"Six Feet Under" is an American television series created by Alan Ball. It aired on HBO from 2001 to 2005 and follows the lives of the Fisher family, who run a funeral home in Los Angeles.
The show explores themes such as mortality, grief, and family dynamics. Each episode begins with the death of a person, whose body is then prepared for burial by the Fisher family. The series features a talented ensemble cast, including Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, and Frances Conroy.
The series received critical acclaim for its unique and unconventional approach to storytelling, as well as its ability to tackle difficult and sensitive topics with empathy and humor. It has been praised for its strong writing, powerful performances, and emotional depth. "Six Feet Under" remains a beloved and influential series that continues to resonate with viewers today.
Intensely cerebral, narrated more or less in the style of a Latin American magic-realist novel which shows the conclusion before the story begins, "Damages" TV show strangely fulfills the immanent promise in cable television programming, appealing very strongly to what the poet Milton called "fit audience though few." "Damages" series'unmistakable style, sophistication, and subtle sizzle are spellbinding, and the writers have crafted heroes you love to love and villains you love to hate with a team of attorneys working both sides of the continental divide between good and evil. Unabashedly stealing its premise from the Bernie Madoff case, "Damages" asks and answers, "What if you were Madoff's antagonist?" Glenn Close plays Patty Hewes, the high-powered and equally high-priced attorney determined to bring down ponzi-schemer Louis Tobin, portrayed by Len Cariou. The word "perfect" appears in most critics' discussions of their performances. A New York Times reviewer aptly summarized, "It's impossible to overestimate how delicious Ms. Close is as this fiercely driven, mercurial and manipulative woman. " In a stroke of casting genius, the producers chose Lily Tomlin to quicken the character of Mrs. Tobin, long-suffering wife of the arch-villain; the audience remains in suspense about her true colors and motives, suspecting she may be "Damages'" answer to Lady Macbeth. Martin Short also stars as Tobin's family attorney.
Lisa Jane Smith, author of a whole library-shelf full of Vampire Diaries for literate tweens, has every right to feel like a Shakespearean monarch whose throne is usurped in a tragedy's first act. She pioneered the genre, took a little sabbatical, and came back to find her world dominated by Harry Potter and all those "Twilight People." In 2008, The Vampire Diaries were reprinted in cool new covers and fonts, and L.J. Smith returned to writing full time. In the fall of 2009, "The Vampire Diaries TV Show" came to the CW, developed and produced by Kevin Williamson of "Dawson's Creek" fame. To his everlasting credit, Williamson expertly preserves the goodness and sweetness of Smith's characters and situations. Although the vampires naturally want to seduce the sensitive young heroines into their dark world, the pretty little women always bring the flesh-hungry bad boys back into the light. Of course, the show's production values allow lots of room for good music and teen-aged angst"”there is no shortage of fog, but it also has plenty of attitude. In addition to foretelling evil events, the show's prophet can predict fashion trends. The story turns on a tween's eternal dilemma: wistful good girl falls in love with the good vampire brother but is constantly tempted by bad-boy vampire other-brother. What is a girl to do?
"There are eight million stories in the city that never sleeps," Gary Sinise's unmistakable tenor voices-over the opening skyline shots for "CSI: New York." Apparently, New York's dedicated crime scene investigators also suffer sleep-deprivation, working tirelessly"”some would say obsessively"”to demystify eight million different ways to die in the Big Apple. Sinise plays Detective Mac Taylor, suitably intense CSI:NY unit leader, complemented well by workaholic assistant Stella Bonasera, expertly portrayed by Melina Kankaredes. Together, the lead detectives manage an appropriately colorful team of streetwise geeks and nerds determined always to make their cases well beyond reasonable doubts. Like the others in Jerry Bruckheimer's crime-drama franchise, "CSI: New York" devotes more attention to sophisticated computer work and uber-cool lab procedures than to the old-fashioned business of talking to people. Mac Taylor quickly reminds, though, "We follow the evidence, because the evidence never lies."
Imagine! