First up is USA Network’s Royal Pains, which premiered last Thursday and runs after Burn Notice. Mark Feuerstein stars in this improbably set up series about Hank Lawson, a New York surgeon who loses his job after he decides to save a sicker patient than one of the medical facilities chief benefactors. Because the dead patient has so much money and pull, Hank is blackballed and can’t find another job. Apparently the need for excellent physicians does not extend outside of New York and Hank sits around, drinking beer and watching television while the bills stack up and his supermodel-hot fiancée breaks off the engagement when it appears that he has no future. Enter his horndog brother, Evan (Paulo Costanzo), who drags him away for a weekend in the Hamptons. Evan talks them into a huge summer party hosted by a German blue blood played by Campbell Scott.

Hank happens to be in the right place at the right time when a girl collapses, vomiting. When the resident “concierge” doctor misdiagnoses her as an overdose, Hank halts him before she’s injected with medicine that could kill her. Of course, Hank saves the girl’s life. Scott’s German happen to witnesses the whole incident and is so impressed that he immediately offers him a job as the Hampton’s concierge doctor for the summer.

I should explain that a concierge doctor is the latest craze in the rich world. To keep scandals at a minimum, the wealthy prefer an on-call doctor who only caters to their needs instead of having to go to the hospital.

Hank turns down Scott’s offer, standing on some supposed moral ground. Evan, who also happens to be Hank’s accountant, is quick to point out that Hank needs the cash. By the end of the pilot, after saving a couple more lives (word travels fast in the Hamptons), Hank accepts the job and the mansion-sized “guest house” Scott has given him to live in.

I’ll admit that the setup had me rolling my eyes throughout. Yet, by the time the hour ended, I was interested to see where the story may go. The reason for this is Feuerstein. Despite the ham-fisted dialogue he was given, he portrayed the character with an earnestness that worked against all of the goofy charm Costanzo brought to his role. Yes, all of the characters are pretty stock and yes, you can see where the plot was going from the moment the story began, but for mindless summer television, Royal Pains will slip in nicely with the rest of the USA shows. My hope is that with time to develop the characters, the series will grow and not be just a one note illness of the week series. Plus, it’s nice to see Campbell Scott in anything he does. I hope that he reappears throughout the series.

Next up is Showtime’s Nurse Jackie, which premieres tonight. There’s a lot of hype over this show because it’s Edie Falco’s return to television after The Sopranos. Falco plays a diligent nurse named Jackie suffering from back problems. She doesn’t reveal her injury to her superiors because it would cost her her job, so she snorts painkillers like Percocet throughout her shifts to get her through the day. Jackie isn’t afraid to speak her mind to asshole doctors like the one played by Peter Facinelli. Patients come first, but she’s also not some do-gooder that makes you want to shove your finger down your throat, either.

Jackie is a conflicted woman in a tough profession. While out to eat with Dr. O’Hara (Eve Best), one of the few physicians she tolerates, the two debate who should save the choking woman at the table next to them. Jackie decides to be the hero, but only because then Dr. O’Hara will buy dinner. Jackie is also in love with Eddie, the hospital pharmacist (Paul Schulze). The conflict in this relationship is that Jackie is married with two children, and clearly in love with her husband, too. It takes a special actress to convince us that she’s deeply in love with one man, then watch her come home, kiss her kids, look at her husband with deep felt eyes and make us still root for her. Falco is one of the best. She’s been a top-notch performer from the first time she appeared on Homicide: Life on the Streets and worked her way through Oz and then The Sopranos. Nurse Jackie is another fine accomplishment for her.

At just a half hour, Nurse Jackie moves briskly, but that just means they cut out the fat and let us focus on Jackie and her exploits. Nurse Jackie is a dark comedy that has a good blend of the comedy and drama and will be a nice compliment to Weeds. If you have Showtime, this is one to check out; otherwise you’ll have to wait like the rest of us for when it shows up on DVD.

Rounding out the new medical series is another show about nurses, this one on TNT called Hawthorne. The series takes its name from the title character portrayed by Jada Pinkett Smith, returning to television after years in the feature films. Hawthorne is the Chief Nursing Officer at Richmond Trinity Hospital in Richmond, VA. She is headstrong, overly dedicated, and a grieving widow with an independently minded teenage daughter (Hannah Hudson). Hawthorne is more of an ensemble drama than the other two series, and there is a fine cast in this one, including Michael Vartan as the chief of surgery, Suleka Mathew (Men in Trees) as Bobbie, a fellow nurse and Hawthorne’s best friend, David Julian Hirsh as Ray, a nurse struggling with his career choice (he wanted to be a doctor), Christina Moore as the resident hot nurse (every hospital has one of those, right?) and Vanessa Lengies as Kelly, a young nurse often overwhelmed by everything.

Hawthorne is closest to the medical dramas we’ve all come to know ever since ER became a runaway success. There are plenty of steadicam shots, lots of overly dramatic music, and characters who all CARE so much it hurts. Based on the pilot, in which Hawthorne deals with the one-year anniversary of her husband’s death while juggling her daughter’s possible school suspension, a patient nearly dying after a nurse follows doctor’s orders, and a homeless woman presenting a newborn and Hawthorne rushing the infant to the ER, this show will have legs. It has just the right blend of high drama and light moments that should make it a hit for TNT, a network that seems to know how to connect with female viewers (see The Closer and Saving Grace). Hawthorne is also one of the few shows with ethnic diversity. With Pinkett Smith one of the show’s producers, I imagine that she had a lot to do with that. Good. The script for the pilot got a little too treacle in moments, but maybe I’m just a little jaded from having seen to many medical shows. I liked the fresh perspective of seeing the hospital world almost entirely from the female nurses perspective. In a medium that is dominated by male-centric shows, it was also pleasurable to watch something that was almost all women and a variety of characters. Hawthorne premieres on Tuesday, June 16^th.

