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There is no official, objective ranking of the decade’s best television. This list weighs writing and craft, industry and cultural influence, recognition, genre range, and how readily a new viewer can enter each series. “Of the 2000s” can mean shows that premiered from 2000 through 2009, or series whose runs and impact substantially overlapped that decade. This ranking uses the broader decade-impact approach, so it includes The Sopranos, which premiered in 1999 and continued into 2007.
How to read this ranking
Different measures tell different stories: the Writers Guild of America’s writing-focused all-time list is not a ranking of shows specifically from the 2000s, while awards and audience polls measure recognition and popularity rather than a universal standard of quality. The WGA’s 2013 list placed The Sopranos first, Mad Men seventh, The Wire ninth, and Breaking Bad thirteenth among 101 series (WGA’s 101 Best Written TV Series). Those placements inform the list, but they do not determine its order.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Complete Series (DVD) | $28.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Sesame Street: Old School Volume 1 (1969 - 1974) [DVD] | $13.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Little Nicky (DVD) (Widescreen) (English Only) | $7.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Two Guys and a Girl: The Complete Series [DVD] | $26.49 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Conjuring Universe (6-Film Collection) (DVD) | $17.82 | Buy on Amazon |
A strict premiere-date rule would exclude The Sopranos; the decade-run rule here includes it. The other nine selections premiered during the 2000s. Streaming catalogs vary by territory and date, so check a current regional listing before choosing a service.
10. Friday Night Lights (2006)
Why it belongs
This character-driven sports drama uses a Texas high-school football team as a way into the lives of players, families, coaches, and a whole town. The games give the series momentum, but its lasting appeal is the intimate scale: victories and setbacks matter because viewers have seen what they mean to people beyond the scoreboard.
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Best for
Viewers who want an emotionally grounded ensemble rather than a high-concept mystery or a sprawling crime saga. It offers a distinct counterweight to the decade’s prestige dramas: its central arena is a community, not a powerful institution or criminal network.
9. Deadwood (2004)
Why it belongs
Set in a rough mining settlement in the American West, Deadwood is a dense, profane historical drama about people trying to build order amid violence, ambition, and competing interests. Its appeal is as much in the language and shifting alliances as in the setting; it treats the town itself as an evolving social system.
Best for
Choose it if you like morally complicated period stories and dialogue that rewards close attention. Its historical setting and unruly ensemble make it a strong alternative to contemporary crime and workplace dramas.
8. The Office (U.S., 2005)
Why it belongs
The American adaptation turns the everyday absurdities of office life into a long-running workplace comedy, using mock-documentary form, awkward silences, and an ensemble whose personalities gradually become familiar. Its small scale is a strength: mundane meetings and minor slights can carry the tension of a much larger story.
Best for
Viewers looking for comedy with an accumulating ensemble and ongoing relationships. In a 2019 retrospective survey, Rotten Tomatoes reported that its users voted Breaking Bad the show that defined 2000s television, with 61% of the vote; The Office received 47% and The Sopranos 45%. These are that survey’s results, not a representative population poll or quality ranking (Rotten Tomatoes’ 2000s TV retrospective).
7. Mad Men (2007)
Why it belongs
Set in 1960s New York advertising, this measured period drama follows an executive and the colleagues around him as they navigate work, identity, ambition, and social change. The office is its central stage, but the series’ carefully observed details make private choices and public reinvention part of the same story.
Rank #3
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Recognition and fit
The WGA ranked Mad Men seventh on its all-time best-written series list in 2013. AMC reported that it won the Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Drama in 2007 and 2008 and received a Peabody Award in 2007 (AMC’s award announcement). It is a good choice for viewers drawn to character studies and period detail rather than fast-moving plot.
6. Lost (2004)
Why it belongs
After a plane crashes on a remote island, Lost expands from a survival premise into a serialized ensemble mystery. Flashbacks deepen the cast’s stories while the island’s unanswered questions encourage viewers to connect details across episodes. Its scale and cliffhangers made it one of the decade’s defining appointment-viewing dramas.
