Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Best of the '00s?

Every now and then, I'm asked to participate in a poll of TV critics, and I always like to use you guys to help brainstorm and make sure I haven't missed something obvious. This time, somebody wants me to pick the best TV of the '00s, picking my six favorites in six categories:
Comedy series
Drama series
Drama lead actor
Drama lead actress
Comedy lead actor
Comedy lead actress
Only eligibility requirements is that the series needs to have aired original episodes during the '00s, not that it had to debut then. "Freaks and Geeks" and "The West Wing," for instance, both debuted in the fall of '99 but aired the majority of their episodes after January 2000.

I'm not sure where I'm going to place a hybrid show like "Freaks and Geeks" -- right now, I'm leaning comedy, simply because I'm going to have a hard enough time as it is picking the final three spots in the Drama series category (the first three go to HBO's holy trinity of "The Wire," "The Sopranos" and "Deadwood") -- but I'm also told that if a show like that splits votes in multiple categories, its votes would go to the category where it got the most.

So fire away with your own thoughts on any and all of the categories -- and make sure to limit yourselves to six so you can understand my own dilemma -- and maybe you'll jog my memory on something I wasn't thinking of. And even if you don't, lists are always fun to argue about, aren't they?

128 comments:

  1. Comedy Series:
    Arrested Development
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    The Office (U.K.)
    The Office (U.S.)
    Extras


    Drama:
    Totally with you on Sopranos and the Wire. Although I liked Deadwood, I wouldn't be as quick to give it an automatic top 3 spot over, say, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Lost, Freaks and Geeks, Battlestar Galactica or Friday Night Lights (just to name some off the top of my head)

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  2. Comedy series
    The Office (UK). Would have said Arrested Development (first season arc was incredible), but the tone of The Office was more consistent throughout the entire series.

    Drama series
    The Wire, no question

    Drama lead actor
    Jon Hamm

    Drama lead actress
    Edie Falco

    Comedy lead actor
    Ricky Gervais

    Comedy lead actress
    Surprisingly difficult to think of a female comedic lead from any of the breakout shows of the last decade, besides Tina Fey, who seems to do too much of the Seinfeld-style mugging. Does Kristen Wiig count?

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  3. Comedy actress: Lauren Graham, Gilmore Girls.

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  4. Comedy Series
    Gilmore Girls
    Sex and the City
    The Office (US)
    HIMYM

    Drama Series
    Veronica Mars
    Lost
    House

    Drama Lead Actor
    Hugh Laurie
    Matthew Fox

    Comedy Lead Actress
    Lauren Graham

    Drama Lead Actress
    Kristen Bell

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  5. Oooh I do love lists Alan. Hmmm, sketching them out off the top of my head...

    Drama:
    The Sopranos
    The Wire
    Deadwood
    Lost!
    Mad Men
    Six Feet Under?
    (pretty sure about 1-5...#6 I'm not positive.)


    Comedy:
    ArrDev
    The Office UK
    Curb Yr Enthusiasm
    Freaks & Geeks (definitely comedy)
    30 Rock?
    Yeah, OK, The Office US
    Gilmore Girls (probably leans more toward comedy)

    Oof, that is a tough one.

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  6. Comedy Series:Chuck
    How I Met Your Mother
    Family Guy

    Drama Series:The Shield
    The Wire
    The Sopranos
    24
    Lost

    Drama Actor:Michael Chiklis <-- Winner
    Kiefer Sutherland

    Drama Actress:CCH Pounder

    Comedy Actor:Zachary Levi
    Steve Carrell
    Neil Patrick Harris

    Comedy Actress:Yvonne Strahovski

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  7. I've always associated Freaks and Geeks with the 90s.

    Drama Series:
    Sopranos
    The Wire
    Friday Night Lights (Seasons 1 & 3)
    LOST
    Battlestar Galactica
    Mad Men

    Comedy Series:
    Arrested Development
    The Office
    30 Rock
    South Park
    Flight of the Conchords
    Curb Your Enthusiasm

    Drama Actor
    James Gandolfini
    Jon Hamm
    Ian McShane
    Michael C. Hall (Dexter, not 6FU)
    Bryan Cranston
    Hugh Laurie
    Honorable Mention: Nathan Fillion, Kiefer Sutherland

    Drama Actress:
    Edie Falco
    Glenn Close
    Frances Conroy
    Mary McDonnell
    Kristen Bell

    Comedy Actor:
    Jason Bateman
    Steve Carell
    Rainn Wilson
    Alec Baldwin
    Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert

    Comedy Actress:
    Tina Fey
    Jenna Fischer
    Jane Kaczmarek
    Amy Sedaris

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  8. I wish polls and awards would get away from labeling things drama and comedy. The best shows are usually BOTH (you know, like real life). West Wing, Gilmore Girls, The Office would be in my top five of the 00s, and they certainly all make /made me laugh and cry (or at least "feel things") consistently.

    I guess Arrested Development is straight comedy, so I'd vote for that, and Mad Men, while it does make me laugh a lot definitely seems more of a drama than a mix.

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  9. Comedy series
    The Office
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    Sex and the City
    I can't believe I'm saying this, but Boston Legal -- it really made me laugh out loud a lot.

    Drama series
    The Sopranos
    Dexter
    Friday Night Lights
    CSI (Vegas version)
    In Treatment
    Grey's Anatomy (not recently...)

    Drama lead actor
    James Gandolfini
    Michael C Hall
    Kyle Chandler
    Gabriel Byrne

    Drama lead actress
    Connie Britton
    Sandra Oh
    Edie Falco (I wonder if her new show will be good...)

    Comedy lead actor
    Steve Carrell
    Larry David

    Comedy lead actress
    Sarah Jessica Parker

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  10. Sometimes, the obvious answers are the right ones:

    Comedy series: The Office
    Drama series: The Sopranos
    Drama lead actor: James Gandolfini
    Drama lead actress: Edie Falco
    Comedy lead actor: Alec Baldwin -- if you count it as a lead; else, Steve Carell
    Comedy lead actress: Sarah Jessica Parker > Tina Fey, I guess.

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  11. I don't believe nobody's mentioned Connie Britton for her work in Friday Night Lights for best dramatic actress

    Drama: The Wire, Mad Men, Veronica Mars?, and Lost.
    Comedy: Freaks and Geeks, Arrested Development, Futurama or Mr. Show

    Man, I don't envy your task. 3 each is painful.

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  12. This is gonna be tough considering the 2000s had some of the best dramas ever on TV.

    Drama Series:
    Sopranos
    Wire
    Shield

    Comedy Series:
    Curb Your Enthusiasm ( Seasons 1-3)

    Drama Lead Actor/Actress
    Michael Chicklis/ Eddie Falco
    Hugh Laurie, James Gandolfini/na

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  13. Drama:
    The West Wing
    BSG

    Comedy:
    Arrested Development


    Freaks and Geeks if as you say it was in the 00s. It feels like a 90s show to me.

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  14. And we can say goodbye to my productivity for the morning.

    Comedy series:
    Arrested Development, Chuck, The Office, The Daily Show, 30 Rock, Andy Richter Controls the Universe.

    Drama series:
    The Wire, The Sopranos, Deadwood, Lost, BSG, Friday Night Lights

    Drama Lead Actor:
    Ian McShane (Deadwood), Kyle Chandler (FNL), James Gandolfini (The Sopranos), Hugh Laurie (House)

    Drama Lead Actress:
    Mary McDonnell (BSG), Edie Falco (The Sopranos), Connie Britton (FNL)

    Comedy Lead Actor:
    Steve Carell (The Office), Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report), Ricky Gervais (The Office), Bret & Jermaine (Flight of the Conchords)

    Comedy Lead Actress:
    Jenna Fischer (The Office), Tina Fey (30 Rock), Jessica Walter (Arrested Development)

    I think that it's harder to come up with Lead actor/actress nods than actors/actresses whose performances deserve recognition, despite being less than lead roles (e.g. everyone from The Wire, Susie Essman on Curb, NPH on HIMYM, Adam Baldwin on Chuck.) And comedy lead actresses?

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  15. Very tough! An Anglo view here...(listed them roughly in descending order of how much I like each show)

    Comedy series - Britain miles in front here (top 4 all British).
    1. The Office (U.K)
    2. The Thick of It
    3. Peep Show
    4. Spaced
    5. Arrested Development
    6. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

    30 Rock, Curb, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, Freaks and Geeks, Chuck, South Park, The Office (U.S.), all came close.

    Drama series - can't think of anything from 2000s from Britain that ranks even close to these (Dr. Who and Life on Mars maybe?)
    1. The Wire (by a mile)
    2. The Shield
    3. The West Wing
    4. Battlestar Galactica - if not for the dire finale might have been higher
    5. The Sopranos - I do love it, but the whole Italian-American gangster thing just doesn't grabe me as much as the subjects in the dramas listed above. I accept that most would place it above my top 5!

    Drama lead actor
    Michael Sheen - The West Wing (if you can call that a lead role? Probably not to be honest).

    Drama lead actress
    Allison Janey - The West Wing - struggled here, still a lack of great roles in great dramas I think.

    Comedy lead actor
    Ricky Gervais - The Office (U.K.)

    Comedy lead actress
    Tina Fey - 30 Rock

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  16. Comedy series
    Arrested Development
    Black Books
    Wonderfalls
    30 Rock
    Sugar Rush
    The Book Group

    Drama series
    Carnivàle
    Bleak House
    Battlestar Galactica
    Lost
    Dead Like Me
    OZ

    Drama lead actor
    Michael Emerson - Lost
    Clancy Brown - Carnivàle

    Drama lead actress
    Mary McDonnell - BSG (For the win, no actress has given me THAT many chills)
    Gillian Anderson - Bleak House
    Amy Madigan - Carnivàle
    Edie Falco - Sopranos

    Comedy lead actor
    Dylan Moran - Black Books
    Bill Bailey - Black Books
    Jason Bateman - AD

    Comedy lead actress
    Anne Dudek - The Book Group
    Tamsin Greig - Black Books
    Katie Finneran - Wonderfalls
    Jessica Walter - AD
    Portia De Rossi - AD
    Sara Stewart - Sugar Rush

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  17. Comedy Series:
    The Office (U.K)
    30 Rock
    Arrested Development
    The Office (U.S.)
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    The Big Bang Theory

    Drama Series:
    The Shield
    The Sopranos
    Lost
    Battlestar Galactica
    Friday Night Lights
    Mad Men or Breaking Bad

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  18. I'm a sucker for lists!
    Comedy Series:
    Arrested Development
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    Freaks & Geeks
    The Office (UK)
    The Office (US)
    Sex & The City

    Comedy Actor:
    Alec Baldwin
    Jason Bateman
    Zach Braff
    Steve Carell
    Larry David
    Ricky Gervais

    Comedy Actress:
    Tina Fey
    Lauren Graham
    Cheryl Hines
    Jane Kaczmarek
    Mary Louise Parker
    Sarah Jessica Parker

    Drama Series:
    Battlestar Galactica
    Deadwood
    Lost
    The Sopranos
    The West Wing
    The Wire

    Drama Actor (this is the hard one):
    James Gandolfini
    Jon Hamm
    Hugh Laurie
    Ian McShane
    Edward James Olmos
    Martin Sheen

    Drama Actress:
    Connie Britton
    Frances Conroy
    Edie Falco
    Alison Janney
    Mary McDonnell
    CCH Pounder

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  19. Oh man, I'd add Six Feet Under (with Frances Conroy in it), The Shield (and CCH Pounder) and Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell).

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  20. Man, I don't envy your task. 3 each is painful.6 each, not 3.

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  21. No offense to whoever came up with this idea, but it seems a little foolish to try to do the best of a decade. Even the best of shows tend to overstay their welcome and run out of steam by the end. For example, I loved the first two seasons of Nip/Tuck, but it's been unwatchable ever since. I would have put it in a top 10 list the first two seasons, but since then? No way. It's even more complicated with a show like, say, Ally McBeal. It aired plenty of episodes in the '00s, but the show was really only good in its first two seasons, which aired between '97 and '99. So where does that fit in?

    And the fact that we've had this many replies and not one person has mentioned Buffy, which ended back in '03, just shows how difficult this actually is.

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  22. As long as Arrested Development gets the credit it deserves.

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  23. Comedy Series:
    Freaks & Geeks
    Arrested Development
    The Office (UK)
    30 Rock
    The Office (US)
    The Daily Show

    Drama series:
    The Wire
    Veronica Mars
    Mad Men
    Battlestar Galactica
    Lost
    The West Wing

    Drama lead actor:
    Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
    Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
    Jon Hamm, Mad Men
    Terry O'Quinn, Lost
    Hugh Laurie, House
    Vincent D'Onofrio, L&O: Criminal Intent

    Drama lead actress:
    Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
    Kristen Bell, Veronica Mars
    Edie Falco, The Sopranos
    Elizabeth Mitchell, Lost
    Katee Sackhoff, BSG
    Christina Hendricks, Mad Men

    Comedy lead actor:
    Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
    Ricky Gervais, The Office (UK)
    Justin Bateman, Arrested Development
    Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report
    Nathan Fillion, Firefly
    Andy Richter, Andy Barker, P.I.

    Comedy lead actress:
    Lauren Graham, Gilmore Girls
    Tina Fey, 30 Rock
    Kristin Wiig, SNL
    Jenna Fischer, The Office (US)
    Jessica Walter, Arrested Development
    Alyson Hannigan, How I Met Your Mother

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  24. The actors are too hard to sort out for now:

    Comedy:
    Arrested Development
    The Office (UK)
    The Office (US)
    Freaks and Geeks
    Futurama
    South Park
    (narrow miss for Curb, and Futurama needs more love here)



    Drama:
    The Wire
    Sopranos
    LOST
    The Shield
    Friday Night Lights
    Mad Men

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  25. I just want to say you have an incredibly difficult task and hope that somehow Arrested Development, Buffy and Lost get the respect they deserve for their novel approaches to television.

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  26. I'm gonna go over, but here are some obvious ones and ones I hope you don't forget.

    DRAMA
    The Sopranos (with best dramatic actor James Gandolfini and best dramatic actress Edie Falco.)
    The Wire
    Lost
    Battlestar Galactica
    Mad Men
    Rescue Me
    Freaks and Geeks (funny moments for sure but most definitely a drama.)

    COMEDY
    The Office (BBC, with best comedic actor Ricky Gervais)
    The Office (NBC)
    The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
    The Colbert Report (close runner up with Ricky Gervais)
    South Park (debuted in the 90s but consistently funny.)
    Malcolm in the Middle
    30 Rock
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    King of the Hill
    Coupling (BBC)
    Peep Show
    Andy Richter Controls the Universe
    That '70s Show
    Sex and the City
    The Sarah Silverman Program (with best comedic actress Sarah Silverman)
    It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
    Arrested Development

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  27. Best Comedies of the 2000s:
    Arrested Development
    The Office (US)
    South Park
    30 Rock
    Flight of the Conchords
    Curb Your Enthusiasm

    Best Dramas of the 2000s:
    Freaks and Geeks
    The Wire
    Sopranos
    Friday Night Lights
    Mad Men
    Six Feet Under

    Best Dramatic Actor:
    Ian McShane (Al Swearengen, "Deadwood")
    Idris Elba (Stringer Bell, "The Wire")
    James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano, "The Sopranos")
    Bradley Whitford (Josh, "West Wing")
    Jon Hamm (Don Draper, "Mad Men")
    Kyle Chandler (Coach Taylor, "Friday Night Lights")

    Best Dramatic Actress:
    Connie Britton (Mrs. Coach, "Friday Night Lights")
    Sonja Sohn (Shakima Greggs, "The Wire")
    Edie Falco (Carmela Soprano , "The Sopranos")
    Glenn Close (Patty Hewes, "Damages")
    Frances Conroy (Ruth Fisher, "Six Feet Under")

    Best Comedic Actor:
    Alec Baldwin (Jack Donaghy, "30 Rock")
    Jeffrey Tambor (George Sr., "Arrested Development")
    David Cross (Tobias Funke, "Arrested Development")
    Steve Carrell (Michael Scott, "The Office")
    Hugh Laurie (Dr. House, "House")

    Best Comedic Actress:
    Jessica Walters ("Arrested Development")
    Portia di Rossi ("Arrested Development")
    Tina Fey (Liz Lemon, "30 Rock")
    Sarah Silverman (Sarah Silverman, "The Sarah Silverman Program")

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  28. Comedy series
    Freaks and Geeks
    Arrested Development
    Weeds
    How I Met Your Mother
    30 Rock
    The Office

    Drama series
    West Wing
    The Wire
    Six Feet Under
    Mad Men
    Lost
    House

    Drama lead actor
    Jon Hamm
    Michael C. Hall (he has had a serious one-two punch in the aughts)
    Jorge Garcia
    Hugh Laurie
    Michael K. Williams
    Jon Spencer

    Drama lead actress
    Christina Hendricks
    Elisabeth Moss
    Alison Janney
    Lauren Ambrose
    Frances Conroy
    Rachel Griffiths

    Comedy lead actor
    Romany Malco
    Neil Patrick Harris
    Steve Carrel
    Rainn Wilson
    Alec Baldwin
    Martin Starr (because I can't choose between the men of AD, but I can choose between the men of F&G)

    Comedy lead actress
    Tina Fey
    Portia de Rossi
    Jessica Walter
    Alison Hannigan
    America Ferrera
    Becky Ann Baker (Amy Sedaris probably belongs here, but I haven't watched enough Strangers with Candy to give an informed opinion).

    You know, it really bugs me that I was struggling to fill in all six for the women but struggling to cut it down to six for the men. I was always in awe of the women of SFU, and of course I adore the women of Mad Men. And Allison Janney is second only to Jon Spencer in a cast of many very talented men and women. But hello, Lost, Wire, House...I mean, I'm in love with Snoop but I was already stretching the definition of "lead" in both the male and female categories. For the most part we have actresses doing brilliant work in smaller parts, or bigger parts that are outshone by their male counterparts. Annoying.

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  29. Comedy Series:
    1 Arrested Development
    2 Chuck
    3 Freaks & Geeks
    4 The Venture Bros.
    5 The Office (US)
    6 Scrubs

    Drama Series
    1 The Wire
    2 Lost
    3 The Sopranos
    4 Buffy the Vampire Slayer
    5 Deadwood
    6 The West Wing

    Comedy Actors - Neil Patrick Harris, Steve Carrell, Zachary Levi, Alec Baldwin, Jeffrey Tambor, Ricky Gervais

    Comedy Actresses - Jenna Fischer, Tina Fey, Yvonne Strahovski, Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Walter, Lauren Graham

    Drama Actors - Kyle Chandler, Michael Emerson, James Gandolfini, Michael Chiklis, Jonn Hamm, Terry O'Quinn

    Drama Actress - Mary McDonnell, Connie Britton, Edie Falco, CCH Pounder, Sara Michelle Gellar, Allison Janney

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  30. i decided to make it even harder on myself and pick just one of each...


    Drama series: Freaks and Geeks
    Drama lead actor: Michael Chiklis (The Shield)
    Drama lead actress: Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under)

    Comedy series: Arrested Development
    Comedy lead actor: Ricky Gervais (The Office)
    Comedy lead actress: Jaime Pressly (My Name Is Earl)

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  31. ** denotes winner/favorite

    Comedy Series:
    **Curb Your Enthusiasm
    Extras
    How I Met Your Mother
    Arrested Development
    South Park
    The Office (US)

    Drama
    **The Wire
    The Sopranos
    Friday Night Lights
    LOST
    Freaks & Geeks
    Veronica Mars

    Drama Lead:
    **Kyle Chandler
    James Gandolfini
    Hugh Laurie
    was there a lead on The Wire?

    Drama Lead
    **Kristen Bell
    Edie Falco
    Connie Britton
    Lauren Conrad- The Hills... she carried the show and was captivating

    Comedy Lead
    **Ricky Gervais (Extras)
    Larry David
    Alec Baldwin
    Steve Carrell
    Tony Shalhoub
    Jason Bateman

    Comedy Lead
    **Tina Fey
    Portia de Rossi
    Wanda Sykes
    Julia Louis Dreyfus

    Unfortunately, I tried to stay accurate to the acting categories, as my favorite acting performances were mostly in supporting roles.

    Supporting Drama
    **Michael Emerson (LOST)
    Idris Elba (Wire)
    Andre Royo (Wire)
    Terry O'Quinn (LOST)
    Zach Gilford (FNL)
    Robert Sean Leonard (House)

    Supporting Comedy
    **Stephen Merchant- Extras
    Neil Patrick Harris- HIMYM
    Will Arnett- Arrested Devolopment
    Rainn Wilson- The Office
    Jeremy Piven- Entourage
    Jason Segel- HIMYM

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  32. This was more difficult than I thought, because the first half of this decade was probably the greatest era of TV ever.

    Drama Series:Battlestar Galactica
    The Wire
    The Sopranos
    Deadwood
    Mad Men
    Lost

    Drama Lead Actor:James Gandolfini
    Edward James Olmos
    Ian McShane
    John Simm
    Jon Hamm
    Kyle Chandler

    Drama Lead ActressConnie Britton
    Sarah Michelle Gellar
    Mary McDonnell
    Billie Piper
    Kristen Bell
    Allison Janney

    Comedy SeriesThe Office (U.S.)
    Freaks and Geeks
    30 Rock
    The Daily Show with John Stewart
    Arrested Development
    Spaced

    Comedy Lead ActressLauren Graham
    Portia DeRossi
    Tina Fey
    Jamie Pressley
    Jenna Fischer
    Cheryl Hines

    Comedy Lead ActorAlec Baldwin
    Rickey Gervais
    Steve Carell
    Zachary Levi
    Simon Pegg
    Neil Patrick Harris

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  33. I'm a little surprised there's no category for reality tv shows. I know, most reality tv shows are really, really bad, but at the same time, hard not to acknowledge something that's taken up a large percentage of on air time and has been a huge impact in this TV decade.

    Comedy series:
    Arrested Development
    The Office (UK)
    Scrubs
    Coupling (UK)
    Flight of the Conchords
    Freaks and Geeks

    Drama series
    Firefly
    The Sopranos
    Lost
    Battlestar Galactica
    Mad Men
    Friday Night Lights

    Drama lead actor
    Michael Hogan (if he's considered a lead; if not, then EJO)
    Michael C Hall
    Hugh Laurie
    Kyle Chandler
    James Gandolfini
    Ian McShane

    Drama lead actress
    Edie Falco
    Connie Britton
    Kristen Bell
    Sarah Michelle Gellar
    Mary McDonnell
    Katie Sackhoff

    Comedy lead actor
    Jason Bateman
    Ricky Gervais (in The Office)
    Larry David
    Zach Braff
    Simon Pegg
    Steve Carrell

    Comedy lead actress
    Lauren Graham
    Sarah Jessica Parker
    Tina Fey
    America Ferrera
    Jessica Walter (in AD)
    Ashley Jenson (in Extras)

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  34. Comedy Series:
    Arrested Development
    The Office (UK)
    The Office (US)
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    Flight of the Conchords
    Daily Show/Colbert Report

    Drama Series:
    The Wire
    The Sopranos
    Battlestar Galactica
    Mad Men
    Lost
    Veronica Mars

    Drama Actor:
    James Gandolfini
    Edward James Olmos
    Jon Hamm
    Michael C Hall
    Larry Gilliard Jr.
    Idris Elba

    Drama Actress:
    Mary McDonnell
    Edie Falco
    Kristen Bell
    Glenn Close

    Comedy Actor:
    Alec Baldwin
    Ricky Gervais
    Steve Carrell
    Jason Bateman
    Zachary Levi
    Charlie Day

    Comedy Actress:
    Tina Fey
    Jane Kaczmarek
    Jenna Fisher
    Jessica Walter
    Yvonne Strahovski

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  35. I'm with you on your drama series votes, and let's throw The Shield, Mad Men, and one more of your choice in there.

