189.) Debating NY Times Top 100 Shows Of The 2000’s (9/29/26)

The Ebro, Laura, Rosenberg Show

The hosts engage in a spirited debate over the New York Times' list of the top 100 TV shows of the 21st century, critiquing specific ranking

Key takeaways

• The hosts debated the exclusion of The Sopranos due to its 1999 premiere date falling just outside the 2000 cutoff.
• Jason Bateman's career trajectory was discussed through his roles in Arrested Development and Ozark.

Main topics

• Top 100 TV Shows of the 21st Century
• AI-generated celebrity trends

Notable quotes

Office being out of the top ten is blasphemy.

Conclusion

The episode provides a nostalgic and opinionated look at modern televi

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:00) Just don't call it a podcast. The Ebro Laura Rosenberg Show. Good Speaker 5 (0:10) morning, family. Speaker 3 (0:13) Oh, good morning. Speaker 5 (0:15) Here for another one. Speaker 2 (0:21) All Speaker 5 (0:21) right, a lot going on. I see a lot of arguments. Rosenberg and money. I don't know if you guys saw. People are upset. People are happy. The best 100 TV shows of the 21st century. I was happy with a lot of these. Yeah, Speaker 3 (0:35) I Speaker 5 (0:35) think it's a great list. The biggest argument that I saw was the Sopranos argument. Speaker 3 (0:41) There's no argument, though. They said the date. So what happened? January 1, 2000. January Speaker 6 (0:47) 10th, 1999. It premiered nine days before the cutoff. 73 of its 86 episodes aired after Speaker 3 (0:54) 2000. Speaker 6 (0:55) Wait, Speaker 3 (0:55) wait, what do you mean? You said January what? 1999, January 10th. So that's nine, that's 11 months before the cover. Yeah, so that's a whole, yeah, yeah. Speaker 6 (1:02) Yeah, Speaker 3 (1:03) it's almost a whole year. Yeah, yeah. Speaker 6 (1:04) That's why I didn't make it. That makes sense. I thought it was one episode. I misread it last night, Speaker 3 (1:07) so. But to me, even if the episode aired. Speaker 6 (1:11) Even just one. Even one, Speaker 3 (1:12) because you got to draw a line somewhere. There is true. Speaker 6 (1:15) And also, you have so many shows to work with. A line does need to be drawn. Speaker 5 (1:18) All right, so let's go. Let's go to top 20. Okay. Let's discuss top 20. So 20 was The Crown. Speaker 6 (1:25) Never watch it. That's a Netflix. I'm like a walking billboard today. Yes. Speaker 3 (1:30) Netflix. I never have watched The Crown ever. Me neither. I don't Speaker 6 (1:34) even Speaker 3 (1:34) tell you what Speaker 6 (1:34) it's about, but I do know something about Speaker 3 (1:36) life. Speaker 6 (1:36) Could Speaker 3 (1:36) you Speaker 6 (1:36) take a Speaker 3 (1:36) guess? It's Speaker 6 (1:37) about royal stuff. Royal stuff. That's Speaker 3 (1:42) why Speaker 6 (1:42) we have Speaker 3 (1:42) Mendez back. She brought it. Report in the news. She just brings it every time. I Speaker 6 (1:47) went through like a thing that they built for it, like a build out. So I've seen. Speaker 5 (1:52) You went to an event, but you still don't know what it's about? It was like an Speaker 6 (1:54) all-around Netflix thing, so they had build-outs for all the shows. I just walked through it. I don't Speaker 5 (1:58) know. Speaker 6 (1:59) All Speaker 5 (1:59) right, 19, Chernobyl. Very good show. Don't Speaker 3 (2:01) know what that is. So Mendez is killing it so far in this segment. Chernobyl, I did not finish. I know it was a mini-series. I know it was very highly regarded. But I didn't do it. Speaker 5 (2:10) It was shot beautifully. I mean, even though it was so fucking dark. You know what I mean? It was shot beautifully. The storyline was amazing, obviously. But I truly enjoyed it. I thought it was very well done. Let me see. I May Destroy You. Do you remember this one? This one was actually really good. It was like a sneaky good one. Zero Speaker 3 (2:27) for Speaker 5 (2:27) zero Speaker 3 (2:27) here. Speaker 5 (2:28) But I... Speaker 3 (2:29) What's Speaker 5 (2:29) it Speaker 3 (2:29) about again? I made a story. I do remember it, but I don't remember it. I Speaker 5 (2:32) forgot