AMC
Somewhere on this site (I’d link, but I’m writing this post in advance) are posted my selections for the 10 best TV series of the ’00s. I could write a whole vast explanation of my criteria and my philosophy, but it comes down to this: I loved dozens of shows in the decade. I had ten slots. There were far more shows that deserved to be on the list, but these were the ten I picked. That’s all; I can’t really give a detailed defense of why I left any particular show off. (OK, one defense: I left off shows like Buffy, The Simpsons and King of the Hill because for the purposes of this list I judged them by only those episodes that aired this decade.)
There were a lot of shows it pained me to omit, though, and several—I won’t say which—that I put on and off the list in the final days before I set it in stone. So herewith are 20 shows (in alphabetical order) that I could well have put on the list, but didn’t. (I’m leaving out some “brilliant but cancelled” shows that I’ll deal with on a separate list.)
Why 20? Because I had to stop somewhere. There were plenty more shows worth celebrating in the ’00s–I’m sure I just plain forgot a few–and I welcome you to suggest them in the comments.
[Update, Wednesday a.m. Here’s my best-of-the-decade list. Well, I’m told the lists will be posted by this morning. Any… second… now. In the meantime, you can make a game of figuring out from this list which shows are on my best-of-the-decade list. Which I hope will be posted before the decade is over.]
Adult Swim (Not a show! I know! But I couldn’t decide between Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Home Movies and The Venture Brothers, so deal with it)
American Idol
The Amazing Race
Big Love
Breaking Bad
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Firefly
Friday Night Lights
Gilmore Girls
King of the Hill
The O.C.
Sex and the City
The Shield
Six Feet Under
Slings and Arrows
South Park
24
Veronica Mars
The West Wing
[Update, Wednesday a.m.: Of course, having had a week or so to think it over, I’m already realizing shows I might have included. So Chappelle’s Show (or would that be Brilliant-But-Self-Cancelled?), Titus, Extras, et al., I’m thinking of you too–it’s just too late to decide whether there’s anything I’d take off to fit you on. But that’s why I stopped at 20–because you’ve gotta stop somewhere.]