    Comedy Series: I don't watch much, but Arrested Development and Curb Your Enthusiasm have to be on there.

    Drama Lead Actor: I say Ian McShane is first, then Hamm, Gandolfini, Chiklis, Hugh Laurie, and let's throw in Idris Elba for good measure (I know, there are no leads on that show, but too bad)

    Comedy Lead Actor: Jason Bateman, Larry David, Steve Carell...

    Drama Lead Actress: Edie Falco, Gillian Anderson, Mary McDonnell (drawing a blank on the rest here, can only think of supporting)

    Comedy Lead Actress: All the women of Arrested Development

    Will you be sharing your choices?

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  36. comedy:
    Arrested Development
    the Office (U.K.)
    Chappelle's Show
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    South Park
    Futurama

    Drama:
    The Wire
    Mad Men
    Rome
    Sopranos
    FNL

    Comedy actor:
    Jason Bateman (AD)
    Jeffrey Tambor (AD)
    David Cross (AD)
    Will Arnett (AD)
    Rainn Wilson (the Office US)

    Comedy actress:
    Jessica Walter (AD)
    Portia de Rossi (AD)
    Jenna Fischer (the Office US)

    Drama actor:
    Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
    Kyle Chandler (FNL)
    Gandolfini (Sopranos)
    Ian Mcshane (Deadwood)
    Taylor Kitsch (FNL)
    (throw a rock and pick someone from The Wire)

    Drama actress:
    Connie Britton (FNL)
    Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)
    Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men)

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  37. Comedy series: Scrubs. I almost went with Arrested Development, but Scrubs had heart while still bringingthe funny.

    Drama series: The Wire.

    Drama lead actor: Michael Chicklis

    Drama lead actress: Connie Britton, no question.

    Comedy lead actor: Jason Bateman, Arrested Development

    Comedy lead actress: Jenna Fischer

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  38. After looking over the lists real quick, I agree with the ones most mentioned, but also want to throw in a good word for the more overlooked comedies: Malcolm in the Middle, along with its many emmy nods, and Scrubs, who may not be loved by emmy, but is very beloved by me.

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  39. Two of my all-time faves were mostly 90's shows, but continued to air in the 00's so I'll count them. :-)

    Drama:
    Lost
    X-Files (through May 2002)
    Mad Men
    Veronica Mars
    Buffy The Vampire Slayer
    Dexter

    Comedy:
    Arrested Development
    Sex and the City
    Freaks and Geeks
    Sports Night (through May 2000)
    How I Met Your Mother
    The Office (US)

    Drama Actors: Jon Hamm, Michael Emerson, Terry O'Quinn, Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Hugh Laurie, Victor Garber (Alias)

    Drama Actresses: Allison Janney, Kristen Bell, Mary Louise Parker (Weeds), Gillian Anderson (X-Files), Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jennifer Garner (Alias)

    Comedy Actors: Steve Carell, Jason Bateman, Alec Baldwin, Neil Patrick Harris, Rainn Wilson, Geoffrey Tambor

    Comedy Actresses: Sarah Jessica Parker, Jenna Fischer, Felicity Huffman, Jessica Walters, Portia di Rossi, Lauren Graham

    ReplyDelete
  40. Comedy series: The Office, Freaks and Geeks, 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm

    Drama series: Mad Men, 24

    Drama lead actor: Jon Hamm

    Comedy lead actor: Jason Bateman, Alec Baldwin, NPH

    Comedy lead actress: Lauren Graham

    ReplyDelete
  41. I wish it was "actor" instead of "lead actor" because the supporting players on shows are often funnier/more talented than the leads.
    For example, John C. McGinley on Scrubs, and most everyone (except Bateman) on Arrested Development.

    Also, while I find the comedy category to be especially difficult (especially with dramadies like Chuck and Freaks and Geeks thrown in). Otherwise I'd be tempted to include some animated fare like South Park or Futurama. And I'm not especially a fan of Britcoms (could not sit through more than 2 episodes of Extras): if you are, then that complicates it further.

    ReplyDelete
  42. My 2 cents:

    Comedy Series: Arrested Development, 30 Rock, The Office (US), Chuck, HIMYM, Sports Night
    Drama Series: The Wire, Sopranos, Deadwood, The Shield, West Wing, Six Feet Under
    Drama Lead Actor: Ian Mcshane, James Gandolfini, Michael Chiklis, Kyle Chandler, Idris Elba, Peter Krause
    Drama Lead Actress: Edie Falco, Allison Janney, Connie Britton, CCH Pounder, Kyra Sedgwick, Rachel Griffiths
    Comedy Lead Actor: Alec Baldwin, Jason Bateman, Steve Carell, Ricky Gervais, Jeremy Piven, Jason Lee
    Comedy Lead Actress: Jane Kaczmarek, Felicity Huffman (Sports Night), Sarah Jessica Parker, Cheryl Hines, Julia Louis Dreyfus, America Ferrera

    ReplyDelete
  43. Comedy Series:
    *Arrested Development
    The Office (UK)
    The Venture Bros.
    Peep Show (UK)
    Extras
    It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

    I included Venture Bros. in the comedy column. You thankfully don't have an animation ghetto and anyone who's followed the show knows that it's remained an incredibly funny show while being oddly touching. AD wins, though.

    Drama:
    *The Wire
    Mad Men
    The West Wing
    Deadwood
    Battlestar Galactica
    Friday Night Lights

    No explanation needed. The Wire is probably the most complete drama ever made for television.

    Actor, Drama
    Idris Elba (The Wire)
    Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
    Ian McShane (Deadwood)
    Michael C. Hall (Dexter)
    James Purefoy (Rome)
    *John Simm (Life on Mars)

    All great. Elba was the Wire pick, but Hector, Peters or even Tristan Wilds could have gone there. Purefoy was the best thing about an uneven period drama, but Simm was the center of one of the all-time great sci-fi shows.

    Actress, Drama
    Edie Falco (Sopranos)
    Glenn Close (Damages)
    Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars)
    *Mary McDonnell (BSG)
    Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights)
    Jennifer Garner (Alias)

    So little love for Garner here! Alias was a mess of a show, but her performance at its center deserves some recognition. But I'll still vote for Roslin every time.

    Actor, Comedy
    *David Chappelle (Chappelle's Show)
    Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
    Steve Carell (The Office US)
    Ricky Gervais (The Office UK)
    Jason Bateman (AD)
    David Mitchell (Peep Show)
    Even if it's a sketch show, even if he's 'playing himself', Chappelle put together some of the funniest moments of the decade. There's a reason his quotes were run into the ground - they're really good.

    Actress, Comedy
    *Tina Fey (30 Rock)
    Mary Louise Parker (Weeds)
    Alia Shawkat (AD)
    Jessica Walter (AD)
    Sarah Silverman (Sarah Silverman Program)
    Gina Bellman (Coupling UK)
    Cera gets all the attention, but I still think Alia did more at a young age on AD. Most of these actresses worked on ensemble shows, but Tina Fey gets the win.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Not a whole lot of crazy choices on my end...

    Drama:
    The Wire
    West Wing
    Sopranos
    Lost
    Friday Night Lights
    Mad Men

    Comedy:
    The Office (US)
    Arrested Development
    Freaks and Geeks
    How I Met Your Mother
    30 Rock
    Curb Your Enthusiasm

    Actor - Drama:
    Jon Hamm
    James Gandolfini
    Kyle Chandler
    Hugh Laurie
    Andre Royo
    Martin Sheen

    Actress - Drama:
    Connie Britton
    Edie Falco
    Elisabeth Moss
    Kyra Sedgwick
    Elizabeth Mitchell
    Allison Janney

    Actor - Comedy:
    Neil Patrick Harris
    Steve Carell
    Alec Baldwin
    Will Arnett
    Rainn Wilson
    Martin Starr

    Actress - Comedy:
    Linda Cardellini
    Jenna Fischer
    Cobie Smulders
    Julia Louis-Dreyfus
    Lauren Graham
    Marcia Cross

    ReplyDelete
  45. I have one drama i do not think anyone has mentioned: "Oz" which i would argue should be part of the Holy Triniry of HBO shows.

    An incredible cast and one of the most gritty and real shows ever to be on TV. I wish Tom Fontana would come back to TV!

    Top Dramas:
    The Wire
    Oz
    The Sopranos
    Six Feet Under
    24


    Comedy:
    Arrested Development
    30 Rock
    How I Met Your Mother
    Family Guy
    Chapelle's Show
    Flight of the Conchords

    ReplyDelete
  46. comedy
    ---------------
    how i met your mother
    chuck
    the office
    dead like me
    family guy
    2.5 men
    friends
    arrested development
    sex and the city




    drama series
    ------------------
    the wire
    lost
    battlestar galactica
    deadwood
    friday night lights
    mad men
    six feet under
    carnivale
    the sopranos
    veronica mars
    in treatment
    life
    dexter
    life on mars
    24


    drama lead actor
    -------------------
    hugh laurie
    idris elba
    ian mcshane
    john hamm
    michael c. hall
    kyle chandler
    james gandolfini
    michael chiklis
    nathan fillion
    eddie olmos
    andre royo
    zach gilford
    robert sean leonard
    gabriel bryne
    terry o'quinn
    vincent d'onofrio


    drama lead actress
    -------------------
    kristen bell
    mary mcdonnell
    connie britton
    christina hendricks
    sonja sohn
    cch pounder
    glenn close
    frances conroy
    edie falco
    elizabeth moss


    comedy lead actor
    --------------------
    stephen colbert
    zachary levi
    steve carrell
    neil patrick harris
    jason bateman
    alec bladwin
    rainn wilson
    jeffrey tambor
    david cross
    alec baldwin
    jon stewart
    will arnett
    jeremy piven


    comedy lead actress
    --------------------
    alyson hannigan
    jenna fischer
    sarah jessica parker
    jessica walters
    portia di rossi
    julia louis dreyfus
    yvonne strahovski

    ReplyDelete
  47. Comedy: Pushing Daisies
    Drama: Rome

    Lead Actor Comedy: David Boreanaz "Bones" (not technically a comedy, but he provides comic and visiual relief!)

    Lead actress Comedy: Jenna Fisher "The Office"

    Lead Actor Drama: Still loyal to Mulder! David Duchovny "X-files"

    Lead actress Drama: Toni Collete "United States of Tara"

    ReplyDelete
  48. Comedy series
    Arrested Development
    Curb your Enthusiasm
    The Office
    Spaced
    The Flight of the Conchords
    Entourage?

    Drama series

    Battlestar Galactica
    The Sopranos
    Six Feet Under
    Deadwood
    Mad Men
    Lost

    ReplyDelete
  49. You're absolutely right on the holy trinity. Top six in order-
    Sopranos
    The Wire
    Deadwood
    Mad Men
    In Treatment (I think it's that good)
    BSG or Lost depending on my mood.

    Comedy-
    Curb your Enthusiasm
    The Office UK
    Freaks and Geeks
    30 Rock
    The Office US
    Extras

    And Gandolfini, Falco, Gervais and Fey in their respective categories.

    ReplyDelete
  50. I would throw in Slings and Arrows in the comedy category. And I think Doctor Who needs to be included, but I am not sure whether it's a comedy or drama.

    Philip Glenister should also be included in the drama category for his iconic Gene Hunt.

    ReplyDelete
  51. My own thoughts...

