Match the Actress with the Show - 2000s edition Quiz

Answer: Jennifer Garner

The spy series "Alias" ran from 2001 to 2006 and featured Jennifer Garner as double agent Sydney Bristow. The series started out with college student Bristow accepting an assignment with what she was led to believe was a black ops CIA unit, only to find out that it was with an international crime syndicate.

She then joined the CIA to bring down the organization. True to its title, the series was known for the disguises used by the characters, and it received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Hairstyling for five straight years (2002-2006). Garner received Emmy nominations in 2002-2005 for her work on the show.

Answer: Mariska Hargitay

"Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" was the first of several spin-offs from the "Law and Order" series; it debuted in 1999 and was still going strong at the end of the first decade of the 21st century. Like "Law and Order", "SVU" also focused on both the police investigation of crimes and the court cases that followed, but "SVU" was concerned with cases of a sexual nature.

As with the parent series, "SVU" also featured a rotating cast, but Mariska Hargitay was with the series from the beginning in her role as Detective Olivia Benson (she was later promoted, but during the 2000s, she held the position of Detective). During the 2000s, Hargitay was nominated for Emmy awards for her work on the show in 2004-2009, and she won the award in 2006, becoming the first cast member of any of the "Law and Order" franchises to win an acting award for the show.

Answer: Sarah Jessica Parker

Created for the HBO cable network, "Sex and the City" ran from 1998 to 2004 and focused on the romantic adventures of four professional women living in New York City. As columnist Carrie Bradshaw, Sarah Jessica Parker served as the narrator of the show and was frequently the center of attention, although story lines were developed for the other characters also - Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) and Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon). Parker was nominated for Emmy awards for her work on the show in 1999-2004, and she finally won the award in 2004.

Answer: Sarah Michelle Gellar

Based on the 1992 film of the same name, the TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" ran from 1997 to 2003. Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was a high school student who battled evil in her spare time with the help of a group of friends known as the Scooby Gang.

While both the film and TV show were written by Joss Whedon, the TV series was darker and received better critical acclaim than the film. The show did receive several Emmy nominations and a couple of wins but only for technical categories. The series did better with the Saturn awards (from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror films); Gellar received nominations for her work for each year of the series, and she won the award in 1999.

Answer: Tina Fey

"30 Rock" was created by Tina Fey and ran from 2006 to 2013. In the show, Fey portrayed the head comedy writer for a variety show, mimicking the job that she had held during her nine-year stint at "Saturday Night Live". The series debuted in the same year as "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip", an Aaron Sorkin series which featured a similar plot, but the latter series was canceled after one season. "30 Rock" was a critical success but struggled with ratings, never ranking in the Top 50 of shows in the American market.

The show won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2007-2009, and Tina Fey received Emmy nominations for her role as Liz Lemon in each year 2007-2013, and she won the award in 2008.

Answer: Allison Janney

"The West Wing" was created by Aaron Sorkin, who also was the lead writer for its first four seasons. The drama aired from 1999 to 2006, and followed the White House staff during the administration of Democratic President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) through to the election of his successor. Allison Janney portrayed Press Secretary C.J. (Claudia Jean) Cregg in the first five seasons of the show and was promoted to Chief of Staff during the sixth season.

In 2014, the magazine "The Atlantic" published "A Definitive Ranking of Every Character on 'The West Wing'" and ranked C.J. Cregg as number one over Bartlet, stating that "her capability and combination of strength and simple compassion represented the fantasy of the Bartlet White House better than anyone". Janney was also the most Emmy-decorated cast member for her role on the series, picking up the Outstanding Supporting Actress awards in 2000 and 2001 and the Outstanding Lead Actress awards in 2002 and 2004.

Answer: Kyra Sedgwick

Originally running on the TNT cable network from 2005 to 2012, "The Closer" featured Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a southerner working as a Deputy Chief for the Los Angeles Police Department. The title referred to Johnson's ability to close cases due to her investigation and interrogation skills, and she was especially skilled at gaining confessions.

The series received accolades, not only for setting viewing records for a series on basic cable but also for Sedgwick's portrayal of the feminine but strong and level-headed Johnson. For her work, Sedgwick was nominated for an Emmy award each year 2006-2010, and she picked up the award in 2010.

Answer: Marg Helgenberger

The series that started the franchise, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" ran from 2000 to 2015 and followed a team of police investigators in Las Vegas. The term "CSI effect", where victims and juries expect more forensic evidence from crime scenes, evolved from the series. Marg Helgenberger portrayed Catherine Willows, the assistant supervisor of the team led by Gil Grissom (William Peterson). Willows was eventually promoted to supervisor following the departure of Grissom before leaving to join the FBI in season 12.

Helgenberger received Emmy nominations for her work on the show in 2001 and 2003.

Answer: Billie Piper

"Doctor Who" began way back in 1963 but ended in 1989 before being revived in 2005 (after a brief attempt at revival in 1996). The time-traveling doctor was accompanied on his travels with various companions, and when the show was revived in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston portraying the Ninth Doctor, his companion was a shopgirl named Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), who also traveled with the next doctor, David Tennant for part of his tenure.

The character of Rose received the top spot in the "TV Guide" ranking of "Doctor Who" companions (although she placed fifth in a "BBC America" ranking). Piper received BAFTA nominations for her work on the show in 2006 and 2007.

Answer: Debra Messing

Running from 1998 to 2006, "Will & Grace" followed the adventures of one-time couple Will Truman (Eric McCormack) and Grace Adler (Debra Messing) whose relationship turned into that of best friends after Truman acknowledged his sexual orientation. The show received criticism for highlighting stereotypes but has since been credited with improving acceptance of gay culture, and memorabilia from the show was added to the Smithsonian Museum LGBT history collection in 2014. Messing received Emmy nominations for her work on the show in 2000-2003 and 2006, and she took home the award in 2003.