My Favorite TV Shows of the Decade (Top 25 Long-Lived; Top 15 Short-Lived)

Well, I've already ranked my top 30 movies of the decade. I thought I'd try ranking my favorite TV shows of the decade. Ranking TV shows is more difficult because some are older, some are newer, some are brand new, some last a while, and some were short lived. So, I'm breaking my favorites into three categories...

I'm considering a Long-Lived Favorite to be a show that went past two complete seasons (or is about to, such as "Chuck" which will air season 3 in 2010). Short-Lived Favorites will be shows that lasted two complete seasons or less but have already finished their run. Current Honorable Mentions are shows that just started, are renewed for a forthcoming 2nd season, or are in the middle of their 2nd season.

And, to be on the list of long-lived favorites for the decade, at least half the run had to take place in & after the year 2000. "Ally McBeal" just barely squeaks by, riding the fence between the '90s & 2000s. And, it ranks in the middle with it's best season (4) and worst season (5) both taking place in the 2000s. "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer" ranks lower because its best season (5) but also two worst seasons (6 & 7) take place in the 2000s. The season 6 finale and almost all of season 7 of "Gilmore Girls" were a travesty too, but its first 5.75 excellent seasons take place all in the 2000s, so it still ranks very high. Had it not been for the very last scene of that season 6 finale and subsequent unevenness of season 7, "Gilmore Girls" could have been at least two ranks higher.

And, oh yeah, I don't get premium channels, so no Sopranos, True Blood, etc. Sorry, but it's my list.

Top 25 Favorite Long-Lived TV Shows from 2000 - 2009

25. Rescue Me (2004 - current)

24. Last Comic Standing (2003 - 2008)

22. (tie) Brothers & Sisters (2006 - current)

22. (tie) Prison Break (2005 - 2009)

20. (tie) Beauty & the Geek (2005 - 2008)

20. (tie) Mythbusters (2003 - current)

19. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (1999 - current)

18. Survivor (2000 - current)

16. (tie) South Park (1997 - current)

16. (tie) Buffy: The Vampire Slayer (1997 - 2003)

15. The O.C. (2003 - 2007)

14. Scrubs (2001 - current)

13. Ally McBeal (1997 - 2002)

11. (tie) The 4400 (2004 - 2007)

11. (tie) Chuck (2007 - current)

10. The Shield (2002 - 2008)

09. Boston Legal (2004 - 2008)

08. Stargate: Atlantis (2004 - 2009)

07. Battlestar Galactica (2004 - 2009)

06. House (2004 - current)

05. Gilmore Girls (2000 - 2007)

04. Stargate: SG-1 (1997 - 2007)

03. The Practice (1997 - 2004)

02. The West Wing (1999 - 2006)

01. Lost (2004 - current)

Top 15 Favorite Short-Lived TV Shows from 2000 - 2009

15. Kid Nation (2007, 13 episodes)

14. The Jeff Dunham Show (2009, 6 episodes)

13. Who Wants to Be a Superhero (2006 - 2007, two seasons, 14 episodes)

12. New Amsterdam (2008, 8 episodes)

11. Women's Murder Club (2007 - 2008, 13 episodes)

10. Kings (2009, 13 episodes)

08. (tie) John Doe (2002 - 2003, 21 episodes)

08. (tie) Defying Gravity (2009, 13 episodes)

07. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008 - 2009, two seasons, 31 eps)

04. (tie) Standoff (2006 - 2007, 18 episodes)

04. (tie) Journeyman (2007, 13 episodes)

04. (tie) Moonlight (2007 - 2008, 16 episodes)

03. Men In Trees (2006 - 2008, two seasons, 36 episodes)

02. Jericho (2006 - 2008, two seasons, 29 episodes)

01. Firefly (2002, 14 episodes -- 3 of those never aired, found on DVD only)

Current Honorable Mentions

- Cougar Town

- FlashForward

- Glee

- Sanctuary

- Star Wars: The Clone Wars

- Stargate: Universe

- V

- Warehouse 13

So, what are your favorite TV shows of the decade???

My Top 30 Favorite Films of the Decade (2000 - 2009)

It's always so hard to rank movies (TV shows too). There are so many factors to consider, so many shades of grey.

Some movies are fresh on your mind. Some you're having to judge based on memories of when you saw them several years ago. For instance, I constantly wonder whether "Under the Tuscan Sun" should be one of only nine movie to which I give the ultimate A+ grade. At one time, I must have thought so. I haven't gotten around to watching it lately, so as odd as it feels to say it's better than "The Dark Knight" or even "Iron Man," I'm going to have to go on my opinion of it that is several years old.

Then there's the conflict between objective observation of quality and inexplicable personal appeal. In other words, the best movies and your favorite movies aren't always the same things. Sometimes a movie blows you away the first time, but you have little or no interest in seeing it again. "Memento" would be an excellent example of this. Other times, a flawed or less ambitious movie still has higher re-watch factor, such as "Love Actually" or "Frequency."

Anyway, here's my best attempt to rank the best -- uhm, I mean, my favorite -- movies of the 2000 - 2009 decade. I may change my mind on half of it later, but it'll do for now:

30. The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
29. Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
28. X2: X-Men United (2003)
27. Watchmen (2009)
26. The Prestige (2006)
25. Children of Men (2006)
24. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
23. Ocean's 12 (2004)
22. The Queen (2006)
21. Up (2009)
20. Waitress (2007)
19. Serenity (2005)
18. The Lake House (2006)
17. Spider-Man (2002)
16. Cars (2006)
15. Wall-E (2008)
14. Love Actually (2003)
13. Batman Begins (2005)
12. The Blind Side (2009)
11. Ocean's 13 (2007)
10. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
09. Iron Man (2008)
08. Star Trek (2009)
07. Ocean's 11 (2001)
06. Finding Nemo (2003)
05. The Dark Knight (2008)
04. Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
03. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
02. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
01. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003)

Honorable Mentions: The Bourne Trilogy (2002/2004/2007), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), Charlie Wilson's War (2007), Gran Torino (2009), Casino Royale (2006), 500 Days of Summer (2009), United 93 (2006), The Bucket List (2008), The Terminal (2004), Slumdog Millionaire (2008), and Frequency (2000).

Yes, "Avatar" is intentionally left out. It's on the borderline. It looked good, but the story was a little weak & unoriginal. All the super-glowing reviews I've heard for it on blogs & podcasts -- even the ones from people who admitted the flaws in the story -- come from people who saw it in 3-D. When I went, it was sold out in 3-D. It looked great in 2-D, but I've heard it's just not the same. I'm tempted to see it again, this time in 3-D, to see if the increase in quality raises my opinion of it from B to B+. If so, then it will be an Honorable Mention of the decade too.

And, I'm sure my Facebook friends are tired of excuses I find to mention this, but I think it can't be said enough... The worst movie of 2009, one of the worst cinematic travesties of the decade, and yes, one of the worst movies of all time was, sadly & shamefully, "Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen." It joins the ranks of other Grade-F movies "Highlander 2: The Quickening," "Event Horizon," "Batman & Robin," "Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows," and "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier."