Best TV Shows of the Decade

My final list; the best TV shows of the decade.

Arrested Development -- This was a horrible sitcom, but a fantastic comedy; the reason it never got big is it's just too hard to watch the episodes without starting from the beginning.

The Office -- I was a huge fan of the original series, and had doubts about this one, but it really grew into it's own; today I wouldn't even compare the two shows.

The West Wing -- I'll just pretend like the last season never happened, because all the ones that came before it were great.

Curb Your Enthusiasm -- An r-rated Seinfeld. It can be hit or miss each episode, but when it's a good episode it's on par with Seinfeld. And that Seinfeld plot this year was wonderful.

30 Rock -- It took awhile, but this show has really grown on me.

Mad Men -- This show is slow, yes, but it's also very well written. After this seasons ending, I can't wait for next year.

Band of Brothers -- I had reservations about putting miniseries on this list, because they're more like movies than TV shows. Still, I couldn't resist putting this on the list. By far one of the best things I've ever seen on TV period.

The Clone Wars -- I felt a little weird watching a cartoon as an adult, but it was Star Wars after all; despite the occasional juvenile nature of the series, it has pretty complex themes, and is quite well written.

Firefly -- Why, oh why, did they cancel this show so soon? It had so much left too tell.

Dexer -- Thank you, Netflix, to introducing me to this series.

Best Books of the Decade

My favorite books of the past 10 years was a little easier than picking the best music/TV/movies of the past decade simply because I haven't read that many modern books; I frequently run into the problem of being discouraged from trying new authors when there's a wealth of older authors I have read. Still, I have managed to read through a few dozen post-2000 books over the past 10 years, and these have been my favorite.

Check out Diana's list later tonight when she posts it.

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowlings -- It will take a long time for any series to even come close to matching this one.


The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon (2000) -- I'm not sure the Great American Novel really exist, but this book is one of the closest things to it I've ever read.


A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers (2000) -- This book isn't Eggers' greatest, but I appreciate it for the movement that followed; I'm not sure McSweeney's would have exploded w/o it.


Chronicles by Bob Dylan (2004) -- Every once and awhile a memoir will come out that seems at times more like reading history than about someone's life; that's what this book is. Dylan remains reserved about his life as he always is, but does give true insight into the village life, and the folk movement.

Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace (2005) -- Wallace invented the creative non-fiction...read this awesome collection of essays if you want to know why.

Jarhead by Anthony Swofford (2005) -- Best war book I've read over the past 10 years.

Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler (2006) -- Living in Anaheim, I'm always a sucker to hear any Disney history; this bio on Walt is the best out there.

Dwelling Places: A Novel by Vinita Hampton Wright (2006) --When it comes to well written Christian fiction, Wright is the best there is (actually she's about the only one there is); she rights about themes many Christians just pretend don't exist (like depression)

Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell (2006) -- I've heard people say The Case for Christ is a modern version of Mere Christianity; I can see that...except for the fact that the book is lousy. Bell's book makes a better case for comparison.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008) -- This is the best series I've read sense Harry Potter ended.

Best Movies of the Decade

Deciding what my favorite movies are of the past 10 years is a quite difficult task. For this list, I decided to list my five favorite series, and then my ten favorite single movies. My decision for each movie is based mostly on watchability; I've seen plenty of good movies, but these are the ones I will watch over and over again and never get tired of.  Like my music list, it's in chronological order. Make sure and check out Diana's list too when she posts it a little later today.

Best Franchises:

Lord of the Rings - Series (2001 - 2003) -- Not only my favorite series of all time, but also my favorite movie of the past 10 years, and certainly one of my top 5 movies of all time.

Harry Potter (2001 to 2009) -- Nowhere near as good as the books, it's still a fun movie that never gets old.

The Jason Bourne Series (2002 / 2004 / 2007) -- Not only one of my favorite series, but also one of my favorite action flicks ever.

Batman Begins / The Dark Night (2005 / 2008) -- Complex characters, unpredictable plots, and really cool gadgets--what's not to like about this series?

Flags of Our Father / Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) -- Clint Eastwood does war--you can't go wrong with that! What's so masterful about these two films is how different they are, and how perfectly they capture the themes of war and pride in country.

Best Movies:

Billy Elliot (2000) -- Ballet doesn't have to be gay; this movie proves that it can be quite masculine in its beauty.

Donnie Darko (2001) -- Every time I watch this classic, I see something new.

Black Hawk Down (2001) -- When it comes to war movies, this is as good as it gets.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) -- Anytime Charlie Kaufman writes something, you know you'll be in for a wild ride (unless it's the "The Dana Carvey Show"). This was my favorite movie he wrote of the past decade.

Children of Men (2006) -- I'm a sucker for any movie that shows a world gone wrong.

Ladron que Roba a Ladron (2007) -- This movie is a cross between a Spanish Novella and the Ocean's 11 series. It's funny, cheesy, and one of the best caper movies ever wrote!

Once (2007) -- This was the best romance of the past 10 years, and also the best movie soundtrack.

Sunshine (2007) -- When people talk about Danny Boyle, they are probably talking about Slumdogs or 28 Days Later; I don't know why. This is Boyle's best movie in my opinion.

Wall-e (2008) -- I've almost cried in one other movie ("Wild Strawberries"); the beauty in this movie wasn't in what was said, it was in what was not said. Actions speak louder than words, which made the love story in this movie one of the best ever on screen.

Moon (2009) -- The best movie of 2009 that nobody saw; this movie proved that it doesn't take millions of dollars to make a good sci-fi flick.

My Favorite Music of the Decade

My wife and I our spending this week reflecting (like way too many people) about the best of the decade. Today we're both writing about our favorite music from the past 10 years; tomorrow and throughout the week we are both also writing what our favorite movies, books, and TV shows have been. You can see her list here.

I am not big on music; Diana's usually the ones discovering new bands. Still a few stood out--suprisingly Kelly Clarkson didn't make the list...it was a very close call.

It's too hard to call some of these albums better than others, so the list is in chronological order:

White Blood Cells - The White Stripes (2001) -- This was one of the first album's I ever bought--I rarely ever buy albums (or download them for that matter). When I "Fell in Love with a Girl," I went to the store right away, and have bought every album they've did since.

Nirvana - Nivana (2002) -- This is cheating a little, but the album featured the unreleased track, "You Know You're Right," which was a great song.

Mouthfuls - Fruit Bats (2003) -- This is one of the first bands Diana ever recommended to me, and I'm glad she did; I love both of their records, but this one always stands out.

The Grey Album - Danger Mouse (2004) -- Why this album is illegal is beyond me--something this good should be beyond laws.

Wolfmother - Wolfmother (2005) -- They rip off Led Zeppelin in almost everyway, but boy do I love them.

Black Holes & Revelations - Muse (2006) -- They're a louder version of Cold Play, yes, but I never get tired of listening to them.

The Crane Wife - The Decemberists (2006) -- This album is more like listening to a story (a very good one) than an album.

Modern Times - Bob Dylan (2006) -- Listening to this record was like sitting in an old blues bar; it was really like nothing I've heard before, and it never has grown old on me.

Neon Bible - Arcade Fire (2007) -- The first time I heard "Intervention" played on the radio, I was sold.

Riot! - Paramore (2007) -- It's pop rock and it's catchy; I listen to the album way too much.