Boob Tube

So a few co-workers went out for a drink after a later meeting the other night and occassionaly they talked about something other than work. I was trying to convince everyone that if they are not watching Mad Men, they obviously have no self respect. My arguments were that the season is only 13 episodes long, it starts in the summer when teachers ain't doing s**t, its the best written show on tv, Don Draper is the man, it's historically accurate, hot women, and many other reasons. One lady was animate about it saying she already had so many shows she had to watch, she didn't have room for any more. WTF? What could you possibly be watching?

This got me to thinking about the the shows you must watch of the last 10 years. These are not necessarily the "best" (even though many are), these are just shows that have changed the landscape of television, or maybe America in general; these are the shows you need to watch. In no particular order:

• Arrested Development- too funny for the dumbed-down American public. It has gained a larger following now that it is off the air and people are now demanding "smarter" comedies on television. Maybe we can be saved? (I doubt it)
• The Wire- do I need to say anything? Riveting, change the way that many people view inner-city America. Hasn't changed the problems facing inner-cities, but has made these problems watchable from the comfort of your white picket fence homes in the suburbs.
• Sopranos- made it okay to have a lot of swearing and nudity in a show and still win awards if you had riveting characters, great plot lines, and great dialogue. Without this show there would be no other shows on HBO like The Wire, Deadwood, Rome, Six Feet Under, etc.
• Lost- I know many people got frustrated with this show, but I think after this season ends the 6 seasons it has will stand alone as a great story. This show also made it okay to be a super nerd about a show and follow it online, play role-playing games online, read books about it, start online chats, and live twitter feeds during an episode. The show lost a lot in ratings throughout the years but the fan base was so die hard and strong, I think ABC would have kept in on forever if possible.
• It's Always Sunny- made it okay to have people in their 30s act like idiots and have episodes be about nothing except the characters acting like a**-holes and always ending up in the same place they started while never learning anything.
• 24- Jack Bauer is a bad-ass. Most of the seasons made no sense and had no real dialogue, but just watching Jack Bauer be a bad ass was enough.
• House- a medical drama, but not a medical drama. The show was really about the dialogue. You could pay no attention to the medical case they were working on, and it would still be a great show. Hugh Laurie is great as a grizzled doctor who pretends he hates everyone, but underneath really needs people. After 6 seasons, it is still going strong.
• The Office- saved network sitcoms about 3 years ago when it was a graveyard out there. Without this show we would not have Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, and Modern Family (the 3 funniest sitcoms currently on)
• Damages- if you haven't watched this, rent season 1. It makes Law and Order look like Sesame Street. The plot lines are so tangled, the characters are riveting, and it has this sexy appeal to it that is off the hook.
• Mad Men- (read first paragraph).

I strongly believe 30 years from and people will look at 2000-2010 and 3 shows will stand out: Sopranos, The Wire, and Mad Men.

here and here are two other, less-educated, opinions are best tv shows of the last 10 years.