Top 10 TV Shows of the `2000s

[Neverending]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091127/..._decade_series

10. Modern Family
09. Lost
08. 24
07. 30 Rock
06. Mad Men
05. Damages
04. The Shield
03. Curb Your Enthusiasm
02. The West Wing
01. The Sopranos

[thebtskink]

Damages, Modern Family, and 30 Rock making that list I don't quite agree with.

I would've put the Wire down fore sure.

[JBond]

I like Modern Family, but it's had 8 episodes so far...

[IanTheCool]

I'm happy to see West Wing at 2. But i agree with btskink. modern family?? that just started! 30 Rock does not deserve to be there before the Office. And the absence of The Wire is strange.

I must say, this is decade has certainly been one of the best, if not the best, for TV.

[Neverending]

Originally Posted by JBond

I like Modern Family, but it's had 8 episodes so far...

They should have replaced it with Scrubs.

[krushgroove19]

Eh, I'd rather see 30 Rock there than the American version of the Office. And I'd rather see almost anything on there than Modern Family.

Well, maybe not According to Jim...

[Tornado]

Modern Family? Where is BSG?

[sshuttari]

WTF? How the hell does Modern Family make it. But no Office.

If anything the style of the show is a complete rip off of The Office.

Dumb list pass.

[Dracula]

Modern Family is definately a rediculous choice, that's not even the best new sitcom of 2009 (that would be Community). 30 Rock is also over-rated, it's good but I have no idea why the people of the world have decided to carpet-bomb that show with praise and emmys. Damages probably shouldn't be there either, there was a big dip in quality during the second season. I'm not even so sure about 24 to tell the truth, those first two seasons had some really stupid stuff in them and the show started to wear out its welcome soon thereafter. The Wire not being there is some kind of crime agaisnt humanity

[IanTheCool]

Alright, I'm going to give my top ten of the decade list.

10. Entourage (HBO)



HBO's hit comedy about the day-to-day life of a movie star has become one of those consistant, comfortable comedies whose characters feel like old friends to revisit each season.


9. Corner Gas (CTV)



Though many have not heard of this show, as it is a Canadian-made comedy about a town in Saskatchewan, it is a wonderfully fresh and funny show with a cast of great comic characters.


8. Planet Earth (BBC)



There has never been a nature show as well-crafted and as visually spectacular as this. It is the ultimate epic when it comes to informational programming, exploring the vast reaches of our home called Earth like no one has done before.


7. 24 (FOX)



24 was a fresh, new concept that worked. But setting the show in real-time was just the hook; it was the intensity of Jack Bauer and the everything-on-the-line tension which made this show a hit. Sure it could feel very contrived at times, but it always delivers gripping and sometimes shocking moments.


6. Battlestar Galactica (SCI-FI)



Who would have thought that the remake of a cheesy old Sci-Fi show would have any effect on the TV landscape at all? Well, Battlestar Galactica did by delivering great characters, deep themes, and strong emotions. This was a sci-fi show which took itself seriously, and therefore was able to get audiences to as well, creating a wonderful television space saga.


5. The Office (NBC)



What? They're going to try to remake another British TV show? It'll never work. Oh wait a minute... The American vision of the hilarious show The Office was able to take the brilliance of the original and really make it its own, giving minor characters their own niche and playing up the emotionaldev elopment of the characters. And let's face it; Steve Carrell is downright amazing.


4. Band of Brothers (HBO)



This ten-episode series told the tale of Easy Company in the Second World War, documenting its march across Nazi-occupied Europe. The battle scenes were incredible and the detail in which the war was depicted was stunning. We grew to care for each of the characters, who start out as almost faceless soldiers but become dear friends by the end. A specatular feat of television story-telling.


3. The Office (BBC)



Yes, the American Office has gone on tosix seasons of success and one fo the most popular shows of the decade, but the original still remains the better of the two. The sarcasm and wit of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Marchant's comedy is unsurpassed. David Brent is simply one of the greatest characters in the television pantheon, and practially every moment of the show's short run is comedic gold.


2. Lost (ABC)



Lost is everything I want in a TV show; an exotic location, a serial storyline, unexplained mysteries and complex entanglements, and deep and well-defined characters. Everything comes together so well in this show, you keep thinking they have to drop the ball at some point, but they never do. This is simply one of the greatest shows television has ever offered.


