Top 5 Television Shows of the Decade

By James Melzer on December 31st, 2009

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With 2009 coming to a close, we are not only saying goodbye to another year, but to another decade. I don’t want to hear all the semantics either about how the decade really ends next year since there was a year zero and blah, blah, blah. January 1st, 2000, to January 1st, 2010, is ten years, so stuff your semantics in a sock!

Now with all that out of the way, it’s time to look back on the top five shows of the past ten years as decided by yours truly. It was a tough list to narrow down, that’s for sure. There was a lot of great television that came into our homes, from sitcoms to comedy’s, to drama’s and realty TV, the following five shows represent the best-of-the-best in my mind. Disagree? Leave your suggestions in the comments below and we’ll have it out in a good ol’ fashion war of words.

Here we go!

5. Dexter

On October 1, 2006, America fell in love with a serial killer. Premiering on Showtime, the television show Dexter became an instant fan favorite with it’s mix of humor, horror and CSI-like elements. Coupled with the fact that it’s on cable, where you can pretty much do and say anything you want, viewers couldn’t get enough of Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst by day for the Miami Police Department, and a serial killer who picks victims that have done the innocent wrong by night. Strong writing, excellent character development and acting make Dexter the number five show in the list.

4. 24

What started as a gimmick show on November 6, 2001, quickly became America’s number one action series. Presented in ‘real time,’ 24 follows the adventures of Jack Bauer, a sometimes-agent with the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) in Los Angeles, who always seems to have one hell of a day. When he’s not stopping terrorists from blowing up the city, he’s protecting the president from an assassination attempt. With more plot twists than a Dan Brown novel, 24 is number four on the list of top five shows of the past decade.

3. The Sopranos

HBO hit the nail on the head with this one, and The Sopranos went on to not only garner award-after-award, but it also became the most financially successful cable show in the history of television. Viewers couldn’t get enough of mobster Tony Soprano and the challenges he faced while trying to balance his family life with his obligations to the criminal organization he led. Although the show ended its run in 2007, it has been called one of the greatest television shows ever created, but for all intents and purposes, The Sopranos falls into the number three spot on my top five shows of the decade list.

2. LOST

Combining action, romance, mythology, suspense, and stuff that makes no sense whatsoever, LOST debuted on September 22, 2004. When Oceanic Flight 815 crashes on a remote island in the South Pacific, the survivors are propelled forward into one of the most complex plots ever to grace our television screens. With the shows final season almost upon us, LOST definitely goes down in the record books as one of the best shows of the decade. Thanks to its ensemble cast, brilliant writers, smoke monsters and polar bears, LOST takes the number two slow on the top five shows of the decade list.

1. Battlestar Galactica

Spaceships, Cylons, and Edward James Olmos. What more do you need for hit show? Apparently you need strong characters, superb writing, plot twists, romance, action and space. Thankfully, BSG had all of those things, and when it debuted on October 18, 2004, viewers were stunned at the re-imagining of the classic 1978 series, and science fiction as we know it on television changed forever. Battlestar Galactica won 33 awards in just four seasons, garnered critical acclaim from such places as Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Entertainment Weekly. I could go on and on about this show, but if you’ve seen it, you already know why Battlestar Galactica is in the number one spot on my list of top five television show of the decade.

There you have it folks. My picks for the top five shows of the decade. I’m sure most of you can think of at least four or five other shows I didn’t mention that should be on the list but aren’t. Too bad. I’m the writer, you’re the reader. That’s the way it goes. Feel free to unleash hell in the comments below though, and give me your top five shows of the decade. There, I’ve thrown down the gauntlet, and it’s now up to you to accept the challenge.

Agree or disagree though, you’ve got to admit that the past ten years have been pretty good to television. As 2010 approaches and we see the series finale of LOST, one can only wonder what the glass teat will being us. Public executions, perhaps? We’ll see…