A Decade in Review

So far in my life, the 2000s have taken up most of it. It's my first full decade. It started with the "election" of Bush and ended with more troops in Afghanistan and health care reform. It started with N*Sync with No Strings Attached and ended with Taylor Swift's Fearless. Oprah gained control of political elections. Kanye West went from an inspired rapper to a guy who should stick his foot in his mouth more often. A lot has changed in this past decade. I am no longer in grammar school!

But let's be honest. I could (and maybe someday will) bitch and moan about what went terribly wrong this past decade, but I'm trying this thing where I am less angry. So let's celebrate something I hold very dear to my heart: television.

Don't mock! It's pretty much the most uplifting thing in the world. So, if you will, take this journey with me through the decade in television.

Wait, I lied. Just give me a paragraph to rant about "reality" tv.

"Reality" Television
The premise was okay. Stick a bunch of people together for a social experiment. Along the way, we may learn more about how different social groups interact with each other. (The Real World, I'm looking at you) But then, executives figured out that if you put a bunch of young, stupid people together, they will drink, get in fights, and have lots of sex. Which sadly resonates with many people and results in high ratings. So then they figured they could exploit people and they really wouldn't notice. And so it was. Low cost to produce. People think it's entertaining to watch people that haven't bathed in quite a while (You, Survivor).

Then ushered in the Celeb-Reality genre. Nick and Jessica. Brittany and Kevin. Hey Paula! These are completely hilarious, so I'll give them that one.

But Celebrity Mole, I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! (ugh, they do not need more special privileges...), etc... gag.

Best Television to Come Out of the 2000s (in no particular order)

Veronica Mars
Pretty much my favorite show of all time. (so that's why it's listed first, though this is in no particular order...) Teen sleuth who is trying to figure out her best friends murder mystery. Veronica is know as the modern Nancy Drew, but her show was much more than solving mysteries. It chronicled the struggle between classes and the best father-daughter relationship on television. Ever. Always entertaining, and sometimes frustrating, even in the less-than-grand episodes. It has become a martyr for canceled-too-soon shows. And now fans are doing something about it.

Buffy/Angel/Firefly/Dollhouse
Joss Whedon shows get clumped together. They are all important and wonderful, but in the end, do about the same for television in equal parts. Buffy was the first and technically started in the 90s, so the accomplishments made then don't count. But during the 2000s, one episode showed the death of a beloved character in something so close to reality, in a show that dealt with the supernatural. It is guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes because it is so real. Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse all brought darker elements to television in an era where it was popular to focus on the the ridiculous. Whedon's willingness to focus on emotion (and scifi, not syfy) set the bar higher for scripted television. And without him, television as we know it would be very different. Plus, these shows were just fantastic. A majority of the following shows would not exist.

Chuck
A show about a reluctant spy. A great plot, cast, special effects, etc, but what has made it even more special is the fan dedication. About to be canceled, fans rallied to their nearest Subway, a corporate sponsor of the show. And so Subway called NBC execs and told them not to cancel Chuck because it gave them so much money. And that's why Chuck Season 3 is premiering January 10, 2010. Chuck is proof that the decade has turned television into the hands of the viewer.

30 Rock
30 Rock and Tina Fey have helped revolutionize television writing and comedic writing. Though still seen as a male industry, this SNL star has shown that women can be as and more successful. Fey's work has opened up more doors for women in the coming years.

Ugly Betty
This show was one of the first to make an "ugly" person the main character. Face it, most shows have pretty people as main characters. Many cliches apply here, but this show helped form shows like Chuck and Glee which heavily feature outcasts.

Grey's Anatomy/Desperate Housewives (first season)
Not the best writing admittedly, but the first couple seasons had us on our toes and we became compelled to be invested in the character's future. The episode after the Superbowl on Grey's is still talked about today. It is how many people got hooked on the show and then later realized what a piece of crap show it became. Desperate Housewives enjoyed top ratings and the suicide of Mary Alice was compelling. Call it a guilty pleasure (because it is), but it is the origin of the "guilty pleasure" moniker. And we owe it at least that.

Lost
Sci-fi became extremely mainstream and gave geeks a voice. San Diego Comiccon is no longer just about comic books. It's pretty much for anything that's awesome. So thank you, Lost for your extremely complicated plot lines and time travel. I am forever indebted for making geeky things more available to the public.

Glee
The first fully musical show. There was the musical Buffy episode, which lacked great singing, but was able to move the story along and deal with characters emotions. The Scrubs musical episode had better singing, but was completely a comedy so not much development went on. Though these characters are not randomly breaking out into song (except that one Quinn moment...), the songs still stay relevant (well kind of... the important ones do). It has repackaged television for the stage minded folk. And for this we are happy.

So 2009 ends and 2010 begins. A new decade. What will this decade be remembered for? The 2000s will probably be the decade of communication (and beeteedubs, we need a better name than 2000s. Our 3 loyal readers, get on it now!). Communication through television and media. The most compelling stuff ever written for the small screen. What will this new decade hold for us? College, most likely. But most importantly, more television to distract us from studying. At least we know that our procrastination will be filled with something worthwhile.