Match the Actor with the Show - 2000s Edition Quiz

Answer: Kiefer Sutherland

"24" debuted in 2001 with the premise that each episode consisted of one hour in the life of federal agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland). The original series ran until 2010 with a 12-episode reboot also starring Sutherland broadcast in 2014. The series earned a reputation for killing off some of its main supporting characters during its run, including the death of Bauer's wife Teri (Leslie Hope) at the end of the first season.

Although the list of supporting characters varied with each year, some of the consistent cast included Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida and Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O'Brian.

Answer: Ian McShane

Created for HBO cable television, "Deadwood" premiered in 2004 and ran through 2006. The name came from the town in South Dakota in which the series took place during the 1870s. Although fictionalized, the show featured several historical characters and incidents within its plot. Ian McShane portrayed saloon keeper Al Swearengen and was the co-lead in the show along with Timothy Olyphant who played Sheriff Seth Bullock.

The series had a large ensemble cast with a few famous names including Brad Dourif, Anna Gunn, Powers Boothe and Keith Carradine, the latter of which played Wild Bill Hickok.

Answer: Hugh Laurie

"House" debuted in 2004 and ran through 2012. Hugh Laurie portrayed the cranky title character, Dr. Gregory House, who led a team of diagnostic physicians at a New Jersey hospital. The episodes tended to follow a specific format: A patient with an undiagnosed illness arrived at the hospital, the team suggested possible causes that were written on a whiteboard and crossed off as eliminated (while nearly killing the patient) and then House would have an epiphany and save the patient in the end. Despite the usual predictability of the format, the performance of Laurie in the lead role (six Emmy nominations) and the strong supporting cast made the show popular throughout most of its run.

Answer: Ricky Gervais

The UK version of "The Office" ran from 2001 to 2003 and was the inspiration not only for other international versions of the show but also for other "mockumentary" style shows, such as "Modern Family" and "Parks and Recreation". Ricky Gervais co-wrote and co-directed the series with Stephen Merchant, and he starred in it as David Brent, the boorish branch manager of a paper company.

The show followed the events in the office where the childish behavior of the self-absorbed Brent caused grief to his staff, played by an ensemble cast including Mackenzie Crook, Martin Freeman and Lucy Davis.

The show's popularity was not only driven by the antics of Brent but also by the behavior of the supporting characters; anyone who has worked in an office probably has known co-workers like them.

Answer: James Gandolfini

Running from 1999 to 2007 on the cable network HBO, "The Sopranos" followed the activities of New Jersey mobster Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) as he dealt with family issues and business rivals. The supporting cast included Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Steven Van Zandt and Lorraine Bracco, who portrayed the therapist with whom Soprano shared his darkest secrets. Gandolfini won three Emmy awards for his work on the show, as did Falco.

Although the series was criticized for perpetuating the Italian mobster image, the show won numerous awards and accolades and often appears on lists of the best television shows of all time.

Answer: Martin Sheen

Coming after the success of the film "The American President" for which he had written the screenplay, Aaron Sorkin developed "The West Wing" and was the lead writer for its first four seasons. The show aired from 1999 to 2006, and followed the wheelings and dealings of the White House staff during the administration of Democratic President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) through to the election of his successor.

Although the show was reportedly written with a focus on the character of Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) and the other staffers, the show increasingly focused on Bartlet.

Other members of the ensemble cast included Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer and Bradley Whitford, all of whom won Emmy Awards for their performances.

Answer: Dominic West

Another show initially broadcast on the HBO cable network, "The Wire" ran from 2002 to 2008. Truly an ensemble show, each season focused on law enforcement and an element of the city of Baltimore: the drug trade, the unions, the schools, etc. The police were the continuing thread on the series, and Dominic West as Detective Jimmy McNulty was one of the main actors in the show.

While flawed like the other characters, McNulty was basically a good person and cared about his job and the people he dealt with.

Other members of the ensemble cast included Idris Elba, Sonja Sohn, Lance Reddick, and Michael K. Williams who portrayed Omar, the moralistic thug who made his living by stealing from drug dealers. The show received multiple accolades and frequently is mentioned on lists of the best television shows of all time.

Answer: Jason Bateman

Originally broadcast from 2003 to 2006, "Arrested Development" followed the adventures of the dysfunctional Bluth family, in which Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) was seemingly the most normal member of the family. Other members of the cast included Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walter, Michael Cera, and Will Arnett, and a variety of celebrities made recurring guest appearances on the show, including Henry Winkler, Charlize Theron, and Liza Minnelli.

Although widely critically acclaimed (winning the 2004 Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series), the show didn't do well in its initial run, but it picked up a cult following and was revived in 2013 on Netflix.

Answer: Tony Shalhoub

"Monk" ran on the USA Network cable channel from 2002 to 2009 and was the cable network's first hit show. Tony Shalhoub played the title character, Adrian Monk, who was a former San Francisco police detective who now assisted the police as a consultant. Monk suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder and a wide range of phobias that complicated his work as a private detective and required him to have an always-available personal assistant.

Other members of the cast included Ted Levine, Jason Gray-Stanford, Traylor Howard, and Bitty Schram; the latter two played his assistants at different times in the series, resulting in fan debates over the preference of Sharona (Schram) or Natalie (Howard).

The series won eight Emmys over the years, including three for Shalhoub.

Answer: Matthew Fox

Airing from 2004 to 2010, "Lost" was a mixture of mystery, science fiction and the supernatural. The show followed the story of the survivors of a plane crash on a mysterious island in the South Pacific. Another show with a large ensemble cast, the character of Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox) was originally supposed to die in the first season but instead he emerged as the leader of the group of survivors.

Other members of the cast included Evangeline Lilly, Naveen Andrews, Jorge Garcia, Michael Emerson, and Terry O'Quinn as The Man in Black/The Smoke Monster/John Locke. "Lost" was a critical success and popular with fans and won many accolades including the 2005 Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series.