Best TV Shows of 2009
The 40 most popular TV shows that premiered in 2009, most watched first, with a vote floor so obscure titles do not crowd out the ones people remember.
Everything on this page has a home release and plays right here on Rotten Brains — pick one and press play. No sign-up, and a free account only adds resume and history.
40 titles · updated 3rd October 2026
1.Modern Family(2009)
7.9Comedy
The Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan is a wonderfully large and blended family. They give us an honest and often hilarious look into the sometimes warm, sometimes twisted, embrace of the modern family.
Watch from S1 E1
2.Castle(2009)
8.0DramaCrime
After a serial killer imitates the plots of his novels, successful mystery novelist Richard "Rick" Castle receives permission from the Mayor of New York City to tag along with an NYPD homicide investigation team for research purposes.
Watch from S1 E1
3.NCIS: Los Angeles(2009)
7.5Action & AdventureDramaCrime
The exploits of the Los Angeles–based Office of Special Projects (OSP), an elite division of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service that specializes in undercover assignments.
Watch from S1 E1
4.The Vampire Diaries(2009)
8.3DramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
The story of two vampire brothers obsessed with the same girl, who bears a striking resemblance to the beautiful but ruthless vampire they knew and loved in 1864.
Watch from S1 E1
5.The Good Wife(2009)
7.6Drama
Alicia Florrick boldly assumes full responsibility for her family and re-enters the workforce after her husband's very public sex and political corruption scandal lands him in jail.
Watch from S1 E1
6.The Middle(2009)
7.6Comedy
The daily mishaps of a married woman and her semi-dysfunctional family and their attempts to survive life in general in the city of Orson, Indiana.
Watch from S1 E1
7.Glee(2009)
6.8ComedyDrama
In this musical comedy, optimistic high school teacher Will Schuester tries to refuel his own passion while reinventing the high school's glee club and challenging a group of outcasts to realize their star potential as they strive to outshine their singing competition while navigating the cruel halls of McKinley High.
Watch from S1 E1
8.Parks and Recreation(2009)
8.0Comedy
In an attempt to beautify her town — and advance her career — Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana, takes on bureaucrats, cranky neighbors, and single-issue fanatics whose weapons are lawsuits, the jumble of city codes, and the democratic process she loves so…
Watch from S1 E1
9.Archer(2009)
7.9ComedyAction & AdventureAnimation
Smart-mouthed superspy Sterling Archer and his dysfunctional team of secret agents turn dangerous missions into messy misadventures around the globe.
Watch from S1 E1
10.Community(2009)
8.0Comedy
Follow the lives of a group of students at what is possibly the world’s worst community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado.
Watch from S1 E1
11.White Collar(2009)
8.2CrimeDramaMystery
In exchange for his freedom, charming con artist Neal Caffrey provides his expertise to help straight-man FBI agent Peter Burke catch elusive white-collar criminals.
Watch from S1 E1
12.Warehouse 13(2009)
7.7Sci-Fi & FantasyComedyAction & Adventure
After saving the life of the President, two secret service agents - Myka Bering and Pete Lattimer - find themselves assigned to the top secret Warehouse 13. The Warehouse is a massive, top secret facility that houses dangerous and fantastical objects. Together, Pete and Myka along with fellow agents Claudia, Steve…
Watch from S1 E1
13.Lie to Me(2009)
7.9CrimeDramaMystery
The world's leading deception researcher, Dr. Cal Lightman, studies facial expression, body language and tone of voice to determine when a person is lying and why, which helps law enforcement and government agencies uncover the truth. But his skills also make it easier for him to deceive others.
