2000s

More of our best of the decade coverage, which started on Tuesday. You can read the other posts at the link above. We finish up the series by talking about some of the news events that defined the decade, and how TV covered them.

It seems odd to call the news events of the 00's a "best" list. As we started the 21st century, America seemed to have a different tragedy happening at every twist and turn. There was the Year 2000 bug followed by 9/11 followed by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan followed by Hurricane Katrina followed by the worst recession since the Great Depression. We've also had various celebrity deaths recently including the iconic and controversial Michael Jackson.

The tragedies of the decade were accompanied by revolutionary change. America elected its first African-American President. New forms of media such as social networking arose like a phoenix from the ashes of the old media.

The decade was filled with many ups and downs, possibly more downs. The full repercussions of the events won't likely be acknowledged or analyzed for years or decades to come. Wherever we end up, it will have been one hell of a ride.

The television writing staff at The Associated Press has listed their Top 10 TV shows of the decade. The exact criteria of the list remains uncertain, but I believe it's based on the impact of the shows on popular culture.

It's a good list. The only show on it I would question would be The Shield. In its place I would likely put Firefly or Family Guy, either of which proved that poor initial ratings do not translate into the failure of a franchise.

The Internet changed television when it came to popularity in the 1990's. The concept of a continuing storyline in a series became a necessity. Shows like Babylon 5 would not have survived the first season without it. In the 2000's, it was more of the same allowing for shows like the aforementioned to be given life after death and even restart certain franchises (Futurama).

What do you think the next decade will bring?

I was reading a story over at Entertainment Weekly about whether or not 1984 was the greatest year for movies ever (answer: no). It got me thinking: what's the best year for TV show debuts in history?

There are a lot of choices. In 1994 we saw the premiere of Friends, ER, The Game Show Network, Due South, Touched By An Angel, My So-Called Life, and Inside The Actors Studio. Or how about 2000, which saw the debuts of Survivor, Ed, CSI, and Curb Your Enthusiasm? And 2004 wasn't too shabby either, with the launches of Lost, Rescue Me, Entourage, Veronica Mars, House, and Desperate Housewives.