Your top 5 TV Shows of the Decade.

[Stefen]

I say 5 because 10 is a pretty easy list to make. A top 5 forces you to omit some and make tough, tough decisions. Serious business.

1. Strangers W/Candy (but I REALLY wanted to put Curb)
2. Futurama
3. Arrested Development
2. Freaks and Geeks
1. The Wire

1999-2000 FTW.

[polkablues]

Lost
Friday Night Lights
Arrested Development
South Park
West Wing

[Fernando]

i'll cheat and make two lists.

current shows
- mad men
- breaking bad
- lost
- dexter
- true blood

older shows
- the wire
- sopranos
- seinfeld/prime curb
- prime simpsons
- x files


this was tough, honorable mentions also go to the 1st two seasons of 24, the shield, weeds, larry sanders show, six feet under.

[MacGuffin]

Lost
Battlestar Galactica
Freaks and Geeks
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Office (USA)

[Pedro]

The Wire
Black Books
Lost
30 Rock
Arrested D

[Derek]

Lost
The Office (UK)
Extras
Arrested Development
Curb Your Enthusiasm

[SiliasRuby]

LOST
THE WIRE
SIX FEET UNDER
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM

and 5 1/2 is FREAKS AND GEEKS but only because it started in '99

Honorable Mentions:
The Shield, The OC, The Office UK, 30 Rock, Mad Men

[pete]

the wire
generation kill
friday night lights
burn notice
?

[squints]

The fact that a couple of you don't have the wire on your list troubles me. I hope the only reason this is the case is because you haven't seen it. And if that IS the case. Then go fuckin' see it.

[Derek]

The fact that a couple of you don't have the wire on your list troubles me. I hope the only reason this is the case is because you haven't seen it. And if that IS the case. Then go fuckin' see it.

That's good, I need a new show. Tried to get into 24, but didn't quite get into it the way others did.

[modage]

I'm going to disqualify shows that began in 1999 (Freaks & Geeks, The Sopranos, Futurama, etc.) to make this a little easier on myself.

- Arrested Development (Seasons 1&2)
- Lost
- Mad Men
- The Office (UK)
- Peep Show

[ono]

Possible spoilers.

30 Rock
-- Initially competed with Studio 60 for my attention, and won me over with Dennis's monologue to Jack in the men's room about dogs licking feet.  It gets oddball without becoming too farfetched, and there's not an unlikable character in the bunch.
Mad Men
-- Unique.  It "uniques" up on you, and like many shows I would never have known about it if not for Xixax.  Don Draper, an imperfect man with an perfect name (that isn't even his), and an honor code his own we might all hope to live up to (give or take a few vices).
Weeds
-- Ditto.  A mother just trying to do the best she can by her kids, and failing miserably at every turn.  May have jumped the shark with the milking and the potentially serial, definitely certifiable Shane, but time will tell.
Wonderfalls
-- I remember catching this show on TV in the Friday night death slot, wondering why they all can't be like this.  Caroline Dhavernas was radiant, and captured post-graduate ennui perfectly.
Veronica Mars
-- The lackluster 3rd season with format mix-up doesn't detract from the fact that this is one of the most unique series in years.  Bonus points for the fact that a whole book of essays can be written on the show (Neptune Noir) and be interesting from cover to cover.  The 4th season/movie of Veronica as FBI may never see the light of day, but Thomas's novels are also interesting to note.  No comment on Gossip Girl, though.

Dishonorable Mentions: Lost.

[polkablues]

I know this is cheating, but I have to add a #6: Slings & Arrows.  Imagine West Wing if it was set in a Canadian Shakespearean Festival instead of the White House.  I'm not a fan of the theater, but the whole time I'm watching this show, I love it with an all-consuming passion.  Paul Gross' character and performance is one for the ages; his screen presence in this series is electrifying.  It's simultaneously one of the funniest and most powerfully dramatic television series I've seen.

Wonderfalls
-- I remember catching this show on TV in the Friday night death slot, wondering why they all can't be like this.  Caroline Dhavernas was radiant, and captured post-graduate ennui perfectly.

I was in love with this show.  It would definitely be in my top 10.  I don't understand why Caroline Dhavernas isn't a huge star by now.

And thanks to mod for talking up Peep Show.  I just watched the first series on Hulu, and that is some truly funny shit. 

[Ravi]

No particular order

Curb Your Enthusiasm (even though it started in 2000, which technically isn't part of the decade)
Arrested Development
Six Feet Under
The Office UK
Lost

Honorable mention:  30 Rock, Mad Men, Extras

[diggler]

LOST - if it sticks the landing, it could be the greatest yarn ever spun

The Wire - for forever ruining police procedurals

South Park - based on where the show was ten years ago, it's certainly made the most strides

The Sopranos - the last few seasons get a lot of flack, but it forever changed what television could do. most of the hour long dramas you love now owe a lot to it.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - for being the funniest damn thing on television


honorable mentions: Friday Night Lights (a VERY tough omission), Breaking Bad (Walter letting Jane choke on her own vomit is one of the most chilling things i've ever agreed with) and Arrested Development