Usually, anytime a musical artist performs on a talk show, that marks the end of the program: Letterman, Leno or Conan stroll out to shake hands with the band, and the credits roll. Gone are the days of Johnny inviting band members over to the couch for some chit-chat about their new record. This was just one reason Chris Isaak agreed to star in his new talk show, The Chris Isaak Hour — it gives musicians an opportunity to play two or three songs and then the chance to talk about the work they do.

Each week a guest artist sits down with Isaak on a retro set that looks like something out of a ’50s sitcom. Isaak then interviews them, delving into questions about influences, their careers, and even what gets cooked in the kitchen. The conversations are broken up with performance footage shot on a soundstage. Isaak and his crack band, Silvertone, are on hand to act as the house band, with Isaak generally joining the guests for one or two numbers. On top of hearing musicians comfortably opening up about their lives, you also get to see unique, one-of-a-kind performances, such as Glen Campbell and Isaak singing “Rhinestone Cowboy” or Isaak and Trisha Yearwood performing their new song, “Breaking Apart.”

Just as he does on stage, where he allows his singing companion the room to perform and breathe, Isaak is never quick to interrupt his guests with his own thoughts. Instead, he adheres to the motto that the show is about them and what they have to say. While each episode opens with a short skit that usually includes Isaak’s funnyman drummer, Kenny Dale Johnson, the rest of the show is pretty straightforward. Although filmed entirely on a soundstage with no studio audience, the show has the deliberate feel of a live music variety program, with old black and white footage of people applauding between songs. It’s that tongue-in-cheek, wink-wink type of charm that makes Isaak so appealing.

The first seven installments, which began airing two weeks ago, have an eclectic slate of guests that range from Stevie Nicks to alternative gods, Smashing Pumpkins, pop crooner Michael Bublé to folk legend Yusuf Islam (a.k.a. Cat Stevens). Isaak has a laid back, amiable approach that makes him a perfect interviewer. The guests obviously feel comfortable with him to open up about their triumphs and shortcomings. And Isaak has honest reactions. For instance, while listening to Nicks describe how her cocaine addiction had destroyed her nose and a doctor warned her that if she snorted once more she could die. Isaak reacted with disbelief, his face trying to mask his shock and somewhat disgust.

If you’re a fan of good music (and let’s face it, if you’re reading Popdose, it’s not because of the television coverage) then you should be tuning into The Chris Isaak Hour. The cool singer/songwriter’s music program airs new episodes every Thursday night on the Biography Channel.

Last week I read an article in the L.A. Times’ business section that detailed how Americans are watching television at an all-time high these days. To quote Alana Semuels’ piece, “The Nielsen Co.’s ‘Three Screen Report’ — referring to televisions, computers and cell phones — for the fourth quarter said the average American now watches more than 151 hours of TV a month. That’s about five hours a day…up 3.6% from the 145 or so hours Americans reportedly watched in the same period last year.” The article also goes on to state the obvious that in these harsh economic times, adults and their families are more likely to stay at home than go out to dinner and to the movies, both expensive endeavors. I mean, when you could easily drop $60 on a family of four at the cineplex vs. watching a movie or program on TV and cooking dinner, which would you choose? This all makes sense, but I think it goes a little deeper than just spending as to why people are watching so much television.

This weekend, as I was preparing to write this week’s article on Lie to Me (Fox’s newest hit) or Ashes to Ashes (the BBC’s spin-off of Life on Mars) I walked through the bedroom and saw my wife watching a repeat of America’s Next Top Model on Oxygen. The expression on her face made me stop. She didn’t seem all that consumed by the show; instead, she seemed dazed, as if escaping for a couple of minutes before having to drive off to the laundromat. It was a hell of a weekend, primarily because we put one of our cats to sleep. It’s not just the cat, though; our lives since last year have been pretty stressful. We have home repairs that have been placed on the back burner (including plumbing work, hence the laundromat), bills piling up, and (obviously) we have our son’s health, which occupies much of our thoughts. When I came upon my wife and saw that expression on her face, I knew it well, because I’ve had it many times myself.

I don’t think it’s just about spending money or about having more options in our television viewing habits that is making so many people watch TV. I believe it’s the chance to escape, even if it’s just an hour a day, from the daily barrage of bad news you see in the newspapers, on the Internet, and yes, on television. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found myself curled in a ball trying to forget those worries that seem to follow me around nearly all day. At 9:00 PM on a Monday night, when I want to forget, you better believe I’m going to watch something pointless and funny like Two and a Half Men or How I Met Your Mother. And when I want to really get away, what better place to escape to than an island trapped in a time loop, like in Lost?

For my wife, it’s drawing inspiration from the contestants on The Biggest Loser, or the doctors on Deliver Me, that offers her some quality time away from the daily stress. Television has become comfort food for the brain, especially in these trying times. Some television is thick and fills your belly like a good stew, some of it is completely bad for you, but oh it tastes so good going down, and occasionally there is some television that actually nourishes you in your time of need. Until the country comes out of this recession and people find the means and/or the enthusiasm to go to the mall or to the ballpark again, television viewing is going to continue to rise.

What do you think?

I came into the show just as Carrie Underwood was showing off her legs and belting out her hit, “Last Name.” Man, the girl can sing. Less impressive was Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus singing a duet on Swift’s song, “15.” Swift’s voice sounded tinny and Cyrus just sings at the top of her lungs and over exaggerates her expressions whether the song calls for it or not. As I watched them I couldn’t help wondering which Jonas Brother Swift dated when she wrote this song, and if it was the same brother who dated Miley. Speaking of the Jonas clan, they somehow lucked into Stevie Wonder jamming with them. Stevie was… well, he was Stevie, he kicked ass. I won’t discuss the Jonas Brothers for fear of alienating my children.

Did you see Jennifer Hudson sing? Good God, one of the most heartwrenching moments I’ve seen on TV. The standing ovation she received was well deserved. On the other hand, Katy Perry sang the most annoying song from last year and was atrocious. As she pranced across stage trying to be Madonna, she was as stiff as her boyfriend would be watching her kiss a girl. And please, please, someone explain the rap summit, the “rap pack” of Jay Z, Kanye, Lil’ Wayne and T.I. to me. What the hell were they saying? Shouting, that’s what they were doing. 

My favorite moments were Paul McCartney performing “I Saw Her Standing There” with Dave Grohl jamming on the drums. Grohl is still one of the finest drummers in rock and roll, even though he spends most of his time with a guitar in hand. As he wailed on the song behind Sir Paul, you saw the joy he was experiencing playing behind a music legend. Also, seeing Plant and Krauss sing two songs from Raising Sand and perfectly matching the harmonies that they achieved on their album was wonderful. Plant still has a swagger and stage presence that the Jonas Brothers should study. The man exudes coolness.

As I questioned earlier, are the Grammys must see television? I hardly think so and it’s the Recording Academy’s fault. They should require CBS or whoever airs the show to broadcast it live, around the world, as it happens, just like the Academy Awards and any major sports event (like the Super Bowl). It has always seemed unusual to me that Los Angeles, one of the main music hubs in the world, gets the show on tape delay. In this day and age, where is the suspense and wonder of watching the Grammys if I can find out the results on the net and see live performances on Youtube moments after they happen live? For as much money that goes into the Grammys telecast and for how much it’s promoted, it should be treated like something that you HAVE to watch, instead of something to switch over to during the commercials of Desperate Housewives.

What about you, readers? Did you enjoy the show? Is it relevant? Were there any musical moments that stirred your soul?

Of course getting to the game was a long journey, as NBC broadcast a six-hour pre-game show that featured Bob Costas, Keith Olbermann, Dan Patrick, Al Roker, and a slew of former football players and coaches including Cris Collinsworth, Jerome Bettis, and recently retired coaches Tony Dungy (Indianapolis Colts) and Mike Holmgren (Seattle Seahawks). Most of the banter between the hosts was similar to the programming you’d catch on NBC’s Sunday Night Football pre-game show, but slowed down considerably.

The bloated NBC pre-game telecast gave us an abundance of over-analyzing what each team had to do to win, interviews with some of the key position players, an interview with President Obama (in which he predicted a Steelers victory in a squeaker) and a one-on-one between Costas and halftime performer Bruce Springsteen. There were also a couple of season-in-review features done by Olbermann and Patrick, essentially recreating the shtick they mastered years ago on SportsCenter. The banter still works between these two after all of these years; NBC was smart in bringing them back together. But seriously, Keith, sweater vests? You can afford something a little better than that.

Rounding out the six hours of numbing nonsense (yet I couldn’t stop watching! What does that say about me?) were constant updates from the only two female reporters on the sportscast, Alex Flanagan (who amazingly tried to pull a Costas by quoting Fitzgerald when discussing Kurt Warner’s “Second Act”) and Andrea Kramer. To give the impression of this being an EVENT, NBC also held a Top Chef cook-off and had Al Roker interviewing B list stars out to promote NBC series like Heroes (which is apparently rebooting… AGAIN!) and Universal films such as Fast and Furious (starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker…AGAIN!). We could have done without the fluff. A two-hour show would have been enough to feed my football hunger. 

Finally, around 6:00 ET, game time approached. Faith Hill (she who is responsible for butchering Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself for Loving You” into some kind of Sunday Night Football monstrosity anthem) sang “America the Beautiful” in a slick, straightforward arrangement. That she slipped in “God Bless America” at the tail end of the song was a little sneaky, though I’m sure it appeased her country fans. After that, the crew of US Airways flight 1549, who miraculously and skillfully landed their jet on the Hudson, was honored before the game. This was a classy touch and I was happy to see the NBC cameras catching the gridiron stars applauding true heroes. When it was time for the National Anthem, Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson made her first public performance since the tragic murders of her mother, brother and nephew that occurred last October. Hudson delivered a powerful rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” that was full of emotion and beautifully sung. Traditionalists probably hated the soulful rendition of the song, but Hudson was respectful of the anthem and when it came time to soar for the final refrain, she restrained herself from going on multiple vocal runs as so many popular singers are apt to do. Bravo.

Seth Meyers had a funny line (or maybe the funny line) on Saturday Night Live this week when he announced “The Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals will be opening for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.” (I’m paraphrasing). He wasn’t that far off. The first half of the football game was pretty lackluster. For entertainment purposes, this left the much-lauded commercials to keep viewers interested until a) something exciting happened in the game or b) Springsteen finally came on. Most of the commercials were pretty good — nothing that will stand the test of time, though. My favorites were the Doritos snow globe ad, the Conan O’Brien Bud Light spot, and the nifty Coke “Heist” commercial that features insects stealing a sleeping man’s bottle of Coca-Cola on a summer day. Speaking of Bud Light, is it just me, or is this “drinkability” promotion a bust? It’s just not doing it for me. I’d rather see the Geico cavemen than these ads that are as stale as warm Bud Light. The first half of the game would have been a complete dud had it not been for James Harrison’s spectacular 100-yard interception return for a touchdown as time expired. Finally something to get me off of the couch and away from that fantastic sandwich my wife cooked.

Halftime arrived. Springsteen and his expanded E Street Band, which included the horn section from the Max Weinberg 7, whipped the stadium into a frenzy with a 12-minute preview of what people can expect when he begins touring in April. Through abbreviated versions of four songs, Springsteen and company kicked ass. “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” segued into a solid “Born to Run,” then a choir came out for a pleasant version of “Working on a Dream.” The show finished up with the whole band down front for the set closing “Glory Days.” The mini-concert was so great it made me want to slap down my money and buy a ticket for his upcoming L.A. show when they go on sale today. This was the best Super Bowl halftime show ever, or at least a tie with Prince’s jaw-dropping set from last year.