Watch from S1 E1
14.Nurse Jackie(2009)
7.1DramaComedy
Every day is a matter of life and death in a hectic New York City hospital, but for Nurse Jackie that's the easiest part. Between chronic back pain that won't quit, and a personal life on the constant edge of collapse, it's going to take a white lie here, a bent rule there, and a handful of secret strategies to…
Watch from S1 E1
15.Cougar Town(2009)
6.5Comedy
Jules Cobb is a mom in her forties facing the often humorous challenges, pitfalls and rewards of life's next chapter. Along for the journey is her son, her ex-husband, her husband/neighbor and her friends who together make up her dysfunctional, but supportive and caring extended family... even if they have a funny…
Watch from S1 E1
16.The League(2009)
7.4Comedy
The League is an American sitcom and semi-improvised comedy about a about a fantasy football league and its members and their everyday lives.
Watch from S1 E1
17.Drop Dead Diva(2009)
7.7ComedyDrama
A shallow model suddenly dies in an accident only to find her soul resurfacing in the body of a brilliant, plus-sized attorney.
Watch from S1 E1
18.The Listener(2009)
6.9Action & AdventureCrimeDrama
Toby Logan is a highly skilled paramedic with a secret – he can read minds. Toby never really knew his parents and grew up in foster care, this coupled with his secret, which he shares with no one, has made him a bit of a loner. Until now, Toby has kept his ability hidden, exploring its possibilities only with his…
Watch from S1 E1
19.Royal Pains(2009)
6.8ComedyDrama
A young E.R. doctor who, after being wrongly blamed for a patient's death, moves to the Hamptons and becomes the reluctant "doctor for hire" to the rich and famous. When the attractive administrator of the local hospital asks him to treat the town's less fortunate, he finds himself walking the line between doing well…
Watch from S1 E1
20.The Garfield Show(2009)
6.5AnimationComedyKids
Your favorite lazy, fat cat is at it again. Garfield, Odie, Jon and the rest of the gang are back for more funny misadventures. Whether he's scarfing down lasagna or tricking Nermal the kitten, Garfield is guaranteed to crack you up. But remember: He hates Mondays!
Watch from S1 E1
21.The Cleveland Show(2009)
5.9ComedyAnimation
The bizarre adventures of Cleveland Brown and his family.
Watch from S1 E1
22.Party Down(2009)
7.5Comedy
A group of struggling actors and dysfunctional dreamers wait for their big break while they are stuck serving hors d'oeurves for a Hollywood catering company 'Party Down.'
Watch from S1 E1
23.Stargate Universe(2009)
7.4Sci-Fi & FantasyAction & AdventureDrama
The adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient spaceship Destiny many billions of light years distant from the Milky Way Galaxy. They evacuated there and are now trying to figure out a way to return to Earth, while simultaneously trying to explore and to survive in their…
Watch from S1 E1
24.Southland(2009)
7.9Drama
A raw and authentic look into the Los Angeles crime scene, going far inside the lives of cops, criminals, victims and their families. The show centers on four main characters: Officer John Cooper, a seasoned cop who will have to prove himself again after recovering from surgery; Officer Ben Sherman, who still has…
Watch from S1 E1
25.Dollhouse(2009)
7.2Action & AdventureDramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
Echo is a member of a highly illegal and underground group of individuals whose personalities have been wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas. Confined between missions to a secret facility known as the Dollhouse, the "Actives" are hired by the wealthy, powerful and connected to wholly…
Watch from S1 E1
26.30 for 30(2009)
7.5Documentary
30 for 30 is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This currently includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series under the ESPN Films Presents title in 2011–2012, and a series of 30…
Watch from S1 E1
27.Dinosaur Train(2009)
6.5AnimationKidsSci-Fi & Fantasy
Join Buddy, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and his adoptive Pteranodon family on a whimsical voyage through prehistoric jungles, swamps, volcanoes and oceans, as they unearth basic concepts in life science, natural history and paleontology.
Watch from S1 E1
28.Misfits(2009)
7.6Sci-Fi & FantasyDramaComedy
When five young outsiders on Community Service get caught in a strange storm, they discover that they have developed superpowers.
