90 Fun Facts About 2000s TV

Which band's song plays over the abrupt cut-to-black final scene of The Sopranos in 2007?

The 2007 finale's sudden black screen led many viewers to think their cable had failed.

Tony Soprano runs a Mafia crew based in which US state?

James Gandolfini's Tony is introduced as a mob boss who suffers panic attacks and starts seeing a psychiatrist.

How many Primetime Emmy Awards did The Sopranos win over its six seasons?

The show ran 86 episodes on HBO from 1999 to 2007 and also collected five Golden Globes.

David Simon's HBO drama The Wire is set in which American city?

Each of the five seasons introduced a different city institution alongside the police, from the docks to the schools.

Season two of The Wire shifted its focus to which part of the city?

The docks storyline followed the blue-collar stevedores' union and its slide into smuggling; schools, City Hall and the newspaper each got later seasons.

Before creating The Wire, David Simon worked as what?

Simon spent years covering crime for the city's daily newspaper, and his book Homicide had already been adapted for NBC.

The survivors on Lost were passengers on which Oceanic Airlines flight?

The show ran 121 episodes over six seasons on ABC, from September 2004 to May 2010.

The doomed Oceanic flight in Lost was travelling between which two cities?

The crash site was a mysterious island somewhere in the South Pacific, which is why the survivors' rescue hopes rested on ships passing far off course.

Lost won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series for which of its seasons?

It took the top drama prize in 2005, having debuted the previous September as one of ABC's biggest launches in years.

Who adapted the BBC's The Office for NBC in 2005?

The US version debuted as a mid-season replacement and outlasted the British original by more than 180 episodes.

The Dunder Mifflin branch in The Office is located in which Pennsylvania city?

Steve Carell's Michael Scott is the branch's regional manager, though the show was shot in California rather than Pennsylvania.

How many Primetime Emmys did the US version of The Office win in total?

Its lone Outstanding Comedy Series win came in 2006, for the second season.

Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer works for which fictional Los Angeles agency in 24?

Each season plays out over 24 consecutive hours in real time, complete with the on-screen ticking clock.

24 premiered on Fox in which month, just weeks after the September 11 attacks?

The pilot's plane-explosion sequence was reportedly trimmed for its debut given the timing.

What was the original name of the hospital in Grey's Anatomy?

It was later renamed Seattle Grace Mercy West and finally Grey Sloan Memorial as the show ran on for two decades.

The title Grey's Anatomy is a pun on Meredith Grey's surname and what?

Henry Gray's 1858 textbook is still in print, which makes the pun work for every generation of medical students.

Dr. Gregory House leads his diagnostic team at which fictional hospital?

Hugh Laurie's misanthropic genius ran on Fox for eight seasons, from 2004 to 2012.

The character of Gregory House was loosely modelled on which fictional detective?

The homage runs deep: House lives at apartment 221B and his best friend is named Wilson.

Who created the medical drama House?

Shore, a Canadian former lawyer, later created The Good Doctor, another series about a brilliant but unconventional physician.

Lorelai and Rory Gilmore live in which fictional Connecticut town?

The town square set on the Warner Bros. lot had earlier stood in for Mayberry-style small towns in other shows.

In Gilmore Girls, Rory chooses which university, her grandfather's alma mater?

Harvard had been her lifelong dream, which made the switch a big plot moment at the end of season three.

Gilmore Girls premiered in October 2000 on which network?

It finished its run in 2007 on The CW, the network formed when The WB and UPN merged.

The O.C. is set in which wealthy Orange County community?

Josh Schwartz's Fox drama ran from August 2003 to February 2007 and made Adam Brody's Seth Cohen a star.

What is the name of the hybrid holiday Seth Cohen celebrates in The O.C.?

The show marked the holiday with a special episode in every one of its four seasons.

Who narrates Arrested Development?

The Happy Days star was also an executive producer, and later appeared on screen as a fictionalised version of himself.

Which streaming service revived Arrested Development after Fox cancelled it in 2006?

Netflix licensed new episodes in 2011, years before original streaming series were commonplace.

Who won the first season of Survivor in 2000?

The season, filmed in Borneo, ended with a 4–3 jury vote and made Hatch reality TV's first villain-turned-champion.

The American Survivor was derived from a reality show originally made in which country?

Expedition Robinson, created by Charlie Parsons, premiered in 1997, three years before Jeff Probst hosted the CBS version.

Who co-hosted the first season of American Idol alongside Ryan Seacrest?

Seacrest went solo from season two onward and hosted every season of the show since.

Kelly Clarkson beat which runner-up in the first American Idol finale in September 2002?

The two co-starred in the 2003 movie From Justin to Kelly, which was a notorious box-office flop.

Simon Fuller's American singing contest on Fox was based on which British series?

Simon Fuller created both, and the American version ran on Fox for 15 seasons from 2002 to 2016.

How many US viewers watched the Friends series finale on May 6, 2004?

It was the most-watched entertainment telecast in six years, and the only Friends episode filmed in 2004.

Malcolm in the Middle's Hal and Breaking Bad's Walter White were both played by which actor?

Vince Gilligan cast him after remembering his guest turn in the X-Files episode Drive.

Breaking Bad, which debuted in January 2008, is set in which city?

The show was filmed there too, and the city's tourism board still leans into it.

"Boss of Me", the theme song of Malcolm in the Middle, was performed by which band?

The Fox sitcom ran 151 episodes from January 2000 to May 2006 with Frankie Muniz as the boy genius.

Which show became the first basic-cable series to win the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy, in 2008?

It then won the award every year of its first four seasons, through 2011.

Desperate Housewives is set on which street in the fictional town of Fairview?

The street is the Colonial Street backlot at Universal Studios, previously seen in Leave It to Beaver.

Which dead neighbour narrates Desperate Housewives from beyond the grave?

Brenda Strong voiced her throughout all eight seasons, appearing on screen only in flashbacks and dreams.

Scrubs is set at which fictional teaching hospital?

The show was shot in a real decommissioned hospital in North Hollywood, which is why the corridors look so authentic.

The mythology of Alias centres on artefacts created by which Renaissance-era prophet?

Rambaldi's Da Vinci-style prophecies drove the show's later seasons, long after Sydney Bristow's double-agent days at SD-6.

Ian McShane played which real-life saloon owner in HBO's Deadwood?

The Western, set in 1870s South Dakota, was revived as a feature-length film in 2019, thirteen years after its cancellation.

What was William Adama's call sign as a young Viper pilot in Battlestar Galactica?

Edward James Olmos played the commander in the reimagining, which began as a three-hour miniseries in December 2003.

Alongside the Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, what is the fourth nation in Avatar: The Last Airbender?

Aang is the last of them, which is why the title calls him the last airbender.

In Hannah Montana, the Stewart family moved to Malibu from which state?

Billy Ray Cyrus was only asked to audition as Miley's dad after his daughter had already landed the lead.

Entourage was loosely based on the early Hollywood career of which star?

Wahlberg executive produced the HBO series, and Jeremy Piven's agent Ari Gold won three straight Emmys.

Rob Thomas's teen detective series Veronica Mars is set in which fictional California town?

Thomas originally wrote the story as a young-adult novel before it became a UPN series in 2004.

A Kickstarter campaign to fund a Veronica Mars movie launched in which year?

It raised $5.7 million and the film reached cinemas the following March.

One Tree Hill was filmed mostly in and around which North Carolina city?

The same town had hosted Dawson's Creek, making it the teen-drama capital of the South for over a decade.

Prison Break's Fox River State Penitentiary was filmed at which real prison, closed in 2002?

The Illinois prison had also appeared in The Blues Brothers, where Jake is released at the start of the film.

Roughly how long did it take to apply Michael Scofield's full-body tattoo to Wentworth Miller?

The blueprint tattoo was designed by Tom Berg and produced by Tinsley Transfers as temporary transfers.

Heroes' famous 2006 tagline urged viewers to save which character?

Hayden Panettiere's Claire Bennet was the cheerleader; the slogan was later credited as a marketing model for other shows.

Dexter Morgan's day job at Miami Metro is what?

The Showtime series was adapted from Jeff Lindsay's 2004 novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter and ran eight seasons.

Liz Lemon in 30 Rock is head writer of which fictional sketch show?

The show-within-a-show is produced at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, hence the title, and 30 Rock won its first Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy in 2007.

Ugly Betty was adapted from a telenovela made in which country?

Yo soy Betty, la fea became one of the most remade telenovelas ever, with versions in dozens of countries.

Which actress's production company produced Ugly Betty?

Hayek also appeared on the show as a telenovela star, and the series won two Golden Globes and a Peabody.

In Pushing Daisies, Ned can revive the dead with a touch. What is his job?

Lee Pace's Ned ran a shop called The Pie Hole, and the show picked up seven Emmys from 17 nominations in just two seasons.

Who narrated Pushing Daisies?

Dale is best known to American listeners as the voice of the Harry Potter audiobooks.

Dave Chappelle walked away from a Comedy Central contract reportedly worth how much?

A truncated third season of three episodes, assembled from unaired sketches, aired in 2006.

Who co-created Chappelle's Show with Dave Chappelle?

Brennan and Chappelle had earlier co-written the 1998 stoner comedy Half Baked.

Which satellite provider co-produced Friday Night Lights' last three seasons with NBC?

Each of those seasons premiered on DirecTV's 101 Network months before NBC aired it.

Which cable channel aired The Shield from 2002 to 2008?

Michael Chiklis won the lead-actor Emmy for its first season, and the Strike Team was modelled on the LAPD's real Rampart CRASH unit.

The Fisher family in Six Feet Under run what kind of business?

Alan Ball's HBO drama opened almost every episode with a death, and Thomas Newman's theme won an Emmy in 2002.