After halftime, it was like the two teams decided it was time to put on their own show lest they be upstaged by the Boss. Although the third quarter was notable for the Steelers’ inability to score touchdowns and the Cardinals’ inability to stop committing penalties, by the fourth quarter, we had a football game. The Cardinals finally took over the lead with minutes left after Pittsburgh had led the entire game. It appeared that an upset was on hand and that the Cardinals would stage the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. But the Steelers still had life in them. On their final drive, with 35 seconds left in the game, Pittsburgh stud quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw a pass through three defenders and Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes made a miraculous catch in the corner of the end zone. After it was reviewed that Holmes had dragged his toes just enough to call the play a touchdown, the Steelers regained the lead and were on their way to becoming champions once again.

The President’s prediction came true, and anyone who stuck around for the entire game witnessed some of the most exciting television this side of Lost. Thankfully, NBC had a double order of The Office to bring us down after all of the confetti and champagne had been poured.

You don’t have to be a football fan to appreciate a game like this one; in fact, the NFL and NBC were counting on people who don’t watch football to tune in. They know all of the fanatics will be watching. What they’re hoping for is the casual fans and those people who only turn in for the spectacle. Those are the viewers they hope will begin coming back once a week or once a month to check out games. If only every football game were as much fun as this one.

Trust Me is about ad people in the 21st century, and before any of you cry “Mad Men ripoff,” let me assure you that Trust Me couldn’t be farther from Mad Men in terms of tone, look and approach.  Hey, if there can be umpteen shows about doctors, lawyers or cops, we can certainly put up with another show about an advertising agency. Trust Me is the type of light drama that TNT excels at.  With good reason, the creators this show, Hunt Baldwin and John Coveney are both veterans of The Closer, TNT’s sensation that is the highest rated original series on basic cable.

I had reservations going into Trust Me because anytime you put together a cast of actors who’ve had success on other shows, it can spell disaster.  Moreover, I wondered if Eric McCormack would shed his “Will” mannerisms from his days on Will and Grace. I had more faith in Tom Cavanaugh (Ed of Ed) because he’s done other, darker roles since that show was canceled, but McCormack’s role as “Will” lives on in syndication.

In the first episode, we learn that McCormack’s character, Mason, and Cavanaugh’s Connor have been an ad team for years (Mason is the artist, Connor the writer). By the end of the first act, Mason is promoted above his old friend. While Mason learns to cultivate his inner shark, he also has to deal with how this promotion will affect his partnership with Connor. At the same time, a new writer arrives at the agency and she brings with her a slew of awards and plenty of attitude. This character is played by Monica Potter. While there is a plot involving beating out a competitor for a big cell phone campaign, plot is secondary in this series that has some zip to it and shows real potential.

McCormack and Cavanaugh work great together.  McCormack’s conservative, cautious approach to Mason is the perfect foil to Cavanaugh’s impulsive and over-caffeinated Conner.  These two are the main reason to watch Trust Me, as they really come off like a couple of old friends struggling with the changes in life thrown their way.  Potter is pleasant to watch and her character shows real human flaws and doesn’t come off as just some bitch there to take command of the office. Added to the mix is one of my favorite actors, Griffin Dunne (After Hours) as the creative director of Connor and Mason’s team. 

Shaun: I approached Trust Me with equal apprehension.  Both Ed and Will and Grace had long worn out their welcomes by their completions in my opinion.  It is difficult sometimes for actors to escape the particular mannerisms and idiosyncrasies of a character after not only playing them so long, but becoming essentially identified with them. Cavanaugh has been able to escape this with a few well positioned guest appearances, his turn in Scrubs for example, but McCormack has not really had the chance. One has to assume that both had this in mind when they came together for Trust Me.

The show is light, though it is inevitable in current television to draw comparisons between one advertising show and the other.  One can see that Mad Men must have played some role in the show’s creation. While there are similarities, Cavanaugh is the gifted ad-man ala Don Draper, and McCormack the more level-headed company man like Pete Campbell.  But the show is self-aware enough to know that it is not possessing of the same depth of gravitas.  That is not to take away from the show; it successfully delivers its formula, with a mood that is more akin to say Scrubs and The Office than its more serious cousin.

The cast’s chemistry is comfortable; everyone seems to be playing off each other with a sense that they know where they are going.  While I find that McCormack and Cavanaugh play off each other well, I think Dunne is the standout here.  His character is thus far under-used, but Dunne has an affable charm that seems believable.  Potter I think is finding her way.  She is likable enough, but I don’t know if I have a deeper sense of her character quite yet.  Is she a romantic interest for Cavanaugh?  Is she the ambitious troublemaker?  Enough time has not passed to be fair, but there should at least be some kind of innate sense of where she is going.

Scott: The thing I liked about Potter is that she was scattered and sloppy enough to appear like most of the real writers I know.  The one actor I thought was underused was Sarah Clarke as McCormack’s wife, Erin.  Clarke was so great on the first season of 24, strong and a real individual, that I hope she doesn’t get relegated to just the “wife” role in this series.  As McCormack’s character takes on more responsibilities in the office, I imagine he’ll be spending less time at home.  This could create a conflict that will allow this talented actress something to chew on.

Overall, I thought the writing was really sharp in the first two episodes.  While the ending of the pilot was a bit, how do I put it, lame, it didn’t take away from the intention and was still effective in showing the strong bond between the two leads.  That said, these guys are gong to need a little of the Draper mysticism in the board room to convince me that they’re actual ad men.  Then again, maybe Don Draper in the anomaly and what we’re seeing on Trust Me is actually how an ad agency is run.

The good news is that TNT has a history of committing to airing every episode of the shows the produce, even if the show is terrible.  However, Trust Me is definitely not terrible; it is quite good.  Furthermore, its episodes are airing after The Closer, a terrific lead in.  I predict that Trust Me will become the next hit for TNT and will be around for at least a couple of seasons.