1. The West Wing (NBC)



The West Wing is perhaps the best TV has to offer (other than the early seasons of The Simpsons). It is witty, dramatic, well-acted, well-directed, and written like no other show has ever been written. It is genius on almost every level. The show has ade style changes through its seven years, moving from a more light-hearted dream vision of the White House, to a more dramatic and tense tone later on during a tough presidential election. I simply cannot get enough of The West Wing.

[donny]

Wow, what an awful list. Not yours Ian, the original posted one. No Wire, or Arrested Development? And Modern Family? While its a funny show, it has no place on this. Terrible stuff.

I might sue them for stupidity. I can do that, right?

[iv3rdawG]

I'll post a list of my top 10 in a bit. Should be a lot easier to do than films, and they'll only consist of shows that had a majority of their run in 2000 or later (ex: Futurama). And yeah, that list is not very good at all. No Sunny either.

[Tornado]

I'll do a list later too.

[IanTheCool]

Originally Posted by iv3rdawG

And yeah, that list is not very good at all. No Sunny either.

My list? Or the other list?

[iv3rdawG]

The other list.

[Dracula]

F--k it, I'll do one.

10.
Farscape

This is a sci-fi show that's been undeservedly forgotten to some extent, largely because it's been living in the shadow of Battlestar Galactica and Firefly, but it had none of the overbearing pretentions of the former and it's witty banter was a lot better than the later. This is a very fun show that gave a real shot in the arm to the traditional Star Trek voyage in space format.

9.
The Office (U.S.)

I'll admit I've never seen the UK version of this show, which is something I plan on doing if this version ever ends and I need a fix, but I highly doubt that the 12 episodes of that are going to add up to everything that's been great about the many seasons of laughter that this has provided. It's telling just how much influence this has had on the shows that have come afterwards with its verite style, and there's also something pretty marvelous about have a feature film caliber comedic talent like Steve Carrell on TV every week.

8.
Six Feet Under

When you think about it, almost every TV comedy that gets made is either about either a family or a social circle and almost every TV drama that gets made is about people with some sort of interesting job. So with this dramedy we have a show about a family that has an interesting job, but both the family and the job are strange. The idea of a show about a funeral parlor is way out of left field, but it really works and I must say I really cared about this dysfunctional family by the end of this shows run, and the finale is one of the best ever.

7.
Lost

The ranking of this one could go up or down depending on how the upcoming final season pans out, but this is really a pretty important show in the realm of bringing twisty shows with seasons that build upon themselves to the masses. Sure you could say this format was done a decade earlier by Babylon Five, but this one didn't in a remarkably accessible way. No show has had us texting "WTF" as consistantly as this show.

6.
Curb Your Enthusiasm

I mentioned earlier that The Office was important in spreading the cinema verite style into sitcoms, well, they actually got it from here. Larry David clearly wasn't done pointing out the minutia of life when Seinfeld wrapped, so now he's delivered a show that does much the same thing but turns the crumugunry up to eleven. The improvised comedy here is brilliant, the self reflexive meta-ness is endlessly interesting, and the elaborate scripts that turn in on themselve are every bit as good as they were in Seinfeld.

5.
The Sopranos

It's not often that a work of high art can cross over into mainstream popular culture, but when it happens it is sweet. There are shows higher on this list which I love and which TV geeks love, but which the average person on the street may well have never heard of, there aren't too many people in my life who will understand a Jimmy McNulty reference but everyone Knows who Tony Soprano is.

4.
It's Always Sunny in Philedelphia

I have a sense of humor that tends toward the dark side, I'm the kind of guy who like to see comedians go the the very ends of good taste and take no prisoners, and on TV there really just isn't a whole lot that can really satisfy that kind of sensibility. Then there's IASIP, a show that has done everything it possibly can to transgress any notions of decency. If you thought that the gang from Seinfeld were a bunch of narcisistic a-holes, you've got to check out the crew of sociopaths who inhabit this show. Even if this weren't the most pitch black of comedies out there I think it would still be an awesome show just because the cast has an amazing chemistry. I laugh my ass off at almost every episode of this, and it may be blasphemy to say it, but this might just be the funniest show ever.

3.
The Shield

This show is not only awesome but also a very important show in the developement of original televison on non-premium cable. In a sense, the troubles that broadcast television is having now can be traced back to the success of this show. The Shield hit the ground running with it's amazing groundbreaking pilot that ended on a shocking twist, and the energy carried through to its relentless first season. What's all the more amazing is that the show never seemed to jump the shark, in fact it matured with age rather than tying to up the shocking ante. It had already cemented it's status by the excellent final season and topped it all with possibly the best series finale I know of.

