Goodbye sitcoms, hello reality.
There can be few clearer examples of the changing of the TV guard than The Hollywood Reporter’s list of the 10 most-viewed series episodes of the ‘00s.
Tops on the list: the series finale of “Friends,” from 2004. Also in the top 10 are the series finale for “Everybody Loves Raymond,” the 2000 season finale for “Frasier” and the last “Spin City” with Michael J. Fox.
But other top audience grabbers indicate the rise of that once-new genre, reality TV. The first-season ender of “Survivor” makes the list, as does the first-season finale of “Joe Millionaire,” the sixth-season premiere of “American Idol” and a stray episode of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” during its 2000 peak.
Moreover, only one show in the top 10 dates from after 2006 – the “Idol” premiere – yet another indication of the continuing splintering of TV audiences. (Was it only a decade ago when a sitcom could garner more than 30 million viewers?)
What shows will you remember the decade by?