Breaking Down the 100 Greatest Television Shows of the 00's

By now I hope you have had the chance to digest The 100 Greatest Television Shows of the 00’s. If not, follow the link to give it a look before reading further. I didn’t do an introduction to the list because I tend to get wordy when I get on a roll and I just wanted the list to speak for itself, only adding a quick note to the requirements. So I will get wordy today instead.

Yesterday kicked off a year long look back at the decade that is about to end. Every month for the next twelve months (sans December where I will be too busy doing my usually year end retrospective) I will release a new comprehensive list remembering the best of the 00’s. I do mean comprehensive because I have been researching these list for the last two years to make sure they are as complete as they could be. Of course I am only an armchair pundit and will not have gotten to experience your favorites, so if they are missing, that most likely be the case. Granted there is an off chance I did catch it and just didn’t like it (I’m talking to you the people who still think Heroes is watchable).

Like I said before, I wanted to have the lists speak for themselves so just like yesterday future list will be just that. But much like today, the day after a “Greatest of the 00’s” list, I will delve a little deeper and over digest each list. I would first like to say that I may the eligibility requirement September 1999 to August 2009 because it seemed easy to include full season and thus eliminating such quandaries like “should Freaks and Geeks included even though it only aired half a season?” So here is the 100 Greatest Television Shows of the 00’s by the numbers:

Shows by Network
NBC - 14
ABC - 11
VH1 - 11
FOX - 10
CBS - 8
MTV - 7
WB - 6
Comedy Central - 5
HBO - 5
CW - 4
Showtime - 4
ESPN - 3
TNT - 3
UPN - 3
ABC Family - 2
Bravo - 2
G4 - 2
National Geographic - 2
Cartoon Network - 1
CMT - 1
DirecTV - 1
FX - 1
MSNBC - 1
PBS - 1
Spike - 1
Tech-TV - 1
USA – 1

Shows by Genre
Drama - 30
Comedy - 19
Competition - 10
Documentary - 10
Sci-Fi - 10
News - 9
Variety - 6
Music - 4
Animation - 2

(Scooter’s Note: There is no “reality” because I divided those shows into Competition and Documentary)

Shows by Debut Year
Pre-1999 – 15
1999 – 5
2000 – 4
2001 – 9
2002 – 8
2003 – 13
2004 – 7
2005 – 9
2006 – 8
2007 – 9
2008 – 7
2009 – 6

Shows by End Year
2000 – 2
2001 – 4
2002 – 6
2003 – 5
2004 – 8
2005 – 7
2006 – 8
2007 – 8
2008 – 2
2009 – 8

Creators with Multiple Shows
Brian Fuller - 3
Joss Whedon – 3
Aaron Sorkin – 2
Denis Leary – 2
Greg Berlanti – 2
J.J. Abrams – 2
Norm McDonald – 2
Rob Burnett and Rob Beckerman - 2
Rob Thomas – 2

Cast Member in Multiple Shows
Adam Baldwin - 3
Denis Leary – 3
Tom Cavanaugh – 3
Allison Hannigan – 2
Chi McBride - 2
Ian McShane – 2
James Purefoy – 2
Jason Segal – 2
Julie Gonzalo – 2
Katie Finneran - 2
Kevin McKidd – 2
Lee Pace - 2
Mark Valley - 2
Nathan Fillion - 2
Norm McDonald – 2
Rachel Nichols - 2
Sarah Paulson – 2
Seth Rogan - 2


Still on the Air - 42

One and Done Seasons – 26

Jumped Networks – 4

(Scooter’s Note: The UPN/WB and G4/Tech-TV mergers and the special Friday Night Lights agreement with DirecTV and NBC are not included in the number. Monday Night Raw is only counted once.)

Disappeared in the Digital Age (no DVD, no streaming, no (legal) downloading): 18

One last thing, since the decade is over and there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on what to call it, when you see me talk about “Greatest of the 00’s” think the last syllable of Cheerio’s.

