What's your TV show of the noughties?

Morgans

I thought Lost was great until they introduced a polar bear in the middle of the first episode.

Having used it as brownie-point currency with my better half every now and again, I cannot see how anyone can think that the writers thought the whole scenario through from the get-go. Someone mentioned that no other program has people around the world trying to figure out its mysteries. I think this includes the writers. (supposedly this has changed in hte last season, Im not sure, as the sheer absurdity of it became clear to more and more)

Anyway, it has become a cliche on boards that The Wire is the best program on TV. Those who have watched it vote it number 1. If you watch it and dont like it, its hardly a crime, but take the hint, its worth checking out. Im sure the backlash against the hype. There are very few who have invested their time in watching it, who dont find it the best written/produced program.

The first two series of Arrested Development is as good a comedy as you are likely to see.

Land Of Idiots

1. Lost
2. The West Wing
3. The Sopranos
4. Dexter
5. House M.D.


Honourable Mention to CSI. It was great viewing back when it first started.

xr2central

i really liked cold case on sky,never hear much about it over here anytime you mention it to anyone they say wha? one downfall possibly was it was a bit predictable at times.

Badboy1977

Its the Sopranos-hands down and any of you bastards want to argue about it...

eolair

HBO does deserve serious kudos for their cultural contribution.

Sopranos and The Wire are equal - the Italians used humour better, in a Shakespearian way to balance the violence and dark themes, and the Irish cops had better, more dense stories, and less stereotypical. PS The 'Homicide' book is a class read.

The Office US (Series 2+) is worth it. Series 1 was a poor (read identical) facsimile of the UK one. After that they took the show their own way, and Series 3 was absolutely ace. It also showed just how versatile Steve Carrell is, vs that one trick pony Gervais - who 8 years later is still gurning his way round the place in every single ad/interview/tv show/movie.

Lost was interesting for most of the first season - after that, many ppl are confusing random and abrupt changes in stories and characters as a sign of inventiveness and novelty. If I was feeling unkind, I'd say it was TV for ppl who like Dan Brown novels

anotherlostie

My top 5
Lost
House
The Wire
The Apprentice
Alias

Otis Driftwood

Oz,closely followed by The Shield and The Sopranos.

omahaid

My top 5

Life on Mars
Ashes to Ashes
24
House
The IT Crowd

Carroller

Pòkemon :>

whirlwind

eolair wrote: »

Lost was interesting for most of the first season - after that, many ppl are confusing random and abrupt changes in stories and characters as a sign of inventiveness and novelty. If I was feeling unkind, I'd say it was TV for ppl who like Dan Brown novels

Erm, what random and arupt changes in stories and characters are you referring to? i have watched all episodes of lost are don't agree with that statment.

Anywhere best shows, the sporanos, Curb, Lost, Peep show, not very original i know sorry. BTW i havent got around to watching the wire yet but am looking forward to it

Mr. Guappa

The Wire, nothing else comes close.

Honourable mentions to:
The West Wing
The Shield
The Sopranos
Shameless
Lost

Elmo

I have been disappointed by the 2000s. The fact that people call them the noughties is just one issue I have. noughties it is soooooooooooooo 90s.

Anyway shows that ticked all the boxes. Crud.

I am still waiting for something to come out of the US that will really really change all the rules, HBO have had some success with their shows. But the networks have returned to the badly acted prime time soap operas of the 80s e.g. Grey's (Dallas), Private Practice (Knots Landing). and the sitcom e.g. The Big Bang Theory is just Three's Company.

Irish wise we have actually grown up with some of RTÉ's dramas, but we often regress again. Pure Mule, Path To Freedom (1999), Prosperity, Batchelor's Walk, The Clinic, Whistleblower and other mini-serials have had a very high standard. We just need to get comedy right. Other dramas have been way of like the Prime Time Soap Opera The Big Bow Wow.

English serials have just been more of the same soap operas Coronation Street, Hollyoaks, Emmerdale, Eastenders a tale of serveral cities. While they suggests pretend dramas like The Bill, Holby City, The Royal, Heart Beat etc which are really just soap operas, they have had some really excellent dramas but are often afraid to move on from the successes of the 1990s e.g. Prime Suspect and Frost. English show that did do it, Shameless, Skins, Life On Mars.

Australia some good detective dramas but we don't get to see many of them here.

Mike Litoris

Family Guy
Bo Selecta
The Office
Life on Mars
Band of Brothers
The Ali G show

..and I'll admit I like Big Brother, I'm a celebrity and ...X Factor.

There are about 5 more I cant think of right now.

Wreck

Deadwood would be mine if it hadn't been cancelled before they could wrap it up, such a shame. The Wire is basically head and shoulders above anything else, amazing TV. Generation Kill, Lost and Buffy all deserve a mention though.

In terms of comedy/sit-coms it has been an amazing decade. Both versions of the Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Family Guy, Southpark, Futurama - all quality. But Arrested Development, In The Loop and Peep Show are true genius imo.

demakinz

L31mr0d wrote: »

I want to say Arrested development, 24 or Dexter... but it has to be LOST. Before LOST I didn't bother to watch any shows from the US before they aired over here, in fact I didn't really watch anything religiously. LOST was like a cornerstone in TV, a gamble that got some people fired but has paid off imo, I would go so far as to say that some knife-edge shows since might have gotten the green light due to it's proven success.

It set a new standard of television imo.

i agree 100% on the lost part of your post. it will be maybe the only show over the last 10 years that will be talked about in 50 years time.a bit like dallas is talked about now.

thats if they dont screw up the final series. i really hope they end it well.

Kiith

One word....Battlestar Galactica!

Agent Smith

West Wing, It Crowd, peep Show, Arrested devolopment. Band of brothers.

marko91

skins

Conor108

Battlestar Galactica
Rescue Me
Stargate SG-1

Wreck

Wreck wrote: »

Deadwood would be mine if it hadn't been cancelled before they could wrap it up, such a shame. The Wire is basically head and shoulders above anything else, amazing TV. Generation Kill, Lost and Buffy all deserve a mention though.

In terms of comedy/sit-coms it has been an amazing decade. Both versions of the Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Family Guy, Southpark, Futurama - all quality. But Arrested Development, In The Loop and Peep Show are true genius imo.

Forgot to mention some other classics - Spaced, Black Books and Band of Brothers.

CivilServant

There can only be one 'The Wire' !!!

As regards Generation Kill, HELL NO! It was a miniseries, half of a normal season and you could easily see it had nowhere to go.

nitrogen

I'm a fan of Lost, but equally a strong critic. People are only fooling themselves thinking the show was written through from the start, and that is its main flaw.

Again, I equally support the motion that HBO have led the way with television this decade. Not just with quality drama such as The Wire and The Sopranos, but with revolutionary comedy such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Flight of the Conchords and Extras.

Other noteworthy shows include Peep Show, The Office US (It gets better with every season and has evolved into a new species from its distant UK ancestor), IT Crowd and Black Books.

And whoever mentioned reality television as best of this current decade, please proceed to the kitchen and cut your wrists.

Edit: Also Planet Earth, Life in Cold Blood, Life in the Undergrowth.

nitrogen

Elmo wrote: »

English serials have just been more of the same soap operas Coronation Street, Hollyoaks, Emmerdale, Eastenders a tale of serveral cities. While they suggests pretend dramas like The Bill, Holby City, The Royal, Heart Beat etc which are really just soap operas...

The majority of the above doesn't even classify as television, it's chav entertainment for the illiterate.

L.J.B.Williams

Elmo

nitrogen wrote: »

The majority of the above doesn't even classify as television, it's chav entertainment for the illiterate.

I am suggesting they are the worst, which should be axed in favour of better programming, of which most have pointed out.

L.J.B.Williams

Oh and this was astonishing too - South Pacific on BBC recently