a 2000s marathon starts right now. good night. television on. >> hbo did a lot of its best work when it was bending a genre. take something that's familiar and give it some chili pepper. >> advertising is based on one thing. happiness. >> is there any taboo that you wouldn't break? >> not if there was a funny idea. >> what is wrong with you? >> there's so much different story telling and so many stories being told about so many different people. >> i don't think dramatic series television has ever been stronger. >> there's no longer this theory of what popular entertainment must be. >> incoming.

>> who are the heros? the people who watch this show. ♪ this is the beweek when the major broadcast networks unveil their line of shows.

everyone knows how well the "sopranos" is doing on cable, which is a network problem. >> i think hbo altered everything for this reason alone, is there were no commercials. >> we are dependent on sponsors. >> right. >> there is so much we can do in terms of language, in terms of violence, and in terms of sex. >> to a large degree, executives were sanding off the edges of what was interesting. >> i think hbo 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 a show because you're partly an [ bleep ]. >> i think what we've learned through shows like "larry sanders show" or "oz" is that we could do series television. >> there's something in the air. it ain't love. >> "oz" was cut edge in what it was willing to share with the audience. >> hit me. hit me. hit me in the face, brother.

>> complicated characters, complicated issues, 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. >> eggplant. >> i told you, i'm not hungry. >> now, you won't even accept food from your own mother. >> it 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 wouldn't be able to shut him up.

then dysfunction that and dysfunction this. >> you have strong feelings about this. >> every decade you get somebody like carol o'connor as archie bunker, somebody you just can't imagine anybody else afterwards. james gandolfini is that in "sopra "sopranos." >> it is a mob story. >> but it is everyday life. >> alexander graham bell was italian? >> you see what i'm saying? everybody knows someone got robbed. >> who invented the mafia? >> what? >> they 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. 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. [ gunshots ] david chase was adamant, that you have to. this is who he is. 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 hours. don't worry. >> i'm graduating tomorrow. >> carmelo was a wife and a mother. i think first and foremost, i think as long as she kept going to church, she kept like, all right, i'm taking care of my soul. >> where's the rest of the money? >> it's everywhere. >> she goes home to her husband, who has blood on him. there was no way to reconcile the two things. >> towards the end, where 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 the fight is stunningly good. >> because she's jealous! you [ bleep ]. let go of me! >> it mattered to people what this couple was going through. i remember feeling a real sense of responsibility about that. 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's 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. [ gunshots ] >> the "sopranos" came along and completely reestablished what the bar was. i honestly couldn't quite believe 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 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 things that can bring in as much of an audience as you possibly can. meanwhile, tv, which had always been a tent medium, started going smaller and more interior and saying, all right, we want to tell stories for grown-ups 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? >> nope. >> yes, you are. i heard you. >> i'm -- 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. something in my head 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, then that character's death is dealt with in a local family funeral home mortuary. >> ah! >> 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? >> yeah. been watching her all night. you thinking what i'm thinking? >> casket climber. >> i want to go with you. i want to go with you. >> it was a whole new level of something going on on television. it was grittier than most shows you'd ever seen before. yet something magical about it. >> i think what our strategy at hbo was in terms of audiences, not everybody has to watch a show. 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 in the city" but you watch

"entourage." >> "entourage" was originally based on mark wahlberg's life. the appeal of the show is not is much about show business. it was four guys who were life-long friends who can [ bleep ] with each other, be horrible, but be tight and good friends. >> they want to throw 4 million at you. are you smiling? >> yeah, i'm smiling. >> can you hear me smiling? listen, you have my balls tingling, man. they drive that way in the square? >> he was willing to be ruthless, yet there was a line in the sand and a family man. it made him a morally, much more interesting character. >> i read an article in the "times," the "new york times," o not the [ bleep ] they have here. >> i was reading the "republic." it says you don't know what the [ bleep ] you're talking about. >> announcer: the cnn original

series, "2000s," is brought to you by mercedes-benz. the best or nothing. ♪ i feel most times we're high and low ♪ ♪ high and low ♪ if i had my way enhance your moments. san pellegrino. tastefully italian. if old sphow will theyense helps know i worked hard?, i've gotta make stuff harder. ♪ there, that's hard.

♪ likewise!ee you again! please. cosmopolitan? nope! i'll have a stella artois. ♪ your stella, miss. thank you! ♪ wild night, huh? white russian? nah, gary, gimme a stella art-toes. excuse me... good choice. well, changing can do a little good... dude abides. l'oréal's new unlimited lash lift mascara. 1. stretch it. 2. tilt it. 3. lift it. reach even smaller lashes. unlimited length. unlimited lift. new unlimited mascara by l'oréal paris. ♪

♪ t-mobile will do the math for you. right now, when you join t-mobile, you get two lines of unlimited with two of the latest phones included for just one hundred bucks a month. (indistthat was awful.tering) why are you so good at this? had a coach in high school. really helped me up my game. i had a coach. math. ooh. so, why don't traders have coaches? who says they don't? coach mcadoo! you know, at td ameritrade, we offer free access to coaches and a full education curriculum- just to help you improve your skills. boom! mad skills. education to take your trading to the next level. only with td ameritrade. (driver) relax, it's just a bug. that's not a bug, that's not a bug! (burke) hit and drone. seen it, covered it. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two.

♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ show about people with body odor would be the hit of the summer. >> "survivor" was the first truly competitive reality fo format. >> i started to really understand what the show was going to be about the first 20 minutes into day one. >> let's see what we've got. don't you think? there might be a blow torch in

there. >> we need a bathroom. >> are you done talking? >> huh? >> 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, oh, who is going to sleep where, what are we going to do, but why are we here? under him was sue hawk, a truck driver. >> i'm a red neck, and i don't know corporate world at all. corporate world ain't going to work out here in the bush. >> that was a show. >> walks around naked quite a bit. i think it bugs some of the guys. >> whatever it takes to win here is the point. it is a game. call it moachiavellian, sure. >> we had no idea 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, and his vision was, one long audition. ♪ like a virgin touched for the very first time ♪ >> i've never, ever heard anything like that in my life. ♪ she bangs, she bangs >> thank you. ♪ what was that ♪ >> that's what you think we're looking for? >> the network didn't think simon. >> no, no, no, no, no, no. >> she'll scare little girls, we think that's the audience. >> one of the worst auditions i've ever heard in the life. >> i'm like, that's the whole show. without him, it won't work. it was a big fight. we got him on and, of course,

