Geekscape Does the Best TV of the Decade!
The last decade almost spelled catastrophe for the televised medium as increasingly awful and uninspired reality series threatened to doom scripted serial entertainment as we know it. Luckily for all of us, a few breakout hits like Lost and, for a while, Heroes held the barbarians at the gate, leaving plenty of room for entertainments of all kinds.
Let’s see what kinds of shows the Geekscapists liked the best this past decade…
——- ERIC A. DIAZ ——-
BEST TELEVISION OF THE DECADE
1. Lost
Not just one of the best of the decade, but one of the best series ever, period.
2. Battlestar Galactica
Say what you want about the last season, and chances are I’ll agree with you actually, but this show was easily one of the best space based sci fi shows of all time.
3. Six Feet Under
No show has ever been more true to life, and no series finale has ever been as good or heartbreaking. Kind of a masterpiece.
4. South Park
The merchandising and commercial heyday of this show may have been the 90’s, but it was this decade that proved how versatile and smart this show is. It will be a sad day when South Park finally goes off the air.
5. Buffy The Vampire Slayer
The only reason this isn’t listed higher is simply that the “peak seasons” in my opinion were seasons one and two, and they were in the 90’s.
6. Angel
Yeah, Season One was rough, but Seasons 2-5 were as good as anything going on at the time on Buffy. Arguably the best live action television presentation of an ongoing super hero comic ever.
7. Justice League/Justice League Unlimited
The best representation of the DC Universe wasn’t in comics this decade, it was on Cartoon Network. If only the Comic book version of this universe were always as cool as this.
8. Dexter
Michael C Hall manages to be on not one, but two of my favorite shows this decade. Year after year Dexter makes me sympathize with a sociopathic serial killer., and I love this show for being able to do that.
9. Sex and the City
Yeah, even I roll my eyes a bit when I see trailers for Sex and the City 2, with these old bitches riding on camels in the desert and shit. But once upon a time, this show was about the best show ever about gay men looking for dick (disguised as women of course), until they went and got all domestic on us.
10. Veronica Mars
Buffy without the vampires. Seasons one and two are great, the last season…not as much. But I still miss ya V.M.
BEST TV MOMENT OF THE DECADE
The cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer burst into song, and a classic is born.
BEST TELEVISION PERFORMANCES
1. James Marsters as Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel
Originally introduced as little more than a standard vamp villain in the second season of Buffy, this decade’s most versatile tv performance of the decade goes to James Marsters. Going from bad guy, to sarcastic comic relief, to obsessed stalker, to romantic anti hero, to martyr, to straight up super hero in Angel., James Marsters made it all feel like a natural progression for his character. Of all the Buffyverse characters I miss, I still miss Spike the most.
2. Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan on Dexter
3. Mary McDonnell as President Laura Roslin on Battlestar Galactica
4. Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones on Sex on the City
5. The Entire Cast of Lost
This ensemble is so superb, it is hard to just pick one actor to represent. So I won’t.
——- NAR WILLIAMS ——-
1. The Wire
David Simon’s The Wire takes advantage of television’s serial nature (and HBO’s commitment to creatively ambitious material) to paint a picture of an American city crumbling – from the drug infested streets to the union docks, schools, police department, city hall, and newspaper business. The result is a show that has the depth of a great novel. The Wire engages the viewer dramatically and intellectually while clearly laying forth the seemingly insurmountable challenges of our broken system of politics, law enforcement, and education.
2. Extras
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant follow up The Office with this brilliant series about life in show business.
3. Battlestar Galactica
Redefined television sci-fi as a genre with potential for dark, gritty storytelling and top notch performances.
4. Mad Men
A stylish look at affluent advertising execs and America’s transition from the 50s to the 60s.
5. Rome
Ambitious and compelling, it ended too soon – but way better than the bloated Sopranos.
——- MARTIN SCHERER ——-
BEST TV SHOW OF THE DECADE: Six Feet Under
This show did a lot of things for the TV landscape. It popularized the idea of the short season to American TV, it made HBO a household name (at least in Canada) and redefined the hour drama.
What it also did was become a gauge of my personal relationships. The first girl that I started to watch it with would pause it and question how I felt about its portrayal of homosexuality– why she did this, I don’t know, but I’m suspecting she was projecting religious stereotypes on me. All I know is we never saw season two together.
The next girlfriend was intrigue by the show, but never made time to watch it— this relationship was intriguing, but like our plan to watch Six Feet Under, it never materialized.
And the girl who is going to become my wife? We watched the whole show over the course of 4 months. Six Feet Under is now something we share with our friends, and want to watch again. Like a good book, this show demands to be shared and discussed.
Overall, not bad for a show about a family of funeral directors.
