In a year that ranged from so-called "reality" TV to the un-real reality of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, television tried to be all things to all people.
What it remains is consistently excellent and perpetually atrocious, depending on when you tune in.
Here are the 10 best and 10 worst pieces of programming from the year 2001, along with a few extras:
THE BEST
1. TV coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. When it was good, it was riveting and restrained.
2.Gilmore Girls. This WB series about a 32-year-old mother and her 16-year-old daughter is a delight — funny, sweet and heartfelt.
3.Malcolm in the Middle. This consistently funny family comedy strikes the perfect note of heightened reality — it seems plausible and outlandish at the same time.
4.Six Feet Under. Who would've thought that a show about a family of undertakers could be so engrossing?
5. Friends. A good sixth season turned into a great seventh season with the announcement of Rachel's pregnancy, as this show returned to the top of its game.
6. The West Wing. When it was good it was great; when it wasn't up to its own high standards it was still good.
7. Me and My Shadows: The Judy Garland Story. Judy Davis and Tammy Blanchard were outstanding in the title role of the year's best TV movie.
8. Late Show with David Letterman. Not only is Letterman still the best talk-show host on TV, but his Sept. 17 return to the air was nothing short of amazing as he hit exactly the right notes in addressing America after the Sept. 11 attacks.
9.Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The show made big news when Fox sold it out from under the WB and moved it to UPN, but, creatively, TV doesn't get any better than the series' musical episode.
10.Enterprise. Just when it seemed that "Star Trek" had become terminally dull, this prequel breathed new life back into the franchise.
Others deserving mention: "That's Life," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Smallville," "The Greenlight Project," "The Tick," "Undeclared," "Angel," "24," "Powerpuff Girls," "CSI," "The Amazing Race," "The Sopranos," "The Simpsons," "Futurama," "So Graham Norton," "Judging Amy," "Ed," "Law & Order," "You Don't Know Jack," "Bernie Mac," "Absolutely Fabulous," "Maybe It's Me," "Reba," "Scrubs," "Band of Brothers," "Once and Again."
THE WORST
1. TV coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. When it was bad, it was excessive, exploitative and inaccurate in its rush to judgment.
2. That's My Bush! This alleged comedy from the creators of "South Park" was so awful that even the most dyed-in-the-wool Democrats couldn't find anything to laugh at about George W. Bush . . . and even high-tolerance Comedy Central canceled it.
3. The XFL. The most damning thing to be said about this bizarre enterprise is that it lived down to the expectations that went along with being a pro football league (sort of) that came to us from the WWF.
4. Bob Patterson. The only amusing aspect of this lame, unfunny sitcom was watching "Seinfeld" alum Jason Alexander fall flat on his face.
5. Emeril. Here's a recipe for disaster: Take a celebrity chef who can't act (Emeril Legasse) and put him in a comedy without laughs.
6. NBC's reality shows. The only real question is which is the worst — "SPY TV," "Fear Factor," "Lost" or "Weakest Link."
7. These Old Broads. A fine cast — Elizabeth Taylor, Shirley MacLaine, Joan Collins and Debbie Reynolds — was utterly wasted on a lewd, crude and utterly stupid script by Reynolds' daughter, Carrie Fisher, in the year's worst TV movie.
8. Temptation Island. The ultimate in sleazy tease, this show was without the slightest redeeming social value — and without the slightest entertainment value.
9. The Emmy Awards. Oh, the awards themselves weren't any worse than they usually are. But the ongoing will-it-or-won't-it-air drama and the attempt to tone it down and make the ceremonies patriotic were almost unbearable.
10. ER and Frasier. OK, these shows aren't really awful — but it's sad to see what used to be among TV's top programs sink into mediocrity.
Others deserving mention include: "The Oblongs," "The Education of Max Bickford," "Ally McBeal," "Dharma & Greg," "Spin City," "According to Jim," "South Park," "Inside Schwartz," "One on One, "Girlfriends," "The Downer Channel," "Go Fish," "The Beast," "The X-Files," "Dark Angel."
E-MAIL: pierce@desnews.com