that sparked 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-e-c-t, find out what it means to me ♪ >> 9-year-olds to 90-year-olds could root for something on "american idol." not like it hadn't been done before, but the way the producers could manipulate drama, find stories, that was the core of making those shows successful. >> this is the weak estees esee i've ever seen. was there a romance? >> we were meant to be close friends. >> good, i've had close friends, too. >> me, too. me, too. >> cost me a lot of money, i'll tell you. >> "the apprentice" has its lasting effect, even today. donald trump becomes a star. >> you're fired. >> all of the reality show fake, people who worked on it have said, you know, we kind of made

the whole thing up, yet it sells. >> then there is this explosion. >> you interested in tattoos? weight loss? plastic surgery? >> breast augmentation, tummy tuck, facial surgery. >> doesn't look like me. >> hoarders, substance abuse, flipping your house. that's a big one. like there's literally a reality show for everyone now. >> networks would be out of business without reality tv. if you have to fill 40 hours of television with scripted shows, it costs you an arm and a leg. you'll be out of business. the scripted shows, most likely, will do no better and probably worse than the reality show did. >> studios aimed at day viewers and women. so, you know, you have like "queer eye for the straight guy." >> that taste kills. >> "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, yeah. >> 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 this can change their lives. >> one of you is about to win the title of "to hap chef." >> then you had the "osbornes." the idea of the guy who bit the heads off of bats being domestic. his wife and teenage kids. >> do not get drunk or stoned tonight. >> that sparked this movement 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? >> i don't know. >> what is walmart?

they sell wall stuff? >> no. >> what is it? >> of course, that reaches its peak with the "kardashians." >> i hate you all. >> welcome to my family. >> there's something about watching someone who is maybe slightly like yourself but more obnoxious. >> so evil. >> there's a lot of baggage that comes with us. it is like louie vuitton baggage. you always want it. >> or, you know, thatey're moref a disaster. >> whore. you [ bleep ] 19 times? you bitch! >> hey. >> you [ bleep ]! >> there's something about watching that and going, yeah, god, at least i'm not that. >> i look over, and i see hair being pulled and all this [ bleep ]. oh, my god, how do i get in? >> i used to get the critics asking me, why are people watching that reality show? why are they watching the show?

they're entertained. you a >> you are never going to say someone who said, i watched the "bachelor," and i loved it, but i wish i was watching a show. don't call it a guilty pleasure. it's a pleasure. you love watching it. could be a reality show, a drama, sitcom, documentary. whatever it is, i think great tv comes in many forms. and more people than ever struggle with debt. intuit is here to change this story... with giant solutions like turbotax, quickbooks and mint that give everyone the power to prosper. intuit. proud makers of turbotax, quickbooks and mint.

introducing the all new chevy silverado. it's the official truck of calloused hands and elbow grease. the official truck of getting to work, and getting to work. of late nights, and date nights. it's the official truck of homecoming, and coming home. the all new chevy silverado. the strongest, most advanced silverado ever. it's the official truck of real people. just as important as what you get out of it? our broccoli cheddar is made with aged melted cheddar, simmered broccoli, and no artificial flavors. enjoy 100% clean soup today. panera. food as it should be. has been excellent. they really appreciate the military family

and it really shows. with all that usaa offers why go with anybody else? we know their rates are good, we know that they're always going to take care of us. it was an instant savings and i should have changed a long time ago. it was funny because when we would call another insurance company, hey would say "oh we can't beat usaa" we're the webber family. we're the tenney's we're the hayles, and we're usaa members for life. ♪ get your usaa auto insurance quote today.

want more from your entejust say teach me more. into your xfinice remote to discover all sorts of tips and tricks in x1. can i find my wifi password? just ask. [ ding ] show me my wifi password. hey now! [ ding ] you can even troubleshoot, learn new voice commands and much more. clean my daughter's room. [ ding ] oh, it won't do that. welp, someone should. just say "teach me more" into your voice remote and see how you can have an even better x1 experience. simple. easy. awesome.

want to know what the best thing of childhood is? at some point, it stops. >> "malcolm in the middle" gives us a lot of things. this is a single camera comedy. >> around here, being smart is like being radioactive. >> single camera comedies were funny. the fact you could shoot them like movies, terrific every year. >> yeah, class president felt good. later that night, i had a dream. >> critics loved that. it was something new. it was something that they weren't expecting. >> oh! >> you should see the traffic. the only thing move sg ting is

carpool lane. >> hey, danny, you want a date with mama? >> get in the car. >> "curb" came because larry wanted to do a special. it was his, you know, film my life. he'd only make it with a stipulation that if he didn't like it, he could buy it back. lucky for us, he liked it. >> you crying to act like you're not with me? >> what are you saying? >> i'll pull a [ bleep ] out in this thing. >> don't you dare do that. >> the actors wouldn't get an outline for the show. they wouldn't even read what the scene was about. >> yeah! >> judy! judy, oh, my god. >> by the way, that shelf coming down was not planned. that shelf really did come down. larry and jeff just acted their way through it. >> what do i do? >> stick it in your jacket. >> jeffrey? >> it's too big. >> where do i put it? >> do something. she's coming up. >> "curb" in many ways is the

descendent of "seinfeld." it was a truthful place, where morality is a truthful area. >> where is the [ bleep ] head? >> everybody is redefining it all the time. >> the kid is home, hysterical, because her doll, judy, has been decapta decapita decapitated. you two sickos took the head for god knows what reason. some voodoo [ bleep ] you're doing. >> larry and i would play a game of worst case scenario. >> i was talking with a friend of mine. he is a survivor. he would love to meet you. would it be possible? i mean, i could bring him to dinner. >> of course. >> you'd take the basic premise from something that actually happened, then just exploit it. >> where's the survivor? >> he's the survivor. from the television show. >> the guy from the "survivor" tv show and the holocaust survivor get into an argument about who had it worse. >> we spent 42 days trying to