Shaun: I agree that there is a smart show inside here somewhere. However, I think they need to find it to continue to convince the viewer the show is worth its running time. As I wrote, I believe there are the makings of chemistry, and at the end of the second episode, I found I enjoyed the relationships. I suppose all shows need to develop the core of the show’s depth. Very few have it right out of the gate, and Trust Me might just need some time to grow. However I do agree, Sarah Clarke steals the show in the second episode, I look forward to seeing more of her.

All in all, I am hopeful for this show. I am not so quick to dismiss it or relegate it to an occasional viewing. I am a fan of Monica Potter and Cavanaugh enough to see where their characters go. I had a few smiles, though I would like to see McCormack play a less bitchy version of himself for a change. I suppose it comes back to the inevitable comparison we cannot help but make about this show to so many things that pre-date it or are its contemporaries. “Trust Me” has but to find a voice where in people will one day think some other show reminds them of it.

I see Trust Me as a welcome piece of potential that can remind you that “relatively” free television can still produce scripted shows that are funny and quirky. TNT has brought terrific shows in the past, and like networks over a decade ago, they will have the patience and will to take the series’ title advice, and see where it

Swayze stars as Charles Barker, an effective FBI veteran whose hard-edged and questionable tactics have won him a reputation as a man who gets the job done at any cost. Barker has a rookie partner, Ellis Dove (Travis Fimmel), who is unsure how to react to Barker most of the time. Despite his apprehension to the way Barker gets things done, Dove realizes that his mentor is, at his core, a good man, and this creates a loyalty to Barker. Barker sees something of himself in the swaggering, cocksure attitude of Dove and has taken a liking to him.

Barker and Dove have a handler named Conrad (Kevin J. O’Connor). As a seasoned professional, he knows Barker well enough to speak to him in terse personal code — but for newbie Ellis, he needs to spell things out, including his deep respect for Barker’s work. For a love interest, Dove attempts to strike up a relationship with his neighbor, a law student named Rose (Lindsay Pulsipher), but he soon learns that the line of work he’s involved in (drug dealers, arms dealers, terrorists) creates a risk for an agent’s private life. Dove likes Rose, but he’s hesitant to get to know her because he would hate to see her get hurt.

The writers and producers of The Beast have a slew of film and television credits behind them, and they bring their experience to the slick, dark world of The Beast. The pilot episode is paced more like an action film than what you’d typically expect on television, especially A & E. The scripts allow for Swayze to be a real badass throughout, yet he manages to let compassion and fear come through in his performance, primarily in his eyes. Swayze brings a ferocity to the part of Barker unlike anything we’ve seen from him before. The actor has made it known that he refused medication while shooting episodes because he didn’t want to dull his senses. Using the pain from his illness, there is an urgency and intensity to Barker that immediately reminded me of Michael Chiklis on The Shield. Indeed, I don’t think it’s crazy to predict that Swayze will earn a Best Actor nomination for the Emmy Awards later this year. He could win.

But the show is not just Barker’s story, and it would be a failure if Travis Fimmel didn’t pull his own weight. Fimmel is engaging and carries himself in a way that reminds me of Brad Pitt in Se7en. Dove has the unenviable task of working with a man of questionable character. As we find out at the end of the pilot, an internal FBI task force is investigating Barker, fearing he may have gone rogue. Dove learns that he was handpicked to be Barker’s assignment, though he had no clue he would be spying on the man who has taken him under his wing. Dove is constantly bouncing back and forth between believing that Barker is innocent but misunderstood and then contemplating that the internal task force may be right. Fimmel does an excellent job of channeling his character’s guilt and anguish onscreen, and he and Swayze make a strong team and are interesting to watch. I look forward to seeing where future stories carry them and what Fimmel will bring to his role.

With last year’s The Cleaner, A&E proved that they have the resources to compete with the other basic cable networks by producing compelling dramas and promoting them. The Beast should prove to be another hit for them. Here’s hoping that audiences watch it — and that Swayze fully recovers, so that he can enjoy the show’s success.

In the past 10 years, due to DVD box sets, TiVo, and the Internet, we have seen a change in attitudes about television.  No longer is it just considered “disposable” entertainment.  Viewers are seeking out quality programming and making it successful.  Moreover, stars generally associated with motion pictures (once considered the high brow art form) no longer look at television as slumming it.  Instead, actors, writers and directors have taken to TV as a way to create and produce ongoing works of fiction that they wouldn’t be able to do in the expensive film industry.

Since any list is subjective, I’m sure some people will gripe about my selections and what was left off.  I hope so!  he purpose of this great website is ti incite conversation and debates.  In case you’re wondering, my criteria was that the shows selected had to premiere in 1999 or thereafter.  I must confess that I have not seen Dexter and I never went back to The Shield after the first few episodes (i.e. pre-TiVo in the Malchus household).  What I tried to do was pick shows that were consistent in their quality from season to season.  So, even though I loved the first couple seasons of The Sopranos, Six Feet Under and 24, the quality in the writing really started to suffer in subsequent years.  Sacrilege, I know, because The Sopranos is considered by many critics to be the greatest TV show ever.  Oh well, it’s my space, and since this is a special list I want my kid to read someday, these are the shows I feel are the best of the last 10 years.

So, without further ado…

10. Two and a Half Men (CBS, 2003-present)  Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer are brothers Charlie and Alan, forced to live together due to Alan’s crippling divorce settlements. The two comedy vets play off of each other like Lucy and Ricky in this hilarious, sometimes crude comedy that stretches the boundaries of what is acceptable on a network show, and often pushes past those boundaries. Two and a Half Men is a traditionally sitcom taped before a live studio audience and sometimes you can see the joke coming from a mile away. But damn it, the writing is so funny, you don’t care. But it’s not just Sheen and Cryer. Creator Chuck Lorre has surrounded them with a superb supporting cast, including Holland Taylor as their self-centered mother, Conchata Ferrell as their biting, sarcastic housekeeper, and of course, Angus T. Jones as Jake, the “half man” (and Alan’s son). He may be the funniest secret weapon in television. New episodes continue to air on Monday nights. The show is also in syndication and the first four seasons are available on DVD.

9. Everwood (WB, 2002-2006) A career-minded New York City brain surgeon (Treat Williams), overwhelmed by grief over his wife’s tragic death, uproots his two children (Gregory Smith and Vivien Cardone) and moves the family to the small Colorado town of Everwood. There, they discover love and friendship — and that life in a quiet town is no simpler than living in the big city. The WB may have become famous for teenage material like Dawson’s Creek, but in Greg Berlanti’s family drama, they got more than just teenage angst. Everwood was topical (tackling teenage sexuality, abortion and religion from all sides), sincere, and very often funny. What really stuck with me was its pointed examination of relations between fathers and sons, something rare in television. Williams and Smith dug into their roles with ferociousness. And the writers (including the great Rina Mimoun) allowed this relationship to ebb and flow over the years and not simply resolve itself in a couple of pat hours. Never a ratings hit, Everwood lasted four seasons due to a loyal audience and early support from the network (also something rare in television). It also had the biggest heart on TV. Season 1 of Everwood is available on DVD. Hopefully the remaining three seasons will someday be released. Until then, they are viewable at TheWB.com

8. Mad Men (AMC, 2007-present) – Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner took what he learned as a producer and writer on The Sopranos and has created an equally compelling drama about the Madison Avenue ad men who ran New York City in the early 1960’s. Jon Hamm stars as Don Draper, an enigmatic man who seems to harbor more secrets than the government and manages to twist and turn his lies to keep those secrets from almost everyone, including his wife, Betty (January Jones). In the show, as the innocent 60’s are gradually giving way to the turbulent era of flower power and revolution, through the show’s characters we are watching a microcosm of the country come apart, grow and eventually persevere. From production design to the writing to every single performance by the cast, Mad Men is well on its way to becoming one of this century’s greatest dramas. Season 1 is available on DVD, and Season 2 is soon to follow. The third season of Mad Men is scheduled to premiere later this year.

7. Once and Again (ABC, 1999-2002) – From the thoughtful minds of Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz, the men who brought us thirtysomething and My So Called Life, came this great drama about families coping with divorce. Sela Ward and Billy Campbell starred as single parents who fall in love, and we watched as their two families try to become one. It isn’t easy. At the same time, we see the effects of the new American family through the eyes of the children, friends and ex-spouses. Once and Again took the lives of the teenagers as seriously as the lives of the adults, and introduced the world to the talents of Shane West and Evan Rachel Wood (whose anorexia storyline was heartbreaking). Moreover, the show reminded everyone that Ward and Campbell are great actors, and that Patrick Dempsey (as Ward’s brother suffering from mental illness) was more than just a heartthrob. The first two seasons are available on DVD. Fans anxiously await the day ABC finally releases the third and final season.

6. The Wire (HBO, 2002-2008) – Not to demean the other great cop shows that came before it, but The Wire is the greatest cop show ever. Creator and executive producer David Simon took everything he learned from working on Homicide: Life on the Streets (based on his book) and his time spent working for the Baltimore Sun as a crime reporter and gave us one of the great stories of the 21^st Century. Each of The Wire’s five seasons was like a well paced novel, with characters that tread the line between black and white with such delicacy, you weren’t sure who to root for. Although star Dominic West was the central character through it all, it was the unknown actors who were a part of the brilliant cast that made the show worthy of repeated viewings, in particular Idris Elba as Stringer Bell, Lance Reddick as Lt. Cedric Daniels, and Felicia Pearson as Snoop. Not only was The Wire an examination of how the police work and drug dealers operate, but it was a careful study of an American city in decline, as much about our entire country as it was about the city of Baltimore.  All five seasons are available on DVD.

5. The Office (NBC, 2005-present) – Ricky Gervais’ now-legendary BBC series may have been the basis for the NBC adaptation, but the U.S. version, a comedy that follows the everyday existence of life in the Dunder Mifflin paper company in Scranton, PA, has provided many more laughs than the original 12 episodes of the UK series. The Office manages to mix pathos with slapstick, something so few shows are capable of doing, and makes us care about not only slacker salesmen, but the jerks they are required to work with. Steve Carell leads the group of characters who make up the cast of The Office. His character, Michael may be the most clueless boss in all of television; he’s the living example of failing upward. However, over the course of the show’s run, we have seen his humanity. The love story between Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) has also kept viewers captivated, too. Kudos to Greg Daniels (who developed the show for NBC) and company for managing to sustain the laughter. New episodes continue to air on Thursday nights while the first four seasons are available of DVD.

4. Lost (ABC, 2004-present) – This sprawling drama is about so many things that it’s difficult to sum it up in a few sentences. On the surface, it’s a show about survival as a group of castaways struggle to stay alive on a dangerous, uncharted island. Then there are the flashbacks, flash forwards and other forms of nonlinear storytelling that help make Lost one of the most gripping hours of pop culture in recent memory. Lost continues to take science fiction to a new level and has managed to be not only a drama, but a poignant tragedy, romantic comedy and action adventure show all wrapped in one. No character is safe from being killed off and nothing is beyond the imagination of the creative team of Carlton Cuse, Damon Lindelof and JJ Abrams. This show should be laughable (an evil black cloud that haunts the island? Really?), but it all works, and will continue to mess with the minds of viewers until the entire series comes to an end in the spring of 2010. The first four seasons are available on DVD and every single episode is viewable at ABC.com. The fifth season premieres at the end on January.

