Best TV Shows of the 2000s (10-1)

10. 'The Daily Show' (1996-present)
Jon Stewart's sharp, satirical "fake news" program has, ironically, become the show where many viewers tune in to get their day's dose of national and political news, and has become must-see viewing during national elections. But the late-night series' influence is most evident in the list of those who've appeared as guests, including Barack Obama and former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

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9. 'Friday Night Lights' (2006-present)
Entries in the sports movie genre should study this critically acclaimed, but underviewed show for how-to tips. While it's ostensibly about football in the pigskin-obsessed small town of Dillon, Texas, it just as often isn't, and both the show's teen stars and adult cast know how to wring honest emotion out of both, while still putting together some pretty awesome sports action sequences, too.

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8. 'Sex and the City' (1998-2004)
It's all about the female bonding -- and, okay, the killer wardrobes -- in this Sarah Jessica Parker dramedy, with tales of love, loss, friendship and Manolos adding up to a mini chick flick each week. 'SATC' is also one of the few series to focus on an all-female ensemble cast, where the hot male guest stars were always playing second bananas to SJP, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon.

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7. 'Battlestar Galactica' (2004-09)
The best sci-fi drama of the decade is easily one of the best dramas period. Series creator Ronald Moore adapted the campy original into a serious serial, following humans' attempts to find Earth and save themselves after the Cylon war. Aiding Moore: A career-defining performance by Edward James Olmos as Capt. Adama, a role that should keep him knee-deep in sci-fi convention invites for years to come.

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6. '30 Rock' (2006-present)
No cliched characters and plots here; this workplace comedy has won three consecutive Outstanding Comedy Series Emmys because of its fresh ensemble cast (including breakout Jack McBrayer as Kenneth the page and Alec Baldwin in the role of his career), queen geek Tina Fey's work on screen and as a writer and a rapid-fire delivery of jokes that often require multiple viewings to catch them all.

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5. 'Mad Men' (2007-present)
We can't wait to see where the show heads now that the Drapers are kaput and Don and pals have started their own agency. But everything leading up to it has made for compelling viewing, as handsome Don (Jon Hamm) struggled to keep his secret identity secret and figure out why his perfect life left him unhappy, all while wowing his ad clients with his ability to make people want to buy things.

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4. 'Lost' (2004-present)
It's the watercooler drama of the decade, a mystery that has fans obsessed with ferreting out any clues about the crash of Oceanic flight 815. Is the island Purgatory? Is it all a figment of someone's -- Hurley's? -- imagination? Is it all a dream? From the action-packed pilot to the upcoming series finale, the 'Lost' cast and crew have taken us on one sweet ride through a slowly, satisfyingly unfolding adventure.

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3. 'Deadwood' (2004-06)
There have been many good TV Westerns over the years, but none with the complex, rich storytelling of writer David Milch's 'Deadwood,' which unfolds the settling of the titular South Dakota city in the 1870s. Milch put his spin on fictional (like Ian McShane's scene-stealing Al Swearengen) and real (Keith Carradine's Wild Bill Hickock) characters as he tackled issues like law, capitalism, politics and the death of the old Wild West.

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2. 'The Wire' (2002-08)
Entire books and college classes have been devoted to dissecting this intense, often heartbreaking show, which, while at first glance was a Baltimore cop drama, proved to be so multi-layered with its storylines and characters (Bunk! McNulty! Bubbles! Omar!) that it ended up as much a sociological study as an Emmy-worthy (though it was, unbelievably, denied even an Outstanding Drama nod) TV series.

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1. 'The Sopranos' (1999-2007)
If not for the nature of his work, Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) would have been just another guy trying to balance work, family life and, okay, some fairly big mommy issues. But, of course, Tony's work, as head of a mob family, is what set the show apart, leaving us to wonder who Tony and his crew would cheat, whack and hook up with (sometimes all three with the same person) each week.