I have ranked the top 68 television shows of the '00s, and will be presenting them, one-by-one, starting with 68 and working down. The rankings are more or less based on the show's popularity, it's cult status, it's critical acclaim, and my personal liking of it, with a heavy dose of arbitrariness added in. If a show was a big enough phenomena, I'll keep it on the list - but if I don't like it, I may drop it some spots. One other caveat - these are primetime shows (I apologize if I put a cable show that wasn't, I thought they were all primetime shows - the main point of this is just that no talk shows, no Colbert and Daily show that would be on otherwise).

43: The Apprentice

Towards the beginning of this list, I covered the Weakest Link, and I noted that there was a short while where the phrase "You are the weakest link" was used and universally recognized. Well, cube that, and just maybe you have some approximation of what The Apprentice's signature catch phrase, "You're Fired" shouted by Donald Trump replete with a finger point for emphasis. There is nothing more Donald Trump seeks than fame, and he certainly had had his share over the years for his real estate, but more for his outsized personality and his divorces. By the early 2000s he was definitely still well known, but amplified his celebrity several fold, especially amongst younger viewers, with The Apprentice.

We all know how it works by now - the "ultimate job interview," as its advertisements proclaimed, starts when a group of contestants is split into two teams, and both assigned a task. The winning team goes through to the next week, while the losing team must go to the board room for a chat with Trump and his two associates, after which the project manager of the losing team - each team has a leader each week responsible for making sure their team completes the task - chooses up to the three people to go to the board with him or her and after more evaluation Trump fires one. Repeat next week, until all the contestants are eliminated except for one.

Oh, of course there are twists and turns along the way - sometimes multiple people are fired, or the winning team can help choose who to eliminate, but more or less it's the same thing. Unlike some other reality shows, the host, Trump was really the star of this one (that and the rampant product placement to be found throughout the show). No contestant generated all that much fame - Bill Rancic ring a bell? I doubt it - I only knew because my dad watched at the time, and maybe season 1 contestant Omarosa has some minority notoriety amongst seasoned celebreality fans.

Apprentice waned in popularity over the years - how much of Trump's schtick can America take? - and in its attempt to stay relevant, or even just on the air, hit upon two dependable reality TV tricks of last resort - a move in location, to LA, and the inevitable celebrity edition, which showcased the business acumen of such luminaries as Baldwin brother-turned conservative Christian Stephen Baldwin, country music star Trace Atkins, and the Sopranos' Big Pussy, Vincent Pastore. It clearly was on its last legs, but manages to continue ticking, at least for now - another celebrity apprentice is on its way in the spring of 2010.