Best of the Week vol. XIX

Quote of the Week: Devon, why are you letting Sam Kinison and an Indian lesbian ruin your wedding? (Woody Woodcomb, Chuck)

Song of the Week: Mr. Roboto – Styx (as performed by Jeffster, Chuck)

Big News of the Week: ABC coming to Hulu: And along with ABC is the Disney family including ABC Family, Disney Channel, SOAPnet, classic ABC series, and titles from The Walt Disney Studio. Conspicuously absent for the Disney umbrella is any ESPN programs which means no Pardon the Interruption. Hopefully that gets remedied because I would love to hear another uncomfortable new media pitch from Tony Kornheiser while Michael Wilbon grumbles about how he will refuse to use it. Unless I am blind I did not see exactly when the Disney family will be added to Hulu in the press release. When it does I will have to remember to log off whenever I have a Wizards of Waverly Place marathon so it doesn’t show up as viewed on my profile.

Gratuitous Token Hot Chick Picture of the Week:



Coalition Links of the Week:
With the Upfronts fast approaching, Buzz took a spin through some of the networks' most promising pilots. (BuzzSugar)

Vance gives his 2 cents on Lost, Survivor, 90210, Gossip Girl, American Idol and a few other shows. (Tapeworthy)

So we've got a question about Jonathan Rhys Meyers from The Tudors. Is he creepy, hot or just creepy hot? Vote in our survey! (TiFaux)

This week, the TV Addict discussed why Moonlight failed with Criminal Minds guest star Alex O'Loughlin. (The TV Addict)

Matt just caught up on the first two seasons of Californication. Bring on season three already, Showtime! (TV Fanatic)

Kate was delighted to hear that Chuck Bass...er, Ed Westwick...will guest star on Californication. (TV Filter)


Free Download of the Week: Four Winds – The Killers (Kanye University): I am not entirely sure if this is on the up and up, but Kanye West routinely post music from him and artists from his label. Then occasionally he will post others like thyis The Killers cover of a Bright Eyes song. Because Kanye West is where I go for the latest in indie rock music advice.

Deal of the Week: DVD for Mom: As Low as $6.49 (Clueless, Elizabethtown, Mean Girls)

Video of the Week: I am not entirely sure about marketing campaigns that insult their potential customers, but hey, the latest Hulu spot stars Denis Leary. So there’s that.

The Leary Mission


Next Week Pick of the Week: Lost, Wednesday at 9:00 on ABC: Last week on Lost set into motion of what could be an explosive final three episodes of the season. Literally considering Faraday wants to take the buried bomb and blow up the Dharma station. Will they succeed? Considering the two-hour season finale is called The Incident, something better. Although why didn’t Kate or Jack bother to ask Faraday what exactly would happen to them if they did blow up the station, keeping Desmond from crashing the plane? That would have been my number one question.

Feed Your iPod: Traditional Irish Folk Song

St. Patrick's Day just isn't St. Patrick's day without Denis Leary's Traditional Irish Folk Song (fun fact: this was my answering machine message for a semester in college).



We have no heads, no we have no heads!

Don't Download These Videos vol. XX

There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I though I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form so here they are courtesy of YouTube. I advise you to watch them before you read my reviews if you don’t want me to spoil things. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available, if not the link goes to YouTube where you can watch the video in full screen). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.


The Game - Common



Common has always been considered one of the most credible rappers around, well, that was until he started showing up in Gap ads and Joss Stone videos. Nice to see all his cozying up to Madison Avenue and the pop crowd hasn’t corrupted his art as The Game stands up with his best with some help from DJ Premier. And you gotta love the black and white ungrounded performance piece for the video.


Do You Know? (The Ping-Pong Song) - Enrique Iglesias



You can chart the relevance of Enrique Iglesias by the co-stars in his videos. He went from Shannon Elizabeth to Jennifer Love Hewitt to Anna Kornakova to Micha Barton. And now he is just resigned to groping just random video hofessionals. But I have to admit I like the whole ping pong gimmick, but they should have made that more pronounced throughout the whole song.


Spies Like Us - Paul McCartney



During my review of the latest album from Paul McCartney (see: Searching for the Time That Went By so Fast), I mentioned that he hasn’t had a legitimate hit during since leaving Wings. Well Monique apparently took offence to that bringing up the theme to the Dan Aykroyd/Chevy Chase film Spies Like Us. I remember the movie to b a classic, but the song, not so much. So I was off to YouTube to see if there was video to listen to the song to give the song a listen and of course it was there (God bless the internets). And after listening to the song I completely stand by my no legitimate hits statement. After hearing this song, feel free to chime in on this debate and keep in mind, this was McCartney’s second highest charting song since leaving Wings.


