Carv's Thinky Blog I'm an author with a focus on satirical science fiction.

10Dec/090

Clip Show: The Best TV of the Decade

Let's face it, this was the decade when TV got great, maybe even better than movies. For every show that made my list, there was a Firefly or Project Runway or Friday Night Lights or Deadwood or Flight of the Conchords or Glee that you'll argue should be on the list instead, and you may be right. Again, this is my list, reinforced by video clips to justify my DVR season passes. (P.S.: I've since removed those clips to hasten load times for the rest of the page.)

30 Rock -- As the Onion's A.V. Club points out, it wasn't supposed to be good, at least not as good as Aaron Sorkin's similarly themed Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Tina Fey was a funny writer but no actor--Sarah Palin was still on the horizon (see below). But 30 Rock is consistently funny, week after week, and if Alec Baldwin does retire in 2012 as he promised Playboy, it'll be as crummy a moment as the Mayans predicted.

Honorable mention: Saturday Night Live -- but only when talking about the 2008 presidential race, and really only when [Tina Fey skewered Sarah Palin.]

But I [also enjoyed] Ben Affleck as Keith Olbermann.

The Amazing Race -- Not only is the show consistently thrilling, but we also explore unfamiliar cities and cultures. It's edutainment! This is the show that taught us running at "Level Five, Level Five!" can make awesome TV.

Arrested Development -- There had never been a sitcom like it, and now there are several (e.g., Better Off Ted). Consequently, the world is a happier place. Tobias Fünke forever!

Battlestar Galactica -- Take one cheesy Star Wars knockoff. Remove everything that didn't work and a few things that did (e.g., Starbuck). Then add a big pile of awesome and the best visual effects in TV history. Repeat as necessary.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart -- The Colbert Report is hit and miss, frankly, but Stewart has literally become our most trusted newsman. Yet never has he been more emotional and flat-out necessary than on his first show back after 9/11. Don't watch this one at work; it's a tear machine, even eight years later.

Freaks and Geeks -- High school in the '80s was exactly like this, only duller. Judd Apatow began his decade-long reign of terror with this show, and long may he live. This show is literally the reason I first got Netflix, and it'd sure make a fantastic application of yours.

The Late Show with David Letterman -- There's still only one Uncle Dave, and he's still funnier than Jay Leno, and he's still getting trounced thanks to people who aren't as brilliant as us. We'll turn on the tear machine again for the clip [from 17 September 2001].

Lost -- Scripted network TV got better as a direct reaction to J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse, and Lost. It's as simple as that.

Mad Men -- My mom and I watch this show together. She's addicted. Maybe that explains some of my attachment to a show that's been accused of dragging, but the stellar opening credit sequence is a big factor as well. And then there are episodes like the Kennedy assassination episode below (directed by Barbet Schroeder), followed by the lightning-fast season 3 finale, "Shut the Door. Have a Seat."

The Office, U.K. -- "I don't give shitty jobs," David Brent assures us, the first line of a Ricky Gervais performance that is among the richest characters ever invented for TV comedy. I love the American version, too (see below), but I cherish the nights my friends and I would gather to chortle at this show on DVD. I've included the first scene of episode 1, but don't forget the Christmas special and David's jaw-dropping music video.

The Office, U.S. -- It's a different show, yet exactly the same in its ruthless assault on office logic. I also admire its willingness to discomfit rather than amuse, a trait it inherited from its BBC predecessor.

Planet Earth -- My family hasn't been this excited about a nature documentary since the glory days of Marlin Perkins. I'd include a clip, but Planet Earth needs to be in HD. Some would argue it's why HDTV was invented.

The Sopranos -- I know, you're annoyed by how it ended. (Tell that to Galactica fans.) Am I alone in actually kind of liking the series finale and its singular blackout? But no, that wasn't the best episode ever. I nominate either "Pine Barrens" or...well...heavy spoiler alert if you're still catching up on DVD...

Survivor -- Yes, Mark Burnett basically cursed us with a thousand reality shows, but at least he produced one terrific one first. I could name a lot of favorite competitors, episodes, and ad libbed diatribes; but really, it all comes down to this...