her name, bro. She is like, I forgot her actress. She's a British actress. It takes place like in London. She's just this chick who is just like, got like, she's a writer. She got all this money in advance to write a book. Then, um... she kind of is like on a trying to catch this deadline but she ends up being um sexually assaulted in a club so it's this whole like thing about being like this young person and trying to like Speaker 3 (2:57) find Speaker 5 (2:57) yourself and then she ends up blaming Speaker 3 (3:00) somebody Speaker 5 (3:00) else hold on Speaker 3 (3:01) tv styles two Speaker 5 (3:02) for three early on i remember this one it was pretty good i saw a lot of Speaker 6 (3:05) advertisements for it but Speaker 5 (3:07) you would really like it maddie so by the way i feel like it's worth you watching i feel like Speaker 3 (3:11) you're just screaming hold me at these levels Speaker 5 (3:12) right all right Speaker 3 (3:12) you want mike are you on Speaker 5 (3:13) uh The Ebro mic? Yes. Speaker 3 (3:16) Okay. A 17. The Americans. I can't tell Speaker 6 (3:22) you, but I'm sure it's about some Americans. You Speaker 3 (3:24) guys haven't Speaker 6 (3:25) even Speaker 3 (3:25) heard of The Americans? No. Gigantic show. Really? Yeah, on FX. About spies. I love FX shows. No, you don't. No, because you haven't Speaker 5 (3:32) watched The Americans. No, by the way. Have you? No. I didn't say I love FX. Speaker 3 (3:37) It's borderline like being like, I love HBO shows. What do you think of Sopranos? Never heard of it. Like, it's the American. Louis, am I wrong? It's like, it's the, it was the first big FX smash. Speaker 6 (3:48) Wait, Louis, did you watch? Wait, do I like FX shows? I'm the Speaker 3 (3:50) worst with Speaker 2 (3:50) TV shows, guys. I am the worst. Speaker 3 (3:52) I mean, I'm not great, but Speaker 6 (3:53) I've gotten better since the pandemic. It's only four Speaker 3 (3:55) of those shows. All right. Number 16, arguably my favorite. Actually, hold on. We're about to have back-to-back big Rosenberg talk. Speaker 6 (4:01) Okay, okay. Speaker 3 (4:02) The British Office at 16. Never watched it. I did Speaker 6 (4:04) not prefer it. It wasn't as funny to me. Speaker 3 (4:06) It's one of my favorite shows of all time. All Speaker 5 (4:09) right. Speaker 6 (4:09) Six Feet Under. Speaker 3 (4:10) Maybe my number one favorite show of all time is Six Feet Under. I Speaker 5 (4:13) need to watch it. Speaker 3 (4:14) Don't. Laura, I've been telling you that for years and years and years. I know. I know. I really just need Speaker 5 (4:16) to do it. I need to do it. Speaker 3 (4:17) Why'd you say don't? Don't Speaker 6 (4:19) know Speaker 3 (4:19) it. You don't know it either. Speaker 6 (4:21) I'm going to get, I have some more in the top 10. All Speaker 3 (4:23) right. I'm just not there yet. All right. Speaker 6 (4:24) 14, Friday Night Lights. Speaker 3 (4:26) Listen, I don't know if I'd have Friday Night Lights at 14, but it's a really, really great, you know, teen. Sure. Drama. Yeah. It's a great show. But it's, I don't know if I would have had a 14. But I'm not mad at it. That's the debut of Michael B. Jordan. Hold on. Jesse Plemons and Michael B. Jordan. Any other big actors come from that show? Michael B. Jordan wasn't first in The Wire? Speaker 6 (4:48) Minka Kelly. Speaker 3 (4:49) Minka Kelly. Speaker 6 (4:50) We're talking about Friday Night Lights. I know, but he said it was the debut of Michael B. Jordan. What was that? Speaker 5 (4:53) Connie Britton. He was. Speaker 6 (4:54) Oh, well, Speaker 2 (4:55) Connie Britton. You know Connie Britton? Kyle Chandler. Yeah. Connie Speaker 3 (4:57) Britton and Kyle Chandler were both on their way, but they both starred in that. Minka Kelly was big in that. And yes, Michael B. Jordan was in the wire first, a little bit as a kid. But Speaker 2 (5:06) he didn't really break Speaker 3 (5:06) out. This, he was like a teenage football player. Like, it was, you know. All Speaker 6 (5:10) right, 13 girls. I didn't like it. I tried it. Everybody raved about it. Yeah. Speaker 4 (5:16) It Speaker 6 (5:16) was like, I