i say always keep them running. all the time running, run. run. run, yasmine, run like the wind. going into 2000, it seems like it was a cultural shift for television in the terms of how people reacted to it. >> it seemed like the bar got raised and raised and raised. >> there are so many opportunities in television there are so many platforms. >> i hate you all. >> go! >> in the end, what we regret most are the chances we never took.

this is the week when the major broadcast networks unveil their full lineup of shows. and every executive in hollywood knows how well the "the sopranos" are doing on network,

which is a problem. >> we are dependent on sponsors. there is so much we can do in terms of language, in terms of violence and in terms of sex. >> to a large degree, a lot of executives were sanding off the edges of what was interesting. >> i think hillsborough is looking at the world and going okay, how can we matter? for quite a long time, movies and boxing were the bread and butter of hbo. >> people watch the show because you're partly an [ bleep ]. >> what we learned through shows like larry sanders show or oz is that we could do serious television. >> there is something in the air, and it ain't love. >> oz was custodying edge in terms of what it was willing to share with the audience. >> hit me, hit me! >> complicated characters, and

the way it was presented was so unique. >> sentence, nine years. up for parole in six. >> what they were doing at hbo was exactly what the network wasn't doing. they were breaking barriers. you get to "the sopranos" and all of a sudden, the villain is the hero. >> have some eggplant. >> i told you. i'm not hungry. >> now you won't even accept food from your own mother. >> "the sopranos" was david chase's invention about this mob family, something that people hadn't seen before. the idea that a mobster is seeing a therapist. >> whatever happened to gary cooper? the strong, silent type. that was an american. he wasn't in touch with his feelings. he just did what he had to do. they didn't know. once they got gary cooper in touch with his feelings, they didn't know they wouldn't be able to shut him up. and then it's dysfunction this, dysfunction that. and dysfunction. >> you have strong feelings about this. >> every decade, you get

somebody like peter faulk as columbo or carroll o'connor as archie bunker. somebody you just can't imagine anyone else afterwards. james gandolfini is that as tony soprano. >> i think it's supposed to be a mafia story. >> it's also about everyday life. >> did you know that an italian invented the telephone? >> alexander graham bell is italian? >> you see? see what i'm talking about? antonio finucci invented the telephone and he got robbed. everybody knows that. >> who invented the mafia? >> what? >> "the sopranos" took the mystery out of being a mobster. ♪ i'm a fool to do your dirty work ♪ >> it was somehow more mundane than we guessed it would be and yet every bit as riveting as "the godfather." >> you were like a brother to me. >> the debate raged at hbo about whether you could have a guy like this as your lead.

and david chase was adamant that you have to, this is who he is, and he was right. >> can you assure me that tony soprano isn't going to become a sensitive, nurturing, mellowing man? >> yes. >> oh, good. >> oh, my god. >> it's all right. i'll be home in a couple of hours. don't worry. >> i'm graduating tomorrow. >> carmela was a wife and a mother. i think first and foremost. i think as long as she kept going to church, she thought all right, i'm taking care of my soul. >> where is the rest of the money? >> she goes home to her husband. he's got blood on him. there's no way to reconcile the two things. >> towards the end, when their marriage is falling apart -- >> i used to [ bleep ] your husband. >> you have made a fool of me for years with these whores. >> her performance in that fight

is stunningly good. >> because she's jealous. let go of me! >> it mattered to people what this couple was going through. and i remember feeling a real sense of responsibility about that and giving the weight to the scene that it deserves. >> what? >> you know what i don't understand, tony? what does she have that i don't have? >> suddenly here is this tv show that everyone is talking about, but you have to pay to watch it. you know, that's how good "the sopranos" was. people were paying just to see that show. >> "the sopranos" came along and completely re-established what the bar was. i honestly couldn't quite believe it, that television was communicating something that you might only see in the darkest moments and accurate moments in cinema.