Watch from S1 E1
29.Law & Order: UK(2009)
7.0Drama
Adapted from the hit US series, Law & Order: UK follows a team of police detectives and prosecutors representing the public interest in the criminal justice system.
Watch from S1 E1
30.FlashForward(2009)
7.0Sci-Fi & FantasyDrama
When the entire world blacks out for two minutes and seventeen seconds, everyone sees a flash of their own future 6 months from the present. For some, the future is hopeful, while for others, it is unexpected. For a few, it doesn't seem to exist. Knowing their fate will alter each person's life, destinies will be…
Watch from S1 E1
31.The Super Hero Squad Show(2009)
7.5Action & AdventureAnimationComedy
The Super Hero Squad Show is an American cartoon series by Marvel Animation. It is based on the Marvel Super Hero Squad action figure line from Hasbro, which portray the Avengers, the X-Men, and various other characters of the Marvel Universe in a cartoonish super-deformed-style. It is also a self-aware parody of the…
Watch from S1 E1
32.Eastbound & Down(2009)
7.4ComedyDrama
Years after he turned his back on his hometown, a burned-out major league ballplayer returns to teach phys ed at his old middle school.
Watch from S1 E1
33.V(2009)
6.8Sci-Fi & FantasyDrama
A re-imagining of the 1980s miniseries about the world's first encounter with an alien race in which the aliens call themselves The Visitors, and have a seemingly friendly agenda that may or may not be a cover for something more malevolent.
Watch from S1 E1
34.Fanboy and Chum Chum(2009)
5.7AnimationAction & AdventureComedy
Fanboy and Chum Chum are fans of all things science fiction and fantasy, and wear wild superhero costumes with their underwear on the outside. Their lives are filled with adventure, from Fanboy's teacher turning into a zombie to an ice monster operating the Frosty Freezy Freeze machine. Their pal Kyle usually tags…
Watch from S1 E1
35.Big Time Rush(2009)
8.6ComedyKids
Four teenage friends move from Minneapolis to Los Angeles to form a potential chart-topping boy band after Kendall is inadvertently discovered by an eccentric record executive, Gustavo Rocque. As they seize this opportunity of a lifetime, these friends embark on an exciting comedy and music-filled journey to prove to…
Watch from S1 E1
36.Horrible Histories(2009)
8.0FamilyComedy
Based on the best-selling children's books and liberally splattered with guts, blood and poo, a group of British comedians offer an anarchic and unconventional take on some of history's most gruesome and funny moments, with topics including the Stone Age, the Middle Ages, the Egyptians and the Romans, among others.
Watch from S1 E1
37.Hung(2009)
6.5Comedy
Desperate times call for desperate measures and Ray Drecker's situation couldn't be much tougher. The former high school sports legend turned middle-aged high school basketball coach is divorced and struggling to provide for his kids when his already run-down house catches fire. Looking to take on a second job, Ray…
Watch from S1 E1
38.Sonny with a Chance(2009)
7.7ComedyFamily
Allison "Sonny" Munroe makes the leap from the Midwest to Los Angeles to join the cast of "So Random!," the most popular sketch comedy TV show for kids and tweens. Her fellow young actors are resident teen queen Tawni, super suave Nico, gregarious funnyman Grady and quirky Zora. Now Sonny must somehow balance these…
Watch from S1 E1
39.Being Erica(2009)
6.6Sci-Fi & FantasyDramaComedy
Erica Strange has tons of regrets in her young life - so many she's started a list. But when she shares her list with her therapist, he undertakes an unusual course of treatment: she is transported back in time and given the chance to make different decisions at pivotal moments in her life, based on her knowledge of…
Watch from S1 E1
40.Being Human(2009)
7.1Sci-Fi & FantasyDramaMystery
Deciding to turn over a new leaf, a group of friends who also happen to be vampires and werewolves move into a house together, only to find that it is haunted by ghosts of people who have been killed under mysterious circumstances. As they deal with the challenges of being supernatural creatures, their desire to be…
Watch from S1 E1