What I Like About You Is An Underrated WB Relic Worth Revisiting On HBO Max

Just days after welcoming us back to Everwood, HBO Max has gifted fans of the late, great WB network with access to another throwback treasure. That's right, folks — all four seasons of What I Like About You are now streaming.

If you're at all familiar with this underrated Jennie Garth-Amanda Bynes comedy, we have to assume that you fall into one of two categories: either you watched it during its initial run on The WB (2002–2006), or you caught reruns between Degrassi marathons on TeenNick in the early 2010s. Either way, welcome. You're among friends.

There's nothing especially remarkable about the show's premise — a wild child (Bynes) moves in with her uptight older sister (Garth) in New York City — but its solid comedic rhythm and likable ensemble (featuring names that TVLine readers already know and love!) earned it cult status. A casualty of The WB's merger with UPN, the show also serves as a delightful time capsule of the mid-aughts, a time period for which we never expected to feel nostalgic.

(One grievance: For reasons beyond reason, HBO Max has swapped out the original theme song — Lilix's rendition of "What I Like About You" — for some royalty-free garbage that not even Shazam can identify. Fortunately, you can view the original opening title sequences here and here.)

Scroll down for just a few reasons why this under-appreciated comedy deserves a second look, then drop a comment with some of your own below.

It's easy to forget just how much of a presence Bynes was, both in TV and film, before developments in her personal life derailed her acting career. Viewers of a certain age mainly remember the actress for her work on Nickelodeon's All That and The Amanda Show, but she was never better than she was as Val's free-spirited younger sister Holly — a role that should have led to additional sitcom gigs after WILAY ended in 2006.

With standout roles in recent seasons of American Horror Story, Leslie Grossman has been enjoying a well-deserved renaissance on the small screen as of late. But true tastemakers have been riding the Grossman train since her WB days — first as the iconic Mary Cherry on Ryan Murphy's Popular (1999–2001), then as What I Like About You's Lauren. No last name needed.

The perfect comedic foil to Garth's straight-laced Val, Grossman is fully in her element on this show. Frankly, it's hard to imagine that WILAY ever existed without her (which is why we wouldn't blame you for skipping straight to Season 2 when she was made a series regular).

WILAY took a melodramatic turn in Season 2 when a pre-Legends of Tomorrow Nick Zano was added to the mix, throwing a wrench in Holly and Henry's seemingly solid romance. Henry was a super nice guy and all — remember when he pulled an all-nighter and helped Holly rewrite the essay that landed her a summer internship in Paris? — but there was no denying how much more chemistry Holly had with Vince.

It took a while for them to find each other, but it sure was fun watching them get there — 'ya know, except for that whole Ben arc. That wasn't fun.

Before the Peach Pit gang reunited for Fox's quasi-revival BH90210 in 2019, Garth recruited three of her former West Beverly High sweethearts to appear on WILAY.

In Season 1, Ian Ziering guest-starred as New York Philharmonic business associate Paul Cody.

Two years later, the late Luke Perry recurred as Val's former fling, Todd the Plumber. The Season 3 finale led us to believe that Val and Todd got hitched in a drunken Las Vegas wedding, but the following premiere revealed that Val had actually married her former boss, Vic.

In the fourth and final season, Jason Priestley appeared in two episodes as Charlie. Val dated him in an attempt to make Vic jealous, but the plan backfired when she realized Charlie was a total nutcase.

WILAY also hosted a bevy of your favorite teen stars, including John Mayer Penn Badgley (Gossip Girl, YOU), Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights), Megan Fox (the Transformers films), Jessica Szohr (Gossip Girl), Danneel Ackles (One Tree Hill, Supernatural), JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Reba, Privileged) and Jesse McCartney (Summerland) — just to name a few.

In addition to performing One Tree Hill's iconic theme song "I Don't Want to Be," the early-aughts piano man blessed us with "More Than Anyone," which WILAY used during some of its most dramatic moments. Take, for instance, when Rick showed up at Val's door, unable to go through with his wedding to Julie. Or when Vince surprised Holly on her flight to Paris. DeGraw even showed up to perform "More Than Anyone" at Val and Rick's disastrous Season 3 nuptials. (Suffice it to say, the music supervisor on WILAY loved DeGraw more than anyone.)

The WB wasn't just a network. It was a concept. A way of life. And we must each do our part to keep its memory alive.