survi survive. we had little rations, no snacks. >> snacks? what are you talking snacks? we didn't eat. sometimes for a week, for a month. we ate nothing. >> i couldn't even workout when i was over there. they certainly didn't have a gym. >> what? what are you -- >> wore the sneakers out. then i have a pair of flip-flops. >> flip-flops? >> that was larry david at his best. he took a subject that no one would find funny and make it hilarious and palatable. >> i'm a survivor. >> i'm a survivor! >> i'm a survivor. >> i'm a survivor! >> is there any taboo that you wouldn't break? >> no, not if there was a funny idea. it's all about funny. >> yeah. >> so this is the magic trick, huh? >> illusion, michael. the trick is something a whore does for money. >> "arrested development" was firing on all cylinders from the first episode to the last. >> don't you judge me. you're the selfish one. you're the one who charged his own brother for a blue frozen

banana. at once banana, michael. what could it cost, $10? >> you've never actually set foot in a supermarket, have you? >> he assumed his audience was as smart as the writers. >> don't be afraid to make a mistake. >> i'm not going to be myself. i'm over that. >> it was clever and more meta than any show on television. >> average american male is in a perpetuate state of adolescence, you know, arrested development. >> hey, that's the name of the show. >> you can break rules and also have characters on a comedy who were extremely unlikable. ♪ >> there are a lot more important things than jokes in a comedy. jokes aren't the most important thing in a comedy. >> what's the most important thing? >> character. >> just take control of the body. it's all that now, isn't it? >> yeah.

>> busy? >> keeping up the morale. >> can we have a chat? >> yeah. >> oh. >> i'd watched the british show "the office." it's one of the greatest cringe shows of all time. >> no, i don't have a great many ethnic employees. that's true. but it's not company policy. i haven't got a sign on the door that says, white people only. you know? i don't care if you're black, brown, yellow, orientals make very good workers. >> what's up? >> don't do that. >> when the decision was made to make an american version. >> what's up? >> what's up? what's up? >> there was a lot of head shaking of, oh, god, the american tv, they're going to ruin it. >> are they breathing? >> no, rose. they are not breathing. and they have no arms or legs. >> no, that's not part of it. >> where are they? >> it used the same format the

british show had. >> oh, my gosh! dwight! >> dwight, what are you -- >> what are you doing? >> we search for the organs. where's the heart, the precious heart in. >> that show works. everybody you go to in that cast is hilarious. >> oh, my god! >> why would you? >> what? >> the mocumentary format was different. all of a sudden, it became something you just realized the audience was very comfortable and very interested. >> park lady, you suck. >> hear that? called me park lady. >> "the office," "parks and rec," "modern family," they're making a documentary. >> i'm okay. i'm good. i'm good. >> the idea of these shows is, you know, they sit down on the couch, catch them in a separate part of the office, and everybody does a confessional, like reality television. >> i've gained a few extra

pounds while we were expecting the baby, which has been very difficult. apparently, your body does a nesting, very maternal, primal thing, where it retains nutrients, some molecular physiology thing. it's science. you can't fight it. >> we didn't need to explain it was a documentary. yeah, we don't need to know who he's talking about. i got it. >> emmy nominations have been announced. "30 rock" was the top nominee. >> "30 rock" is having the last laugh again. last year's best comedy winner pulled in 17 nominations, the most in that category. >> why are you wearing a tux? >> it's after 6:00. what am i, a farmer? >> tina fey, i always felt, was the best joke writer in america. >> would you describe yourself at cat competent? >> oh, yes. i love cats. i used to have two cats. then i moved to this place with hardwood floors, so we had to put them down. >> here's "30 rock," probably

the densest show ever joke wise. >> no, no. >> "30 rock" was a critical success from minute one. it had a very passionate, very desirable audience watching it, from even an advertiser standpoint. it was not a highly rated show. >> television on! pornography. >> critical success was a marker for we're doing something right there. >> all of a summer replacement shows were big hits. "america's next top pirate." if the "milf mom." >> she's a wonderful, caring milf. i got a great shot of you. aw. aw look, there's alejandro. who's alejandro? alejandro from work. i told you about him. he's so funny. [woman laughs]

that's better. hm? hm? what? nothing. [man and woman laughing] what do you charge for online equity trades?. ♪ ah, i'll look into it. [phone ringing] [beep] lisa jones! hey carl, what are you charging me for online equity trades? [nervous laughter] and do i get my fees back if i'm not happy? like a satisfaction guarantee? ugh...schwab! oh right, i'm calling schwab. thanks, carl! wait, lisa! lisa?!... are you getting low costs backed by a satisfaction guarantee? if not, talk to schwab. a modern approach to wealth management. that we just hit the motherlode of soft-serve ice cream? i got cones, anybody wants one! oh, yeah! get ya some! no, i can't believe how easy it was to save hundreds of dollars on my car insurance with geico.

ed! ed! we struck sprinkles! [cheers] believe it. geico could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

we're okay! >> i had a particular connection to the "band of brothers" mine kn mini series. my father served in the second world war and was in many of the places airborne ended up. >> incoming! >> and what he felt was real about it was the emotions were utterly true. [ gunshots ] >> it was a bunch of ordinary

guys who, by way of training and voluntaryism and the sacrifice, saved the both and were forever changed by what they did. >> a lot of those veterans were still alive. we got to meet them. we got to talk to them. >> i've seen my friends, my men being killed. it doesn't take too many days of that, and you change dramatically. >> the show premiered september 9th, 2001. two days later, everything changes. people were concerned. should we stop airing it because it is a war story, and now the country is at war again? >> it turned out to be something that was necessary. now, almost every american, i think, felt as though they had enlisted in something that they had not enlisted in before. after 9/11, we were all part of something. >> we deserve long and happy lives and peace.

>> do i know that face? >> historical dramas like "founding the nation" have been overly rosy. >> when i cup board, i find no coffee, no sugar, no meat, i'm not living politics. >> what was amazing about "john adams" is it was done as realism. >> fight for what is right. >> brutal and illegal act to enforce a political thing. >> just the greediness of founding a nation. >> and liberty will reign in america. >> trying to figure out what a president is. >> god bless george washington, president of the united states. >> it's a gift, to be given 12 hours on hbo. god help you if you don't have something to say. >> let's understand each other.