HONORABLE MENTION: The Trailer Park Boys
Before improv sitcoms became the rage, a small trailer park in Nova Scotia was mastering it. Much like Corner Gas, you may find it funny, but you won’t understand it unless you gave it time. And you will only truly appreciate it if you know the Canadian East Coast.
Through the 7 seasons of TPB, we grew to know the cast and characters of Sunnyvale, and took comfort in the predictability of each season; released from jail, plan is hatch, goes off the rails, sent back to jail.
Moment of the show? Rita McNeil singing Working Manwhile she was forced to harvest marijuana.
Honorable Mentions: Dead Like Me Season 1, Pushing Daises
BEST TV MOMENT OF THE DECADE
This is a tie for me. The two moments that elicited such a strong emotional response from me was the last scene/montage of Six Feet Under and the second to last episode of The Shield.
In Six Feet Under, we see the perfect marriage of music and forwardflashes to wrap up not only the series, but all the questions about these characters futures. Again, on repeat viewings I found myself tearing at this moment— making me realize how much I grew to care about each character, and wanted to ultimately see them achieve their potential and have a happy life.
In the Shield, we see the most gripping 60 seconds of television: The confession of Vic Mackey. We’ve been watching the series, and seen what he has done, and the lengths that he and his crew had gone through to hide the truth from everyone. His confession should not be a surprise, but still to hear him confess his sins, and for them to come from his mouth in such a calm, cold, manner, reminded us for the last time we are not suppose to like Mackey.
——- WILLIAM BIBBIANI ——-
BEST TV SHOWS OF THE DECADE
1. The Wire
The best television series of the decade? Try “of all time.” David Simon’s brilliantly conceived, written, directed and acted drama covered the city of Baltimore from every dirty, violent and corrupt angle, and never made us want to look away. If you’ve seen The Wire, then there’s nothing I need to add. If you haven’t, then there’s nothing left to say.
2. Avatar: The Last Airbender
The decade’s best animated series, kids show and action program.
3. Paranoia Agent
Satoshi Kon, one of the greatest directors in the world, came up with this brilliant mini-series about a series of assaults by a teenaged boy on rollerblades wielding a dented gold bat was perhaps the decade’s most original artistic expression in any medium, and must be seen to be believed. An unforgettable story with unforgettable imagery.
4. The Daily Show
Comedy so cutting it actually changed the political landscape.
5. Veronica Mars
The wittiest series of the decade also had the best murder mysteries. The last few episodes faltered, but without ever jumping the shark, keeping Veronica right near the top of the list.
6. South Park
They can’t all be zingers, but when South Park is on its “A” game (“Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow,” “Guitar Queer-O,” “About Last Night…”) there isn’t a funnier, more insightful show on the air.
7. Dexter
Sure, the set-up is contrived, but Dexter spun the decade’s most original character into one of TV’s most dastardly series.
8. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
If the first few seasons hadn’t been on during the late 90’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer would be higher on my list. Even so, the stellar Season 5 and much-lauded musical episode “Once More With Feeling” guarantee it a spot in the top ten.
9. Battlestar Galactica
They didn’t know what they were doing when they started the series, but to their credit it never really showed until the last season and a half. Until then, this was TV at its most exhilarating.
10. Lost
They didn’t know what they were doing when they started the series, and they only made it about a season and a half before showing their lousy hand, but Lost has been on the upswing in its final seasons, and that first season is easily the best season of television ever filmed.
11. Supernatural
Like Lost but with more satisfying plot points, like Buffy but for manly men. Supernatural is the fantasy series that puts hair on your chest.
12. Star Wars: The Clone Wars
No, not that one, the 2D version that trumped the entire new Star Wars trilogy in class, character and compelling stories. You know… the good one.
13. Invader Zim
“A room… WITH A MOOSE!!!”
14. The Venture Bros.
Somewhere, beneath the obvious satire of Saturday morning cartoons and action movies, there lies a tragic layer of subtext dealing with the effects of failure on the minds of its various characters. Never mind that though, because this show is funny as hell.
15. Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace
High-concept brilliance from the BBC in which an egomaniacal horror author wrote, directed, starred in and originally whistled the theme song to a “lost” 1980’s supernatural adventure series, complete with poor production values, shoddy acting, and writing so bad it’s brilliant.
16. Justice League Unlimited
The perfect superhero series.
17. That’s My Bush!
Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s parody of sitcom clichés lampooned Bush back when the only thing people had to complain about was that he was a Right Winger who talked like he was an idiot. It probably wouldn’t have been terribly popular right after 9/11, but you’d think it might have made a comeback in the last 3-4 years…
18. Firefly
As clever and inventive as everyone says it is.
19. Zero Punctuation
Insightful and hilarious weekly reviews of videogames. The only “critics” show still worth watching.
20. Bus Pirates
The best comedy series of all time? Maybe, but placed low on the list out of respect for its more-esteemed competitors.
