6:45 your sci-fi with teeth, literal ones,
6:48 Primeval is a wild ride worth
6:50 revisiting. Fringe. Fringe was a
6:53 mind-bending blend of science fiction,
6:55 mystery, and emotional storytelling that
6:58 explored the strange edges of reality.
7:00 Created by J.J. Abrams. This high
7:02 concept series followed FBI agent Olivia
7:04 Dunham as she teamed up with the
7:06 eccentric Dr. Walter Bishop and his
7:09 snarky son Peter to investigate fringe
7:11 science. Everything from teleportation
7:14 to alternate universes. What started as
7:16 a monster of the week procedural quickly
7:18 evolved into a sprawling epic about
7:21 identity, sacrifice, and the thin line
7:23 between science and madness. The show
7:25 was packed with emotional arcs, creepy
7:28 experiments, and some truly jaw-dropping
7:31 twists. Fringe was smart, strange, and
7:33 ahead of its time. And if you skipped
7:34 it, you missed one of the most
7:37 satisfying slow burns of the decade.
7:40 Sanctuary. Sanctuary started as a web
7:43 series, but quickly leveled up into one
7:45 of the most unique sci-fi shows of the
7:48 late 2000s. It followed a secret network
7:50 that protected abnormals, mythical
7:52 creatures, cryptids, and anything that
7:54 would make your local zoologologist
7:57 faint. The show's lead, Dr. Hela Magnus
8:00 herself, was over 150 years old thanks
8:02 to some mysterious scientific tinkering,
8:04 and the show often flashbacks to her
8:07 Victorian roots, giving it a strong
8:09 steampunk meets modern tech flavor.
8:11 Sanctuary was also one of the first
8:13 shows to lean heavily into green screen
8:16 environments and digital sets, which was
8:19 both ambitious and at times a little
8:21 janky. But what it lacked in polish, it
8:24 made up for in worldbuilding and
8:27 weirdness. Dollhouse. Dollhouse was one
8:30 of Jos Weeden's most unsettling sci-fi
8:32 projects. The concept? A secret
8:35 organization wipes people's memories and
8:37 uploads custom personalities into them,
8:39 turning them into dolls who can be
8:42 anything. A spy, a lover, a hostage
8:45 negotiator, you name it. Eliza Dushku
8:47 starred as Ekko, a top tier doll who
8:50 starts regaining her sense of self. What
8:52 followed was a twisty, high concept
8:55 exploration of identity, free will, and
8:57 ethics. The first season took a while to
9:00 find its footing, but the second ramped
9:02 up the intensity and delivered some
9:04 truly bold storytelling. Dollhouse was
9:07 sleek and cerebral, a show that asked
9:09 big questions in between action scenes
9:12 and mind wipes. It burned bright and
9:14 fast, but definitely left a mark.
9:17 Honorable mentions. Before we get to our
9:19 final pick, let's take a moment to shout
9:22 out a few more forgotten sci-fi oddities
9:25 from the 2000s. There was surface, a
9:26 deep sea creature mystery with
9:29 government secrets, glowing eggs, and a
9:31 lovable sea monster baby. Codeename
9:34 Eternity gave us a low-budget but high
9:36 concept alien invasion thriller that was
9:38 way more interesting than it had any
9:40 right to be. John Doe followed a man who
9:42 wakes up with no memory, but all the
9:45 knowledge in the world, just not who he
9:48 is. And Odyssey 5 sent astronauts minds
9:50 back in time to prevent Earth's
9:53 destruction after seeing it blow up. The
9:56 middleman was pure comic book chaos full
9:58 of aliens, androids, and tongue-in-cheek
10:00 world saving delivered with dead pan
10:03 precision. Meanwhile, Hyperdrive gave us
10:05 a very British, very awkward space
10:07 fairing comedy with Nick Frost in full
10:10 bumbling commander mode. Threshold tried
10:12 to stop an alien signal from rewriting
10:15 humanity at the genetic level and had
10:18 Carla Gujino leading a killer cast. And
10:20 Flash Forward had one of the best hooks
10:22 ever. The entire planet blacks out for
10:24 two minutes and sees a glimpse of their
10:27 future. Then things get weird. You might
10:29 also remember The Secret Adventures of
10:32 Jules Vern, a steampunk flavored action
10:34 series that reimagined the famous author
10:36 as an adventurer. And finally, The
10:39 Chronicle, a tabloid newsroom that
10:41 investigated real life monsters,
10:43 mutants, and Men in Black, all with that
10:46 early 2000s cult energy. Each one of
10:48 these shows brought something strange,
10:50 smart, or just plain fun to the sci-fi
10:53 landscape, and they're absolutely worth
10:56 rediscovering. Warehouse 13. Warehouse
10:59 13 was a fast-paced artifact hunting
11:01 adventure where history, mystery, and
11:03 science fiction collided in the
11:06 quirkiest ways possible. This sci-fi
11:07 series followed two secret service
11:09 agents who get assigned to a top secret
11:11 government facility that stores
11:13 dangerous supernatural artifacts with
11:16 some serious side effects. Each episode
11:18 was a mix of mystery, historical Easter
11:21 eggs, and gadgetfueled chaos. What
11:23 really made the show shine, though, was
11:26 its tone, playful, fast-paced, and
11:28 filled with character chemistry. There
11:30 was action and danger, sure, but also
11:33 warmth and humor. Warehouse 13 knew how
11:35 to balance heart and high stakes, and
11:38 while it lasted five seasons, it still
11:40 somehow feels underrated in the bigger
11:43 sci-fi conversation. Do you agree with
11:45 our picks for these forgotten 2000
11:47 sci-fi shows? Are there any series you'd
11:49 like to add to this list? Let us know in
11:51 the comments. Check out the first part
11:53 of this video on our channel, and don't
11:55 forget to subscribe for more videos like this.
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