Best TV Shows of 2002
The 40 most popular TV shows that premiered in 2002, most watched first, with a vote floor so obscure titles do not crowd out the ones people remember.
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40 titles · updated 3rd October 2026
1.CSI: Miami(2002)
7.7DramaMysteryCrime
The show follows Crime Scene Investigators working for the Miami-Dade Police Department as they use physical evidence, similar to their Las Vegas counterparts, to solve grisly murders. The series mixes deduction, gritty subject matter, and character-driven drama in the same vein as the original series in the CSI…
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2.Monk(2002)
7.9DramaComedyCrime
Adrian Monk was once a rising star with the San Francisco Police Department, legendary for using unconventional means to solve the department's most baffling cases. But after the tragic (and still unsolved) murder of his wife Trudy, he developed an extreme case of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Now working as a…
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3.Without a Trace(2002)
7.2CrimeMysteryAction & Adventure
The series follows the ventures of a Missing Persons Unit of the FBI in New York City.
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4.The Shield(2002)
8.2CrimeDramaAction & Adventure
The story of an inner-city Los Angeles police precinct where some of the cops aren't above breaking the rules or working against their associates to both keep the streets safe and their self-interests intact.
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5.The Wire(2002)
8.6CrimeDrama
Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy, and distinctions between good and evil are routinely obliterated.
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6.Everwood(2002)
7.6DramaFamily
After the death of his wife, world-class neurosurgeon Dr. Andrew Brown leaves Manhattan and moves his family to the small town of Everwood, Colorado. There he becomes a small-town doctor and learns parenting on the fly as he raises his talented but resentful 15-year-old son Ephram and his 9-year-old daughter Delia.
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7.Kim Possible(2002)
7.5AnimationAction & AdventureComedy
If there's danger or trouble, Kim Possible is there on the double to save the world from villains... and still make it home in time for cheerleading practice! Luckily, Kim has her sidekick Ron Stoppable and his pet naked mole-rat Rufus by her side.
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8.The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius(2002)
7.4AnimationComedySci-Fi & Fantasy
Jimmy Neutron is the smartest kid in town. As a genius, Jimmy thinks most things can be solved with the invention of a new gizmo. But Jimmy usually takes the easy way out, and his backfiring gadgets result in comedic adventures.
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9.Spooks(2002)
7.7DramaAction & AdventureCrime
Tense drama series about the different challenges faced by the British Security Service as they work against the clock to safeguard the nation. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, and the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a highly…
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10.The Dead Zone(2002)
7.3DramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
Johnny Smith discovers he has developed psychic abilities after a coma.
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11.Max & Ruby(2002)
6.5KidsAnimationComedy
Meet two funny bunny siblings, the energetic and mischievous Max, and the patient, smart and goal-oriented Ruby. The show models empowering messages by showing Max and Ruby playing together and resolving their differences respectfully and supportively.
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12.8 Simple Rules(2002)
6.8ComedyDrama
Paul and Cate are raising their three children -- Bridget, Kerry and Rory -- which is no easy task. Oldest daughter Bridget is traversing the dating scene. Kerry is cute and smart, but she has a hard time getting in touch with her true feelings because of her lack of self-confidence. The youngest of the three…
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13.The Twilight Zone(2002)
7.2Sci-Fi & FantasyMysteryDrama
A 2002 revival of Rod Serling's 1950/60s television series, The Twilight Zone, with actor Forest Whitaker assuming Serling's role as narrator and on-screen host.
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14.Foyle's War(2002)
7.9MysteryDramaWar & Politics
As WW2 rages around the world, DCS Foyle fights his own war on the home-front as he investigates crimes on the south coast of England. Foyle's War opens in southern England in the year 1940. Later series sees the retired detective working as an MI5 agent operating in the aftermath of the war.
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15.Mr. Bean: The Animated Series(2002)
6.9KidsAnimationComedy
The animated daily trials and tribulations of clueless yet clever loner Mr Bean (aided by his best friend Teddy of course!) as he stumbles from one mishap to the next, always finding complex solutions to the simplest of problems.
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16.What I Like About You(2002)
6.4Comedy
Valerie Tyler is a 28-year-old organization freak who loves her 16-year-old sister Holly. Even if Holly is rambunctious. Spontaneous. Impulsive. Disconcerting. And definitely disorganized. Then Holly moves in with Val, and the sisters discover they may make better siblings than roomies.
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17.Cyberchase(2002)
7.6AnimationComedyKids
The series takes place in Cyberspace, a virtual world, and chronicles the adventures of three children, Jackie, Inez, and Matt, as they use math and problem solving skills to save Cyberspace and its leader, Motherboard, from The Hacker, the villain.
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18.Firefly(2002)
8.3DramaAction & AdventureSci-Fi & Fantasy
In the year 2517, the universe is a vast frontier where lawlessness reigns and adventure awaits! Join Captain Malcolm Reynolds and his ragtag crew aboard the spaceship Serenity as they navigate the fringes of society, battling the oppressive Alliance and facing off against ruthless bounty hunters.
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19.What's New, Scooby-Doo?(2002)
7.8AnimationAction & AdventureMystery
Scooby-Doo and the Mystery, Inc. gang are launched into the 21st century, with new mysteries to solve.