i'm not western district. i don't dirty people because i don't give a [ bleep ] about a possession charge. i'm a murder police. i'm here about the bodies. >> david simon was a newspaper reporter in baltimore. he spent a year embedded with the baltimore homicide unit to write a book. he and ed burns, a police officer, got together and said, well, what if we tell the whole story of the death of the american city, the futility of the war on drugs, through the eyes of cops? [ laughter ] >> of drug dealers. >> y'all have the best territory and no kind of product. i got the best product but can stand a little more territory.p. just make the entire city into the character itself. >> you follow drugs, you get drug addicts and drug dealers. but you start to follow the money, and you don't know where the [ bleep ] it's going to take you. >> "the wire" broke down

systemic racism and the cycle of poverty like no other television show had. >> come on, get up. school day. y'all going to be late. >> it wasn't just about, hey, look at these black kids chilling drugs on the street. you were in the apartment with them where they had no parents, where they were taking care of their siblings, where they were trying to scrounge for food. >> where is your bookbag? >> teacher ain't give us no homework. >> you start to get a much more realistic, three-dimensional picture of what poverty looks like in a city. [ sirens ] >> one of the things about "the wire" that was interesting is it didn't rely on this traditional representation of gangsters. it didn't reline on this traditional representation of cops. it was like reading a great novel or a great series of novels. >> something ain't right, yo. >> fool. >> i think "the wire" showed the architecture of a full city in the way it layered its

characters, particularly omar. omar was buy all other facets of his life pretty awful. >> yeah. >> he had this code that he lived by, that made him very touchable and very human. >> yo, mike, hook a sister up, yo. >> people were also very afraid of him. his sexuality was not necessarily weaponized against him. for me, i didn't see black gangsters portrayed that way a lot. >> no matter what we call heroin, it'll be sold. it's strong, we'll sell it. [ bleep ], if it is weak, we'll sell twice a much. a fein will chase it no matter what. >> it is the greatest tv show of all time. people argue about that. it is the greatest tv show with black people on it, ever. >> what is the highest

compliment someone could pay you about the show? >> you didn't lie. that'd be it. you didn't cheat. >> good night, stars. >> good night, stars. >> good night, popos. >> good night, popos. >> at the time, hbo was in 33 million homes. well, "feoeffects was going to million homes. that's a lot of people who, i think, would like programming like this who do not have hbo. then they said, well, there's got to be a different version of tony soprano. that ultimately was found in the script that was vick mackie, a cop. >> good cop. bad cop left for the day. i'm a different kind of cop. >> the pilot of "the shield" is fascinating. you think it is a cat and mouse game. vick mackie is secretly in bed with the gangs and drug dealers. then you're introduced to crowley, this undercover cop

sent to bring him down. you think, that's the show. i've seen this show before. i've seen that movie before. >> talking about making a case that puts mackie behind bars for a long time. >> then the end of the pilot, vick shoots terry in the face. >> there was some thought that hbo shows did well because they had no commercials. so when a basic cable show like "the shield" that did have commercials found an audience, all of a sudden, it just opened the door and other original programming sprung up. like "nip tuck." >> when you stop striving for protection, you might as well be dead. >> and "rescue me." >> you son of a bitch. >> it was a whole new playing field. >> tommy! ♪

♪ exciting, everything that i'm gonna do in my life ♪ ♪ ♪ never let a day go by where i don't try ♪ ♪ and i've been dreaming ♪ ♪ dreaming bout places and things in my mind ♪ ♪ 'cause i've been ♪ growing wings now i'm ready to fly ♪ ♪ and i know i'm always ready for whatever ♪ ♪ i could take over the world believe that ♪ ♪ ooh yeah ♪ ♪ i'mma still shine right now ♪ ♪ ♪ i'm gonna shine right now ♪ ♪ intuit's giant solutions turbotax, quickbooks and mint can help you prosper. ♪ i feel most times we're high and low ♪ ♪ high and low ♪ if i had my way

enhance your moments. san pellegrino. tastefully italian. likewise!ee you again! san pellegrino. please. cosmopolitan? nope! i'll have a stella artois. ♪ your stella, miss. thank you! ♪ wild night, huh? white russian? nah, gary, gimme a stella art-toes. excuse me... good choice. well, changing can do a little good... dude abides. hey, how ya doing? uh, phil. are you guys good with brakes? we're ok. just ok?

we got a saying here. if the brakes don't stop it, something will. that's not a real saying. it is around here. i wrote it. just ok is not ok. especially when it comes to your network. at&t is america's best wireless network, according to america's biggest test. now with 5g evolution. the first step to 5g. more for your thing. that's our thing.

the current crop of 18 to 25-year-olds is the most politically an thpathetic genern in american history. >> we had difficulty getting the "west wing" on the air. part of it was a not unreasonable belief on the part of nbc that people didn't want

to deal with politics. >> running for president of the united states, now putting social security front and center, is like running for president of the walt disney corporation by saying you're goingepi epcot. >> what made it different was the richness of characters, words and images that they wrote. >> i'd love for people to think i'm as quick and clever as the characters that i write. you'd be disappointed if you met me. >> josh? >> yeah? >> six pages on english as the national language. >> meetings don't just take place, sitting down and talking to people. >> it's not a social studies paper. >> josh. >> donna. >> look at the memo. i gave you what you asked for. don't snap at me. >> we knew that was the essence of the show, this movement. >> what's wrong with everyone today? >> the challenge of doing that is, number one, lighting. >> what was the question? >> if you look tat the set on te "west wing," there's a lot of

glass. glass is reflective. there were technical challenges that existed. the biggest challenge, by far, was the performance challenge. >> 802. five votes jump the fence. >> they could go beginning, middle, end of the scenes sometimes in one take, in one take, and it was liberating and also intimidating. >> what the hell happened? >> we don't know. >> give me names. >> i love "the west wing" because it's a complete fantasy of a political world that is so healthily bipartisan and it shows people intensely and emotionally grappling with the hard questions. >> 40% of americans have a gun in their home. only 16% believe gun ownership is an absolute right. only 9% believe it's an absolute wrong. there's a middle and we can win them. >> they presented both sides as being human beings who cared. >> not being my vice president, is it? >> no, sir. >> this is a valentine toward public service that i think people were hungry for. and so this was a group of

people just trying to make the world better. >> alexander hamilton didn't think we should have political parties. neither did john addams. they felt it led to divisiveness. >> "the manchurian candidate" couldn't destroy us faster than barack obama. >> critics now claim the administration is actually pressuring certain disabled veterans to, quote, hurry up and die. >> what you saw in the media universe in the 2000s was the splintering of the political audience. >> roger ailes had the brilliant idea of creating a network for conservatives, thus fox news. >> the controversy over john kerry and his vietnam war medals has just gotten worse. >> msnbc kind of stumbled into the idea of a liberal counterpart. >> people watch fox news thinking there's news in it. racists, loons and pinheads.

>> there was no longer a shared, factual basis for our political views. we didn't all go home and watch walter cronkite. >> "crossfire." on the left, james carville and paul begala. on the right, robert novak and tucker carlson. in the crossfire -- >> i remember when jon stewart went on "crossfire." it was 2004. john kerry was the democratic presidential nominee facing george w. bush. and i thought, you know, watching it, i said, this is going to be a funny show. >> can i say something very quickly? why do we have to fight? the two of you, can't we just say something nice about john kerry, right now. >> i like john. i care about john kerry. >> and something about president bush. >> he'll be unemployed soon. >> anyone who enjoyed paying attention to the news and watched "the daily show" will forever remember jon stewart going on "crossfire" and reading those guys the riot act.

>> you're doing theater when you should be doing debate. it's not honest. what you do is partisan hackery. and i'll tell you why i know it. >> you had john kerry on your show and you kiss his throne and you accuse us of hackery? >> the show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls. what is wrong you? >> comedians and satire when done right will take on hypocrisy no matter where it comes from. >> i think the vice president and his wife love their daughter. i think they love her very much. and you can't have anything but respect for the fact that they're willing to talk about the fact that they have a gay daughter. >> yes, we admire your love for your gay daughter. >> if they've stepped in it, a trusted comic will bring that to the forefront.

and i think that that's what people like about "the daily show." >> there is an upcoming election, evidently. i didn't know that. >> you're our chief political correspondent, stephen. every two years we elect a brand-new house of representatives, a third of the senate. it's called the midterm elections. >> i only vote when the big kahunas are up. el presidente. i can't be running around every two years voting. i have a life. >> i could not have lived without "the daily show." >> colbert then becomes the companion show, so compelling to watch. this hilarious pseudo conservative dumb guy. >> and who are the heroes? the people who watch this show. average hard working americans. you're not the elites. you're not the country club crowd. i know for a fact that my country club would never let you in. >> one of the things about being on "the colbert report" and stephen would say it himself,

was, he was playing a character. >> the book is "the nine: inside the spooky world of the supreme court." >> stephen had to respond in real time to the guests as his character, not as himself, which was an incredible feat of acting as well as kind of quasi journalism. >> that's a big part of the book, is how much do the justices' political views play a role in how they decide cases. >> why would political views go into it? except the activist judges, the four liberal activist judges, i could understand that, because they're activist judges. but the conservative judges are not activists. they're inactivists. >> they, umm -- yeah, i guess you're exactly right. >> what i remember is the moment

that barack obama was named president of the united states. >> cnn projects that barack obama is the next president of the united states of america. it is now official. he has passed the 270 electoral votes. >> when you watch the tape, you can see that colbert begins to cry. and that character can't cry because that's not what that character does. and jon stewart, he loves colbert so much as a human being, he covers for colbert. >> 297 for barack obama. 139 for john mccain. we're working together to do just that. bringing you more great tasting beverages with less sugar or no sugar at all. smaller portion sizes, clear calorie labels and reminders to think balance. because we know mom wants what's best. more beverage choices, smaller portions, less sugar.

balanceus.org ♪ t-mobile is always happy to see you. when you join t-mobile you get two lines of unlimited

with two of the latest phones included for just one hundred bucks a month.

[ ding ] show me just add magic. hey toothless. [ ding ] [ gurgling ] [ ding ] show me cartoons on netflix. [ ding ] [ cooing ] [ door closes ] [ cooing ] ♪ [ ding ] show me fish on youtube. say it and see it with the x1voice remote. from netflix, prime video,youtube and even movie tickets. just say get "dragon tickets".

the very interesting statistic, people, their favorite shows, be it "csi," be it "er." the most faithful fan watches that show two out of four weeks. >> there was general fear and anxiety, and they had the data to back it up, that shows that became increasingly serialized would lose viewership over time. >> lex, don't! >> because of the audience misses an episode, 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's almost no better hook. it's like a book you can't turn down, you go, i'm going to watch

a little bit more. >> "24" was set to debut in november 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 after middle eastern terrorists becomes the most timely show on television because that is 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 are 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. >> i'm sorry, i can't. >> pull the trigger, 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 years of "24" that would only buy the dvds. >> you think he'll come after you? >> yes. >> and a lot of the subtleties and complexities, it's a, my god, this is blowing my mind, i can see it because i just watched three in a row. >> "battlestar galactica" was a show from the '80s. years later, sci-fi channel looked at it and said, what if we take it seriously? >> madam president, we have to eliminate the olympic carrier immediately. >> there are 1,300 people on that ship. >> "star wars" feels like fantasy and fable in the best possible sense. this felt like war. >> do it.

>> the photography was shot very much like world war ii combat cameramen work. >> fire on my mark. >> no frackin' way, lee. lee, come on! >> it was as if someone was floating in space with an old world war ii film rolling and oh, here comes a cylon, i want to get this shot. i really was riveted by it. >> it's classic sci-fi in that it's using the robots and the spaceships and the clones to comment on the world we live in right now. >> i can't die. when this body is destroyed, my memory, my consciousness will be transmitted to a new one. >> the cylons look and act and feel like humans. by the time you get to the middle of "battlestar galactica," you don't know who you're rooting for anymore. >> it was like "west wing" in space.

>> madam president, without you we wouldn't have made it. >> it was just a very rich world. it felt lived-in. it felt real. and the stakes could not have been higher. >> 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 i mean -- 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 more but also the ambition of an action set piece. j.j. was very aggressive.