3. Friday Night Lights (NBC/DirecTV, 2006-present) – Friday Night Lights is simply the best family series in decades. In which the heroes aren’t lawyers, doctors or cops, but ordinary citizens struggling and succeeding in life. This series, based both the book by H.G. Bissinger and the 2004 film directed by Peter Berg (one of the television show’s producers) follows the lives of the people of Dillon, Texas, a downtrodden town whose heart comes to life each Friday night when the high school Panthers football team takes the field. But, oh, this is not just a TV series about football. No, football tends to take a back seat in most episodes. Uplifting, thought provoking, funny and poignant, this is one for the ages. Plus, Friday Night Lights has one of the greatest portrayals of marriage on television. Through the bumps and bruises and triumphs, Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler as Tami and Coach Eric Taylor are inspiring and should not be missed. Friday Night Lights has had some troubles in the ratings, but through an innovative deal with DirecTV, NBC co-produced a third season and hopefully will continue the partnership for at least a couple more years. The first two seasons are available on DVD and also available to view online at NBC.com. The third season wraps up on DirecTV in the coming weeks and will premiere on NBC January 16^th.

2. Arrested Development (FOX, 2003-2006) -  “Now, the story of a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together. It’s Arrested Development.“ Every once in a blue moon a show comes along that redefines television, not just how it’s made, but how we watch it. Arrested Development may have been the first TiVo television series, where the laughs were so plentiful and came at you so rapid-fire that you had to go back two or three times to catch them all. Thanks to technology, you were able to keep up with the Bluths without missing a beat. And when the DVD TV box set boom took off, Arrested Development was at the front of the pack. Upon those second and third viewings, you still laughed your ass off and were likely to catch something new. Behind the scenes of this Emmy-winning comedy series were show creator Mitch Hurwitz and a staff of brilliant writers and directors. In front of the camera, you had the most eclectic group of comedy actors ever assembled. From Jason Bateman’s deadpan to Michael Cera’s bumbling shyness to the over the top humor of Will Arnett and the weirdness of David Cross, to the dry as a bone sarcasm of Jessica Walter. And then there was the “aw shucks” narration by executive producer Ron Howard that just added to the insanity. Each episode was like a mini-comedy film, and each episode is as fresh today as it was when it originally aired. All three seasons are available on DVD and full episodes can be watched at Hulu.com.

1. Freaks and Geeks (NBC, 1999-2000) – Through just 18 episodes, creator Paul Feig and producer Judd Apatow crafted the greatest show about adolescence ever put on television. When my daughter wishes to know what it was like growing up in the Midwest during the early ’80s, I will sit her down and tell her some of my stories. If that isn’t enough, I will give her my Freaks and Geeks box set and tell her “this about says it all.” The show follows the lives of Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini) and her dweebish, kindhearted brother, Sam (John Francis Daley) as they wade through the minefield of high school in the year 1980. Lindsay is undergoing some soul-searching and ditches her brainy friends to make new ones with the “freaks” or stoners in school. Those kids include characters played by then undiscovered talents James Franco, Jason Segel and Seth Rogen. Meanwhile, Sam and his geeky friends (played by Martin Starr and Samm Levine) do their best to fit in during their first year of high school. At times, Freaks and Geeks could make you laugh, cry, get pissed off, and just shake your head in wonder at how well the show’s creative minds captured the adolescent experience. Freaks and Geeks was a difficult sell for NBC, and they shuffled it around their schedule so much, even the hardcore fans couldn’t find when it was on. After the plug was pulled, it continued to build a cult following showing up on cable. After years a haggling with music labels, the complete series was released on DVD with every single classic rock song from the late ’70s and early ’80s intact. To date, the Freaks and Geeks DVD collection remains one of the best of its kind. Not just one of the best shows of the past 10 years, but one of the best of all time, Freaks and Geeks shows the greatness that television is capable of and sets an example for all shows of its kind to follow.

In the pilot episode Nate is hired by an aeronautics executive, played with slimy panache by Saul Rubinek, to recover airplane designs he claims were stolen by a rival. Rubinek brings together a group of highly skilled thieves to steal the plans back; Nate’s job is to get them to act as a team. This group consists of Parker (Beth Riesgraf), an expert thief and resident loose cannon; Alec Hardison (Aldis Hodge), a specialist in Internet and computer fraud who has a quick wit and an ample supply of one-liners; and Eliot Spencer (Christian Kane), a gravelly-voiced “retrieval specialist” who can take out a gang of henchmen without breaking a sweat. The four of them get the plans back and are promptly double-crossed by Rubinek. (You knew that was coming.) Naturally, Nate decides to even the score.

Pilot Clip

To complete his plan, he recruits one more member to the team: Sophie Devereaux (Gina Bellman), a gorgeous grifter who can mimic any accent. Nate has a history with Sophie, dating back to some art scams she once pulled. Her presence adds much-needed sexual tension to Leverage, hinting that something may develop down the road between her and Nate. By the end of the pilot, the team decides to use their skills for good.

Since each episode’s plot has to feature a con, the writing has to be strong.From what I’ve seen, the writers have been smart and clever, only revealing how the con was pulled after the fact (the Ocean’s Eleven influence). As with Nate, small aspects of the characters’ lives are slowly being revealed in each episode, keeping our interest piqued while we go along for the ride, and each actor is game — by the third episode Riesgraf has dialed down her wackiness, and Kane shows more humanity than his one-dimensional role indicated in the pilot. Bellman has a knack for slipping into the various characters she’s required to become in each episode, and she displays great chemistry with Hutton. However, the one cast member with true star potential is Hodge, last seen on Friday Night Lights; Alec is portrayed as smart and thoughtful, a funny, likable guy who isn’t overly cocky. In particular, Hodge’s scenes with Hutton have an easygoing rapport, as if these guys have known each other for years.

Of course, Leverage wouldn’t work if Hutton wasn’t fully invested. Throughout the ’80s he was cast as the lead in numerous movies, many of them not worth remembering (for every The Falcon and the Snowman there was a Turk 182!), but he’s always been stronger in ensemble casts, like in 1996’s Beautiful Girls or the aforementioned Kidnapped, where he doesn’t have to do the heavy lifting all by himself. Hutton’s experience really lends itself to the part of Nate Ford, and what’s really nice about his approach is that he’s not afraid to explore the dark areas of his characters. Nate has an alcohol problem and some other skeletons in his closet, as do all of the characters, that I hope will play out for seasons to come.