    DRAMA SERIES:
    The Wire
    Lost
    Friday Night Lights
    Battlestar Galactica
    The Sopranos
    Boomtown (great show that did not get the patience it deserved)

    COMEDY SERIES:
    The Office
    Scrubs
    Weeds

    DRAMA LEAD ACTOR:
    (The Wire gets hurt here because Dominic West is ostensibly the lead actor of that series but that would leave out the fantastic performances of SO many talented actors in that ensumble)
    James Gandolfini
    Kyle Chandler
    Kiefer Sutherland
    Matthew Fox
    Edward James Olmos

    DRAMA LEAD ACTRESS
    Connie Britton (personally, I would just stop right there)

    COMEDY LEAD ACTOR
    Steve Carrell
    Zach Braff


    COMEDY LEAD ACTRESS
    Mary-Louis Parker
    Jenna Fischer

    ReplyDelete
  52. BEST DRAMA SERIES
    "Alias"
    "Battlestar Galactica"
    "The Sopranos"
    "24"
    "The West Wing"
    "The Wire"

    BEST ACTOR (DRAMA)
    Kyle Chandler "Friday Night Lights"
    James Gandolfini "The Sopranos"
    Michael C. Hall "Dexter" & "Six Feet Under"
    Jon Hamm "Mad Men"
    Hugh Laurie "House"
    Martin Sheen "The West Wing"

    BEST ACTRESS (DRAMA)
    Connie Britton "Friday Night Lights"
    Edie Falco "The Sopranos"
    Jennifer Garner "Alias"
    Allison Janney "The West Wing"
    Mary McDonnell "Battlestar Galactica"
    Sela Ward "Once & Again"

    BEST COMEDY SERIES
    "Arrested Development"
    "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
    "The Office" (UK)
    "The Office" (US)
    "Sex and the City"
    "South Park"

    BEST ACTOR (COMEDY)
    Alec Baldwin "30 Rock"
    Jason Bateman "Arrested Development"
    Steve Carrell "The Office"
    Larry David "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
    Ricky Gervais "The Office" & "Extras"
    Jeremy Piven "Entourage"

    BEST ACTRESS (COMEDY)
    Marcia Cross "Desperate Housewives"
    Lauren Graham "Gilmore Girls"
    Lisa Kudrow "The Comeback" & "Friends"
    Megan Mullaly "Will & Grace"
    Cynthia Nixon "Sex and the City"
    Sarah Jessica Parker "Sex and the City"

    ReplyDelete
  53. Comedy series:
    Arrested Development
    30 Rock
    The Office (US)
    Chuck
    Andy Richter Controls the Universe.
    Futurama

    Drama series
    Lost
    24
    House

    ReplyDelete
  54. Looking over some of the other comments, I can amend my previous comment to fill in some of the blanks:

    Comedy Series: Chappelle's Show.

    Comedy Actor: Zachary Levi (Chuck)

    Comedy Actress: Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle), Yvonne Strahovski (Chuck)

    I suppose you could make a case for Brian Cranston as best actor in either drama (Breaking Bad) or comedy (Malcom in the MIddle), even though his Emmy nods for Malcolm all came as supporting characters. I suppose with ensemble casting, the supporting actor/actress area is actually the more interesting poll than the leads.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Drama Series:
    Deadwood (Wins over Wire because of dialogue and immersion in larger themes)

    Comedy Series:
    Freaks and Geeks

    Drama Lead Actor:
    James Gandolfini

    Comedy Lead Actor:
    Hugh Laurie

    ReplyDelete
  56. drama: 1) sopranos; 2) the wire; 3) 24; 4)dexter; 5) house (until this season; 6) big love

    comedy: 1) sex and the city; 2) curb your enthusiasm; 3)30 rock 4) flight of conchords; 5)colbert report/daily show

    drama actor: 1)gandolfini; 2) ensemble -- wire cast (e.g., Idris Elba, Marlow, Jimmy McNulty); 3)michael c. hall; 4) hugh laurie; 5)Michael Imperioli;

    drama actress: 1) falco; 2) glenn close; 3) mariska hargitay

    comedy actor: 1) alec baldwin;2)colbert/jon stewart; 3) larry david

    comedy actress: 1) SJ Parker 2) Tina Fey

    ReplyDelete
  57. Comedy Series:
    "Undeclared." Not quite as great as "Freaks & Geeks," but it was easier to take (and I would argue was even more responsible for the development of the Judd Apatow acting and writing company).

    Drama Series:
    "Mad Men." (As good as "The Sopranos," but subtler.)

    Drama Lead Actor: Michael C. Hall in "Dexter," Kyle Chandler in "Friday Night Lights," James Gandolfini in "The Sopranos," Ian McShane in "Deadwood"... too hard to decide.


    Drama Lead Actress: Carla Gugino, "Karen Sisco." Just... yowza.

    Comedy Lead Actor: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock." You just have to.

    Comedy Lead Actress: Linda Cardellini, "Freaks and Geeks." The guys on "F&G" were great, but she may have had the best-realized teen character on TV ever. (Too bad she ended up wasting so much time on that hospital show.)

    ReplyDelete
  58. and I always like to use you guys to help brainstorm and make sure I haven't missed something obvious. In the category of something truly outstanding that might fall off the radar simply because it did not last long, for best comedy, I propose The Job with Denis Leary and an amazing cast.

    This show was so funny and original it's a TV tragedy that cable networks like FX or TBS/TNT hadn't yet gotten into the full swing of doing original TV shows yet. I have no doubt that if The Job had been on FX, it would have been a big hit.

    It's available on DVD now. I highly recommend it to everyone who loves comedy with a little bit of edge and a ton of originality. And yes, even if you don't like Denis Leary, because it's that good.

    ReplyDelete
  59. I'd toss Sports Night onto a 90s list since only a very select few of it's episodes ran in this decade.

    But it's worth a consideration.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Only one mention so far (reuben, above)of Big Love? Even if it can't nudge out any of the HBO trinity, Lost, BSG, or other lead contenders for top drama series, I'd say Chloe Sevigny deserves a top spot on the list of best lead actresses in a drama. She's the standout, but her female castmates could just about all make the cut: Jeanne Tripplehorn and Ginnifer Goodwin are both very very good; and Amanda Seyfried and Grace Zabriskie are also great, though it's probably too much of a stretch to call them leads. Yay for the women on Big Love!

    Count me as another voice for Mary Louise Parker on the lead actress list, comedy I guess, though her work in Weeds seems really more about tragedy to me.

    And in fact, I liked Lauren Graham best in the heavier Gilmore Girls scenes, but that has to fall under comedy, and anyway she is fantastic comedically as well.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Comedy Series:

    Scrubs
    30 Rock
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    Entourage (the first two seasons)
    How I Met Your Mother
    The Office

    Drama Series:

    The West Wing
    Lost
    The Sopranos
    Mad Men
    Law and Order
    Deadwood

    Drama Lead Actor:

    Bradley Whitford - West Wing (not really a lead, but...)
    Terry O'Quinn - Lost
    Jon Hamm - Mad Men
    James Gandolfini - Sopranos
    Martin Sheen - West Wing
    Josh Holloway - Lost

    Drama Lead Actress:

    Mary-Lousie Parker - West Wing
    Edie Falco - Sopranos
    Allison Janney - West Wing
    Elizabeth Moss - Mad Men
    Elizabeth Mitchell - Lost
    Yunjin Kim - Lost

    Comedy Lead Actor:

    Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
    Neil Patrick Harris - HIMYM
    Denis Leary - Rescue Me
    John C. McGinley - Scrubs(again, not a lead, but Dr. Cox has been the most unsung character on TV this decade)
    Jim Parsons - Big Bang Theory
    Bernie Mac - Bernie Mac Show

    Comedy Lead Actress:

    Tina Fey - 30 Rock
    Mary-Louise Parker - Weeds
    Sarah Jessica Parker - Sex and the City
    Jamie Pressly - My Name is Earl
    Yvonne Strahovski - Chuck (not really sure she is delivering comedy, but...)
    Cynthia Nixon - Sex and the City

    wow, that was a lot harder than I thought!

    ReplyDelete
  62. I think that shows that should not be overlooked for Comedy Series are;

    Arrested Development (obviously), Undeclared (on the F&G ticket), and South Park (even though it started in the 90's, the best episodes have been in the 00's)

    ReplyDelete
  63. oh and I forgot Futurama. That show doesnt get nearly enough credit

    ReplyDelete
  64. Comedy series: HIMYM
    Drama series: Battlestar Galactica
    Drama lead actor: Kyle Chandler
    Drama lead actress: Mary McDonnel
    Comedy lead actor: John Krasinski
    Comedy lead actress: ?

    ReplyDelete
  65. Wow, I didn't realize we could do 6 each.

    Comedy series
    Scrubs
    Arrested Development
    The Office(U.S.)
    How I Met Your Mother
    Spaced
    Middleman

    Drama series
    The Wire
    Friday Night Lights
    Angel
    Burn Notice
    Veronica Mars
    Dexter

    Drama lead actor
    Michael Chicklis
    Michael C. Hall (Dexter)
    Jeffrey Donovan
    James Spader(He did the serious and somber moments just as well as comedy)
    Brian Cranston
    Kyle Chandler

    Drama lead actress
    Connie Britton(By a mile)
    Edie Falco
    Kristen Bell
    CCH Pounder
    Linda Cardellini(Freaks and Geeks)
    Sarah Michelle Gellar(Why? Go watch The Body in season 5 of Buffy)

    Comedy lead actor
    Zachary Levi
    Zach Braff
    Neil Patrick Harris
    John Krasinski
    Jason Bateman
    James Roday

    Comedy lead actress
    Jenna Fischer
    Sarah Chalke
    Jaime Pressly(My Name Is Earl is terrible, but she is always funny)
    Mary Louise-Parker
    Jessica Walter

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  66. Comedy series
    How I Met Your Mother
    The Office
    Pushing Daisies (I view it as comedy)
    Chuck (I also view this as comedy)

    Drama series
    The West Wing
    Veronica Mars

    ReplyDelete
  67. Sarah Chalke of Scrubs for best female comedic performance of the decade.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Comedy Series:
    Chuck
    Arrested Development
    The Office, US
    30 Rock
    Scrubs
    Reaper

    Drama Series
    The Wire
    Mad Men
    The Sopranos
    Rescue Me
    T:SCC
    Freaks and Geeks

    Comedy-Actor
    Zachary Levi
    Alec Baldin
    Steve Carell
    Jason Bateman
    Will Arnett
    Neil Patrick Harris

    Drama-Actor
    Denis Leary
    Hugh Laurie
    James Gandolfini
    Idris Elba
    Jamie Hector
    Gbenga Akinnagbe

    Drama-Actress
    Edie Falco
    Lisa Edelstein
    Connie Britton
    Sonja Sohn
    Linda Cardellini(F & G)

    Comedy-Actress
    Tina Fey
    Jenna Fischer
    Yvonne Strahovski(weird label, because she isn't "funny", but the show is a comedy)
    Jessica Walter
    Sarah Chalke

    ReplyDelete
  69. Comedy series
    Freaks and Geeks
    Arrested Development
    Gilmore Girls
    Futurama
    Aliens in America
    The Office UK

    Drama series
    The Wire
    Mad Men
    Deadwood
    The Shield
    Battlestar Galactica
    Farscape

    Drama lead actor
    Michael Hogan, BSG
    Idris Elba, The Wire
    Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
    William Peterson, CSI
    Michael C. Hall, Dexter
    Jeffrey Donovan, Touching Evil

    Drama lead actress
    Connie Britton, FNL
    CCH Pounder, The Shield
    Claudia Black, Farscape
    Vera Farmiga, Touching Evil
    Mary McDonnell, BSG
    Amber Tamblyn, Joan of Arcadia

    Comedy lead actor
    Alec Baldwin,30 Rock
    Jason Bateman, Arrested Development
    Donald Faison, Scrubs (I don't care! He's the lead.)
    Steve Carrell, The Office US
    Dan Byrd/ Adhir Kalyan, Aliens in America (I think they share in this, but if I had to choose one, it would be Adhir).
    Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies

    Comedy lead actress
    Lauren Graham, Gilmore Girls
    Jenna Fischer, the office
    Portia de Rossi, Arrested Development
    Jaime Pressly, My Name is Earl
    Mary Louise Parker, Weeds
    Sarah Chalke, Scrubs

    Six was very difficult!

    ReplyDelete
  70. Alan, I hope you like these picks. I came up with a handful that nobody else did so far.

    Drama Series
    I love The Wire, The Sopranos and The Shield but you probably thought of those already. Here are some more unconventional suggestions.

    Firefly
    Band of Brothers
    The Corner

    I know the last two were miniseries, but a miniseries is a kind of series.

    Comedy Series
    Arrested Development
    Da Ali G. Show
    The Office (UK)
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    Weeds
    Undeclared

    Drama Lead Actor
    I don't like how these acting categories are restricted to leads. Many of the most interesting performances are supporting ones. It also makes for more conventional lists. Having said that, here are my picks.

    Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
    Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment)
    Denis Leary (Rescue Me)
    James Gandolfini (The Sopranos)
    Ian McShane (Deadwood)
    Paul Giamatti (John Adams)

    Because it's restricted only to leads, you can't make more interesting choices like Forest Whitaker of The Shield, Michael Emerson or Terry O'Quinn of Lost, Michael Kenneth Williams or Robert Wisdom of The Wire or Blair Underwood of In Treatment. But that's not a knock against my six picks, though. They were all phenomenal.

    Drama Lead Actress
    Khandi Alexander (The Corner (I hope people don't forget her. She gave one of the most startlingly emotional performances I've ever seen))
    Edie Falco (The Sopranos)
    Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars)
    Glenn Close (Damages)
    Billie Piper (Secret Diary of a Call Girl)
    Calista Flockheart (Brothers & Sisters)

    Comedy Lead Actor
    Sacha Baron Cohen (Da Ali G Show)
    Ricky Gervais (The Office)
    Jason Bateman (Arrested Development)
    Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
    Matt Keeslar (The Middleman (was that a lead role?))
    Adhir Kalyan (Aliens in America (again, was this a lead role?)

    Comedy Lead Actress
    Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds)
    Tina Fey (30 Rock)
    Sarah Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Program)
    Natalie Morales (The Middleman)
    America Ferrera (Ugly Betty)
    Julia-Louis Dreyfuss (The New Adventures of Old Christine)

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  71. That´s a real challenge...

    Comedy series
    - How I Met Your Mother
    - Gilmore Girls

    Drama Series
    - Battlestar Galactica
    - Friday Night Lights
    - LOST
    - Veronica Mars (Honorable mention)

    Drama lead actor
    - Kyle Chandler
    - Edward J. Olmos
    - Hugh Laurie

    Drama lead actress
    - Connie Britton
    - Mary McDonnell
    - Rachel Griffiths
    - Kristen Bell

    Comedy lead actor
    - Neil Patrick Harris
    - Steve Carrell

    Comedy Lead Actress
    - Lauren Graham

    ReplyDelete
  72. Comedy:
    Pardon the Interruption (You know it's true)

    Comedy Actor:
    The Ox from Amazing Race 5

    ReplyDelete
  73. Comedy series

    ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
    THE OFFICE (US)
    30 ROCK
    IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA
    CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM
    EXTRAS

    Drama series

    THE WIRE
    THE SHIELD
    MAD MEN
    FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
    LOST
    BREAKING BAD

    Drama lead actor

    IAN MCSHANE (Deadwood)
    MICHAEL CHIKLIS (The Shield)
    BRYAN CRANSTON (Breaking Bad)
    KYLE CHANDLER (Friday Night Lights)
    JON HAMM (Mad Men)
    MICHAEL C. HALL (Dexter)

    Drama lead actress

    CCH POUNDER (The Shield)
    CONNIE BRITTON (Friday Night Lights)
    SANDRA OH (Grey's Anatomy)
    KYRA SEDGWICK (The Closer)
    MARY McDONNELL (Battlestar Galactica)
    CHLOE SEVIGNY (Big Love)

    Comedy lead actor

    RICKY GERVAIS (Extras, The Office UK)
    STEVE CARELL (The Office US)
    ALEC BALDWIN (30 Rock)
    LARRY DAVID (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
    JACK McBRAYER (30 Rock)
    RAINN WILSON (The Office US)

    Comedy lead actress

    TINA FEY (30 Rock)
    JANE KRAKOWSKI (30 Rock)
    VANESSA WILLIAMS (Ugly Betty)
    PORTIA DI ROSSI (Arrested Development, Better Off Ted)
    JEAN SMART (Samantha Who)
    JENNA FISCHER (The Office US)

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  74. BF, I believe you mean the "broken" ox from TAR.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Ooh can I play?

    Comedy series:
    Arrested Development
    30 Rock
    Flight of the Conchords
    The Venture Bros.
    Freaks and Geeks
    Extras

    Drama series:
    The Wire (no contest really)
    Mad Men
    Six Feet Under
    The Shield
    Lost
    West Wing

    Drama lead actor:
    Jon Hamm
    Michael C. Hall
    Idris Elba (or really anyone from The Wire)
    Terry O'Quinn
    Michael Chiklis

    Drama lead actress:
    Chloe Sevigny
    CCH Pounder
    Elisabeth Moss
    Rachel Griffiths
    Lauren Ambrose
    Deirdre Lovejoy

    Comedy lead actor
    Jason Bateman
    Alec Baldwin
    Will Arnett
    Jason Segel
    David Chappelle
    Neil Patrick Harris

    Comedy lead actress
    Portia De Rossi
    Jessica Walter
    Tina Fey
    Lauren Graham
    Kaitlin Olson
    Ashley Jenson

    Whew! That was incredibly difficult. I'm sure I left a few things out.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Taking the Wire out of the equation since it stands on its own and is probably in the top 10 series of all time and after seeing all the posts here-limit to 3 noms or less in each
    Drama
    Lost (might go up there with best of all time)
    Deadwood (def in the best of all time category)
    West Wing

    Comedy
    Office (UK)
    Office (US)

    Actor-Drama
    Ian McShane
    Actor-Comedy
    Ricky Gervais

    Never got bitten by the 30 Rock or Arrested Development bug but like most of the actors in those 2. Loved Freaks and Geeks and disliked a lot of the actors (Seth Rogen one of the most overrated in my opinion. How does that happen?)

    Good luck

    ReplyDelete
  77. Comedy Series:
    ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT- this is the funniest show ever made, in my books. It's simply brilliant, and despite grabbing an audience a little too late, its aftershocks have changed the kinds of comedies being produced right now. Pure Gold.
    FREAKS AND GEEKS- shows like this come around so rarely, and its a shame. Such a warm and lovely show.
    30 ROCK- all though its still a fairly new show, it is easily the funniest show currently on tv; mulit-layered and clever, its the closest any show has come to the brilliance of A.D.

    Drama Series:
    THE WIRE- the funny thing is, I have only seen the most recent, and last, season of the Wire, but it hit me so deeply. I have all the DVDs now, and I'm looking forward to starting from the beginning!
    MAD MEN- absolutely brilliant acting and writing. The characters i this show are definitely some of the best of the '00s.
    FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS- along with Mad Men, FNL has the best characters to come around in a long time. Writing and directing are also stellar. Also, this show just hits you really, really hard. I've spent many hours after watching an ep in deep melancholy, joy, anger, and often a bit of each.
    BREAKING BAD- again, a young show, but the frist season was unbelieveable, and the second season has managed to somehow be significantly better. Cranston is unbelieveable, and this is such a unique idea for a show.
    LOST- this show is an absolute behemoth, and unlike anything thats ever been on TV. It is followed religiously not simply because it is created to induce that kind of reaction, but because it is simply one of the best stories ever told on tv.

    Comedy Actor:
    The entire lead male cast of A.D.
    Alec Baldwin on 30 Rock
    Neil Patrick Harris on HIMYM
    John Krasinski on The Office

    Comedy Actress:
    Tina Fey on 30 Rock
    Jenna Fischer on The Office

    Drama Actor:
    Bryan Cranston on Breaking Bad
    Aaron Paul on Breaking Bad
    Jon Hamm on Mad Men
    Zach Gilford on FNL
    Taylor Kitsch on FNL
    Michael Emerson on Lost

    Drama Actress:
    Connie Britton on FNL
    Elisabeth Moss on Mad Men

    ReplyDelete
  78. Comedy series
    How I Met Your Mother
    Big Bang Theory

    Drama series
    LOST
    Grey's Anatomy
    Veronica Mars
    Dexter
    Dead Like Me - Was that the 2000's?
    There was a time when I would have put Heroes on here, but not so much

    Drama lead actor
    Michael Hall - Dexter
    Terry O'Quinn - LOST

    Drama lead actress
    Lauren Graham - Gilmore Girls
    I forget her name - but who plays Christina on Grey's Anatomy?
    Kristen Bell - Veronica Mars especially (also Heroes and Gossip Girl)


    Comedy lead actor
    Neil Patrick Harris - HIMYM

    Comedy lead actress
    Lauren Graham - Gilmore Girls
    (I know I'm double listing her, but she does both so well)

    ReplyDelete
  79. Man, this is hard.

    Drama Series:

    The Sopranos
    The West Wing
    Battlestar Galactica
    Deadwood
    Six Feet Under
    Life On Mars (UK)

    Comedy Series:
    Freaks and Geeks
    Undeclared
    Arrested Development
    Scrubs
    30 Rock
    The Office (US)

    Drama Actor:
    James Gandolfini - The Sopranos
    John Hamm - Mad Men
    Martin Sheen - The West Wing
    Ian McShane - Deadwood
    Brad Whitford - The West Wing
    Philip Glenister - Life On Mars (UK)

    Drama Actress:
    Edie Falco - The Sopranos
    Allison Janney - The West Wing
    Kristin Bell - Veronica Mars
    Frances Conroy - Six Feet Under
    Mary McDonnell - Battlestar Galactica
    Elisabeth Moss - Mad Men

    Comedy Actor:
    Jason Batemen - Arrested Development
    Michael Cera - Arrested Development
    Steve Carell - The Office (US)
    John C. McGinley - Scrubs
    Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
    Jason Segal - Freaks and Geeks

    Comedy Actress:
    Sarah Chalke - Scrubs
    Linda Cardenelli - Freaks and Geeks
    Mary-Louise Parker - Weeds
    Jenna Fischer - The Office (US)
    Portia Di Rossi - Arrested Development
    Jamie Pressley - My Name Is Earl

    ReplyDelete
  80. I totally forgot about Sacha Baron Cohen as ALI G!

    The HBO series had one of the funniest moments in TV history (and completely offensive of course.)

    The Borat "Down the Well" song scene!

    ReplyDelete
  81. I think Freaks and Geeks might really be my favorite series overall. I'm not sure if it should be thrown into the drama or comedy category. Maybe I'll say drama, because if we're talking pure comedy I might have to say The Office (UK) and Arrested Development belong on top, but if we're talking Drama I think Freaks and Geeks takes the cake.

    I just got the DVD a few weeks ago and I was blown away by how brilliant the show was. I remembered liking it a lot when it aired, but I had been in 9th grade back then. When I saw it again a few weeks ago I was astounded.

    I love Battlestar Galactica, Sopranos, The Wire, The Shield...but in the end I don't know if they really effected me as much as Freaks and Geeks did.

    All four of those dramas I just mentioned though are absolutely brilliant. For pure drama, I can't remember any other show that was as absolutely intense as The Shield. I can't think of a twist that hit me as hard as the season 5 finale of The Shield did.

    As for overall quality though, I think my favorite show would have to be Freaks and Geeks, followed very closely by:

    Comedy: Office, Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, 30 Rock, Office (American).