(Explitive Deleted)hole - Denis Leary
(Despite labeled the “Censored Version” still not very safe for work)



Another old school video, this time to remind you the only summer series worth watching, no not the Flavor of Love rip-off Rock of Love staring the dude from Poison, but Rescue Me starts tonight at 10:00 on FX. And for those that are taping, be warned, much like last season, this episode is set to go long, going until 11:08. As for the song, is it wrong I still laugh when Denis Leary sings, “Sometimes I park in handicapped spaces while handicapped people make handicapped faces” almost fifteen years after I first heard the song?

This Day These Deepened Wounds Don't Heal so Fast

If there is one complaint about Rescue Me is that thirteen episodes just isn’t enough and now we have to wait nine months until fourth season after the third, and by far the best season ended last night. When we last left the boys of the firehouse, Tommy was ready to take the life of the drunk driver that killed his boy until his uncle Teddy decided he would do the deed himself, Lou got conned out of his life savings by a porn star, Franco screwed up yet another relationship, this time with fellow firefighter Laura, and the Chief said goodbye to his wife who he had to put in a home because of her advancing Alzheimer’s. Garrity and the Probie were still just happy go lucky morons, but that would soon change.

And change could be the theme of season three. Some had to hit rock bottom like Lou and Tommy, whose wife took the kids and shacked up with his brother after the death of his son. Lou was seconds away from touching the third rail until somehow a hobo talked him out of it prompting Lou to clean up and even took up yoga. Apparently amongst all the chi he realized that hooking up with a nun was a good idea. But anyways. But the biggest change went to Probie who decided all the sudden he would start playing for the other team even though he was in denial which led to hilarious exchanges with his “partner” on who was less gay.

Franco and the Chief, did have the weaker storylines that had some holes in them. It seemed odd that Franco would decide to take the Chief’s test to better provide for his daughter but then gave up pretty easily when the chick from Bull Durham took her. Of course all these changes planted seeds in each individual about moving on from Ladder 46 whether it is by transfer, promotion, or just leaving, which made Tommy consider leaving himself, because why would he want to be left with only his future brother-n-law. Then there was the Chief who decided he needed to pick up a second job in able to keep his wife at the home she was at only to quite only to not worry about money after that. But the Chief should have a much better storyline next season after what transpired in the last three episodes.

Speaking of the last three episodes, from the final scene of the eleventh episode of this season to the final seconds of the last episode were some of the best scenes in all of television history. Having two characters going down simultaneously, the opening of the twelfth episode without any speech, to the shocking final scene, heightened with the odd choice of David Gray’s The One I Love as a soundtrack (which I later realized that since the scene was seen through Sheila’s eyes, it made more sense). Now we only have to wait nine months to see the outcome. Only nine months. By that time, hopefully Denis Leary will get another well deserved Emmy nomination (and maybe a win next time) as well as supporting nomination for some of the other actors.

Rescue Me 3.x gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

Third Impressions: Rescue Me

Just days after winning the STA for Best Cable Show for the second straight year, Rescue Me is back for its third season. The main problem with the show though is that it has been so long since the second season ended, about nine months, it’s hard to remember what’s going on with Tommy Gavin and the boys, the minute “previously on” segment wasn’t nearly long enough. In fact, I remember watching Everwood the past two weeks wondering where I have seen Andy’s dad before only to watch the season premiere of Rescue Me to realize he also played Tommy’s dad too.