Top Chef -- I've been an Iron Chef fan from way back, both Japanese and American, and Food Network is pretty much my go-to diversion, but Top Chef is the best food show since Julia Child, maybe ever. I know most people's favorite season was the second (with Ilan and Marcel), but man, I'm all about Hung Huynh from Season 3. He slices, he dices! Just don't let him near your truffle oil.

Undeclared -- A little-seen Apatow gem. What Freaks and Geeks was for high school, Undeclared was for my undergraduate college years. By the way, both shows starred a super-young, super-awkward Seth Rogen, and are worth seeing if only for that. Amy Poehler turns up as an R.A. ("No judgment, only pizza"), and Loudon Wainwright III stars as the protagonist's haplessly sensitive dad.

Weeds -- Yeah yeah yeah, the show is very well written and acted, blah blah blah. Mostly, though, it's on my list because it stars Mary Louise Parker, the sexiest woman on Earth. Uh, next to Amanda, of course. The show really is brilliant, though. Seriously. I mean that. Juvenile drooling aside.

The West Wing -- Let's forget about most of that final, Aaron Sorkin-free season, shall we? No show has ever made me feel smarter, while simultaneously reminding me how much I failed to learn in high school civics.

When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts -- I damn near put this on my movie list. Spike Lee tells it like it was, and we watch as the America we thought we knew falls apart before our eyes. We're still trying to get it all back, one dream deferred at a time. Rather than include a clip from that show, which would only make you bawl like an infant, I've attached the most memorable news interview of the decade [Anderson Cooper in New Orleans].

The Wire -- A lot of people think it's the best series in television history, and if you haven't seen it, then Netflix awaits, Gentle Reader. Each of the five seasons is different, each stunning, each a classic. My personal favorite is the last.

Guilty pleasures? Reno 911, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Family Guy: Blue Harvest, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

So what are your favorite shows and episodes of the last ten years?

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  1. Ahhh… I love me some MLP.

  2. Excuse me? Where’s Flavor of Love? Where’s Bad Girls Club?

    This list is seriously lacking.

  3. Dude, can’t take this seriously without House M.D., Dexter, or Buffy on it…

    I have no love of reality TV. It’s ruined quality creativity…

  4. Lost had such potential and then it simply wasted it like an NFL rookie getting caught smoking weed. Battlestar was amazing until it got political and the humans became “insurgents” on New Caprica. But they did add “Frack!” to our vocabulary, so that’s cool. Surprised Monk wasn’t on there since it recently ended… hmmm.

    And I have a beef! Since you have all these so-called reality shows on here, how dare you forget the true reality show called the NFL! This decade had 2 of the greatest Superbowls ever played: Giants upsetting the unbeaten Patriots–spoiling their perfect season, and the Steeler/Cardical thrller last year. Two of the best games I have ever watched.

    Dave– Amen on reality TV and creativity.

  5. Okay, first of all, Gentle Readers, Buffy debuted in 1997, and while “Once More With Feeling” aired in November 2001, the peak of the series passed before this decade got rolling. Second, sports don’t count as TV, mostly because I don’t watch them so I don’t know a damn thing about them. Third, Lost got its mojo back. Fourth, Galactica was good when it got political. You may not agree with its politics, but it was still good TV, which is why I almost included 24. Fifth, I don’t watch Monk or Dexter, and this is my list. Your best point is House M.D. But even if I’d remembered House, I still wouldn’t have included it because it’s the SAME DAMN EPISODE EVERY WEEK. A really good episode, but still.

  6. I would say that sports is the true reality TV, when all the others are un-reality baloney. But mmmmm….I love me some good baloney.

    hehe

  7. I forgot it’s been that long since Buffy aired. Wow I’m getting old. Of course, I didn’t really discover it till almost 2000 and played catch up during that first year, so it’s all fresh in this decade to me. 🙂

    Oh, and I forgot to mention, the best mini-series ever aired during this decade: Band of Brothers


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