    Drama: The Shield, The Wire, BSG, Lost, Mad Men, Sopranos, Six Feet Under.

    Damn. You know when you look back, the last 10 or so years have been a phenomenal time for television. There's a lot of crap out there with reality TV and ridiculous shows, but at the same time there's been a surge in high quality, creative, artistic shows with amazing character development and/or brilliant comedy. As far as I'm concerned a well-written television series is as good or better than the best feature films.

    ReplyDelete
  82. Comedy series:
    Arrested Development
    Weeds
    Entourage
    Extras
    The Office (US/UK - you choose)
    Lucky Louie (definitely underrated)

    Drama series:
    The West Wing
    Breaking Bad
    The Shield
    The Wire
    Sopranos
    House M.D.


    Drama lead actor:
    Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
    Jay Karnes (The Shield)
    Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy)
    Michael K. Williams (The Wire - maybe not lead though)
    Ben Whishaw (Criminal Justice)
    Adam Scott (Tell Me You Love Me)

    Drama lead actress:
    Katey Segal (Sons of Anarchy)
    Toni Collette (United States of Tara)
    Julie Benz (Dexter)
    Kim Raver (Lipstick Jungle - think she's awesome here)
    Edie Falco (Sopranos)
    Chloe Sevigny (Big Love)


    Comedy lead actor:
    Kevin Dillon (Entourage)
    Ricky Gervais (Extras)
    Stephen Colbert (does he count? Otherwise: Alec Baldwin)
    Steve Carell (The Office US)
    Hugh Laurie (House M.D.)
    Michael Cera (Arrested Development)

    Comedy lead actress:
    Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds)
    Amy Sedaris (Strangers With Candy)
    Natascha McElhone (Californication)
    Pamela Adlon (Lucky Louie)
    Tina Fey (30 Rock)
    Madeleine Martin (Californication)

    ReplyDelete
  83. It's curious to see the divide between HBO whores (not in an offensive way, something I think is from James Gunn's list of something tv) and the normies traditional network tv. Once you go premium cable, you never really see television drama in the same light.

    Anyway, I'm also HBOs whipping boy:

    Drama:
    The big four of HBO, Six Feet Under may be the weak sister but it was awesome at mining that repressed surbubia people exploding once in a while. It was a very "whitebread" show for me (not being racist) like Gilmore Girls is whitebread; except SFU had teeth and GG was only good at suckling.
    Last spot BSG, epic storytelling and very ambitious.

    Comedy:
    Arrested, The Office (everything) ,F&G
    The less deserving 2: HIMYM, Scrubs or maybe Sports Night(?)

    Animation
    South Park (it's been gold through most of its existence, some credit is due), Mission Hill, Futurama, ATHF, And sometimes Boondocks

    Variety: Daily Show, Colbert, and now Glenn Becks post-modern comedy hour. Letterman, Conan.

    Drama Actor
    IAN *beeping* McShane (my pick)
    Hugh Laurie
    Idris Elba (Strings) or Michael K. WIlliams (Omar)
    Jon Hamm's John Ham
    Bryan Cranston (mostly Breaking Bad but also Malcolm even tho it's comedy)
    Michael C. Hall
    Gandolfini
    kinda diggin Gaius Baltar Callis
    Emmy Voters: James Spader and Kiefer

    Actress (women don't get enough good roles)
    Edie Falco
    Frances Conroy or Ambrose or Griffith (but really it's Ruth)
    Laura Roslin McDonell
    Maybe: Kristen Bell (for the charisma), and Laura Innes (for carrying ER)
    Emmy Voters: something Grey's

    Comedy Actor
    Neil Patrick Harris wins.
    Gervais, Carell, Alec Baldwin, Gob Arnett-Poehler, Dr. Stephen T. Colbert DFA(?)(for the Michael Steele rap)
    Also Tim Canterbury Freeman? and Michael Cera
    Emmy voters: auto-Shahloub.

    Comedy Actress
    Doris Roberts (it was one-note, so?)
    Kristin Chenowith (Pushed Daisies)
    Ellen Muth (dead like me)
    Felicity Huffman
    Ashley Jensen

    Animation Lead
    Cartman, Homer, Hughie, Roger the Alien, Butters

    ReplyDelete
  84. Comedy series: Frisky Dingo or It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

    Drama series: Lost

    Comedy Actress: Mary Louise Parker or Marcia Cross

    Drama Actress: Edie Falco

    Comedy Adtor: Steve Carrell

    Drama Actor: James Spader

    ReplyDelete
  85. I voted earlier, but only had one person down for this category, so I would like to add:

    Comedy Lead Actor:
    Ray Wise, Reaper

    ReplyDelete
  86. Comedy Series
    Office (US)
    Arrested Development
    Extras
    The Daily Show
    CHAPPELLE'S SHOW (surprised many ppl didn't have this, i almost forgot myself)
    THE BOONDOCKS

    Drama:
    The Wire (hands down)
    Lost
    BSG
    The Sopranos
    Mad Men
    Oz

    Comedy Actor:
    Dave Chappelle
    Steve Carell
    Ricky Gervais
    Jason Bateman

    Comedy Actress:
    Tina Fey
    Portia D'rossi
    Regina King (The Boondocks)
    Jenna Fischer

    Drama Actor:
    IDRIS ELBA
    Terry O'Quinn
    John Hamm
    Micheal Emerson
    MICHAEL HOGAN
    JAMES CALLIS

    Drama Actress:
    Mary McDonell
    CCH Pounder
    Christina Hendricks
    Edie Falco

    ReplyDelete
  87. Drama Series:
    The Wire
    Deadwood
    Lost
    Battlestar Galactica
    Mad Men
    Friday Night Lights

    Comedy Series:
    Arrested Development
    30 Rock
    The Office
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    How I Met Your Mother
    Freaks and Geeks

    Drama Actor:
    Ian McShane, Deadwood
    Hugh Laurie, House
    Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
    Terry O'Quinn, Lost
    Victor Garber, Alias
    James Spader, The Practice (not Boston Legal)

    Drama Actress:
    Mary McDonnell, Battlestar Galactica
    Katee Sackhoff, Battlestar Galactica
    Kristen Bell, Veronica Mars
    Chloe Sevigny, Big Love
    Jeanne Tripplehorn, Big Love
    Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights

    Comedy Actor:
    Steve Carrell, The Office
    Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
    Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock
    Bret MacKenzie, Flight of the Conchords
    Jemaine Clement, Flight of the Conchords
    Michael Cera, Arrested Development

    Comedy Actress:
    Tina Fey, 30 Rock
    Marcia Cross, Desperate Housewives
    Sarah Chalke, Scrubs
    Jennifer Aniston, Friends
    Lisa Kudrow, Friends
    Jenna Fischer, The Office

    ReplyDelete
  88. Comedy series
    Arrested Development
    30 Rock
    How I Met Your Mother
    Scrubs
    Sports Night
    Everybody Loves Raymond

    Drama series
    Lost
    Battlestar Galactica
    The Sopranos
    The West Wing
    Deadwood
    Band of Brothers (miniseries, I know)

    Drama lead actor
    James Gandalfini
    Hugh Laurie
    John Hamm
    Richard Schiff
    Ian McShane
    Damien Lewis

    Drama lead actress
    Edie Falco
    Allison Janey
    Mary McDonald
    Jennifer Garner
    Frances Conroy
    Chandra Wilson

    Comedy lead actor
    Tony Shaloub
    Neil Patrick Harris
    Jason Bateman
    Ricky Gervais
    Kelsey Grammer
    Alec Baldwin

    Comedy lead actress
    Tina Fey
    Patricia Heaton
    Jane Kaczmarek
    Jamie Pressly
    Dorris Roberts
    Megan Mullally

    ReplyDelete
  89. Drama Series

    Veronica Mars
    Friday Night Lights
    Lost
    The Wire

    Comedy Series
    The Office (US)
    Arrested Development
    Chuck
    Coupling (UK)

    Actor-Drama
    Kyle Chandler (FNL)
    Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
    Hugh Laurie (House)

    Actress-Drama
    Connie Britton (FNL)
    Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars)

    Actor-Comedy
    Ricky Gervais (Extras)
    Jason Bateman (Arrested Development)
    Neil Patrick Harris (HIMYM)
    Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)

    Actress-Comedy
    Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls)
    Tina Fey (30 Rock)
    Jenna Fischer (The Office)
    Jaime Pressly (My Name is Earl)

    ReplyDelete
  90. Comedy Series:
    Arrested Development
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    The Office
    30 Rock
    Pushing Daisies
    The Knights of Prosperity--just throwing it out there

    Drama Series:
    Alias--yes it fell apart at the end of its run, but for a while it was spellbinding
    Mad Men
    Battlestar Galactica
    Lost
    The West Wing
    In Treatment
    The Sopranos

    Drama Lead Actor:
    James Gandolfini
    Jon Hamm
    Hugh Laurie
    Gabriel Byrne
    Martin Sheen
    Terry O'Quinn

    Drama Lead Actress:
    Jennifer Garner
    Edie Falco
    Mary McDonnell
    Rachel Griffiths
    Allison Janney

    Comedy Lead Actress:
    Tina Fey
    Julia Louis Dreyfus
    Jessica Walter
    Megan Mulally
    Lisa Kudrow

    Comedy Lead Actor:
    Ricky Gervais
    Steve Carrell
    Alec Baldwin
    Jason Bateman

    ReplyDelete
  91. A french opinion xD

    Drama Series:Farscape (only one person mentions it !)
    The West Wing
    The Wire
    Doctor Who
    Maybe Once & Again ?

    Drama Lead Actor:John Spencer, The West Wing
    Alexis Denisof, Angel
    Ben Browder, Farscape
    Martin Sheen, The West Wing
    David Tennant, Doctor Who
    JD Williams, The Wire
    (it's a tough category but Walter Goggins isn't quoted once)

    Drama Lead Actress:Claudia Black, Farscape
    Connie Britton, FNL
    Ellen Muth, Dead Like Me
    Allison Janey, The West Wing
    Edie Falco, The Sopranos
    Maybe Evan Rachel Wood, Once & Again (but it's not really a lead ^^)

    Comedy Series:The Office (US)
    Extras
    Malcolm in the Middle
    Arrested Development
    The Office (UK)

    Comedy Lead Actress:Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Old Christine
    Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle
    Olivia Hallinan, Sugar Rush

    Comedy Lead Actor:Ricky Gervais, Extras/The Office UK
    Steve Carell, The Office US
    Bryan Cranston, Malcolm in the Middle
    Neil Patrick Harris, HIMYM
    Will Arnett, Arrested Development
    Tony Hale, Arrested Development

    ReplyDelete
  92. Well, you already have all the feedback you could possibly process and everyone's chimed in with thoughtful responses. What you could really use is a new category! Not possible, I know, but simply for kicks...

    Best Ensembles of the 00s:

    1. The Wire
    2. Sopranos
    3. Arrested Development
    4. Six Feet Under
    5. Freaks and Geeks
    6. The West Wing

    ReplyDelete
  93. If you're counting shows that aired in the 2000s (and not necessarily had their best days in the 2000s), then Frasier, Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce are locks on every acting list.

    ReplyDelete
  94. I'd also like to propose an award for acting excellent in both genres for two different shows.

    Enrico Colantoni, Just Shoot Me/Veronica Mars
    Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad/Malcolm In The Middle
    Alyson Hannigan, Buffy The Vampire Slayer/How I Met Your Mother
    Felicity Huffman, Sports Night/Desperate Housewives
    Matthew Perry, Friends/Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip

    ReplyDelete
  95. Drama Series:
    1)The Wire
    2)Battlestar Galactica
    3)The Sopranos
    4)Deadwood
    5)Firefly
    6)Carnivale
    7)Mad Men
    8)The West Wing

    I don't think I've seen you write about Carnivale- thoughts on that trippy creature which I loved so much?