So once everything started to come back to me, Tommy’s kid was hit by a drunk driver who his uncle then killed in retaliation, the chief had to put his wife in a home, the chick firefighter bolted without a way for Franco to find her, Kenny got conned by a prostitute, Garrity got schooled by Tommy’s youngest, and the probie got kicked to the curb by the fat chick, it was time to kick back and enjoy the best drama on television not named Veronica Mars. So a couple months have passed and Tommy’s soon to be ex-wife still hasn’t talked to him as she blames Tommy for Conner’s death. Then to make think worse, for at least little Tommy, is that it looks like Shelia has lost interest too. But that doesn’t stop her for asking for favors like find out whether her son is having sex and needless to say, Tommy doesn’t handle the situation very well but at least there are a few good laughs at his expense. And since he’s been hitting the bottle again, that means the return of his dead cousin who doesn’t care too much on how Tommy’s handling the situation.

The rest of the boys seemed to be put on the backburner this week getting minimal screen time, but were able to up the entertainment when they were there specifically when the boys leaned that the smoking ban in the firehouse was going into effect much to the chagrin to Tommy and Kenny who apparently didn’t get the memo five months ago. Then Kenny finds a video made by the escort that ripped him off that led to some great scenes.

There was some predictability to the episode, so thanks to the preview that revealed who Garrity’s new girlfriend was, and it wasn’t too surprising to me to find out that Janet’s new beau was as I called it about five minutes in. They aren’t the only one’s who will find new love this season as Oscar winners Susan Sarandon and Marissa Tomei pop up for a couple episodes each. Much like the past two, Rescue Me will likely be the cure for the summertime rerun blues.

Rescue Me airs Tuesdays at 10:00 on FX and if you want to know more about what’s coming up on the show, check out highlights from my chat with star and producer of the show Denis Leary - Tonight the Part of Denis Leary Will be Played by Denis Leary.

Tonight the Part of Denis Leary, Will be Played by Denis Leary

Okay, so last night I check my e-mail right after watching the Veronica Mars episode that they filmed while I was there, which already had me on a high and what do I see Live Chat with Denis Leary. Much like when I got the invite to visit the set of Veronica Mars, I sat there and stared at the letter for a while. I’m sure long time readers to the 9th Green know how much of a fan of Denis Leary I am as I quote him everyone and a while. Plus No Cure for Cancer was recently inducted into the Scooter Hall of Fame and Rescue Me was a winner at the inaugural Scooter Television Awards. Needless say, sleep didn’t come last night as I spent last night thinking up questions. One of the bad things about Rescue Me is that it has been so long since it last aired; it’s somewhat hard to remember what happened last. Some of my Veronica Mars Bloggers cohorts were also there and here are some of the highlights:

Give Me My Remote: When is Rescue Me coming back? I've heard May 30th?
Denis Leary: May 30th and the second season DVD comes out May 9th. The soundtrack comes out the third week in May.

Denis Leary: I have a new song coming out in the fall called "(Expletive Deleted) You"
Scooter McGavin: Denis is "(Expletive Deleted) You" going to be part of a new comedy album?
Denis Leary: "(Expletive Deleted) You” will be part of a new comedy album.

Denis Leary: "Traditional Irish Folk Song" is one of my favorites. We played it in front of 10,000 people at a gig I did in Dublin last fall.

Denis Leary: Some of the older members of the FDNY found it difficult to watch during the first season but a good friend of mine, Timmy Higgins, who was a member of the FDNY and died on 9/11, his brother Bobby and his brother Joey and his father are all firefighters. His father has put in 40 some odd years fighting fires in New York city and he loves the show. So, he's my touchstone.

About the criticism around movie Untied 93
Denis Leary: I think it's a knee- jerk reaction. You can't judge the book by its cover. Bruce Springsteen released a fantastic song called "The Rising" shortly after 9/11 and that song had a healing effect so it's like "Rescue Me". It depends on what the piece has to say.

Scooter McGavin: Denis, are we ever going to see a second season of the funniest two hours ever on TV - Contest Searchlight?
Denis Leary: No, Contest Searchlight was a one off.

tubetalkgirl: What has been your favorite character to play so far in your career?
Denis Leary: Tommy Gavin, no doubt. Although Diego has been very, very good to me.

About his charity
Denis Leary: We are building a high-rise simulator here in New York City for the FDNY. This will enable firefighters to work in conditions that simulate fires and terrorist attacks in skyscrapers. We break ground
next month.
Denis Leary: we are also trying to help the New Orleans fire department which was devastated by Katrina and you can make donations to help them through my foundation and the branch named the Jeremiah Lucey fund.
Denis Leary: www.learyfirefighters.org

About other projects he’s working on
Denis Leary: Yes, a couple of television pilots and a couple of film scripts.
Denis Leary: Plus my book, Kiss my Irish Ass, which is due out in 2007.