he was like, 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 have to keep that bar up. >> you start off, you think, this is just a survival drama. here's these people, the plane is 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's 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 saying, 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, like 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 like, that's metaphorically how we felt, we felt we were locked in cages. >> around halfway through the third season, abc says, okay, we will let you end the show. we're like, yes, thank god. they said, after ten seasons. >> "desperate housewives" and "lost" launched the same year. it was a huge boost for the network. they had a huge show 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 are unfulfilled. >> i think the good news it brought is women who are not perfect, who are not young, are viable. and the fan base was amazing. there were t-shirts, i remember going into a store and there was "i am lynette, are you saying i'm a bad mother?" "i am gabby." "i am susan." "i am bree." 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 doin'? >> knocked myself out, naked. >> oh. >> and then i fell. so how are you? hey mercedes, how about letting your hair down a little? how about a car for people who don't play golf? hey mercedes! mix it up a little. how about something for a guy who doesn't want a corner office? hey mercedes, i don't even own a tie. do you think i need a mahogany dashboard? hey mercedes, can you make it a little cooler in here? [ a-class ] i am setting the temperature [ a-class ] to 68 degrees. we hear you. we made a car that does, too. the all-new a-class. all-new thinking starting at $32,500. the iphone xr is a marvel in technology. yeah. this edge to edge screen is unbelievable. am i nuts or does everything look better on an iphone? both. and with our unlimited plan,

people can choose the best in entertainment. hbo, cinemax, showtime... starz, vrv, amazon music, or pandora... now people can get what they want. because everyone's different. i feel like we shouldn't talk for a couple of days. at&t has the only unlimited plan that gives you your choice of top-tier entertainment. get an iphone xr on us when you buy the latest iphone. more for your thing. that's our thing. that we're playing "four on four" with a barbershop quartet? [quartet singing] bum bum bum bum... pass the ball... pass the rock.. ...we're open just pass the ball! no, i can't believe how easy it was to save hundreds of dollars on my car insurance with geico. yea. [quartet singing] shoot the j! shoot, shoot, shoot the jaaaaaay... believe it! geico could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. from the very beginning ... it was always our singular focus, to do whatever it takes, use every possible resource, to fight cancer. and never lose sight of the patients we're fighting for.

our cancer treatment specialists share the same vision. experts from all over the world, working closely together to deliver truly personalized cancer care. and these are the specialists we're proud to call our own. expert medicine works here. learn more at cancercenter.com. appointments available now. ♪ ♪ exciting, everything that i'm gonna do in my life ♪ ♪ ♪ never let a day go by where i don't try ♪ ♪ and i've been dreaming ♪ ♪ dreaming bout places and things in my mind ♪ ♪ 'cause i've been ♪ growing wings now i'm ready to fly ♪ ♪ and i know i'm always ready for whatever ♪ ♪ i could take over the world believe that ♪

♪ ooh yeah ♪ ♪ i'mma still shine right now ♪ ♪ ♪ i'm gonna shine right now ♪ ♪ intuit's giant solutions turbotax, quickbooks and mint can help you prosper. it is game day, people. and i have never felt this kind of electricity, not in years. this town of dillon, texas is on fire. >> i loved "friday night lights."

i grew up in colorado. it's set in texas, but i knew every person who was on that show. and they weren't on the air anyplace else. >> let's get them! >> the pilot of "friday night lights" is one of the best pilots of any television show ever. jason street is the greatest quarterback that dillon high school has ever had. >> i've been scouting quarterbacks for notre dame for 27 years. your son may be the best i've ever seen. >> 35 or 40 minutes into the episode, while trying to make a tackle, jason street is hit and he's paralyzed. it is devastating because you get just far enough into the episode to think that maybe the bad thing will not happen to this person.

but then the show wouldn't be the show. >> i am going to stay in dillon. i'm going to be a father to this baby. and to this family. i'm going to coach high school football and you and i are going to stay together. and that's the way it is. yes? >> no. >> what do you mean, no? >> you've got to go to austin. this is your dream. >> that's what i'm telling you. >> what we wanted it to feel like was that the audience was just being invited in to a very small town, very intimate setting. >> i don't want to be responsible, nor do i want to have this baby be responsible for you not living out your dream. >> that's what i'm saying. you are my dream. >> i have walked with you all these years to get to this place. you and i together. >> this is about just a couple trying to actually be in a marriage and make it work instead of what we always see on television. and then i felt a very strong, deep desire to not just have her

be the sideline supporting wife. >> it looks to me like on your sojourn, tim, you missed two biology exams and what looks like a pretty important term paper. >> i don't know what a sojourn is. >> it's going to keep you together. that's what a sojourn is. the rest of it you can look up. >> "glee" was a really interesting show, because it was about high school. and they take pop songs that are already out there and make them part of the story. ♪ i'm dancing with myself >> it's about these misfits in high school and they're in the glee club. there's a lot of themes about,

a, not fitting in, but b, homophobia. ♪ i'm through with playing by the rules so someone else is game ♪ >> it was so specific to my childhood. whoever thought that, you know, a bunch of misfit show choir losers would become a global thing. i never did. ♪ don't stop >> i think "glee" and ryan murphy really got the general public understanding that, oh, there is a person behind this, and there is a person's sensibility that is driving this show. >> now be like a sister. >> this is the point at which the showrunners are almost as famous or more famous than some of the people on their shows, because we care so much about the creative process. >> so is it the drama and the story that usually comes first? >> yes. >> and then the medicine later? >> the theme and the drama of

every episode comes first. then we try to find medicine that relates to or reflects that theme. >> mr. and mrs. glass, i understand how difficult this is. >> no disrespect, but like hell you do. >> you're going to have to make a decision as to how you want to proceed. >> you mean my baby's life or my own? >> yes. >> people like shonda rhimes, these are the people who are just the lifeblood of broadcast networks. >> i love you. in a really, really big, pretend to like your taste in music, let you eat the last piece of cheesecake, hold a radio over my head outside your window, unfortunate way that makes me hate you/love you. so pick me. choose me. love me. >> and in shonda's case, it's fantastic because finally a woman, finally a person of color is doing this. >> anything that opens door for more women and more african-americans and more

diverse casting and more diverse crew is a good thing. >> shonda stood up and said, yes, i'm going to be a showrunner and i'm going to be a juggernaut. >> i'll put 20 on a total meltdown. >> 50 says he pulls the whole thing off. >> that's one of us down there. the first one of us. where's your loyalty? >> above and beyond the cultural aspect, which is important and great, we need to remember that she created a bunch of shows that are terrific fun to watch. >> you can do this. introducing the all new chevy silverado. it's the official truck of calloused hands and elbow grease. the official truck of getting to work, and getting to work. of late nights, and date nights. it's the official truck of homecoming, and coming home.