    Comedy Series
    1)The Office (US)
    2)30 Rock
    3)Arrested Development
    4)Conchords
    5)HIMYM

    Drama Actress
    -Edie Falco
    -Connie Britton
    -Mary McDonell
    -Katee Sackhoff

    Drama Actor
    -gotta be Gandolfini

    But much love for :
    -Ian McShane
    -Eddie Olmos and Michael Hogan
    -Michael Emerson
    -Martin Sheen and John Spencer
    -Michael C. Hall
    -I'll confine my Wire-gushing to Idris Alba, Michael K. Williams, and Andre Royo (my favorite three out of dozens who could be on this list)

    The Comedy actors have been covered well already; though I'd like to see more love for the supporters on Arrested Development, like Tony Hale and David Cross----
    and, thus far, only one other commenter shares my love of Cobie Smulders' Robin Scherbatsky

    ReplyDelete
  96. Thanks for asking for our help Alan.

    Comedy series - Black Books
    The Office (UK)
    The Office (US)
    Freaks and Geeks
    Spaced
    30 Rock

    Drama series - Deadwood
    The Wire
    Mad Men
    State of Play (UK)
    Dexter
    Law and Order SVU (they take it personally!)

    Drama lead actor - Ian McShane
    Timothy Olyphant
    John Hamm
    John Simm
    Michael C Hall
    Michael Emerson

    Drama lead actress - Paula Malcolmson
    Connie Britton
    Elisabeth Moss
    Chloe Sevigny
    Mary Louise Parker

    Comedy lead actor - Dylan Moran
    Ricky Gervais
    Alec Baldwin
    Steve Carell
    Will Arnett
    John Francis Daley

    Comedy lead actress - Jessica Hynes nee Stevenson
    Sarah Chalke
    Jessica Walter
    Tine Fey
    Alison Hannigan
    Tamsin Grieg

    ReplyDelete
  97. Comedy series: The Office (UK)Drama series: Lost)Drama lead actor: Terry O'Quinn (Lost))Drama lead actress: Cynthia Nixon (SATC)). It's cheating, maybe, b/c Sex and the City was technically a comedy, but she could bring every single emotion to the table, especially in the episodes in which her mother died and her mother-in-law had a stroke. I also enjoyed the brief time I spent watching Jennifer Garner (Alias)) and Sarah Michelle Gellar (BTVS).
    Comedy lead actor: Alec Baldwin (30 Rock))Comedy lead actress: Tie between Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls)) and Tina Fey (30 Rock)).

    Special mention goes to Jessica Walter (Arrested Development)) and Holland Taylor (2 and a Half Men)).

    ReplyDelete
  98. Dramatic Actress: Maura Tierney, ER

    Dramatic Actor: Ian McShane, Deadwood

    ReplyDelete
  99. Comedy Series:
    The Office [UK]
    Arrested Development
    30 Rock
    Futurama [NEEDS TO BE MENTIONED]
    Extras

    Drama Series:
    Breaking Bad
    The Wire
    Mad Men
    Lost
    The West Wing

    Comedy Actor: Ricky Gervais
    Comedy Actress: Jessica Walter
    Drama Actor: Bryan Cranston
    Drama Actress: Edie Falco

    ReplyDelete
  100. Chalk up two more votes for Firefly and Capt. Tightpants. Fillion's Reynolds is still who I think of when I hear the word "integrity." He so completely embodied that character, it makes me crazy.

    And Mr. and Mrs. Coach. They're all kinds of awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  101. When did Ed air on NBC? I'd say that's in my tops along with The Office (UK) and Extras

    ReplyDelete
  102. Dramas:
    Friday Night Lights
    Lost
    Life on Mars (UK)
    Wire in the Blood (UK)
    ER
    Pushing Daisies

    Drama actors:
    John Simm (Life on Mars)
    Damian Lewis (Life)
    Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights)
    Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies)
    Jonathan Tucker (The Black Donnellys)
    Adrian Pasdar (Mysterious Ways)

    Drama Actresses:
    Julianna Margulies (ER)
    Melina Kanakederas (CSI: NY)
    Kathryn Erbe (Law and Order: CI)
    Alisen Down (Mysterious Ways)
    Sarah Shahi (Life)
    Kristin Bell (Veronica Mars)

    ReplyDelete
  103. Comedy series : Arrested Development
    Drama series : The Wire
    Drama lead actor : Walton Goggins
    Drama lead actress : Edie Falco
    Comedy lead actor : Ricky Gervais (i'm counting for work in both Office and Extras)
    Comedy lead actress : Portia De rossi

    ReplyDelete
  104. Some of these categories are hard to narrow down (Drama and Drama Actor) and others are hard to get up to 6, so I am including supporting in the actor/actress categories.

    DRAMA
    Lost
    The Wire
    The Shield
    Friday Night Lights
    Dexter
    Alias/Buffy (tie)

    COMEDY
    Arrested Development
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    How I Met Your Mother
    Family Guy
    That 70's Show
    Rescue Me (could be drama, but this show makes me laugh a lot already have too dramas already)

    DRAMA ACTOR
    M. Emerson (Lost)
    K. Chandler (FNL)
    M. Hall (Dexter)
    M. Chiklis (The Shield)
    I. McShane (Deadwood)
    T. O'Quinn (Lost)

    DRAMA ACTRESS
    C. Britton (FNL)
    E. Mitchell (Lost)
    J. Garner (Alias)
    G. Close (Damages)
    C. Pounder (The Shield)
    S. Gellar (Buffy)

    COMENDY ACTOR
    NPH (HIMYM)
    J. Segel (HIMYM)
    L. David (Curb)
    McGinley (Scrubs)
    Arnett (Arrested)
    Cera (Arrested)

    COMEDY ACTRESS
    M. Parker (Weeds)
    C. Smulders (HIMYM)
    A. Hannigan (HIMYM)
    S. Chalke (Scrubs)
    J. Walters (Arrested)
    P. di Rossi (Arrested)

    ReplyDelete
  105. Drama series: The Wire

    Drama lead actor: Terry O'Quinn (John Locke, Lost)

    Drama lead actress: Mary-Louise Parker (Nancy Botwin, Weeds)

    Comedy series: Arrested Development

    Comedy lead actor: Steve Carell (Michael Scott, The Office)

    Comedy lead actress: Jane Kaczmarek (Lois [insert surname here], Malcolm in the Middle)

    ReplyDelete
  106. I forgot Sonja Sohn. I'd replace either Elisabeth or Rachel in my list with Sonja. Hard to decide which, of course, when both have done very good work on two series during the aughts. I guess Rachel.

    ReplyDelete
  107. Comedy:
    The Middleman
    Invader Zim
    The Venture Brothers
    Colbert Report
    Pushing Daisies

    Drama:
    West Wing
    Dr Who (current version)
    Burn Notice
    Raines (or should that be on my guilty pleasures list?)

    ReplyDelete
  108. Don't really have anything others haven't mentioned yet, so I won't bore anyone with a somewhat similar list of things, but I wonder why they don't have a Top ensemble cast drama/comedy category, given a lot of the really great shows are the ones with a very well rounded cast, which makes it impossible to choose just one (e.g. The Wire. How does one choose? You can't!)

    Though, I suppose perhaps the category of "Best Drama/ Comedy Series" is indicative of the shows with the best ensemble cast, which allows for more shows to be in the list, huh?

    ReplyDelete
  109. Needed to be mentioned:

    Robin Wiegert (Deadwood)
    For UK residents:
    The Royle Family (J.K. Rowling seal of approval)

    ReplyDelete
  110. Oh, one more for comedy: Futurama

    ReplyDelete
  111. Drama:
    The Wire
    The West Wing
    Mad Men
    Friday Night Lights
    Breaking Bad
    Six Feet Under

    Comedy:
    Arrested Development
    Sports Night
    Freaks and Geeks
    The Office US
    30 Rock
    HIMYM

    Lead Actor Drama:
    Jon Hamm
    Richard Schiff (I don't think he's been mentioned. He did terrific work on TWW)
    Kyle Chandler
    John Spencer
    Bryan Cranston
    Everyone on The Wire

    Lead Actress Drama:
    Connie Britton
    Allison Janney
    Elisabeth Moss
    Frances Conroy
    Chloe Sevigny
    Jeanne Tripplehorn

    Lead Actor Comedy:
    Everyone on AD
    NPH
    Alec Baldwin
    Steve Carrell

    Lead Actress Comedy:
    Everyone on AD
    Felicity Huffman
    Mary Louise Parker
    Elizabeth Perkins
    Jenna Fischer

    ReplyDelete
  112. A few comedies no one has yet mentioned:

    Home Movies
    Mission Hill
    The Mighty Boosh
    Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!
    Clone High

    Home Movies, in particular, would be a certain lister for me.

    ReplyDelete
  113. THE O.C. and give Melinda Clarke, Autumn Reeser, and, of course, Peter Gallagher some love!

    ReplyDelete
  114. COMEDY SERIES
    How I Met Your Mother
    30 Rock
    Big Bang Theory
    Colbert Report
    Scrubs
    Arrested Development

    Honorable Mentions:
    Andy Barker PI, Corner Gas, Frasier, Simpsons, Undergrads

    Not Pure Comedies Genre-Wise:
    Being Erica, Burn Notice, Chuck, Gilmore Girls, Monk, Psych, Pushing Daisies, Reaper, Slings & Arrows, Wonderfalls

    -----------------

    DRAMA SERIES
    Veronica Mars
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer
    Doctor Who
    Chuck
    Life
    Lost

    Honorable Mentions:
    Angel, Being Erica, Burn Notice, Dollhouse, Eureka, Everwood, Firefly, Gilmore Girls, House, Hustle, Justice League Unlimited, Mad Men, Monk, NCIS, Nero Wolfe Mystery, Poirot, Pushing Daisies, Reaper, Wonderfalls

    -----------------

    DRAMA LEAD ACTOR
    Damian Lewis (Life)
    Hugh Laurie (House)
    Nathan Fillion (Firefly/Castle)
    David Tennant (Dr. Who)
    Terry O'Quinn (Lost)
    Tony Shaloub (Monk)

    Honorable Mentions:
    Michael Riley (Being Erica), Anthony Stewart Head (BTVS), Zachary Levi (Chuck), Christopher Eccleston (Dr. Who), Tom Amandes (Everwood), Michael Emerson (Lost), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Timothy Hutton (Nero Wolfe), Maury Chaykin (Nero Wolfe), David Suchet (Poirot), Enrico Colantoni (Veronica Mars), Jason Dohring (Veronica Mars)

    -----------------

    DRAMA LEAD ACTRESS
    Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars)
    Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls)
    Erin Karpluk (Being Erica)
    Sarah Michellle Gellar (BTVS)
    Catherine Tate (Dr. Who)
    Yvonne Strahovski (Chuck)

    Honorable Mentions:
    Charisma Carpenter (Angel), Amy Acker (Angel), Billie Piper (Dr. Who), Summer Glau (Firefly/Terminator), Liza Weil (Gilmore Girls), Kelly Bishop (Gilmore Girls), Jaime Murray (Hustle), Sarah Shahi (Life), Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies), Caroline Dhavernas (Wonderfalls)

    -----------------

    COMEDY LEAD ACTOR
    Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother)
    Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory)
    Kelsey Grammer (Frasier)
    Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
    Stephen Colbert (Colbert Report)
    Zach Braff (Scrubs)

    Honorable Mentions:
    Andy Richter (Andy Barker), Brent Butt (Corner Gas), Tony Shaloub (Monk), James Roday (Psych), Ray Wise (Reaper), Paul Gross (Slings & Arrows)

    -----------------

    COMEDY LEAD ACTRESS
    Tina Fey (30 Rock)
    Sarah Chalke (Scrubs)
    Alyson Hannigan (HIMYM)
    Cobie Smulders (HIMYM)
    Jessica Walter (Arrested Development)
    Kaley Cuoco (Big Bang Theory)

    Honorable Mention: Tara Spencer Nairn (Corner Gas)

    --------------------

    MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH

    Newsradio
    Star Trek: DS9

    Both of those shows ended in 1999, and both would have fit within the following decade well enough. In some ways, STDS9 was more of a 21st Century series than either of Trek's actual 21st Century shows (the far less ambitious Voyager & Enterprise), with its dense serialization, long-term character development, darker themes, wartime setting and flawed heroes.

