# The Onion's Best TV Shows of the 00s **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 11, 2009, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-tv-shows-of-the-00s/520934 "2009-12-11T23:30:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-tv-shows-of-the-00s/520934/21 "2009-12-13T06:35:27Z")
I’ve only watched about five of those shows. In fact the first one in the list I’ve watched is at No.8. And some I have never even heard of, even from the TV geeks here at the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Archie\_Spelunker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Archie\_Spelunker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archie_Spelunker)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-tv-shows-of-the-00s/520934/22 "2009-12-13T10:46:36Z")
> [@](#): > > My intense dislike of sci-fi in general has kept me from watching Battlestar Galactica Well, mine is more of a mild dislike, but I watched BSG after being nagged to death by a friend. So glad I did. ---
**Author:** ![Wolverine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba9def/32.png) [@Wolverine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolverine)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-tv-shows-of-the-00s/520934/23 "2009-12-13T13:11:44Z")
The major omission that caught my eye was South Park. And I would have swapped Angel with Buffy. During the 00’s, Angel was the better show. ---
**Author:** ![BigNik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/73ab20/32.png) [@BigNik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigNik)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-tv-shows-of-the-00s/520934/24 "2009-12-14T00:19:16Z")
Not a whole lot of agreement. Selecting for the most enjoyable TV series (rather than the most monolithic - why do you watch TV if not to enjoy it?) my top 10 would run more along the lines of: 1. [The Games (1998-2000)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Games_(Australian_TV_series)) 2. The Office (UK) 3. The Wire 4. The Sopranos 5. Breaking Bad 6. Mad Men 7. [John Safran’s Music Jamboree (2002)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Safran%27s_Music_Jamboree) 8. Dexter 9. [Summer Heights High (2007)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_heights_high) 10. [The Micallef Program/Programme/Pogram (1998-2001)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Micallef_Program) (I’m tempted to also include Attention! Il est Myron! as one of the best shows of the decade) Just outside the top 10 would sit Jekyll, Deadwood and Spicks & Specks. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-tv-shows-of-the-00s/520934/25 "2009-12-14T00:36:04Z")
Good call on **It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia**. Also missing from the list: **Rome** (HBO). Probably the best historical drama in the history of television. **Coupling** (BBC). Tightest comedic story arcs since Seinfeld. **Extras** (HBO). Ricky Gervais can do no wrong. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-tv-shows-of-the-00s/520934/26 "2009-12-14T01:31:02Z")
These lists are never perfect, but this is a terrible list. ---
**Author:** ![BigNik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/73ab20/32.png) [@BigNik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigNik)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-tv-shows-of-the-00s/520934/27 "2009-12-14T01:35:50Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > These lists are never perfect, but this is a terrible list. It’s actually not a bad representation of what these lists typically are - a collection of capital- I- Important, highbrow “art” pieces with one or two lowbrow things thrown in to make it seem rounded. But if those shows were the only ones you watched on TV for the past ten years, you’d want to neck yourself. It’s also somewhat restrictive in that it wants to consider entire shows as an entity. It doesn’t make allowances for the fact that tv shows can plummet downhill awfully quickly - viz. Flight of the Conchords after season one or Family Guy after it was brought back from the dead. Did they learn _nothing_ from Pet Semetary? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-tv-shows-of-the-00s/520934/28 "2009-12-14T03:40:29Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > These lists are never perfect, but this is a terrible list. Agreed. It really kind of seems like they ran out of steam after 20 and just started throwing shit on there. Awesome Show? Undeclared? Buffy seasons 4-7? ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-tv-shows-of-the-00s/520934/29 "2009-12-14T04:41:54Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > These lists are never perfect, but this is a terrible list. Why? I think it’s pretty accurate (and would jibe with many critics’ picks, IMO), in the top 10, at least (they should have limited it to 20, I agree). There are always quibbles to be had with these sorts of things, but I fail to see why it’s “terrible”. It’s a million times better than those Rolling Stone best-of lists people are always posting links to. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-tv-shows-of-the-00s/520934/30 "2009-12-14T05:23:44Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > These lists are never perfect, but this is a terrible list. It’s not a \*terrible \*list, but using “Dadaist” to describe two of the chosen shows makes it a pretty _pretentious_ list. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-tv-shows-of-the-00s/520934.md?page=1)