>> you look at the year that "american beauty" won the oscar, which is also the year that "the sopranos" debuted. almost immediately after that, the two mediums diverged. >> i know what i must do. i'm afraid to do it. >> movies became much more focused on big tentpole things that could bring in as much of an audience as you possibly can. meanwhile, tv, which had always been a big tent medium, started going smaller and more interior and saying, all right, we want to tell stories for grownups that maybe don't get the biggest audience but get a passionate one. ♪ i'll be home for christmas >> i had an idea of doing a show about death. >> are you smoking? >> no. >> yes, you are. i heard you. >> i'm not. no, i'm not. >> look, forget you'll give yourself cancer and die a slow and horrible death. you should not be stinking up that new hearse. >> i met with carolyn and she

said, i'd like to do a show about a family that runs a funeral home. and something in my head just went click. i thought what a brilliant idea. >> i'm quitting right now. i promise. okay? i'll see you tonight. ♪ i'll be home for christmas >> alan ball comes up with a show with a perfect structure. each episode starts with the death of a character and then that character's death is dealt with in a local family funeral home mortuary. >> excuse me. >> this was one of my first -- maybe it was my first binge show, which was long enough ago that it was all on somebody had recorded it on vcr.

>> have you been watching mrs. romano? >> yes, i'm watching her all night. are you thinking what i'm thinking? >> casket climber. >> i want to go with you! >> whoa, whoa! >> there's a whole level of something going on on television. it was grittier than most shows you had seen before, and yet something magical about it. >> i think what our strategy at hbo was in terms of audiences, not everybody has to watch a show. but if we have different shows for different people, there is something that makes you want to come back and sign up month after month. maybe you don't watch "sex and the city" but you watch "entourage." >> "entourage" was originally

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understand what the show was going to be about the first 20 minutes into day one. >> we'll see what we've got. >> there might be a blowtorch in there. >> we need a bathroom. >> are you guys all done talking? >> richard hatch was sitting in a tree, lecturing about what they should do as their group. >> nobody is working toward a particular goal. not the silly little stuff about who is going to sleep where. what are we going to do but why are we here. >> underneath him was a woman sue hawk, who was a truck driver. >> i'm a redneck, and i don't know the world of corporate law. and corporate law ain't going to work out here in the bush. >> that was the show. >> he walked around naked quite a bit. i think it probably bugged some of the guys. >> whatever it takes to win here is the point. it's a game. call it machiavellian, sure. >> we had no idea that richard hatch would be the best thing to ever happen to "survivor." >> all around the country, people were on the edge of their seats, waiting for the final vote to be announced.

>> the winner of the first survivor competition is -- >> "survivor" sort of legitimized the genre. simon fuller came into my office. his vision was one long audition. ♪ like a virgin touched for the very first time ♪ >> i've never heard anything like that in my life. ♪ she bangs she bangs >> thank you, thank you. [ unintelligible singing ] >> what was that? that is what you think we're looking for? >> the network was saying, we don't think we can put simon on the promos. >> no, no, no, no, no, no, no. >> he'll scare little girls and we think that's our audience. >> one of worst auditions i ever heard in my life. >> we're like, well, that's the whole show.

without him, it's not going to work. it was a big fight. it was a big fight internally, and of course we got him on, and that's what made the show. >> well, here they are. the judges have made their choices. now, america, it's all up to you. >> "american idol" reunited the family audience in front of the tv. ♪ r-e-s-p-ec-t ♪ find out what it means to me >> 9-year-olds to 90-year-olds could root for somebody on "american idol." it's not like it hadn't been done before. but the way the producers could manipulate drama and find stories, that was the core of making those shows successful. >> this is the weakest romance i've ever seen. this romance is pathetic. was there a romance? >> well, i think we just decided we were meant to be very close friends. >> very close friends. that's right. >> i've had some very close friends too. >> me too. >> it cost me a lot of money, i'll tell you that. >> "the apprentice" has its lasting effect even today.