couldn't relate to it. It didn't feel like my life or anything. And I watched it. And there were some characters that I liked. But it was... I wouldn't put it. It was just people. Speaker 3 (5:27) No girls. They went Speaker 6 (5:28) crazy over it. No Speaker 3 (5:29) girls is considered like a real thing. I, Speaker 6 (5:32) if I had to pick a New York city comedy, it'd be broad city over girls. Yeah. And even broad city to me, it was a bit cheesy. So Speaker 3 (5:38) I Speaker 6 (5:38) loved Speaker 3 (5:38) broad city. So why did broad city resonate with you? And broad city is so white also. Right. I'm like surprised that resonated with you. Well, it was so Speaker 6 (5:46) white, but it was the level of comedy that I think was just a little more, maybe more silly a little bit, but while staying witty though. So I think I need the combination of silly. witty which I really enjoyed. Girls Speaker 3 (5:55) is Speaker 6 (5:55) just Speaker 3 (5:55) witty. Speaker 6 (5:56) Just witty and just weird. Like I don't know it was it was white Broad City but there was there was color to it and Alana was so like wanted to be such a good person and so pro everything that I think that was you know they tried to. For me girls is an Speaker 5 (6:14) asterisk. Speaker 3 (6:16) Asterisk? Yeah Speaker 5 (6:17) I just not top 20. That's what I'm trying to say. But do Speaker 3 (6:19) you watch it? Yeah. Speaker 5 (6:21) I saw it. I watched all of it. Speaker 3 (6:22) You watched all of it? Yes. You really tried. I am backing off. I did not watch it like Speaker 5 (6:28) that. At the Speaker 3 (6:28) time, my Speaker 5 (6:29) roommate really loved it. And by the way, just Speaker 3 (6:31) outside the top 20, at 21 was White Lotus. Speaker 5 (6:34) Yeah. Great show. Speaker 3 (6:35) It was hanging out right there. Great show. Love, love, love. All right. Girls was 13. Arrested Development. Arrested Speaker 6 (6:41) Development 12. Speaker 3 (6:41) Now, do you love Arrested Development? Silly comedy? Speaker 6 (6:43) Love it. I still couldn't like get passionate about it the way I am about The Office. For some reason, I mean, I've watched a ton of episodes. It's hilarious, but it doesn't like, oh my God, I need to binge this entire series. Yeah, I wasn't, I watched maybe an episode or two. It's Speaker 3 (6:58) a very specific thing. Speaker 6 (6:58) It is. I love Jason Bateman. I think he is. It's weird. I'm obsessed with him. Speaker 3 (7:03) Arrested Development is the kind of show that in theory one might think like I was obsessed with and watched every second of. it wasn't it like never drew me back in enough even though when i've watched it exactly i thought it was hilarious and i'm like oh i get why people love this it's sort of like how i feel about um King of the Hill or South Park. I see the brilliance, but it doesn't connect with me. Yeah, there was something about it. All right, so Speaker 5 (7:27) number 11, The Office. I would put that at number one. No, I wouldn't. A lot of people are arguing that. No, I love Speaker 6 (7:34) The Office and everything about it. What did you say, Louis? Best show Speaker 2 (7:37) ever. Best Speaker 5 (7:38) show ever. So funny. Top three for you. Speaker 2 (7:41) From this list, I would say top five because at the end of the day, with syndication and... You can watch that show over and over and over and over again, and it's still funny. To this day. Speaker 5 (7:52) Yeah, Office being out of the top ten. Hold on, hold on. We need you. Sorry. Office being out of the top Speaker 2 (7:57) ten is blasphemy. Speaker 3 (7:58) Yeah, it does feel like an intentional slight almost. That Speaker 2 (8:01) is ridiculous. Speaker 3 (8:02) Like, we're going to take the most popular one, the one that's the most transcendent. Dude, my nephew is, I'm 47. My nephew is 18. we both know every episode by heart you know what i mean yeah yeah Speaker 5 (8:15) it's Speaker 3 (8:17) multi-generational like it does feel like a bit of a troll yeah even though i know they this was like you know voted on by lots of different people i i feels like a reach atlanta 10 i'm i'm