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20.Still Standing(2002)
6.8Comedy
After 18 years of marriage, high school sweethearts Bill and Judy Miller still make each other laugh and try to keep their marriage intact, even when their family pulls them in different directions. Since Bill has a far more immature approach to marriage and raising their three children than Judy does, they work at…
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21.Less than Perfect(2002)
6.7Comedy
Claude Casey moved up in the secretarial world of television news, from temp to the anchor's desk. After her boss hires her full time, Claude realizes she may be in over her head in this world of assistants fighting to get ahead. But Claude is determined to prove that though she may not be perfect, she's not going…
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22.My Life as a Teenage Robot(2002)
7.5AnimationComedyAction & Adventure
Jenny, aka XJ-9, is a super-powered robot with a super-sensitive teenage heart. Her primary function is protecting the planet from disaster, but – like all teenagers – she has her own ideas about how she would like to live her life. Bored with being a superhero, Jenny wants to do something really exciting – like go…
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23.Fastlane(2002)
6.5Action & AdventureCrimeComedy
Fastlane is an American action/crime drama series that was broadcast on Fox from September 18, 2002 to April 25, 2003.
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24.Baby Looney Tunes(2002)
7.1AnimationComedyKids
The world's most beloved animated characters as precocious preschoolers, discovering the world one baby step at a time.
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25.John Doe(2002)
7.2DramaMysterySci-Fi & Fantasy
John Doe tell the story of a man who wakes up naked on an island off the coast of Seattle, knowing everything in the world there is to know—except for who he is and how and why he ended up there.
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26.Fillmore!(2002)
7.5AnimationMysteryKids
Former delinquent Cornelius Fillmore saw the light, and now fights on the side of justice at X Middle School. Joining him is Ingrid Third, who has a photographic memory. Together, Fillmore and Third fight all those who attempt to break the rules at X, all while keeping Jr. Commissioner Vallejo off their backs and…
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27.The Inspector Lynley Mysteries(2002)
7.4CrimeDrama
DS Barbara Havers is assigned to work with the upper-crust DI Thomas Lynley to solve murders.
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28.ChalkZone(2002)
7.3AnimationAction & AdventureKids
When anything is erased from a chalkboard, it’s not really gone – it just enters a realm called the Chalkzone. And fifth grader Rudy Tabootie found a way to go there! With a piece of “White Lightning” chalk, he can enter the Chalkzone any time he likes. In the Chalkzone, Rudy befriends Snap, a bold superhero Rudy…
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29.George Lopez(2002)
7.5Comedy
George raises daughter Carmen and dyslexic son Max with his wife Angie, after surviving a miserable, dysfunctional childhood at the hands of his neglectful alcoholic mother Benny.
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30.The Story of Tracy Beaker(2002)
6.5KidsFamilyAnimation
Tracy Beaker is a 10-year-old girl who has been placed in a children's home. Tracy makes new friends along the way and causes mischief wherever she goes.
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31.Birds of Prey(2002)
6.2DramaAction & AdventureSci-Fi & Fantasy
The series is set in New Gotham City, several years after it has been apparently abandoned by Batman. In his absence, Huntress, Oracle and Dinah are now the protectors of New Gotham: the Birds of Prey, and had taken over his war on crime. They are joined by Alfred Pennyworth, who serves Helena as she is heir to the…
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32.Wire in the Blood(2002)
7.9CrimeDramaMystery
Clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill's uncanny ability to see into the minds of murderers means he finds it difficult to distance himself from disturbing cases.
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33.Ozzy & Drix(2002)
8.1FamilyAnimationComedy
Ozzy & Drix, also known as The Fantastic Voyage Adventures of Osmosis Jones & Drixenol and Osmosis Jones: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series based on the Warner Bros. film Osmosis Jones and it was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It takes place inside the body of teenager Hector Cruz.…
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34.¡Mucha Lucha!(2002)
8.1KidsComedyAnimation
¡Mucha Lucha! is an American-Canadian animated television series created by Eddie Mort and Lili Chin. The show is set in a town centered around lucha libre and follows the adventures of three children, Rikochet, The Flea and Buena Girl, as they struggle through the Foremost World-Renowned International School of…
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35.Taken(2002)
7.5Sci-Fi & FantasyMysteryCrime
The show takes place from 1944 to 2002 and follows the lives of three families: the Crawfords, who seek to cover up the Roswell crash and the existence of aliens; the Keys, who are subject to frequent experimentation by the aliens; and the Clarkes, who sheltered one of the surviving aliens from the crash.
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36.He-Man and the Masters of the Universe(2002)
7.7Action & AdventureAnimationSci-Fi & Fantasy
Years ago, two leaders battled for the fantastical land of Eternia, one became the good King Randor, the other grew into the evil monster Skeletor who plans to rise once again and take Eternia. To protect the kingdom, the mystical powers of Castle Greyskull chose a hero - Randor's lazy, impulsive teenage son Adam.
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37.Clone High(2002)
7.5AnimationComedy
A group of high-school teens are the products of government employees' secret experiment. They are the genetic clones of famous historical figures who have been dug up, re-created anew. Joan of Arc, Cleopatra, JFK, Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln and more are juxtaposed as teenagers dealing with teen issues in the 20th…
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38.Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?(2002)
7.3ComedyAnimationKids
Robot Jones, a robotic teenager, attends a suburban middle school.
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39.Crank Yankers(2002)
6.4Comedy
Yankerville's puppet citizens -- voiced by celebrities and stand-up comedians -- make real calls to real people, whether they like it or not. They make all the crank phone calls you wish you'd made when you were a kid.
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40.Rose Red(2002)
6.8MysterySci-Fi & Fantasy
Dr. Joyce Reardon, a psychology professor, commissions a team of psychics and a gifted autistic girl to find out the truth about an old, supposedly haunted mansion called Rose Red.
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