donald trump becomes a star. >> you're fired. >> all of it kind of reality show fake. people who worked on it have come forward and said, you know, we kind of made the whole thing up. and yet it sells. then there's just this explosion. >> you interested in tattoos? weight loss? plastic surgery? >> breast augmentation, tummy tuck, facial surgery. >> hoarders? substance abuse? flipping your house? that's a big one. there's literally a reality show for everyone now. >> the networks would be out of business without reality tv. if you had to fill 40 hours of television with scripted shows, it would cost you an arm and a leg. you would be out of business because those scripted shows most likely will do no better and probably worse than the reality show did. >> aimed at gay viewers and women.

so you have "queer eye for the straight guy" and "project runway." >> this is a search for the next big fashion designer. >> "project runway" was not an instantaneous hit. we sort of had this crisis, is anyone going to want to sit around watching people sew? >> i am feeling the race against time now, yes. >> bravo played three or four episodes over the christmas holidays. and all of a sudden it just caught on like wildfire. >> make it work. >> people have come into "runway" and "top chef" and they know that this can change their lives. >> one of you is about to win the title of "top chef." >> rock and roll! >> and the osbornes. it was fun. the whole idea of the guy who bit the heads off of bats being domestic and his wife and teenage kids. >> please do not get drunk or get stoned tonight. >> that sparks this moment of, we can put celebrities on tv and just let them do what they do.

>> i've always heard that people hang out at walmart. >> why? what is walmart? do they sell wall stuff? >> of course that reaches its peak, or nadir, depending on your opinion, with "the kardashians." >> i hate you all. >> welcome to my family. >> there's something about watching someone maybe slightly like yourself but more obnoxious. >> you're so evil. >> there's a lot of baggage that comes with us. it's like louis vuitton baggage. you always want it. >> or they're, you know, more of a disaster. >> prostitution whore, you got engaged 19 times, you [ bleep ] stupid [ bleep ] [ bleep ] you [ bleep ] [ bleep ]! >> there's something about watching that and going, yeah, god, at least i'm not that. >> i look over and i see like hair being pulled, and all the [ bleep ], i'm like, oh, my god, how do i get in? >> got the critics asking, well, why are people watching that reality show?

why are they watching the show? because they're entertained. you're never going to meet someone that's going to say to you, you know, i was watching "the bachelor" last night, i loved it, but i wish i was watching a great drama. >> karen. >> i thought you would never ask. >> you don't need to call it a guilty pleasure. just call it a pleasure. it's something you love watching. it could be a reality show, could be a drama, sitcom, documentary. whatever it is, great tv comes in many forms. (atlas) do humans know they are paying too much with verizon? (paul) no, they just don't know that sprint's unlimited plan gives you 5 lines for just $24 dollars per month, per line. (mom) wow, that would save us... (atlas)...nearly $1,000 dollars? (mom) what about the network? (paul) now sprint has lte advanced. (atlas) it's up to two times faster than before. (mom) no way! (dad) robots don't lie. (atlas) the man in the mom jeans is correct. (avo) get up to two times faster speeds and see how you can for people with hearing loss save nearly $1,000 dollars over verizon and at&t with sprint. visit sprintrelay.com whoooo.

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it's the story of my life. >> i don't want to mess this up again. >> me neither, okay? we're done being stupid. >> okay. this is it. >> this is it. unless we're on a break. don't make jokes now. >> by the time "frazier" and "friends" went off the air, there was a feeling among the networks that the multicamera format filmed in front of a live studio audience -- >> so i guess this is it. >> -- was getting kind of tired and getting kind of stale. >> you guys play the most important part. the live studio audience. >> now, there is no form of

television that makes as much money for the networks as multicamera tv shows. we write a four-camera show. we write it, direct it, perform it, rehearse it like a play in front of a studio audience. when someone gets a laugh on that stage, they actually hold, as you do not in real life, as you do not in single camera, you are holding for that laugh. >> it's an abstract. >> not abstract enough. >> you've done an amazing job. >> it looks like something, though. what does it look like? >> if you get close, you can even touch it. >> i'm fine. >> we started studying what phil rosenthal was doing with "raymond."