BEST TV PERFORMANCES OF THE DECADE
1. Dominic West, The Wire
The only television character so brilliantly conceived, so audacious self-destructive, so completely admirable, that he had everyone I know screaming his name at the screen repeatedly in any given episode. “MCNULTYYYYYYYY!!!” But really, just about any cast member on The Wire could be in this top spot. The entire cast could fill my top ten, so Dominic West will accept the award on all of their behalves.
2. James Callis, Battlestar Galactica
Baltar the Betrayer burst into the new millennium with a tragically hilarious turn by the inimitable James Callis.
3. Steve Colbert, The Colbert Report
Yes, it’s an act. No, not everyone understands that. He’s that good.
4. Kristen Bell, Veronica Mars
Quirky and brilliant without ever being superhuman, this flawed heroine was also the funniest, even when tracking down cold-blooded murderers and serial rapists.
5. Michael C. Hall, Dexter
The cleverest idea for a TV protagonist of the decade, brought to exceptional life by Michael C. Hall, one of the few TV actors to turn in not one but TWO brilliant and iconic TV performances, for Dexter and Six Feet Under.
6. Frances Conroy, Six Feet Under
But it was the conflicted and mother on Six Feet Under who deserves the most praise for her noble performance of a well-meaning matriarch.
7. David Tennant, Dr. Who
David Tennant blew about 30 years of Dr. Who performances out of the water with his instantly classic take on one of TV’s most reliable protagonists.
8. Enrico Colantoni, Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars’ improbably badass father was the best TV father figure since Archie Bunker.
9. Timothy Bottoms, That’s My Bush!
Such a spot on performance that it drastically informed my theories of what the former president is like behind closed doors, even more than Oliver Stone’s W.
10. Terry O’Quinn, Lost
Instantly iconic, even when his scripts turned to poo, Terry O’Quinn proved that nobody tells him what he can’t do.
——- CONNER S. CHE ——-
BEST TV SHOW OF THE DECADE
1. Six Feet Under
Some could say that a show that is set at a funeral home is all about death, and at first it was. In the beginning it was a show that every week there was another dead person with a story to tell. Of course there was the melodrama that surrounded the family but it really felt a little forced at the beginning. (I’m going to get shot for that comment, aren’t I?) I’m sure when the characters became real people to me but by the end of the series I was an emotional wreck for a week. I felt as if I really lost someone. It’s strange that art can do that. Six Feet Under was very much about life, the difficulties of living it, and the emptiness of loss when life comes to a conclusion.
2. Angel
3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
4. Firefly
5. Lost
6. Justice League / Justice League Unlimited
7. Daily Show
8. Colbert Report
9. Rome
10. Battlestar Galactica
BEST PERFORMANCE OF THE DECADE
1. Frances Conroy as Ruth Fisher – Six Feet Under
Weird choice? Yeah I guess so. This was a really had list to compile. I’ve had to dig through 10 years of memories and more hours of TV then there are synapses in the brain. So I went for the emotional gut choice. When I think of the last 10 years of show I think of Ruth Fisher losing her mind as a grieving mother who just lost her first born. The scenes were gut wrenching, tear jerking and heart breaking. I went though more than a few boxes of tissues by the time the credits rolled on the final episodes.
2. Ray Stevenson as Titus Pullo – Rome
3. Michael C. Hall as David Fisher – Six Feet Under
4. Peter Krause as Nate Fisher – Six Feet Under
5. Naveen Andrews as Sayid Jarrah – Lost
6. Nathan Fillion as Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds – Firefly
7. Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg – Buffy The Vampire Slayer
8. Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester – Glee
9. Enver Gjokaj as Victor – Dollhouse
10. James Marsters as Spike – Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Angel
BEST TV MOMENT OF THE DECADE
1. Joss Whedon resurrecting Firefly from the dead
Here is a man that cares about what he is creating. It’s not producing a TV show for him –it’s the creating art. Unfortunately fox cancelled Firefly after only eleven episodes, basically ripping out the canvas from his hands before he could finish his panting. After three years of single minded determination he succeeded in finishing the story he set out to do. Unfortunately nobody went to see it and his heart was crushed again. Never the less what he did was nothing short of a Hollywood miracle.
2. News Stations across the country announces that we have a president that’s not mentally handicapped.
3. Lost: They get off the f’ing Island
4. Angel ends series with final lines: “Well, personally, I kinda want to slay the dragon. Let’s go to work!”
5. Dick in a Box
6. Stephen Colbert roast George W. Bush at the Associated Press hosted White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner
7. Ashley Simpson lip-singing accident on SNL
8. People systematically finally coming to the realization that Heroes sucks.
9. News reports of all those Republican politicians having gay ass sex
10. Tivo