You have to give TNT credit for continuing to produce decent shows while the four major networks struggle to find audiences. Instead of trying to replicate the edginess of HBO and Showtime, they take tried-and-true formulas and update them for new eras. Their shows aren’t always a success, but with Leverage, it feels like they may have another winner.

BEST SHOW

Scott: Friday Night Lights (NBC/DirecTV) The small-town football series’ 2nd season ended on a high note last winter as we watched it regain its form after stumbling with a soap opera-ish murder plot. Still, NBC ran the final episodes with little fanfare, despite the fact that there was little original programming on the air due to the writers’ strike. The network redeemed itself by striking a deal with DirecTV to co-produce a third season. Since October, the satellite provider has been airing these new episodes and come January, those same episodes will air on the peacock network.

The third season has been everything fans of the show love, in particular the study of a working marriage between two of the finest actors on television, Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton as Coach and Mrs./Principal Taylor. They are the heart of the show. If you haven’t watched this show yet, what the hell is your problem? More than any other series on TV, FNL approaches each week with intelligence, humor and heart. At a time when the country is in turmoil, here is a quality show that taps into everything that is great about the America and reminds us of what we can be. Procedurals and medical dramas are a dime a dozen, and aren’t we all bored to shit with the woes of filthy rich people? I said it back in January, and now I’ll repeat myself: WATCH THIS SHOW!

Shaun: Mad Men (AMC) In spite of the remarkable amount of attention this show has gotten critically and awards-wise, it still feels unheralded to me. This show consistently elevates itself above much other dramatic fare. No network, NBC to HBO, has a show nearing its quality and innovation currently. While it can be irritating in its few failures, I think that is a testament to a show that a viewer expects so much from. If you have not seen this show yet, and judging by the ratings that may be a good bet, take the leap. It would be unfortunate for it to meet the fate of another similar luminary in another genre: Arrested Development.

BEST NEW SHOW

Scott: Privileged (CW) If you’d told me that this cliche sounding premise (college grad returns to her Florida hometown to tutor spoiled rich girls, falls for the hunky rich neighbor and has to deal with the ghosts of her past), I would have yawned and moved on. But Privileged is spunky, funny, intelligently written and one of the few shows that depicts people as human beings and not just caricatures (I’m talking to you Grey’s Anatomy).

The success of the show has to be credited to two women: Star JoAnna Garcia, who brings depth and soul to her character and isn’t afraid to come off as a total jerk, show creator, Rina Mimoun, who has carried the heart and drama she did on Everwood to the sunny land of Palm Beach. Let’s hope the CW shows some patience and keeps the show on the air because this series has the potential of becoming the next Gilmore Girls.

Shaun: Life on Mars (ABC) The U.S. version of the BBC cult series Life on Mars gets my vote here. In spite of its uneven nature, there is enough in the source material to see that this show has tremendous appeal and potential. The show has settled down and seems to be getting more and more comfortable with itself as the season progresses. While I am not entirely happy with the show yet, I see quality and strength in the cast and the storylines. I am gratified to know that ABC has the same faith and picked the show up for a full season run. I credit my interest to Gretchen Mol, who is an actress that just has not gotten her due so far. I remain interested in seeing just how this show distinguishes itself from the original and defines itself as its own entity.

SHOW THAT TOOK THE BIGGEST DUMP

Scott: Without a doubt, Heroes (NBC). It’s not just Entertainment Weekly or TV Guide that noticed, EVERYONE did. Man, does this show suck. I was such a fan of Heroes during the first season that I watched each episode standing up in anticipation of what would happen next. Then the second season came and went in horrible fashion. I was willing to write it off as a sophomore slump because creator Tim Kring promised… no really, he swore up and down that the third season would fix the problems and blow our socks off. He lied, or was delusional.

This third season has been so dreadful that during the first few episodes, I would walk away from the TV and not really care what happened. Then, I just stopped watching. I haven’t seen an episode since the 5th and I don’t care. You’d have to pay me to watch Heroes again. What an utter waste of time.

Shaun: Well, we definitely agree, Heroes has more than earned this dubious honor. Never a remarkably nuanced show in the first place, Heroes was at least once an amazingly fun show to watch. Since its rather uninspired season-ender to conclude the first run, the show has been on a very steady downhill path. The show is, with each passing week, proving that the contrived plotlines and weak character and story structure are the norm, and the first season was the fluke. I have not jumped off the ship yet, but I do not HAVE to see this show anymore. I sense that I might not be alone in that. Like you, Scott, a lot of people have stopped watching all together. I might not be far behind.

NICEST SURPRISE

Scott: The biggest surprise to me this year was that the most compelling television was not a scripted drama or laugh a minute sitcom, nor was it one of the many reality based programs. The most compelling television came in the form of a mixed-race man from Chicago running against a decorated war veteran for the presidency of the United States. Whether it was Jeremiah Wright, the economy or that governor from Alaska, each week, hell, each DAY there was something incredible happening and something that had people talking at the water cooler. That the country took such a great interest in this important campaign gives me hope that people still care about the direction of their country. What’s more, this campaign season also saw the rise of two new stars in news television: Campbell Brown and Rachel Maddow. Both of these women (on CNN and MSNBC respectively) out shined the men in their fields by cutting through the bullshit of politics and delivering even handed news. Bravo.

Shaun: Hulu.com The internet as a primary television watching outlet has been discussed for years but never actually achieved. With its unobtrusive commercials and its ease of use, Hulu has achieved it. It has become a primary use site for me in finding and watching shows that I may not have bothered with before. It has changed my viewing habits all-around, and I find myself returning to the site to chase away boredom and just generally pass the time. It is a neater and more efficient evolution of the Youtube model. It amazes me how often I fall back on this site. I am hard-pressed to truly find a fault with it, which is unexpected. I hope that the other networks follow suit with similar projects soon. I might possibly never watch a show in primetime again.