Curb Your Enthusiasm's largely improvised dialogue uses a technique known as what?

Larry David outlines each scene, and the cast, including Jeff Garlin as manager Jeff Greene, improvises the words.

How many Emmys did The West Wing win for its first season, a record for a debut season?

Aaron Sorkin's White House drama ran seven seasons on NBC, ending in 2006 with Martin Sheen's President Bartlet leaving office.

CSI's Gil Grissom is a criminalist whose scientific specialty is what?

William Petersen's forensic entomologist led the Las Vegas graveyard shift on the show that spawned CSI: Miami in 2002.

Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan is originally from which country?

The CBS series has been on since September 2001 and won ten of the first nineteen Reality-Competition Emmys.

How many of Firefly's 14 produced episodes had aired when Fox cancelled it in 2002?

The episodes also aired out of order, which is why fans blame the network for the show's failure; the 2005 film Serenity finished the story.

Smallville's producers famously followed a rule of "no tights, no ___".

Tom Welling's Clark Kent never wore the suit or flew for ten seasons, from 2001 to 2011.

Which comedian narrates How I Met Your Mother as the older Ted Mosby?

Josh Radnor plays the younger Ted on screen while Saget, unseen, tells the story to Ted's kids in 2030.

Leonard and Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory are physicists at which institution?

The CBS sitcom premiered in September 2007 and Jim Parsons went on to win four lead-actor Emmys as Sheldon.

Which actress provided the uncredited voice of the anonymous narrator on Gossip Girl?

She narrated every episode from 2007 to 2012 while never being credited on screen.

Which word coined on the first Colbert Report in 2005 became the American Dialect Society's Word of the Year?

Merriam-Webster picked it again for 2006; the show was a Daily Show spin-off that ran until Colbert left for CBS's Late Show in 2014.

How many consecutive Jeopardy! games did Ken Jennings win in 2004?

The streak earned him $2,522,700 and remains the longest in the show's history.

Which challenger finally ended Ken Jennings' Jeopardy! streak?

She won with the Final Jeopardy! response 'What is H&R Block?', and the tax firm promptly offered Jennings free services.

Which Survivor producer created The Apprentice, launched on NBC in January 2004?

The show turned 'You're fired!' into Donald Trump's catchphrase across fifteen seasons.

The Osbournes premiered in March 2002 on which channel, becoming its most-viewed series ever?

It won the very first Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Reality Program that year.

The 2005 revival of Doctor Who opened with an episode named after which companion?

It aired on BBC One on 26 March 2005 after a 16-year gap in in-house production, with the show now made in Cardiff.

Danny DeVito joined It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia playing the father of which two characters?

He plays Frank, the father of Dennis and Dee, and the show went on to become the longest-running live-action American sitcom by seasons.

Family Guy's 2004 revival by Fox was the first ever for a TV show based on what?

Fox had cancelled it in 2002, then ordered 35 new episodes in May 2004 after the DVDs flew off shelves.

HBO's Band of Brothers (2001) followed "Easy" Company of which US Army division?

Spielberg and Hanks produced it from Stephen Ambrose's book, reusing crew and visual cues from Saving Private Ryan.

Sex and the City ended in February 2004 after how many episodes across six seasons?

Darren Star adapted Candace Bushnell's newspaper column, and the show had premiered on HBO in June 1998.

Which sitcom, ending in May 2005 after nine seasons, is credited with reviving CBS's fortunes?

Philip Rosenthal's show won 15 Emmys from 69 nominations over 210 episodes.

What was Charlie Harper's profession in Two and a Half Men (2003)?

After Charlie Sheen's 2011 firing, Ashton Kutcher's billionaire Walden Schmidt bought the beach house.

NCIS was introduced through two 2003 episodes of which existing CBS series?

The backdoor pilots "Ice Queen" and "Meltdown" launched what became a franchise still in production decades later.

Supernatural (2005) starred Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as which monster-hunting brothers?

Eric Kripke's premise began as a cross-country road trip; the show ran 15 seasons and was filmed in Vancouver.

In Weeds (2005), widowed mother Nancy Botwin supports her family by selling what?

Jenji Kohan set the first three seasons in fictional Agrestic, a suburb in the San Fernando Valley.

Glee, whose pilot aired in May 2009, is set at William McKinley High School in which Ohio city?

Ian Brennan first conceived it as a feature film; the show ran 121 episodes with more than 729 musical numbers.

Modern Family, which premiered on ABC in September 2009, was co-created by Steven Levitan and whom?

Not the Back to the Future actor: this Lloyd was a Frasier writer, and the pair based the show on their own families.

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy premiered in July 2003 on which cable network?

It won the Emmy for Outstanding Reality Program in 2004 and dropped the "for the Straight Guy" from its title in season three.

HBO's Rome (2005-07) centred on two soldiers named Titus Pullo and whom?

Both names come from real centurions mentioned by Julius Caesar; the show was shot largely at Cinecittà studios.