2.
Mad Men

Maybe I'm just high off the great third season that just aired, but this show just never ceases to amaze me both in its intelligence and its consistancey. Even The Sopranos and the Shield had their weak episodes and misjudged plotlines, but Mad Men has never seemed to have a misstep, every damn minute of it is superb. A lot of this generations great shows have ended in the last couple years, but Mad Men has grabbed the flag and filled the void, believe the hype.

1.
The Wire

Calling The Wire the greatest show of all time is almost cliche at this point, but it also happens to be true. People talk about realism all the time, this show puts to shame just about anything that claims to be realistic. The amount of worldly wisdom on display here is amazing, David Simon clearly knows the systems that run the world and he's not afraid to call them out for their bulls--t. Every season of this show is like a great novel come to life, that's another cliche, but dammit it's also true. The show tells a great story, it has enduring characters, the dialouge is great, the filmmaking is great, the political insight is amazing. This show has it all.

[IanTheCool]

Great summaries Dracula.

That Suny in Philidelphia show just does not sound like a show I would like. Its humour sounds like it would be a lot like South Park humour (would I be right in that assessment?) which I despise.

[Dracula]

Originally Posted by IanTheCool

Great summaries Dracula.

That Suny in Philidelphia show just does not sound like a show I would like. Its humour sounds like it would be a lot like South Park humour (would I be right in that assessment?) which I despise.

Hmmm, there is a certian boldness that the humor shares with South Park, but it isn't as topical and it isn't (quite) as absurdist. One of the show's earliest taglines was "it's like Seinfeld on crack" that's probably the best comparison I can think of. I think I also compared the movie to Slap Shot once, the characters from the that movie let loose upon the world or something like that. If you really want to check it out there should be some free episodes up at fxnetwork.com.

[Tornado]

10. 24
9. Angel
8. The Office
7. Scrubs
6. The Sopranos
5. Arrested Development
4. Smallville
3 - 1. Sort of a three-way tie between Lost, BSG, and Dexter (it's Lost most of the time though)

[IanTheCool]

Tornado, I was sure you would have put Lost as 1.

[sshuttari]

Green man!

[Tornado]

Lost pre-Season 5 would have been #1 by itself. While I enjoyed the season, it didn't quite meet my hopes/expectations.

[iv3rdawG]

For some of the shows that you're watching or don't want to be spoiled for some, like Battlestar, don't watch the clips. Also, I didn't include shows that were on almost everyday (Conan, Letterman, AOTS) and I considered Freaks and Geeks a 90s show. Honorable mentions: Big Love, Dead Like Me, Greg the Bunny, Jackass, 30 Rock, 24, Mad Men, Fringe, The Big Bang Theory, The Office (U.S.), Family Guy (for it's first two seasons), The Sopranos, Dexter, Weeds, Spaced, Mythbusters, and Grey's Anatomy (for it's first two seasons).

10. Chuck (2007-Present; NBC)



Every one of these shows on my list I didn't watch when it started, except for Chuck. I had little expectations going into Chuck, just essentially watching and waiting for the then great show Heroes to start. Who knew that during these two shows' seasons, Heroes would have one of the biggest downfalls of any television shows that I can remember, and Chuck became a fan favorite. After a good first season, Chuck's second season went above and beyond with some very funny guests, an excellent season story arc and a very funny and talented, relatively unknown cast.

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

9. The Soup (2004-Present; E!)



The Soup is very different from all the other shows on my list. There's really no other show on TV that does what The Soup does, and if they tried to, they failed (Best Week Ever). In front of a green screen, Joel McHale takes the "best" clips from a wide array of TV shows that week, introduces the clip and then bashes on it. Clips from shows that you wouldn't even have known about are brought to your attention and shown how stupid they really are in this hilarious show that keeps on giving.

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

8. Entourage (2004-Present; HBO)


Entourage presents you with a life that most people wouldn't mind living. Usually having the season centered around one movie that Vince is working on, Entourage deals with the woes of working in Hollywood by switching between the Guys (Vince, E, Drama and Turtle) and Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven), Vince's agent. There's a lot to love about this show but what really propelled it into being just another throw away show was the presence of Piven and his outlandish character that in a weird way, makes him likable.

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

7. The Office (BBC) (2001-2003; BBC Two)



I started watching the BBC version of The Office after the U.S. one started up. After watching the BBC version, I really didn't want to go near the other one. I didn't want to tarnish whatever Gervais had created in this genius piece of comedy. Only 14 episodes and a special, that's really all it needed. Gervais got out everything that he wanted to tell and that was just fine with me. Even with the American version of The Office, there's really nothing quite like the BBC version of The Office. Michael Scott is good, but David Brent is the king of awkward.