    --------------------

    YESTERYEAR'S TITANS
    Great shows that came and went well before the 21st Century...

    Batman: The Animated Series
    Columbo
    Freakazoid
    Gunsmoke
    Have Gun Will Travel
    Honey West
    Mission: Impossible
    Muppet Show
    Newhart
    Outer Limits
    Pinky & The Brain
    Rifleman
    Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett)
    Star Trek
    Star Trek: The Next Generation
    Taxi
    The Tick! (animated)
    Twilight Zone
    WKRP in Cincinnatti

    ReplyDelete
  115. Comedy series:IT Crowd
    Big Bang Theory
    30 Rock
    Samantha Who?
    (can I mention Desperate Housewives here? It's not comedy but occasionally it has some of the most hilarious scenes)Drama seriesBattlestar Galactica
    Veronica Mars
    In Treatment
    House MD
    Alias
    Life
    Law and Order SVU (till 2005 so not the last 4 seasons)

    Drama lead actorHugh Laurie (house)
    Michael Hogan (bsg)
    Gabriel Byrne (in treatment)
    Damian Lewis (life)
    Eddie Olmos (bsg)

    Drama lead actressMary McDonnel (bsg- they should name the drama actress Emmy after her or give her an oscar for tv performance)
    Kristen Bell (veronica mars)
    Jennifer Garner (alias)
    Gillian Anderson (bleak house)
    Katee Sackhoff (bsg)
    Felicity Huffman (housewives)

    Comedy lead actorAlec Baldwin (30 rock)
    Jim Parsons (Big Bang theory)
    Noel Fielding (IT crowd)
    Jack McBrayer (30 rock)

    Comedy lead actressKatherine Parkinson (IT crowd)
    Tina Fey (30 rock)
    Vanessa Williams (ugly betty)
    Teri Hatcher (housewives)
    Kaley Cuoco (big bang theory)

    Guilty PleasuresTrue Blood
    Cold Case
    Uggly Betty
    1st season of Heroes

    the ARGH! awardthe rest seasons of Heroes

    ReplyDelete
  116. Not even remotely enough love for The Thick of It, I'm Alan Partridge and Peep Show here!

    As much as I love some of the American imports like Arr Dev, 30 Rock, Curb, Office (U.S.) they don't even come CLOSE to those 3.

    Nice to see UK Office getting the kudos it deserves, and a few mentions of Spaced.

    Other great UK sitcoms of recent years:
    Garth Marenghi's Darkplace
    Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights
    The Royle Family

    ReplyDelete
  117. I'm doing six shows and three people for each category.

    Comedy series:
    Arrested Development
    The Office (both, but IMHO the US is superior)
    Freaks and Geeks
    The Venture Bros.
    Monk
    Chuck

    Drama series:
    Lost
    Angel
    Dr. Who (New Series)
    Veronica Mars
    Supernatural (I'm as surprised as you are)
    Burn Notice

    Drama lead actor:
    Terry O'Quinn (Lost)
    David Tennant (Dr. Who)
    Alexis Denisof (Angel)

    Drama lead actress:
    Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars)
    Amy Acker (Angel)
    Jennifer Garner (Alias)

    Comedy lead actor:
    Zach Levi (Chuck)
    Rainn Wilson (The Office)
    Tony Shaloub (Monk)

    Comedy lead actress
    Jenna Fischer (The Office)
    Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls)
    Linda Cardellini (Freaks and Geeks)

    I'm sure I've forgotten a few that I'll be kicking myself over later. But there's the best list I can make right now.

    ReplyDelete
  118. I thought I posted this already, but apparently, it didn't take.

    Best DramaBattlestar Galactica
    Mad Men
    Six Feet Under
    The Sopranos
    The West Wing
    The Wire

    Best ComedyArrested Development
    Freaks and Geeks
    How I Met Your Mother
    The Office
    Scrubs
    Sports Night

    Lead Actor DramaEdward James Olmos, Battlestar Galactica
    Hugh Laurie, House
    Jon Hamm, Mad Man
    Peter Krause, Six Feet Under
    James Gandolfini, The Sopranos
    Martin Sheen, The West Wing

    Lead Actress, DramaMary McDonnell, Battlestar Galactica
    Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
    Lauren Graham, Gilmore Girls
    Frances Conroy, Six Feet Under
    Edie Falco, The Sopranos
    Kristen Bell, Veronica Mars

    Lead Actor ComedyJason Bateman, Arrested Development
    Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
    Zachary Levi, Chuck
    Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
    Steve Carell, The Office
    John C. McGinley, Scrubs

    Lead Actress ComedyPortia de Rossi, Arrested Development
    Yvonne Strahovski, Chuck
    Linda Cardinelli, Freaks and Geeks
    Jenna Fischer, The Office
    Felicity Huffman, Sports Night

    ReplyDelete
  119. I don't know what happened, but the title of each category and the first show were run together. Maybe the bold tag was running
    amuck? :)

    Please delete my previous post.

    Best Drama

    Battlestar Galactica
    Mad Men
    Six Feet Under
    The Sopranos
    The West Wing
    The Wire

    Best Comedy

    Arrested Development
    Freaks and Geeks
    How I Met Your Mother
    The Office
    Scrubs
    Sports Night

    Lead Actor Drama

    Edward James Olmos, Battlestar Galactica
    Hugh Laurie, House
    Jon Hamm, Mad Men
    Peter Krause, Six Feet Under
    James Gandolfini, The Sopranos
    Martin Sheen, The West Wing

    Lead Actress Drama

    Mary McDonnell, Battlestar Galactica
    Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
    Lauren Graham, Gilmore Girls
    Frances Conroy, Six Feet Under
    Edie Falco, The Sopranos
    Kristen Bell, Veronica Mars

    Lead Actor Comedy

    Jason Bateman, Arrested Development
    Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
    Zachary Levi, Chuck
    Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
    Steve Carell, The Office
    John C. McGinley, Scrubs

    Lead Actress Comedy

    Portia de Rossi, Arrested Development
    Yvonne Strahovski, Chuck
    Linda Cardinelli, Freaks and Geeks
    Jenna Fischer, The Office
    Felicity Huffman, Sports Night

    ReplyDelete
  120. Don't forget about these guys:

    Ed (comedy), Julie Bowen (comedy actress)...

    ...as long as The Wire, Mad Men/Jon Hamm, Deadwood, Sopranos make a list, the rest is gravy...

    ReplyDelete
  121. My personal favorites...

    Best Series: Chuck

    Honorable mention:
    Big Bang Theory
    24
    October Road
    Desperate Houswives


    Best Actor: Jim Parsons

    Honorabel Mention:
    Zach Levi
    Keither Sutherland

    Best Actress: Yvonne Strahovski

    Honorable Mention:
    Chandra Wilson
    Eva Longoria

    ReplyDelete
  122. did you have a deadline?
    I was busy (doing things i now forget)

    ReplyDelete
  123. Drama Series:
    Battlestar Galactica
    Friday Night Lights
    Lost

    Comedy:
    The Office
    Arrested Development

    Lead Actress (drama):
    Mary McDonnell -- she owned that show. Someone give that woman an Emmy already!

    ReplyDelete
  124. Comedy series: Chuck
    Drama series: Criminal Minds
    Drama lead actor: Shemar Moore
    Drama lead actress: Olivia Wilde
    Comedy lead actor: Zac Levi
    Comedy lead actress: Yvonne Strahovski

    ReplyDelete
  125. I wish polls and awards would get away from labeling things drama and comedy. The best shows are usually BOTH (you know, like real life). West Wing,Considering that:
    I think Allison Janney is very funny, as is Brad Whitford & Timothy Busfield
    I missed this in the latter seasons.

    ReplyDelete
  126. I think it probably would be easier to pick 12 each - dividing many shows (if not most shows *I* watch) between comedy and drama is hard, as they are so hybrid.

    the last drama shows I watchd that were not funny - i think - were ER and The Practice.

    And yes, Buffy had to be brought back to mind, despite the 7 seasons on DVD on my shelf. (hey, Emma Caulfield is very funny)

    ReplyDelete
  127. I'll never get my list sorted, and I stole a lot from other people, but there were some things missing, this is my
    Not a List - The People who didn't get mentioned (much)

    Let me toss in some Ally

    Peter MacNicol as best (whichever) comedy - as perfectly as pouring a glass of water. It was easy to see he was one of DEK's favorite playthings.

    Speaking of which, Spader was previously awesome - mostly on the Practice. He lost a lot on Boston Legal and won too many awards he didn't deserve, and that diluted things. I'm guessing DEK used to enjoy playing with him, and I'm not sure what happened. They made him "nice" and boring. I have not seen the last 5 eps.

    Watching Brothers & Sisters I learned I don't love Calista just as Ally. The DVD commentary notes she & Sally are a lovely comedy team. I'm biased, and have been since 97, but I'm glad she's back. (and they dumped the first two stupid attempts at boyfriends. I doubt I'll ever love Josh Hopkins)
    Rachel Griffiths - for Drama - B&S

    and Neil Flynn may not have been mentioned (I was still reading when the laptop decided booting was optional.)

    And I've already mentioned the comedy of Emma Caulfield & the West Wing second string (Busfield was missed, at least by me).

    One person where I can't figure out whether it'ss the acting or the writing - Scott Grimes journey to adulthood on ER. Maura has been mentioned.

    Sadly, Ellen Pompeo didn't get to do many of those scenes with Kate Burton that made you believe she could act. But Sandra and Chandra... it was sad when they lost Oscar to Katie. I wasn't sure why she won. Maybe just people knowing her name.

    How 'bout Justin Chambers? He isn't on anyone's list I'm guessing. Maybe it's just the writing.

    I believe you might be fond of Kate Walsh - if not in her own show. Also Sara Ramirez. They wouldn't be on my list, but only cause there are several people ahead.

    Also remember the girls of Once & Again - Julia something? Evan Rachel Wood and occasionally Marin Hinkle (not a girl, but)
    Season 3 never made it to DVD and there is one ep I have never seen at all.

    While adding Timothy Busfield, above, I noticed that if I take the time to explain my logic leaps... I forget what they were. :-(

    ReplyDelete
  128. Sorry to post to this so late, but I couldn't resist, seeing as I love to make lists!

    Comedy series:
    1. Arrested Development
    2. Curb Your Enthusiasm
    3. The Office (BBC)
    4. Spaced
    5. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
    6. 30 Rock

    Drama series (no order on this one):
    The Wire
    The Sopranos
    Veronica Mars
    Mad Men
    Friday Night Lights
    Lost

    Comedy actor:
    Alec Baldwin (as Jack Donaghy from "30 Rock")
    Stephen Merchant (as Darren Lamb from "Extras")
    David Cross (as Tobias Funke from "Arrested Development")
    Steve Carell (as Michael Scott from "The Office")
    Simon Pegg (as Tim Bisley from "Spaced")
    Zach Braff (as John Dorian from "Scrubs")

    Comedy actress
    Jessica Walter (as Lucille Bluth from "Arrested Development")
    Ashley Jensen (as Maggie Jacobs from "Extras")
    Susie Essman (as Susie Green from "Curb Your Enthusiasm")
    Tina Fey (as Liz Lemon from "30 Rock")
    Linda Cardellini (as Lindsay Weir from "Freaks and Geeks")
    Jenna Fischer (as Pam Beasley from "The Office")

    ReplyDelete