GiveMe_MyRemote: I think Rescue Me really pushes the envelope do you ever feel stifled by the network censors?
Denis Leary: No, FX is absolutely the best group of people I have ever worked with. All they do is ask us to push the envelope even further.

Comparing FX to ABC during The Job
Denis Leary: FX is so far and beyond ABC not just in terms of ideas but in terms of marketing that there is no comparison.

The show’s scheduling
Denis Leary: We like playing our stories out over the course of the summer. There is less competition and it allows us to shoot the show from February into August, which gives us three seasons of weather.

Scooter McGavin: I remember last year you were hocking Ryan Adams latest album at the time, what are you currently listening to?
Denis Leary: I am currently listening to Arctic Monkeys and Greg Dulli's brilliant new album called Powderburns.
Denis Leary: Best rock and roll album that I have heard in the last ten years.


tubetalkgirl: Are there any fun extras on the upcoming DVD i.e. bloopers, cast commentaries?
Denis Leary: Yes, there are all kinds of deleted scenes and behind the scenes extras.

Scooter McGavin: What other shows are you watching?
Denis Leary: Family Guy, 24, Deadwood, Huff, and I think it is a crime that Homer Simpson has never been nominated for best actor.
Denis Leary: Seeing The Simpsons movie 15 times.

His Oscars ballot
Denis Leary: Capote, Matt Dillon, Katherine Keener, King Kong.

Denis Leary: I think when People reaches the point when they have to have me in their sexiest man episode we are almost in the bottom of the barrel. Could be a sign of Armageddon.

Denis Leary: I started out as an actor. I studied acting and I got into comedy just to get some stage time and to meet girls.

TV on DVD he owns
Denis Leary: Colombo, 24, Lost, Dick Van Dyke show, Black Adder, the British Office, Fawlty Towers, The Simpsons, The Family Guy, too many to name.


Denis Leary: Thanks for your time too guys. Remember May 30th, FX, 10:00 pm and don't forget to drag your kids out to see Ice Age 2.
Denis Leary: Thank you, thank you, thank you. My mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my daughter's T Cup Chihuahua thanks you.


Rescue Me Spoiler Warning

Denis Leary: Lou is contemplating his retirement. The chief has a financial burden because they've raised the charges at the home where his wife is being taken care of. Sean falls in love with the wrong woman.

tubetalkgirl: Has Franco kicked the pill habit?
Denis Leary: Yes, Franco has kicked the pill habit and all the guys quit smoking in the first episode of the show.

Denis Leary: Lenny's character is prison this year and I told him nobody gets fat in prison. So he lost 110 lbs before we started shooting the third season and I have a project that I am developing for him that is very secret and under wraps.

Denis Leary: No, Sheila is not a lesbian, but down deep she still could be, but right now she's not.

tubetalkgirl: Will Jesus make any appearances this season, like last season?
Denis Leary: It's possible that Jesus may make an appearance before the season is over. He represents Tommy's doubts about his own faith and belief in God which will be sorely tested before the season is over.

Big Fat Dead Guy in a Bathtub

There are two things that without them, it wouldn’t seem like March, first are Shamrock Shakes, the other being this month’s induction into the Scooter Hall of Fame, Denis Leary’s No Cure for Cancer. The ultimate Irishman of my generation released the album during my formative years and me and my friends had the whole thing memorized for years to come. And you just have to play Traditional Irish Folk Song every St. Patrick’s Day. In fact the song was the inspiration on my answering machine my freshman year with the lines,

We drink and we sing
And we drink and we sing
Hey!
We drink and we drive
And we puke and we drink
Hey!
We drink and we fight
And we bleed and we cry
Hey!
We puke and we smoke
And we drink and we die
Hey!

Then we finished things off with Leary’s “Thank you for calling. Thank you for calling” from the stand up portion of the album.