totally good with atlanta too Speaker 6 (8:29) yeah Speaker 5 (8:29) like Speaker 3 (8:29) it's it's you know listen am i like desperate to re-watch atlanta no but like it was a brilliant Like there were episodes that you're just like, wow. Speaker 6 (8:40) Yeah. The writing was incredible. Oh my God. And every night. The Speaker 5 (8:43) look, Speaker 3 (8:43) the feel. Speaker 6 (8:44) Yeah. I was excited to watch each episode Speaker 5 (8:45) as it came. The look. I loved it. I was actually very happy to see it at number 10. I Speaker 3 (8:50) recently was scrolling through my phone and saw the, the, the, like the little script. the pictures of the script from when I auditioned for the first episode. Speaker 5 (9:02) Oh, my God. I forgot about that. Wait, Speaker 6 (9:05) I don't think that I do. Speaker 3 (9:06) Do Speaker 6 (9:07) you think some of our listeners? No, I think they all know. Was it like a character that said the N word or something? Yes. Speaker 3 (9:12) Yeah. Speaker 5 (9:13) I didn't do it. Yeah. Yeah. I can't. I can't. I can't. Honestly, though, like after I saw the character that you would have played, I was just like, you know what? It's better that you didn't get. I'm Speaker 6 (9:24) glad you did not. Speaker 3 (9:25) No, it turned out for the best. I was hoping the show would go long enough and maybe we'd get to a point where the character... Look, here it is. Speaker 5 (9:33) I Speaker 6 (9:33) feel like they could have given you a different character. Did you go to the premiere? Or not premiere, but the first screening? I know me and Deani went. No, no, no. That was so Speaker 3 (9:41) great. Here it is. Speaker 5 (9:42) Oh my God. Official script. With my name spelled Speaker 3 (9:46) wrong diagonally across it. Earn and Dave going back and forth. The line was, you know how N-words out here are? He usually charges a full C. Yo, they'd still be talking about that on the internet to this day. What? No, they wouldn't clip you? Speaker 6 (10:01) How you use the N-word. No, the clip? No, it would have been. The Speaker 3 (10:05) clip would have been. Bro, I got some Speaker 6 (10:06) experience with your detractors last night in the comments from the posts from yesterday. And Speaker 3 (10:13) it's tough, right? Bro, they are repug with you. They don't Speaker 6 (10:16) let Speaker 3 (10:16) you breathe. They Speaker 6 (10:17) don't care. They haven't said anything about me and Laura. Speaker 3 (10:19) No. They're... It's a repug. The detractors are a repug. It's repug. There's no... Yeah, a friend of mine, I think it was... I think it was my boy Ty Butler again. Was it Ty? No, it might have been... It was my boy, that guy, Greg. We were talking... Like, there's just no room for me on certain things. I was just like, oh, okay. Speaker 6 (10:40) But I told you, just... yeah leave it alone it's Speaker 2 (10:42) all Speaker 6 (10:42) noise it's noise i'm trying yeah and i Speaker 3 (10:45) didn't know when we did the show yesterday and talked about the yay stuff i didn't know that like other people were gonna make it their like thing yesterday yeah Speaker 6 (10:54) so like Speaker 3 (10:54) my my con our conversation about it here was completely insulated. I was basing it on the way I saw comments and how it moved around. I didn't know that other radio shows were gonna make it a thing to talk shit about yesterday. So that wasn't, that wasn't, in fact, that might have negatively sent me the other way. I'm glad I did it on my own accord because knowing me, I would have gotten more defensive at people looking for their little moment to kiss back up to the ring. You have a little easy moment. I could have went that route, but see, I didn't. You're Speaker 2 (11:23) almost going there right now, so Speaker 3 (11:24) let's Speaker 6 (11:24) move on. Speaker 2 (11:24) I'm almost going there. Let's move on to a pretty, pretty, pretty show. But I'm going to curb that. I'm going to curb it Speaker 3 (11:29) with curb your enthusiasm at number nine. Listen, I can't argue. Like, listen, do part of me want to say it's number one? Sure. But, like, it's too ridiculous