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The 2000s were dominated by Tony Soprano’s menace, Carrie Bradshaw’s advice column and the well-dressed Don Draper’s New York City escapades. They also featured a weed-loving mother, Nancy Botwin, trying to raise two children and a brother-in-law, and Jimmy McNulty solving Baltimore crime. The 2000s were the time when television’s big three, ABC, NBC and CBS, faltered, and television shows on premium and average cable shined.
To celebrate the beginning of a new decade, we remember the five television shows that set new standards.
1. ‘The Sopranos’ (HBO)
This show blended violence and pathos in a beautiful medley that resulted in one of the decade’s most popular TV shows. The violence was unmistakable: Viewers saw a woman raped in a parking garage, the dismembering of a body in a bathtub and countless murder scenes. But ‘The Sopranos’ also featured the struggles and the black-comedy journey of Tony Soprano’s (James Gandolfini) family. Soprano dealt with a mother (Nancy Marchand) and an uncle (Dominic Chianese) who tried to have him killed. Soprano’s only son (Robert Iler) experienced the tragedy of inheriting his mental volatility. His wife (Edie Falco) threw him out of the house for rampant affairs, and he had to kill his nephew (Michael Imperioli).
2. ‘Sex and the City’ (HBO)
Yes, it actually started in 1998, but ‘Sex and the City’ gained momentum in the 2000s. With more and more people subscribing to premium cable networks, everyone was tuning into HBO to see what Carrie and the girls were up to. When the show ended in 2004, the four beauties of New York City had made a large impact on both the fashion world and in defining what female friendship means. After seven Emmys and almost six years after the conclusion, the girls are coming back in 2010 for ‘Sex and the City 2,’ the sequel to the first movie adaptation of the popular series, which was a 2007 box-office hit.
3.’The Wire’ (HBO)
David Simon, the creator of ‘The Wire,’ never took home the accolades he deserved. While ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘Sex and the City’ beat out ‘The Wire’ for popularity and awards, ‘The Wire’ was hands down the best TV show of the decade. On a weekly basis, the show painted an unbelievably real picture of downtrodden Baltimore, a city where problems always go uphill, and the small guy always ends in last place. A town where Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) and the few other good police work to solve the cases that matter, even though the criminals are better supplied and organized. It’s about the neighborhoods where Marlo’s and Avon’s crews sling. It’s about the newspaper that wins a Pulitzer Prize on a fabricated story. It’s about the school system that never wanted to be there for its students. It’s a show that could only be fully realized on HBO.
4. ‘Mad Men’ (AMC)
Basic cable has never looked this good. When strictly judging the visuals, the show is amazing. Even a trip to the supermarket showcases a pastel color scheme that catches the eye. The costumes have inspired the American public to start looking for skinny ties and tight-breasted suits. Story-wise, the show manages to make an anti-hero out of Don Draper: a liar, a cheat, an advertising genius and a captivating character. So far, Draper’s story has unfolded through three seasons, from his Dust Bowl beginnings to assuming another man’s identity in the Korean War to his prowess on Madison Avenue.
5. ‘Weeds’ (Showtime)
The key to enjoying this show is to laugh at moments that shouldn’t be funny. It laughs at Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker), a mother who nearly abandons her children in a quest for love and money while dealing drugs. It pokes fun at teenage pregnancy, after Nancy’s son, Silas (Hunter Parrish) ends up getting his girlfriend pregnant. Plus, it makes numerous jokes about sex, whether it’s underage sex, interracial sex or even sex with toes. ‘Weeds’ set new standards in television because it wasn’t afraid to make its viewers laugh about topics that shouldn’t – in a normal world – be funny.
Published on December 13, 2009 at 12:00 pm