he was embracing the very best of what the genre could do. which was interesting characters. he provided me with a very, very loud reminder that i didn't need to fix anything. i didn't need to knock any boundaries or walls over. i just need you to embrace what was there. >> i had been in so many shows that had failed spectacularly that i became known as the show killer. ♪ men, men, manly men >> that's not a great thing to be known as in show business. >> on the sly, i had him come in and read for me, and he was brilliant. >> how much is a hooker? >> what? what are you going to do with a hooker? >> well, i would like to pay her to have sex with me. >> how much are you looking to spend? >> as you know, i am a bit of a bargain hunter. >> unfortunately they don't stock hookers at the 99 cent store. give me a number.

>> okay. well, what could i get in the $200 range? >> crabs. and carjacked. >> i have an enormous sense of pride to have done a multicamera sitcom that people really took to their hearts for 12 years. >> okay. let's start in first position. jake, do you know first position? >> is that like missionary position? >> i mean, that was the longest that a sitcom had been on broadcast television in the history of broadcast television at the time. i think "big bang" is going to beat it. but still, that's amazing. >> two people talking is the essence of a four-camera sitcom. lighting is not really an issue. there is no music that's going to help the material.

>> checkmate. >> there is no specific effects. >> again? >> hopefully good words with good actors. >> it must be humbling to suck on so many different levels. >> "big bang" had this weird hurdle, it seemed, not only are you fighting the natural fight that every show does about getting an audience, trying to stay on the air and keep your job, yadda yadda. >> make way for the fastest man alive! >> see, this is why i wanted to have a costume meeting. >> but then there was also this weird wave of energy coming in like, you're in a genre that's passe, we're done with this, we don't want to see this anymore. >> and the emmy goes to -- >> jim parsons, "the big bang theory." >> obviously, we didn't go away, and i believe very strongly that the multicam, the way they're shot in front of a studio audience, you hear the other people laughing. i think it ignites something that's innate in all of us,

that's very primal in us, the desire to gather in a group and hear a story. >> lauren, look. live from new york, it's saturday night! >> so every generation has their favorite "saturday night live," and it's unusually the one that was on when they were in high school. so the people that were in high school during the 2000s won the jackpot. because over the course of that decade, you see some of the most extraordinary people come through that show. >> we should mention that although the waters above appear calm, below the surface there is a frenzy of activity. >> one of the hallmarks of "snl" is you need somebody to play the president. and will's dubya was stellar. >> will ferrell's george w. was sort of a loveable dummy.

>> how about a life-saver here. that a good idea? >> can i get those antlers too? >> there you go, son. >> how you like these? >> and of course "more cow bell" was also a will ferrell high point. ♪ >> cow bell was fantastic. not only because it's a great concept but because will really gets to be will. >> the last time i checked, we don't have a whole lot of songs that feature the cow bell. i got to have my cow bell, baby. i'll be doing myself a disservice and every member of this band if i didn't perform the hell out of this. >> "snl" in the 2000s is a great time for women. >> it's my birthday! >> because there's a strong group of women that play off each other really well. >> are you part indian, are you cherokee? look those cheekbones, what are you, souix? you, souix? you got sioux in you?

are you chippewa? >> i believe diplomacy should be the cornerstone of any foreign policy. >> and i can see russia from my house. ♪ i like waterfalls ♪ i like butterflies ♪ i like rainbows ♪ i like chasing cars >> you are seeing creativity and wacky left field things that you wouldn't have seen before. ♪ one, cut a hole in a box ♪ two, put your junk in that box ♪ ♪ three, make her open the box, and that's the way you do it, my in a box ♪ (music throughout)