I can also thank Leary for keeping me off drugs. After blaming his bell bottoms and other poor judgments on weed I knew I should stay away from the stuff. As Leary once said “never do a drug named after your own (expletive deleted).” Plus I also learned from him at an early age that the bet drugs are the legal ones. I always look forwards to cold season so I can start taking NyQuil and sing “NyQuil, NyQuil, Nyquil, we love you, you giant (expletive deleted) Q.” And I would never have learned about whippits had it not been for Leary. And thanks to his soliloquy on meat, I didn’t eat a salad until about three years ago.

Even though he’s best known for drugs and smoking, I think the best part of the album was when he went on his musical diatribe:

Explain it to me. Heavy Metal bands on trial because kids commit suicide? What's that about? Judas Priest on trial because “my kid bought the record, and listened to the lyrics .....” Well that's great! That sets a legal precedent. Does that mean I can sue Dan Folgerberg for making me into a (expletive deleted) in the mid-70's. Is that possible, huh? Huh?! "Your honor, between him and James Taylor, I didn't get a (expletive deleted) 'till I was 27 years old. I was in Colorado wearing hiking boots eating granola."

But thanks to the uber-depressing grunge music, I typically change it to Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain while in Seattle wearing flannels shirts and drinking cappuccinos to fit my experience. And whenever election time rolls around and I debate on whether I should vote I think of two things Joe (expletive deleted) Walsh.

So with St. Patrick’s Day quickly approaching, stop by McDonalds, pick up a Shamrock Shake and throw on some Leary and sing along to the Traditional Irish Folk Song.

Now We Grieve Cause Now Is Gone

With all the new shows that needed to be reviewed, I really haven’t had the time to review a summer show that just ended. The first season of Rescue Me was so entertaining that it won the inaugural STA for Best Cable Show for its first season. That season we were introduced to the gang that included the ultimate alpha-male Tommy, the chief Jerry, the old dude Kenny, the new guy Probie, the ladies man Franco, and the idiot Garrity. The season ended with Franco condition unknown after getting hurt due to Tommy’s mistake with Tommy adding anger to his guilt when his wife took off with their kids.

As the second season starts, Tommy asks for a transfer and is ship off to the suburbs where nothing happens, Franco recovered but picked up a painkiller habit, and Tommy’s kids were nowhere to be found. But each episode is started with the heart pounding C’mon, C’mon. Other main storylines that were introduced was Kenny now was living at the firehouse after getting a divorce, and the chief having to care for his wife who is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s.

Tommy does still drive the show. In an attempt to look like a better father in hopes to win custody of his kids once he finds them, he decides to sober up. This eliminates the ghost he continually would see last season. Grant the side effect of being sober was that he now kept on seeing Jesus and on occasion Mary Magdalene who, at least in the entertainment department, was more entertaining than the many ghosts that haunted the alcoholic Tommy.

There were a few storylines this year that I could have done without, most notably the one with Tommy’s half-brother priest. But as a whole the second season was just as entertaining as the first. The most entertaining is whenever Garrety walk on the screen and show some great comic chops, from helping Probie to determine whether he had ball cancer to debating the existence of God with Tommy’s youngest daughter, Garrety always brings his A game. And with everything that happened at the end of this season, it looks like season three is shaping up to be as good as the previous two.

Rescue Me 2.x gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

NyQuil, We Love You, You Giant *cough*ing Q

It seems I've recently been bitten by the flu bug. But don't cry for me Argentina, the flu means I can partake in the greatest part of the flu season, NyQuil. There is nothing better than what a wise man once called the "Green Death Flavor." Then the marketing geniuses at Vick came up with the greatest marketing ploy of all time, package NyQuil with its own shot glass. How did this trend not seep into the liquor aisle? Although Vicks couldn't let a good thing alone and thus we also now have DayQuil. And this is where the problem lies. I wake up in the morning and take DayQuil. Then when it's time to go to bed, break out the shot glass and down some NyQuil. It's like I turned into Elvis. And we all know how the movie ended. There can't possibly be a worse way to die.

Talking about drugs, anyone think it's a coincidence that a couple weeks after implicating President Bush saying he knew about the rampant steroid use when he owned the Rangers and now it turns out Jose Canseco owns money in back taxes? Something to ponder.