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TV Shows Turning 20 in 2019

We Can't Believe These 20 Shows Came Out 20 Years Ago

It feels like just yesterday we were marveling over The Matrix, trying to learn the dance in Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time," reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and wasting hours on our Sega Dreamcasts. But it turns out 1999 was actually nearly 20 years ago, and if that didn't send shivers down your spine, we don't know what will.

While you calm down from that initial shock, we have even more surprising news: these 20 shows are celebrating their 20th birthdays in 2019 (that is to say they all debuted their first episodes in 1999), and we cannot believe it. But, in the words of Cher, "If I could turn back time, if I could find a way, I'd probably rewatch all these shows most of my day." We might be embellishing, but you get the gist.

Keep reading for the jaw-dropping list of shows turning 20.

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1. Strangers With Candy

Before they were comedy legends, Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert were pushing comedic boundaries in this hilarious show.

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2. SpongeBob SquarePants

It's a true testament to creator Stephen Hillenburg's genius that this show continues to be relevant even 20 years later with its jelly-fishing dances, Krabby Patty chants, and Squidward one-liners.

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3. Divorce Court

If you think about it, Divorce Court was one of the first reality shows ever, and Judge Voltaire Perkins is still one of our favourite reality TV judges.

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4. Ed, Edd, n Eddy

We spent a lot of hours watching this show on Cartoon Network, especially since it ran for nine years. Our only question is, whatever happened to Plank?

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5. Family Guy

It's hard to believe that Family Guy has been on the air for nearly 20 years, especially since Peter, Lois, Meg, Chris, and Stewie haven't aged a bit.

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6. Futurama

We miss hearing Billy West's vocals in Futurama, but Matt Groening's futuristic TV show continues to live on in our hearts.

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7. Judging Amy

A unique spin on an American legal drama, Judging Amy pulled us in with its compelling and heartwarming characters.

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8. Law and Order: Special Victims Unit

Dear Mariska Hargitay, please tell us your anti-ageing routine because there's no way this show has been on for 20 years.

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9. The Parkers

Yvette Wilson, Mo'Nique, and Countess Vaughn made up one of the most hilarious casts of all time in this UPN show. (Remember UPN?!)

10. Passions

It seems like just yesterday we were skipping school to watch our favourite soap opera. From fake pregnancies to eerie deaths, this show had it all.

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11. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

We'll never get over the rush of making it to that upper tier of questions on Regis Philbin's game show, but we still can't decide who we would list as our Phone a Friend.

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12. The Amanda Show

Before Amanda Bynes was stealing our hearts in She's The Man, she had one of the very first sketch comedy shows on television. Court dismissed, bring in the dancing lobsters.

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13. Angel

Does it get more '90s than David Boreanaz? His Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff series was one of our favourite spin-offs ever.

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14. Blind Date

We miss cringing at the awkward first dates on Blind Date, and we truly loved host Roger Lodge's hilarious commentary.

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15. Freaks and Geeks

This show starring Busy Phillips, Jason Segal, James Franco, and many more truly started a movement. Paul Feig and Judd Apatow created one of the most timeless teen comedies of all time, and for that we are thankful.

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16. The Man Show

Now that Jimmy Kimmel is hosting his late night show, it's hard to remember that he actually made a name for himself on The Man Show with Adam Carolla.

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17. Roswell

Jason Behr might have been one of our favourite things about 1999. This show also cemented our love for Tabasco sauce, and brought us Katherine Heigl.

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18. The Sopranos

The Sopranos premiered on HBO nearly 20 years ago, and nothing was the same. We don't exactly miss the heart-racing insomnia that followed after watching each episode, but we do miss our favourite crime family.

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19. The West Wing

Before there was House of Cards, there was The West Wing. Martin Sheen, John Spencer, Robe Lowe, Allison Janney, Bradley Whitford, and Richard Schiff knew how to make a political drama work.

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20. So Weird

What's so weird is that this Disney Channel show premiered almost 20 years ago. Did you know that cast member Eric Lively is actually Blake Lively's brother? Talk about a legacy.

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