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right. but you can trade... from, from... from darkness to light. ♪ you're not gonna say it are you? welcome to [ bleep ] deadwood. >> david milch said i have a great idea about ancient rome. >> cops in ancient rome in the time of nero. >> because we're already doing this show about rome. >> thieves will be strangled. deserters will be crucified. >> david basically took the underlying theme of his rome show and put it in "deadwood." >> no law at all in deadwood. is that true? >> at the time of nero, there

was a lot of order and no law. and "deadwood" was a similar environment. >> maybe you don't value keeping your [ bleep ] cuts inside your belly enough. >> those are the days behind us. >> no, those are the days to my [ bleep ] left. >> ian mcshane's character steals the show, lock, stock, and barrel, away from anyone else. you kind of want to go in that saloon of his and have a drink and engage him in conversation, but then you think to yourself. that be a good idea? if i say something wrong, am i going to get my guts cut out with a bowie knife? he's a fascinating character in that he scares you and attracts you at the same time. that's kind of a rare thing. >> can we see your fangs? >> i always said daddy hated vampires. but we don't. >> i think that "true blood" was

an enjoyable beach read -- >> suki! >> -- with blood all over it. >> you could say, it wasn't meant to be taken seriously, it wasn't taking itself seriously, except it was such a big allegory for what was going on with the gay community, with aids, with political backlash. >> you use your tax exempt religious institution as an anti-terrorist -- >> it's like there's monsters all over. but the scariest, most deadly characters in the whole show are the human beings. >> showtime looked at tony soprano and they said, you want an antihero? how about a mass murderer who is the hero of our show? >> "dexter" is about a blood spatter expert who worked for the miami pd who is secretly a serial killer. >> soon he'll be packed into a few neatly wrapped hefties and

my own small corner of the world will be a neater, happier place. >> he was raised by a policeman to channel his sociopathic impulses to only kill other killers. so he is a bad guy but also a good guy. >> the idea of the show is you're invited to identify with and maybe even root for a serial killer. >> that's right. >> he kills horrible people. if i were just killing people willy-nilly, i think all bets would be off. >> where's the fun in that? >> yeah. >> in the 2000s, the antihero really rose to prominence. >> that's bb gun. my nephew has the same gun. >> don't point that thing >> nice work. >> and i think they were popular because they were surprising.

>> i told pete to have you killed. >> and usually, these anti-heroes had something about them that was sympathetic. it was a time in our world where there was just so much confusion and mixed signals that i think people responded to characters who dealt with similar issues. >> all right. sure, take my last one. want some help? is this cab free? >> are you [ bleep ] nuts? >> i have heard nurse jackie referred to as an anti-hero. she was at the mercy of her addiction. that always got our fullest detention. >> what are you looking at? >> beyond that, i think she

really cared that there wasn't money in the budget for extra blankets for someone who came in off the street, and she would go and steal it from another department. she really wanted to be a good nurse, and she wanted to be married, and she wanted these kids and she wanted to be a good wife and mother. >> why do you always have to work. >> yeah. >> and there was no way she could do all of them. >> mommy! >> edie falco for me can do no wrong. here she is as the female anti-hero that has her own show, and she's the one whose morals are questionable. >> my back, my back, my back. >> she is having an affair. she is stealing drugs. and is she an unfit mother and all those things? and yet you feel for her. i love women now get to be the anti-hero and not just either the villain or the good girl.

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so if you find your room at a lower rate, hilton is like... we're gonna match that rate and give you an extra 25% off. what would travel sites do if you found a better price? that's not my problem, it's your problem. get outta here! whoa, i really felt that performance. it's just acting, i'm really good at it. book at hilton.com and get the hilton price match guarantee. if you find a lower rate, we match it and give you 25% off that stay. whoooo. with tripadvisor, finding your perfect hotel at the lowest price... is as easy as dates, deals, done! simply enter your destination and dates... and see all the hotels for your stay! tripadvisor searches over 200 booking sites... to show you the lowest prices... so you can get the best deal on the right hotel for you. dates, deals, done!

