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Creator David Simon and lead actor Dominic West on the set of "The Wire"
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THE WIRE (HBO)
In 13 episodes, the series captured in pointillist detail the machinations of a bureaucracy-plagued police investigation and the drug dealers — portrayed, for once, in bold 3-D — it targeted. An eloquent lament for wasted time, wasted money and wasted lives. |
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THE SHIELD (FX)
Like The Wire, it transcended a season of too many cop dramas, presenting dirty-but-effective cop Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) and inviting a jittery America to wonder whether our safety is worth his tactics. |
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THE OSBOURNES (MTV)
The first of 2002's celebrity-reality series transformed Ozzy from incoherent, brain-fried has-been to incoherent, brain-fried role model, and showed us there was more than one f___ing way to raise a loving family. |
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ANDY RICHTER CONTROLS THE UNIVERSE (Fox)
The comedian with the cherubic grin and demonic funnybone found the perfect, surreal vehicle — and don't forget a crack supporting cast, especially Ms. Comic Timing, Paget Brewster. |
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ADULT SWIM (Cartoon Network)
After the kids are in bed, the cable channel runs the funniest block of grown-up comedy on TV: standouts include salvaged-from-UPN 'toon Home Movies and Aqua Teen Hunger Force, about three of the baddest crimefighting fast-food products in the universe. |
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THE BELIEVER (Showtime)
Further proof that many of the best movies are no longer at the movies, this story of a young Jewish neo-Nazi was a harrowing interrogation of cultural identity and hate. |
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MOVE (Nike)
Even people with TiVo stopped fast-forwarding through the commercials for this beautifully synchronized 90-second spot— a montage of every imaginable form of sports movement— which premiered during the Winter Olympic opening ceremonies. |
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AMERICAN IDOL (Fox)
Few shows have achieved its exquisite combination of sleaziness (Coca-Cola moment, anyone?) and uplift, as Texas belter Kelly Clarkson moved us with A Moment Like This, a pop anthem bombastic enough to embarrass Celine Dion. You'll never admit it, but you cried. |
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24 (Fox)
Normally this list focuses on new TV shows, but that's really what the second season was, remaking itself from scratch with a chillifying nuclear-bomb plot. And the end of season one— with hero Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland)— finding his wife shot dead, was one for the TV history books. |
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PROJECT GREENLIGHT (HBO)
If you loved the TV show — stay the hell away from the movie! Giving a Cinderella director a chance to shoot an indie film, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and company revealed the machinations and love that go into even the most disaster-blighted flicks. |
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