Summary
What a relief it was for me when I rediscovered my assignment for this project was "Favorite TV Shows" of the 2000s and not "Best TV Shows." I am an avid television viewer. But you will notice that I missed a lot of good, critically acclaimed TV shows in the last decade -- "The Sopranos," "Mad Men," "The West Wing," "Six Feet Under," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Arrested Development" and many more. One reason is that my wife and I had very young children in the early 2000s. I've been busy being a dad this decade. Our family does not have HBO or Showtime (or any other premium channels) and my first thought was to see what is on the three major networks. Some of my favorite TV shows are reality offerings -- "Cake Boss," "The Biggest Loser," "Survivor," "The Amazing Race" and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." But those can't make this list. So here's my list of shows with a script, or shows made up of make-believe people: MY 10 favorite TV shows 2000-2009 1. "Big Bang Theory" (2007-present) I think I laugh out loud at this Monday night CBS comedy at least once per episode, if not more. Nerds/geeks living next door to and interacting with a hot, young woman is very funny, especially the scenarios this show's writers come up with. Jim Parsons as Sheldon is one of the funniest people/characters on TV and is the highlight of the show for me, though I enjoy all of the main "nerdy" characters. 2. "Glee," (2009-present) Two things in particular makes this a surefire winner for me: 1) Jane Lynch as cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester is hilarious, one of the funniest women working in TV today; 2) as someone who sang in show choir in high school, I can relate to many of the things the student characters deal with in the show (being disrespected by classmates). Musically, these actors or whomever is singing are phenomenal ... and they sing songs most viewers love. 3. "How I Met Your Mother" (2005-present) Before "Big Bang Theory" and "Glee" came along, this was my favorite show. Neil Patrick Harris, as Barney Stinson, is hilarious! I like all of the other characters and how they interact as friends, sometimes friends with benefits. I always liked Ted (Josh Radnor) and Robin (Cobie Smulders) together, but I don't believe Robin turns out to be "mother." 4. "Two and a Half Men" (2003-present) This is another show where I find myself laughing out loud a lot. Many of the episodes push the envelope of what's appropriate or acceptable for 8 p.m., but that could be said of many shows these days, and for me. While Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen) is very funny and gets himself into no shortage of messes, his brother Alan Harper (Jon Cryer) plays the straight man next to him, it becomes classic TV. 5. "30 Rock" (2006-present) I have to give my wife credit for this one and "The Office." It was her idea that we switch from "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC, Thursday, 8 p.m.) to "The Office" and "30 Rock" (NBC, Thursday, 8 and 8:30). 30 Rock's Tina Fey is brilliant. She is the creator and one of the executive producers of this behind-the-scenes look at a big-time TV network, and specifically Liz Lemon's (Fey) fictional hit variety show, "TGS with Tracy Jordan." 6. "Grey's Anatomy" (2005-present) While I have not seen it this fall (our family watches comedies on NBC that are on at the same time), I hope to catch up on the episodes I've missed either by seeing them in the spring or later on DVD. 7. "The Office" (U.S) (2005-present) Created from the very popular TV show of the same name in the United Kingdom, this show is very funny. Many people can relate to this because they work in an office, but seeing the odd characters as employees and their do- nothing boss fumble through life at work each week is entertaining. 8. "Alias" (2001-2006) When this show first started, my wife and I wouldn't miss it. As our kids grew older, we drifted away. Jennifer Garner was great as Sydney Bristow, and I rooted for Vaughn (Michael Vartan). We were curious to see what odd person or outfit and hairdo Sydney was going to use each week, and how that was going to play out in her accomplishing her job on the show. The storylines were fascinating, sometimes mind-blowing with people being double and triple agents. 9. "C.S.I." (2000-present) I don't get to see this much, as 1) it's on at 9 p.m. and that is bedtime for just about everyone in our house, and 2) it scares some of my daughters. But when I have seen it, I find this show fascinating. You know how the movie "All the President's Men" and the real-life story it depicted about Watergate spawned an explosion in interest in careers in journalism? CSI has been largely responsible for a similar explosion in Forensic Science careers in the last decade. 10. "24" (2001- present) Earlier this decade, my wife and I were riveted to the TV, watching the hour-by-hour, blow-by-blow comings and goings of Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland). The format -- each episode was an hour in a day of Bauer's life -- intrigued me, and made for an exciting show and season. We probably last watched it in Season 2, so we have missed a lot ... but I do hope to some day catch up. Honorable Mention: "ESPN's College Football GameDay." (Saturdays, 9-11 a.m. during college football season) I love everything about it -- the interaction between host Chris Fowler, and panelists Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard is entertaining for me. Despite his being a former Ohio State quarterback, I like Herbstreit the best. He's got a finger on the pulse of everything about the college football game and his analysis makes the most sense to me. He's fair, balanced and entertaining with what he brings to the show. - "Big Ten Network's Behind the Schemes" (Thursdays, 9-10 p.m. during Big Ten football season) I learned more about football watching former coaches Jerry DiNardo (Indiana) and Glen Mason (Minnesota) show and tell, with use of game films of Big Ten teams, what teams were doing and should be doing to prepare to win football games each week during the season.
Can you flip through all of your TV's channels and avoid spotting a reality show? Chances are, you can't.See the full content of this document
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Our (Reality) Tv Picks
Reality TV took on a life of its own during the 2000s - offering us everything from amateur singers to a day in the life of Jon and Kate (plus their eight kids).
While the gen...See the full content of this document
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