a show to be number one. Like, it's not a real storyline. The show's a complete goof. You know Speaker 6 (11:46) who put me onto this Speaker 3 (11:46) show? Speaker 6 (11:47) Our Speaker 3 (11:47) guy, Dip. Before? Speaker 6 (11:50) I had never watched it. Seinfeld wasn't my cup of tea. I was a little too young also. Just missed that one. And then Curb, kind of same thing. I guess it debuted when I was in middle school. And had never watched it. And then Dip had a premiere party at his house. And I was literally in tears. Dip Speaker 3 (12:06) is Speaker 6 (12:06) my manager, Speaker 3 (12:07) by the way, everyone. Oh, Dipperstein. I think we all Speaker 6 (12:08) know Speaker 3 (12:09) Dipperstein. Not every listener knows every. Speaker 6 (12:12) Whatever. They don't all Speaker 3 (12:13) remember my Atlanta audition. I mean, you guys don't even remember basic stories from my life. You think the audience remembers Dipperstein? Good point. So Dip invited people over. Yes. Speaker 6 (12:22) And we had a big party for it. And it was the season where Larry's friend's bird died. And he texted them, like, sorry about your bird. the good news is I'm still alive. And when I tell Speaker 4 (12:32) you I was literally in tears. Well, Speaker 3 (12:35) no, that must speak to also autistic Madi because his character just says whatever. No, Speaker 6 (12:40) he's quite literally. I mean, I'm not nearly as bad as that. No, you're not. I'm Speaker 3 (12:44) also Speaker 6 (12:44) far more empathetic and I think about my, you know, what my words will have a reaction with other people, but completely relate to Speaker 3 (12:51) Larry. Exactly. All right, let's go. So we're good with Curb at nine. Number Speaker 6 (12:55) eight. Speaker 3 (12:55) 30 Rock is eight. Speaker 6 (12:57) Never watched it. Never seen it at all? No. Obviously very familiar. Just never personally cared to tune in. Speaker 3 (13:02) So again, it's another one of those shows that I liked whenever I saw, but I never became obsessed with it. That's what it gave me. It Speaker 6 (13:08) didn't pull me in. All Speaker 5 (13:10) right, number seven. Same Speaker 3 (13:10) thing with Veep. Me too. But I do, Laura asked yesterday about Veep, and I do think Laura would love Veep. Speaker 5 (13:15) Yeah, that's why, that's, wait, we're signed. You watch Veep? Are you in? Yeah, Speaker 2 (13:19) I love Veep. Speaker 5 (13:20) What is it about? You Speaker 3 (13:21) can't label, you can't label Baskin. No, I, see, Speaker 5 (13:24) I. Unlike you, Judgy McJudger, I like to hear your basket life. I Speaker 3 (13:29) just said you can't label him because one day he's watching the Hercules Network, whatever that shit's called. Zeus! Zeus! Hercules Network. The Hercules Network Speaker 2 (13:38) is crazy. Yo! Speaker 3 (13:41) Guess what? They both get the same amount of play in my house. Speaker 2 (13:45) I thought Speaker 3 (13:45) you meant like History Channel kind of thing. I'm like, don't judge him because he likes baddies. But then he turns around and loves Veep. Guys, Speaker 2 (13:52) it's really only loving hip hop. I don't watch all the baddies shows. Just certain Speaker 3 (13:57) baddies. Speaker 2 (13:58) Black and Cruel and 16 and Pregnant. But you know, not too much shows. Speaker 5 (14:04) Classic. Pregnant. Speaker 2 (14:06) Classic. Speaker 5 (14:06) All right, so Veep is a must watch. Veep was Speaker 2 (14:08) really good. I remember watching Speaker 5 (14:09) Veep. All right. I mean, we could all. By Speaker 3 (14:12) the way, I just want to say on the low, if you're watching, Madi low-key played Laura right there. What do you mean? It was quiet, but if you take your, just for Ebro, what I know Ebro will notice and be upset about. What? The Dunkin' Cup. He would go, they Speaker 2 (14:23) don't pay, they don't pay for no shit around Speaker 3 (14:25) here. Oh, Carl. But, no, the low-key diss on Laura. What did I do? She was like, what's Veep about? And you were like, I mean, a vice president? Speaker 1 (14:37) She Speaker 3 (14:38) plays the vice president. That's why it's called. Speaker 6 (14:42) Context clues