The 2000s

From Emmy Award-winning executive producers Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, and Mark Herzog comes The 2000s. The seven-part CNN Original Series explores the cultural and political milestones of the decade including technological triumphs like the iPhone and social media, President George W. Bush's war on terror and response to Hurricane Katrina, Barack Obama's presidential election, and the financial crisis, hip-hop's rise to dominance and a creative renaissance in television.

The first decade of the 21st Century was one of the most dramatic in American history. The 2000s began with a controversial election, quickly followed by the devastating terror-attacks of 9/11. As a result, the United States launched two wars and adopted unprecedented security measures. Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005 as the most destructive natural disaster in the nation's history. In 2008, the economic system teetered on the edge of collapse as bankruptcies and bailouts dominated headlines. In that same year, America elected its first black president, a remarkable achievement given the countries past. Hip-hop continued its ascendance while digital advances, like the iPod, encouraged the democratization of American music. Television entered its "Second Golden Age" and perhaps the most significant cultural changes were those prompted by the maturation of the Internet and the advent of social networks, with sites like Facebook revolutionizing the ways we interact.