the all new chevy silverado. the strongest, most advanced silverado ever. it's the official truck of real people. woman 1: i had no symptoms of hepatitis c. man 1: mine... ...caused liver damage. vo: epclusa treats all main types of chronic hep c. vo: whatever your type, ask your doctor if epclusa is your kind of cure. woman 2: i had the common type. man 2: mine was rare. vo: epclusa has a 98% overall cure rate. man 3: i just found out about my hepatitis c. woman 3: i knew for years. vo: epclusa is only one pill, once a day, taken with or without food for 12 weeks. vo: before starting epclusa, your doctor will test if you have had hepatitis b, which may flare up, and could cause serious liver problems during and after treatment. vo: tell your doctor if you have had hepatitis b, other liver or kidney problems, hiv, or other medical conditions... vo: ...and all medicines you take, including herbal supplements. vo: taking amiodarone with epclusa may cause a serious slowing of your heart rate.

vo: common side effects include headache and tiredness. vo: ask your doctor today, if epclusa is your kind of cure. likewise!ee you again! please. cosmopolitan? nope! i'll have a stella artois. ♪ your stella, miss. thank you! ♪ wild night, huh? white russian? nah, gary, gimme a stella art-toes. excuse me... good choice. well, changing can do a little good... dude abides.

all of you. how you live, what you love. that's what inspired us to create america's most advanced internet. internet that puts you in charge. that protects what's important. it handles everything, and reaches everywhere.

this is beyond wifi, this is xfi. simple. easy. awesome. xfinity, the future of awesome. wouldn't 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. >> this is bugging me. where have i seen this before? >> 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." >> with multicam, you hear the other people laughing. it ignites something that's innate in all of us, that's 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," right, and it's usually 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. >> can i get those antlers? >> there you go, son. >> 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? 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 chasing cars >> you are seeing creativity and wacky left field things that you wouldn't have seen before. >> the lonely island guys really helped make the transition for "snl" into the digital era.

that's when things started to go viral for "snl." ♪ i'm on the phone, everybody look at me because i'm sailing on a phone ♪ >> who could forget "in a box," come on. ♪ make them open the box ♪ that's the way you do it ♪ i feel most times we're high and low ♪ ♪ high and low ♪ if i had my way enhance your moments. san pellegrino. tastefully italian. san pellegrino. ♪

♪ t-mobile will do the math for you. right now, when you join t-mobile, you get two lines of unlimited with two of the latest phones included for just one hundred bucks a month.

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 want to go into that saloon and engage him in conversation. then you say to yourself, if i say something wrong, will i 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 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. 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 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. >> i kill reprehensible people. i mean, the idea of the show is that 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? >> in the 2000s, the antihero really rose to prominence. >> my nephew has the same gun. don't point that there. >> nice work. >> and i think they were popular because they were surprising. >> you're a free woman. >> you struck a deal? >> the d.a. dropped the charges.

>> thank you. >> a show for me that was incredibly memorable was "damages." >> now where's the tape? >> it really was about following the twisted relationship of patty and ellen. >> what are you looking at it for? >> fraud. conspiracy. obstruction of justice. >> mr. nye tells us i may have reasons of your own for wanting to take down ms. hughes. >> yes. i do. >> i was just so taken with the fact that there was this incredibly dark, unapologetically, morally compromised lead character who was a woman. >> i told pete to have you killed. >> it was sort of the beginning of a real emergence of rich women on television. >> all right.

sure, take my last one. this will help. >> is this cab free? >> are you [ bleep ] nuts? >> i have ard nurse jackie" referred to as an antihero. she was at the mercy of her addiction that always got her attention. but beyond that, she really cared that there wasn't money in the budget for extra blankets for someone 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 antihero who has her own show. she's the one whose morals are questionable. >> my back, my back! >> she's having an affair. >> can't talk. love you. >> she's stealing drugs and is she an unfit mother and all those things. yet you feel for her. i love that women now get to be -- get to be the antihero and not just either the villain or the good girl. ♪ i want to know how you ever seen the rain ♪ >> i think that's something that the decade gave us, which is a move toward television really reflecting what america looks like. i got a great shot of you. aw. aw look, there's alejandro. who's alejandro? alejandro from work. i told you about him.

he's so funny. [woman laughs] that's better. hm? hm? what? nothing. [man and woman laughing] ♪ ♪ exciting, everything that i'm gonna do in my life ♪ ♪ ♪ never let a day go by where i don't try ♪ ♪ and i've been dreaming ♪ ♪ dreaming bout places and things in my mind ♪ ♪ 'cause i've been ♪ growing wings now i'm ready to fly ♪ ♪ and i know i'm always ready for whatever ♪ ♪ i could take over the world believe that ♪ ♪ ooh yeah ♪

♪ i'mma still shine right now ♪ ♪ ♪ i'm gonna shine right now ♪ ♪ intuit's giant solutions turbotax, quickbooks and mint can help you prosper. you wouldn't accept an incomplete job from any one else. why accept it from your allergy pills? most pills don't finish the job because they don't relieve nasal congestion. flonase sensimist is different. it relieves all your worst symptoms, including nasal congestion, which most pills don't. it's more complete allergy relief. and all from a gentle mist you can barely feel. flonase sensimist helps block six key inflammatory substances. most pills only block one. and six is greater than one. flonase sensimist. and six is greater than one. blue moon is a belgian style wheat beer. brewed with valencia orange peel for a flavorful & refreshing taste that rises above.

if old sphow will theyense helps know i worked hard?, i've gotta make stuff harder. ♪ there, that's hard. ♪ webut some of us turn outhose dreams...... into action... the bookers. the doers. the 'hit that confirmation button and let's go!'- ers! because bookers know that the perfect place to stay... is right there for the booking. be a booker at booking.com the world's #1 choice for booking accommodations.

amc. people forget amc stood for american movie classics. then suddenly they figure out, let's stop paying for these other movies, let's make our own content. >> i was called in 2005 to come in and meet with the head of amc, because they were looking

to do scripted programming for the first time. a manager said, oh, i have this great script set in the advertising world in new york. it's been around for eight years. and nobody's bought it. everybody's passed. >> advertising is based on one thing. happiness. >> don draper is a master of the universe ad executive in mid-1960s manhattan. but he's stolen the identity of the real don draper due to an incident during the korean war. he's living another man's life but battling his demons at the same time. we're seeing him rise and fall over the course of the 1960s. in a lot of ways, the most interesting arc of the show is peggy olson's career. she goes from this little church mouse secretary to a really tough and bold and confident career woman. >> i like the way she's handing out the pops. >> who knows what to do and will

try to get it even during a really sexist period for the industry when it was so hard for women to get anything. >> peggy, can you get me some coffee? >> no. >> the female characters in "mad men" are great because they each represent different aspects of when women were going through at that time. >> daddy! >> i had this incredible experience of reading "the feminine mystique" and "sex and the single girl" in the same week. >> i'm here all day, alone with them, outnumbered. >> what about carla? >> it's not her job to raise our children. >> it was incorporating the music of the times, the images of the times, the history of the times, and the attitudes of the times. >> what color panties are you

wearing? >> what! >> blue! who had blue? >> can i walk you home? >> "mad men" had absolutely no nostalgia for the period. it showed that people were jerks and adulterers and connivers even back in the glory days of the 1960s. >> what are you doing? >> how they communicated the kennedy assassination was actually exactly as it came to pass. >> they drew their pistols but the damage was done. >> everything stopped. nothing seemed important ever again. and it just so happened to be the weekend that roger's daughter was getting married, it was a big wedding. [ crying ]

