Top Fives of the Decade: TV Shows

My #4 most successful friend — Hollywood hotshot Sarah Kucserka — recently posted a "Top 10 TV Shows of the '00s" missive on Facebook that I won't even try to compete with. Shamefully, I've probably only seen two of the shows on her list anyway. (Less shameful is that the list was littered with teen dramas, so I don't feel that bad.)

I can't compete with Sarah for many reasons, not least because I've never been a paid writer on a hit network TV show. Also bear in mind: we have basic cable; we don't have Tivo or a DVR; hell, I've never even paid for a television. Our current model — the biggest we've ever owned, at 27 decidedly non-flat, non-HD inches — is a hand-me-down from someone who moved to New York two years ago.

Still, I’ve watched the magic movie box enough in the past ten years to have formed a useless opinion on the subject, which I'm happy to share with you!

Top Five TV Shows 2000-2009

5. The O.C. - I know, I know... believe me, I know. It doesn't change the fact that we kind of loved this show and its dramatic but comically self-aware approach to a ridiculous genre. It didn't take itself too seriously (unlike, say, Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill, etc.), and it was one of the first teen soaps to successfully focus on the adult story lines as well — which were kind of awesome. Plus, Seth Cohen.

4. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - From thought-provoking, even confrontational conversations, to sharp, witty editorials, to joyfully silly humor, this nightly display of genius is pretty much the only reason I pay for cable. Ok, and Red Sox baseball. You can have everything else.

3. 24 - There was a time when Jack Bauer ruled our lives. Everything stopped for 24; it was so intense, we couldn't get through an episode without drinking a couple of glasses of wine to calm our nerves. By Season 5, though, it began to feel just a little forced; Season 6 was a total letdown. And while I never even made it through Season 7, I'd still be willing to give it another try... for Jack.

2. 30 Rock - Nothing makes me laugh like this show. Like the Simpsons at its best, the jokes are so layered, and so fast — and sometimes so outrageous — that you can't even appreciate them entirely in one sitting.

1. LOST - There isn't much I can say about this show that hasn't been said on 3,000 other sites already. If they can pull off the ending (and I love that they came right out and declared an end to the series — the X-Files would have benefited from that approach back in the day — it may go down as one of, if not the, best television series ever made.