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

6. Arrested Development (2003-2006; FOX)



It can be argued that Arrested Development had the greatest cast on a television show this decade. It took a group of new and old actors and created one of the most dysfunctional families in TV. But out of this came one of the funniest shows ever made. Week after week fans waited to see what would happen with the Bluth family, and it rarely ever disappointed.

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

5. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005-Present; FX)


Oh, Sunny. I picked up on this show right before Season 3 and its popularity didn't seem to be that big at the time. In the last year it seems like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has exploded. It's been compared to Seinfeld, maybe because it's somewhat unlikeable characters, or maybe just because it has a way of connecting all of its story lines together in the end. These are people that you wouldn't want to hang around with, but you love watching them and their crazy antics every week. Either way, Sunny has some of the best episodes of a comedy that I can remember and has created some of the funniest characters ever.

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

4. Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-Present; HBO)



There seemed to be a void in the Seinfeld-esque comedy television shows since Seinfeld actually went off the air. Well, who else to bring back that kind of show than the co-creator of Seinfeld, Larry David. David surrounds himself with great comedic actors who some of which play themselves (Richard Lewis, Ted Danson) while others take on different roles (Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines). There really wasn't that much known about David when the Pilot for Curb was released and that showed a somewhat disgruntled man trying to create a comedy special for HBO, even though he didn't want to. This became the frame for Curb Your Enthusiasm and over the years it has presented outlandish scenarios that you really wouldn't think of yourself, even though a lot of the time they might happen to you.

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

3. Futurama (1999-2003; FOX)



It feels like next to Lost, the biggest fan following from a TV series came from Futurama. This could have been credited due to its cancellation from FOX, but I like to think of it having that because of its brilliance. When The Simpsons seemed to be slowing down, Groening and Cohen stayed on with it, but created their side project that would bring fresh, funny and imaginative stories to this new show. Yes Futurama was primarily a comedy, but some of its most memorable episodes are those that packed a dramatic punch. With very talented voice actors, Futurama didn't feel like a normal animated show, and it still doesn't now that were a decade since it's first episode was aired.

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

2. Lost (2004-Present; ABC)



Lost is easily the "biggest" show of the decade. I mean this in the way that it has created such a huge fan base that I really didn't think could happen on a television show. Lost presented the audience with something we really hadn't seen before. A flashback for almost every episode for a cast that had dozens of characters. "Oh I wish this week we saw a Jack flashback." some people might have said, but instead we got that Hurley episode 18 episodes in that would set up a major part of the series. It's created and sparked conversations, theories and summaries of every episode and character throughout it's five seasons and 100+ episode run. Every week Lost fans flock to talk to one another, whether it be parents and their kids, friends, siblings, everyone seems to be talking about Lost when it's on the air. It's going to be interesting when Lost finally goes off the air, to see if and when another show of this magnitude comes around again and if it even is able to create the same kind of fan frenzy that the creators of Lost have made.

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

1. Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009; Sci-Fi)



Battlestar Galactica was the show that for me, never really seemed to falter. Yes there may have been filler episodes here and there but they were entertaining. Nothing felt like a chore when watching BSG. You would think that a show that involved a nuclear holocaust, rape, suicide, and murder wouldn't even be considered for a time slot on a major cable network. Sci-Fi took a chance on Ronald D. Moore's re-imagination of the 70s TV show, and he made it into much more than your run of the mill Sci-Fi show. Much like Lost, Battlestar incorporated dozens of characters into its show but almost always found ways to have them be present throughout the show's 4 season run. It had the most cinematic feel out of any of the TV shows that I have listed, with its sweeping, epic soundtrack created by Bear McCreary and grim subject matter. People may complain about how dark Battlestar Galactica gets, especially in the last season, but as I have already stated, I commend Moore and the producers of Battlestar Galactica for going beyond the boundaries of what they thought most audiences would find appealing, and creating what they wanted. Like the BBC version of The Office, Battlestar ended before it overstayed its welcome. And it was the right time to let go of one of the greatest pieces of television ever created.

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

[IanTheCool]

Good list Iver.

[Project Mayhem]

I can't believe it took so long for someone to mention the Wire and it was still over looked by everyone else.

the Wire is not only the greatest show of the decade, it is the greatest show of all time.