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Maybe it was fear of the Y2K bug, or maybe television execs were busy partying like it was 1999. Whatever the reason, the millennium went out with a whimper on the small screen, as we suffered through one of the most uneventful years in recent television history. Sure, everyone wanted to be a millionaire, and HBO subscribers cozied up to a family of dysfunctional mobsters. But as our list of TV's Top 10 moments of 1999 indicates, pickings were pretty slim in the year that was.

Regis Philbin Becomes a Star
In August, no one could have predicted that the biggest TV story of the year would be about a game show, and that the savior of ABC would be none other than Regis Philbin. But when the tiny firecracker of a host settled into his seat on the futuristic set of British import Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, he kicked off a national frenzy that the other networks scurried to duplicate. The phrases "phone-a-friend" and "Is that your final answer?" were introduced into the national lexicon, and Philbin finally came out of Kathie Lee's braless shadow. Go Regis! And that is my final answer.

Freaks and Geeks Premieres
To understand just how frustrating a year it was on television, look no further than NBC's handling of Freaks and Geeks. Armed with the only new fall show to be universally praised by critics, the network (naturally) does the smart thing and buries it at 8 p.m. on Saturday night. Still, NBC may yet do right by Geeks (which focuses on the dorky antics of a group of suburban misfits, circa 1980): They've given the well-written show a new Monday night time slot, beginning in the new millennium.

New York Mets Defeat Atlanta Braves in 15 Innings
Hollywood, take note: It is possible to maintain dramatic tension for five butt-challenging hours. And the fifth game of the National League Championship Series, which pitted the upstart New York Mets against powerhouse Atlanta (and their tomahawk-chopping fans), was as well-scripted as anything television churned out this season. The two enemies battled for 15 rain-drenched innings before Robin Ventura uncorked his game-winning grand slam (later declared a game-winning single due to the Mets' impromptu on-field celebration). After this, the Braves and Yankees in the World Series was a mere afterthought.

Dude wins $1,000,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Youthful IRS employee John Carpenter was an instant celebrity when he became the first contestant on ABC's improbably successful Who Wants to Be a Millionaire to win the big prize. Even though some say his set of questions were a little too easy (e.g., "Which U.S. president appeared on the television series Laugh-In?" Duh!), he quelled potential detractors with his hilariously bold, on-air phone call to his dad, smugly announcing that he knew the answer and didn't need any help.

The Sopranos debuts
Anyone looking for groundbreaking fare on the major networks this year was mostly met with a resounding "fuggeddaboudit." But HBO somehow squeezed fresh juice from the Mafia genre with its quirky-cool The Sopranos, about a New Jersey "family" man who reluctantly seeks therapy after experiencing duck-related anxiety attacks. It really quacks us up.

Killer Buffy the Vampire Slayer Finale Shelved
Due to the Columbine shootings, conscience-striken WB officials decided to postpone two episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer deemed excessively violent by network censors. So fans had to wait until the unglamorous month of July to see the kick-ass conclusion to the two-part season finale, in which Buffy and the entire school destroyed Sunnydale High with guns and bombs in order to kill a huge snake demon that manifested itself at their graduation. The second shelved episode, a corker about a misfit plotting to open fire on Sunnydale High students, didn't air until September.

Saturday Night Live's 25th Anniversary Special
As expected, the star-studded primetime special celebrating Saturday Night Live's silver anniversary provided many memorable moments: Bill Murray razzes Michael Douglas! Billy Crystal reprises celeb-flattering host Fernando! Chevy Chase dons his Three Amigos outfit! Still, the show's best moment may have been provided by long-lost alum Victoria Jackson, who asked Crystal's Fernando, "What ever happened to me?"

Every Jar Jar Has a Beginning …
The first television trailer for The Phantom Menace aired during a March episode of Entertainment Tonight, and even those allergic to Mary Hart dared tune in to catch an early glimpse of the long-awaited Star Wars prequel. The Jar Jar bashing began in earnest immediately thereafter. In simpler terms, people knew right away that Jar Jar well sucks.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Outrates Frasier
He's out of control! On Nov. 11, NBC's Must-See TV finally met its match in Regis Philbin, when ABC seemingly blundered by scheduling Who Wants to Be a Millionaire opposite a rerun of Friends and a new episode of Frasier. But the big-stakes quiz show took no prisoners and destroyed the NBC juggernaut, marking the first time such a thing had happened since before the days of The Cosby Show.

Tenacious D Rock Tenaciously
The few and the proud who caught HBO's audacious six-episode comedy series Tenacious D have become slaves to the power that is "the D." The show focused on the musical high-jinks of the self-proclaimed "Greatest Band in the World" (really just roly-poly comedian-troubadors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, both of whom appear in Tim Robbins' Cradle Will Rock). Together, they sang well-crafted, hilarious songs about Taco Supremes, the Sasquatch, and sex-starved "backstage bettys." To know the D is to love the D — or something like that.

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Page Updated Wed Feb 16, 2000 6:34pm EST