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Start here if you enjoy a large cast, interlocking backstories, and mysteries that unfold over multiple seasons. It is less suited to viewers who want every narrative thread resolved quickly or prefer self-contained episodes.
Rank #4
- Two Guys and a Girl: Complete series
- Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place (original title)
- Format DVD (11 Discs)
- Region Code 1 (US, Canada)
- Complete Series Box Set, 1, 2, 3, 4
5. The Office (U.K., 2001)
Why it belongs
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s original workplace comedy gives the mock-documentary format a painfully observant edge. Its brief run lets awkward interactions and small acts of self-deception build into a distinctive portrait of a workplace where ordinary people want to be seen as more important, or more liked, than they are.
Best for
Choose the U.K. series for a compact, sharply uncomfortable comedy; choose the U.S. version at No. 8 for a longer ensemble with more room to develop. They share a premise, but their length, rhythms, and comic sensibilities differ.
4. The Wire (2002)
Why it belongs
This Baltimore-set drama follows interconnected people and institutions, including law enforcement, street-level drug markets, schools, and local politics. Rather than treating crime as a puzzle solved by a single hero, it observes how systems shape the choices available to individuals. Its broad social canvas and patient storytelling reward viewers willing to follow several strands at once.
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Writing reputation and fit
The WGA placed The Wire ninth on its 2013 list of the 101 best-written television series, an all-time writing ranking rather than a decade-specific position. TV Guide also included it in a critics’ list of the 2000s’ best shows (WGA list; TV Guide’s 2000s critics list). Its ensemble and institutional scope make it a natural pick for viewers interested in cities and public systems as much as individual characters.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.3. Breaking Bad (2008)
Why it belongs
This crime drama follows a high-school chemistry teacher whose choices pull him deeper into the drug trade. The series turns a transformation into the engine of its suspense: each decision alters both the danger around him and the person he is becoming. Its tightly escalating story makes it one of the most accessible entry points on this list for viewers who want a propulsive, heavily serialized drama.
Recognition and audience response
The Television Academy records Breaking Bad as an Outstanding Drama Series entrant in 2009, and the WGA ranked it thirteenth among 101 series on its 2013 all-time writing list (Television Academy awards record; WGA list). In Rotten Tomatoes’ 2019 user survey about shows that defined the decade, it led with 61% of the vote; that finding describes the survey’s respondents, not all television viewers.
2. The Sopranos (1999–2007)
Why it belongs despite its 1999 premiere
The Sopranos is the boundary case in a 2000s watchlist: it premiered on January 10, 1999, but ran into 2007 and had major influence during the decade. The Television Academy describes its central character, Tony Soprano, as a New Jersey Mafia boss and psychotherapy patient balancing family, organized crime, and panic attacks. Its retrospective reports 21 Emmy wins and says the series inspired later acclaimed shows including The Shield, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad (Television Academy’s “The Sopranos at 25: By the Numbers”).
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Viewers who want a character study with the tensions of a crime story, but not a simple rise-and-fall plot. Its therapy sessions, family life, and criminal world let it examine the gap between how a person sees himself and what he does.
1. The Sopranos, The Wire, or Breaking Bad? Choosing the right No. 1
Rather than claim that one series is objectively best for every viewer, this ranking puts The Sopranos first for its combination of character depth, influence, and decade-spanning run. The alternatives make sense for different priorities: start with The Wire for an institutional ensemble, or Breaking Bad for a tightly escalating crime narrative. The WGA’s 2013 all-time writing list ranked The Sopranos No. 1, The Wire No. 9, and Breaking Bad No. 13; those placements are writing-focused and are not a 2000s-only verdict.
Quick Recap
Which one should you start with?
- For a tightly serialized crime story: Breaking Bad.
- For a wide-angle portrait of institutions and a city: The Wire.
- For a complex central character and family-crime drama: The Sopranos.
- For a period workplace character study: Mad Men.
- For comedy: try The Office (U.K.) for a compact, cringe-heavy run or The Office (U.S.) for a longer ensemble.
- For mysteries and an expansive cast: Lost.
- For a community-centered drama: Friday Night Lights.
- For a stylized historical ensemble: Deadwood.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