introducing the new capital one savor card. earn 4% cash back on dining and 4% on entertainment. now when you go out, you cash in. what's in your wallet? the very interesting statistic. people, their favorite shows, be it "csi," be it "er", the most faithful fan only watches that

show two out of four weeks." >> at the time there was a general fear and anxiety, and they have the data to back it up, that shows that become increasingly serialized would lose viewership over time. >> let's don't! >> because if the audience misses an episode, then they would be inclined to stop watching it because they would feel like i missed one and now i don't know what's happening. >> there had been amazing shows that had been serialized. they never had syndication value because you couldn't revisit them. but there is almost like no better hook. it's like a book you can't turn down. it's okay, i'm going to watch a little bit more. >> "24" was set to debut in september of 2001. the pilot climaxes with an assassin blowing up a passenger jet in midair. fox orders this. fox schedules it. 9/11 happens. suddenly the show which seemed like this goofy thing about keifer sutherland chasing off

middle eastern extremist terrorists becomes the most timely show on television, because that's all that anyone in america can talk about after september 11th. >> the name for the series comes from the idea that it's 24 episodes in a season. each episode is one hour in a day, and jack bauer just has the worst days. >> we're running out of time! pull the trigger. >> please don't make me do this. >> i know how hard this is for you, but if you care about me at all, you'll pull the trigger. >> sorry, i can't. >> chloe, pull the trigger. >> i'm not going to do it. >> pull the trigger! >> i'm not going to do it. >> damn you! >> the commercial breaks in that show were almost welcome so that you could catch your breath. >> "24" was really the first binge show if you think about it. there were a lot of people in the later shows of "24" that would only buy the dvds. >> you think he'll come after you? >> yeah. >> and a lot of the complexity

that storytellers have been doing, it's my god, this is blowing my mind. i can see it now because i just watched three in a row. >> i think "lost" is the first huge cinematic tv show i saw. i remember gathering at a friend's house to watch. and it was long enough ago and the internet was still young enough and social media was -- it was what, friendster? >> j.j. abrams' ambition for the "lost" pilot was grandiose. he always talked about it as making a movie every week. i think when we say the word cinematic, what we really mean is opening it up a little bit more, but also the ambition of an action set piece. >> move, move! >> j.j. was very aggressive. he was if you want me to do this pilot, you're going to need to give me the resource in order to do it, and i want to shoot it as a movie, and then we've got to keep that bar up.

>> you start off this is a survival drama. here are these people, this plane has crashed. how are they going to get by. how are they going to find food, et cetera. >> we hunt. >> and on top of that, there is this whole mystery where are we, why can't we get a rescue signal? why is there a polar bear? what is going on here? >> the show averages more than 15.5 million viewers each week and spawned countless web locations where millions of avid fans can obsess. >> the fan base is saysing when are you going to answer these mysteries. personally i started feeling hamstrung story wise almost instantly, because we had to do 25 hours of "lost" in the first season. so we started communicating to abc we're going to run out of flashback stories. >> call it, jack.

>> you call it. >> and abc was adamant in saying no, the show is a hit show. people love the flashbacks. don't worry. you guys are great at it. just keep it up. >> you okay, freckles? >> at the beginning of the third season of the show, we had our characters locked in cages. and i think looking back on it now, damon and i are i think that's metaphorically how we felt. we felt we were locked in cages. >> about halfway through the third season, abc was okay, we will let you end the show. and we said yes, thank god. and they said after ten seasons. >> "desperate housewives" and "lost" launched the same year. it really was a huge boost for the network. they had two shows that everybody was talking about. >> in truth, i spent the day as i spent every other day, quietly polishing the routine of my life until it gleamed with perfection. >> i had a lot to say about women who go into the iconic roles of wife and mother and they're unfulfilled.

