Synthetic pathways leading to tellurium‐ and selenium‐containing heterocycles are summarized for the period 1995 to the present. In addition, the utility of various tellurium‐ and selenium‐containing heterocycles are summarized. Primarily, the synthesis of tellurium‐ and selenium‐containing heterocycles of five‐ and six‐membered rings are described with various degrees of unsaturation, as well as their benzo‐fused analogues. In particular, the syntheses of selenophenes , tellurophenes and their mono‐ and dibenzo‐fused analogues are described. Similarly, syntheses of tellurazoles, selenazoles, telluradiazoles, selenadiazoles and their benzo‐fused analogues are described. Among the six‐membered rings, synthetic routes to telluropyrans and selenopyrans and their benzo analogues are described. Further degrees of unsaturation provide the telluropyrylium and selenopyrylium compounds and their benzo‐ and dibenzo‐fused analogues. Synthetic routes to chalcogenopyrylium compounds, chalcogenorosamine compounds and chalcogenorhodamine compounds are described and some of the uses of these materials are also provided. A review of synthetic routes to the core‐modified porphyrins—21‐chalcogenoporphyrins and 21,23‐dichalcogenoporphyrins—is also provided. Porphyrin‐like molecules with an expanded structure of five or six‐membered rings in the porphyrin core are also reviewed.