10 Pop Culture Phenomena From The 2000s That Still Resonate: From Twilight To The Office
From Twilight to The Office, these 2000s pop culture milestones still shape fandoms and entertainment today. Discover the icons that continue to resonate.
10 Pop Culture Juggernauts that are 20 years old in 2025 ( Photo Credit – Netflix, Amazon Prime Video )
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2005 was a big year for pop culture. Twilight, Supernatural, and Percy Jackson are among the epic series celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. These pieces of media redefined what fandom and popular culture meant when they were released and continue to do so to this day.
Expanding beyond text, television, and film, these pop culture phenomena that turned 20 created a legacy that continues to draw in fans to date, with growing online fandoms and conventions.
Twilight (Book)
Date of release: October 5, 2005
Creator: Stephanie Meyer
Plot: When Meyer wrote the first draft about a vampire falling in love with a human based on a dream, she could’ve scarcely imagined Twilight’s tremendous impact today. In the book, Bella moves to Forks, and is attracted to Edward, who is a vampire. They fall in love, and must fight to stay together.
The book led to sequels and an ultra-successful movie franchise with an ensemble cast. Meyer followed up the series with a retelling from Edward’s perspective, Midnight Sun, which Netflix is adapting into an animated series.
Twilight celebrates its 20th anniversary this November with all five movies re-releasing in US theatres, a true snowballing of the vampire genre since 2005.
— er is going back to badlands 10/14🌵❤️🔥 (@downbadforchap) August 27, 2025
Supernatural (TV series)
Date of release: September 13, 2005
Creator: Eric Kripke
Plot: Clad in plaid, seated in a 1967 Chevrolet Impala, and blasting classic rock, Sam and Dean Winchester burst into our television screens 20 years ago. Featuring two brothers hunting monsters across America, Kripke originally envisaged Supernatural as an anthology, but changed his mind after seeing Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles together onscreen.
The cast is very active in fan conventions, and recently spoke about how the show has stayed alive for so long thanks to the SPN family (fans included). As 15th on the Nielsen Top 20 streaming programs list five years after ending, Supernatural has had a lasting impact on pop culture to date. A spin-off, The Winchesters, also began airing in 2022.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (Book series)
Date of release: July 1, 2005
Creator: Rick Riordian
Plot: Percy Jackson is an ordinary eleven year-old, until he discovers that his father is the Greek god Poseidon. He must travel to Camp Half Blood, and find out who stole Zeus’ master bolt so he can see his mother again.
Rick Riordian opened Pandora’s box with the book, creating a book series, spin-offs, movies, and a Disney+ series. With effortless inclusivity and diverse characters, including our favorite characters from Greek mythology (such as the Minotaur, Medusa, and a host of Greek gods), the first book and the subsequent expansion of the Percy Jackson universe has stood the test of time, and how!
Plot: A mockumentary-style sitcom set in the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, The Office features an eccentric staff, headed by Regional Manager, Michael Scott. An ensemble cast, a unique format, and extremely meme-able screengrabs has ensured the longevity of the show long after it stopped airing in 2013.
Based on the British show of the same name created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, it is now considered a classic. The actors have released podcasts (Office Ladies and The Office Deep Dive), and a spin-off, The Paper, was released on September 4, 2025.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (Animated TV series)
Date of release: February 21, 2005
Creator: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko
Plot: Combining elements of Asian animations and culture with Western-style art, Avatar: The Last Airbender is the story of Aang, the last survivor of the Air Nomads, who is the master (bender) of all four elements i.e. air, water, fire, and earth, known as the Avatar.
With groundbreaking writing, covering topics unheard of in children’s television, Avatar is often considered one of the best animated television series ever created. As with others on this list, a spin-off show (The Legend of Korra) started after the show ended, and comic series, novels, a movie, and a live-action Netflix series followed.
Plot: Meredith Grey, the original ‘pick-me’ girl speed-walked into Seattle Grace Hospital as an intern in 2005, creating one of the most iconic shows of the last twenty years that was recently renewed for its 22nd season.
Evolving into becoming a show about the lives of the doctors in the hospital, not just the interns, Grey’s is known for its heartfelt storylines, queer representation, and showing that even flawed characters can be lovable. The ensemble cast became household names, and the show occupies the 10th spot of most streamed shows in Nielsen’s rankings of the first six months of 2025.
Doctor Who revival (TV series)
Year of release: March 26, 2005
Revival showrunner: Russell T. Davies
Plot: Rose Tyler is attacked by some mannequins, and is rescued by a strange man near her workplace who then proceeds to blow it up. That’s the premise of the first episode of the Doctor Who revival, which eventually generated a cult following in the 20 years since.
One of the most loved series about a humanoid alien (The Doctor) from Gallifrey with a space-time travelling TARDIS, the show returned to British television in 2005, for a whole new era. With multiple regenerations of the Doctor, the revival might be celebrating its 20th anniversary, but it’s been 62 years since the show first aired in 1963.
Yesterday, New Who turned twenty! 🎉
Two decades since the Ninth Doctor took Rose’s hand and told her to run.
To celebrate, I’ve edited this—reliving the heroism, the horror and the heartbreak that defined a generation. And the story isn’t over yet.. 🌌 #DoctorWhopic.twitter.com/2BGtRgEJX7
Plot: It was legen-wait for it-dary when How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) first aired 20 years ago. Ted Mosby, alongside his friends, navigates New York City’s dating scene in his twenties. The overarching story revolves around telling his kids 25 years in the future the story of how he met their mom.
From countless repeat references to relatability, this sitcom has longevity beyond the 9 years it aired, and an enviable friend group. Despite its highly contended conclusion, the show is considered one of the most well-known American sitcoms to date. It also led to a short-lived spin-off, How I Met Your Father with HIMYM cast cameos.
Batman Begins (Movie)
Date of release: May 31, 2005
Director: Christopher Nolan
Plot: Perhaps the most iconic version of the suited DC superhero, Nolan’s Batman Begins cemented his place as a director to look out for in 2005. Featuring a grittier, realistic version of the Dark Knight, the film starts with his backstory, showing how his parents’ murder led to Bruce Wayne donning the mask, and eventually fighting an evil mastermind who wants to wipe out Gotham City, his hometown.
Reviving DC on cinema after campy Batman movies released in the 90s, it created a resurgence in the superhero genre. Batman Begins also led to a Nolan trilogy, the second of which featured Heath Ledger as The Joker in his swansong.
Pride & Prejudice (Movie)
Date of release: 1991
Director: Joe Wright
Plot: Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy dislike each other at first sight, but circumstances push them together as Elizabeth’s sister Jane attracts the attention of Darcy’s friend, Mr Bingley. On a rainy day, however, Mr Darcy reveals a truth that will rattle Elizabeth, and cause her to reevaluate all her prejudice about him.
Adapting a Jane Austen classic for the 21st century is no mean feat, considering the iconic 1995 series released by the BBC previously. The 2005 movie version managed to blend the much-discussed tale with fresh cinematography and some new faces to create a classic that stands on its own, attracting younger audiences to Austen.
Whether you love fantasy, romance, or a good dose of comedy, check out these 10 pieces of media celebrating their 20th anniversaries that shaped pop culture!