>> i think the good news it brought is women who are not perfect, who are not young are viable. "los and the fan base was amazing, you know. there were t-shirts -- i remember going into a store and there is, "i am lynette." i am susan. i am bri. >> are you at a bar? >> we stood on the shoulders of those who came before, you know, strong women characters in television, but in the wake of desperate housewives, a lot more shows with older women came on the air. >> what you doing? >> locked myself out. nhk world. -- naked. and then i fell. so, how are you? (atlas) do humans know they are

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♪ ♪ acqua di giò. absolu. the new sensuality. giorgio armani.

amazon prime video so when you say words like... show me best of prime video into this... you'll see awesome stuff like this. discover prime originals like

the emmy-winning the marvelous mrs. maisel... tom clancy's jack ryan... and the man in the high castle. all in the same place as your live tv. its all included with your amazon prime membership. that's how xfinity makes tv... simple. easy. awesome. while it's tempting to play it safe, the more we're willing to risk, the more alive we are. in the end, what we regret most are the chances we never took. >> there's an old show business axiom, you have to get off the stage before you have to get off the stage.

♪ ♪ >> endings are hard in general, and i think the sopranos was able to accomplish this thing that everybody in television is always trying to accomplish, which is do something that no one has ever seen before. >> tony is meeting the family at a restaurant and we're listening to a journey song and watching as one by one the family members come in and there are these sinister people coming in. ♪ ♪ >> you were wondering, was tony going to survive this? was tony going to be shot? what was going to happen? >> [ bleep ]. >> you're cutting to the meadow, parking the car. you know, all these things that are completely normal, but they're imbued with this dread. ♪ ♪ don't stop believing ♪ hold on to that feeling

♪ >> there's nothing happening. they're enjoying a family meal listening to journey, and it's building and building. >> the long black -- did i just lose my hbo signal? what's going on there? i actually thought was kind of like the cord at the end of sergeant pepper in which nine pianos just hit this long, long major. bong, and it goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on. that black was sort of like what the series needed in order to communicate the fact that it is now officially over. >> as for sopranos' creator david chase, he got whacked in the headlines. he got whacked by the new york post cartoonist who showed fans getting whacked. and chase literally got whacked online. >> three or four days later, carl ton and i were in new york talking to a couple of television critics about how amazing it was, and they were like, oh, you know, there's a

lot of controversy about the sopranos finale. we were like, what? oh, yeah, some people just absolutely hate it. like the whole cut to black, it's pretentious, nobody knows what it means. they're discussing whether tony is alive or dead. >> those are all the things that make it brilliant. right then we realized we were completely and totally [ bleep ]. >> if you've been fortunate enough to be successful, they've gone along for a long, long ride with you. and the viewer has a through line for every character in the show that you could never possibly have. >> you know i love you, right? more than anything. >> of course, honey. >> so, it is a fool's errand to try and please anyone but yourself when you're writing a series finale. >> finales have become increasingly more important, you

know. if you don't do a really good finale to a really good series, the series can sort of lose its luster. but 6 feet under comes up with a perfect ending, and the show is actually even enhanced a little bit. the end of "6 feet under" has the daughter drive ag way in the car and music starts to play. it's sears' "breathe me." she looks up in the rearview mirror. so she's looking backwards. but then the show looks ahead. ♪ ouch, i have lost myself again ♪ ♪ lost myself ♪ >> that season ended and everybody died.

and i thought it was brilliant. >> the work on tv is as good as any work that's on a big screen. and so that hierarchy of film and television i think has been changed dramatically. partially because of the great work that people did at hbo and also because of the work they did at a lot of other places. >> oh, yeah, you can't sit there. >> why not? >> that's where sheldon sits. >> he can't sit somewhere else? >> oh, no, you see, in the winter that seat is close enough to the radiator that it's warm and in the summer he sweats. it faces the television at an angle. he can talk to everybody, not sure why the picture looks so distorted. [ laughter ]

>> perhaps there's hope for you after all. a warning from pyongyang after getting hit with new sanctions. north korea says the u.s. needs to be more careful if it expects the two nations to get along. plus, over my dead body. that's the ultimatum the u.s. president's attorney is giving when it comes to mr. trump sitting down with the special counsel robert mueller. also ahead this hour, right wing protesters take over brussels as a violent demonstration erupts over the u.n.'s migration pact. live from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, we want to welcome our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm george howell. the cnn newsroom starts right