>> i would put "mad men" and "sopranos" as the most important shows in the history of television. >> i was about to turn 40 years old. and this was about 2004, two years after the end of "the x files." i was at sea, wasn't sure what to do next. frankly, i was having trouble getting employed. my buddy tom had been on "the x files" too. he said, we should put a meth lab on the back of an rv, see america, make some dough on the side. he's got a warped sense of humor when i heard that idea, i thought to myself, you know, what if i really did that, what would it take?

and then i thought, well, i made money doing bad, why would i make money? we pitched "breaking bad" to not even a handful of places. some people liked it, some people not so much. it had kind of been dead for six months or a year or something like that. suddenly i hear, would you like to go meet the folks at amc, they're interested in doing "breaking bad." >> surprise! >> we absolutely were looking for an antihero show. and we wanted a guy that was going against the grain. >> dad, come check this out. come on, take it. >> they always tell you, you need to have a good one are did sentence pitch. i came up with, we're going to take mr. chips and we're going to turn him into scarface. what we were really going for was change.

walter white says it in the first hour of the show. >> electrons. they change their energy levels. molecules. molecules change their bonds. >> "breaking bad" was a study in change. the change that happens to one character as he devolves from good to bad. >> you know the business. and i know the chemistry. >> there was definitely a shift after "mad men" and "breaking bad" that the phones started ringing and a ton of feature people wanted to start making tv shows. >> can you pass the butter, please? >> bad ass dad. >> now it really has taken over what the indie feature was. now he's being made in the tv sphere.

>> walter. you've been busy. your typical bank. capital one is anything but typical. that's why we designed capital one cafes. you can get savings and checking accounts with no fees or minimums. and one of america's best savings rates. to top it off, you can open one from anywhere in 5 minutes. this isn't a typical bank. this is banking reimagined. what's in your wallet? ♪there's no escape... it's taking over.♪ ♪...you better get moving. ready or not♪ ♪...it's about to go down here it comes now♪ ♪...get ready (oh oh oh oh), get ready♪ ♪...moving. ready or not ♪...get ready (oh oh oh oh)

new galaxy. free buds. music to your ears. get free galaxy buds when you pre-order galaxy s10 or s10+. likewise!ee you again! please. cosmopolitan? nope! i'll have a stella artois. ♪ your stella, miss. thank you! ♪ wild night, huh? white russian? nah, gary, gimme a stella art-toes. excuse me... good choice. well, changing can do a little good... dude abides. has been excellent. they really appreciate the military family and it really shows. with all that usaa offers why go with anybody else? we know their rates are good, we know that they're always going to take care of us. it was an instant savings and i should have changed a long time ago. it was funny because when we would call another insurance company, hey would say "oh we can't beat usaa" we're the webber family. we're the tenney's we're the hayles, and we're usaa members for life.

♪ get your usaa auto insurance quote today.

♪ your favorite restaurants now it doesn't matter dash. where you are. ♪ it doesn't matter what you're hungry for. it doesn't even matter how many you are. ♪ restaurants come to you. delicious at your door. download doordash. first order, no delivery fee. 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 is an old show biz axiom, you've got to get off the stage before somebody says hey, you should 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's these sinister people lurking around. ♪ strangers ♪ waiting >> we were wondering was tony going to survive this? was tony going to be shot? what was going to happen?

♪ >> [ bleep ]. >> they're cutting to 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 ♪ street light ♪ people ♪ don't stop >> the long black in which everybody said 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 major, bong. and it goes on and 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 carlton and i were in new york talking to a couple of television critics about how amazing it was. and they're like oh, there's a lot of controversy about the "sopranos" finale. and we're like what? they're like oh, yeah, some people just hate it. the whole cut to black, it's pretentious, nobody knows whether it means, they're all discussing whether tony is live or dead. we're like those are all the things that make it brilliant. and right then we realized we're completely and totally [ bleep ]. >> if you've been fortunate enough to be successful, they have gone along for a long ride with you and the viewer has a through line for every character and 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. if you don't do a really good finale to a series, the series can lose its luster. but "six feet under" comes one a perfect ending and the show is actually even enhanced a little bit. the end of "six feet under" has the daughter just driving away in the car and music starts to play. it's sia's "breathe me." and she looks up in the rearview mirror. so she's looking backwards. but then the show looks ahead. ♪ ♪ ouch, i have lost myself

♪ 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. >> i've waited a long time for this. >> coming up as an actor, film was the thing. tv was like less than. >> i said bull [ bleep ].

>> so to suddenly be in an era where we could tell these rich stories and really create the suspension of them. and the trajectory of them. >> get over whatever it is and do your job. >> in ways that maybe we couldn't necessarily in film. i do think that led to where we are now where everybody wants to do tv. >> sit down, you guys. >> no. [ laughter ] >> 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 so that he's warm yet not so close that he sweats. in the summer it's directly in the path of the cross-breeze created by opening windows will and there. it faces the television on the angle that isn't direct so he can still talk to everybody but not so wide that the picture looks distorted.

>> perhaps there is hope for you after all. video killed the radio star. now has the internet killed the record industry? >> napster is stealing from us. straight up. and i'm going to fight them to the death. >> ladies and gentlemen, the strokes! >> may i have your attention, please? >> wishing the president of the united states -- >> the dixie chicks, they can say what they want to say. >> billboard's top ten all by black artists. and i don't please everybody with who i am as a person. >> i love beyonce. >> that's not a working telephone, is it? >> empty shelves are all you'll find here at tower records. it's now out of business. ♪