Match the Supporting Actor with the Show - 2000s Quiz

Answer: Jeffrey Tambor

The quirky sitcom "Arrested Development" was first broadcast from 2003 to 2006 and followed the adventures of the dysfunctional Bluth family. The show didn't do well in the ratings but picked up a cult following and was revived by Netflix in 2013. Jeffrey Tambor portrayed ambitious and manipulative family patriarch George Bluth Sr. as well as George's laid-back twin brother Oscar.

As the series began, Bluth Sr. was arrested for fraud and sent to prison, from which he continued to control his family. Tambor received Emmy nominations for his work on the show in 2004 and 2005 but didn't win.

Answer: William Shatner

A spin-off from the series "The Practice", "Boston Legal" was created by David E. Kelley and ran from 2004 to 2008. William Shatner co-starred with James Spader and Candice Bergen as Denny Crane, a partner in the firm of Crane Poole & Schmidt. Shatner first played the character of Crane on "The Practice". Crane was a legendary litigator with several ex-wives and ex-lovers including Shirley Schmidt (Bergen), and he had a particularly close friendship with Alan Shore (Spader) which led to an interesting series finale (not revealing the spoiler here). Shatner received Emmy nominations for his work on the show in 2005-2009, winning in the first year.

Answer: Michael Imperioli

"The Sopranos" first aired on cable network HBO from 1999 to 2007 and followed the personal and professional life of New Jersey mobster Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini). Michael Imperioli was one member of the supporting cast that included Steven Van Zandt, Edie Falco and Lorraine Bracco. Imperioli portrayed the volatile Christopher Moltisanti, a protege whom Soprano called his nephew although he was actually a distant cousin. Several supporting actors on the show received Emmy nominations for their work including Dominic Chianese (2000-2001), Steve Buscemi (2004) and Joe Pantoliano, who won in 2003. Imperioli had the most nominations with five (2001, 2003, 2004, 2006,2007), and he won the award in 2004.

Answer: Bryan Cranston

Bryan Cranston? Where's "Breaking Bad"? Well the bulk of that series aired in the 2010s so that's another quiz. But during the 2000s, Cranston played the wacky dad on "Malcolm in the Middle", which ran from 2000 to 2006. The show focused on Malcolm (Frankie Muniz), the gifted and normal son in a somewhat eccentric family of boys, with an authoritative mother Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) and child-like father Hal (Cranston). Cranston received Emmy nominations for his work on the show in 2002, 2003, and 2006 but didn't win.

Answer: Terry O'Quinn

A mixture of mystery, science fiction and the supernatural, "Lost" aired from 2004 to 2010. The show followed the survivors of a plane crash on a mysterious island in the South Pacific. John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) was one of the survivors of the crash; he had been a paraplegic prior to the crash but regained his ability to walk on the island.

He wanted to stay on the island because of its healing properties but it soon changed him for the worse. O'Quinn was nominated for an Emmy for his work on the show in 2005, 2007 and 2010, winning in 2007. Naveen Andrews (2005) and Michael Emerson (2007-2010) also received Emmy nominations in the Supporting Actor category, with Emerson winning in 2009.

Answer: Brad Garrett

The sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond" aired from 1996 to 2005 and was inspired by the stand-up comedy of Ray Romano. Romano portrayed sportswriter Raymond Barone, and Brad Garrett played his brother, policeman Robert Barone. The majority of the episodes focused on family situations involving the brothers, their parents (played by Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle) and Ray's wife (played by Patricia Heaton).

The title of the show referred to the amount of attention Raymond received, particularly from their mother, which was a frequent point of contention for Robert. Both supporting actors Garrett and Boyle received multiple Emmy nominations for their work on the show. Garrett was nominated in 2000, 2002-2005, and he won the award in 2002, 2003, and 2005. Boyle was nominated in 1999-2005 but didn't win.

Answer: John Spencer

The political drama "The West Wing" was created by Aaron Sorkin and aired from 1999 to 2006. The show followed the White House staff during the administration of Democratic President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) through to the election of his successor. John Spencer portrayed Chief of Staff Leo McGarry from the beginning and into the sixth season of the show when the character had a heart attack which made him resign the position. McGarry then served as a consultant to the president until being selected as the vice-presidential running mate for presidential candidate Matthew Santos (Jimmy Smits) in the seventh season. During the seventh season, life sadly imitated art with Spencer dying from a heart attack a few episodes into the season. His death was written into the series, providing a fitting tribute to the character and the actor, and Spencer's name was included in the credits through the end of the series. "The West Wing" was well-loved by Emmy voters, and a number of supporting actors on the show received Emmy nods. Richard Schiff was the first of the supporting actors to win an Emmy for his role on "The West Wing", doing so in 2000. Bradley Whitford won the following year, and then it was John Spencer's turn, winning in 2002.

He had been nominated each year from 2000 to 2004. Dulé Hill also was nominated in 2002, and Alan Alda was nominated in 2005-2006, winning in the latter year.

Answer: Sean Hayes

"Will & Grace" ran from 1998 to 2006, and while the series was intended to focus on title characters Will Truman (Eric McCormack) and Grace Adler (Debra Messing), the supporting characters of Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes) and Karen Walker (Megan Mullally) quickly became stars in their own right. Jack McFarland was Will's flamboyant and somewhat flaky friend, and he often partnered up with Karen on schemes and pranks. Hayes received Emmy nominations for his work on the show in 2000-2006, winning the award in 2000.

Answer: Jon Cryer

Charlie Sheen may have had all the headlines from his time on "Two and a Half Men", but Jon Cryer picked up the Emmy nominations. The sitcom "Two and a Half Men" ran from 2003 to 2015 and originally starred Sheen and Cryer as brothers Charlie and Alan Harper, who shared a home along with Alan's son Jake.

Sheen's real life somewhat mirrored the wild life of Charlie Harper, and Sheen left the show in 2011 to be replaced by Ashton Kutcher. Kutcher portrayed billionaire Walden Schmidt who bought the house and let Alan and Jake continue to live there with him. Cryer was nominated for his work on the show in 2006-2011, and he won the award in 2009.

Answer: Idris Elba

Idris Elba is the only actor on this quiz not to receive an Emmy nomination for his work on the show, but then "The Wire" was overlooked by the Emmy Awards in general. "The Wire" initially ran on the HBO network from 2002 to 2008, with each season focusing on law enforcement and an element of the city of Baltimore: the drug trade, the unions, the schools, etc.

The show featured an ensemble cast, with Elba as Stringer Bell and Michael K. Williams as Omar probably being the most popular supporting characters. Stringer Bell was the second-in-command to drug lord Avon Barksdale during the first three seasons of "The Wire", and while he was ruthless, he was also an intellectual with a desire to be more than a drug dealer.

Despite the lack of Emmy love, "The Wire" received multiple accolades and is frequently mentioned on lists of the best television shows of all time.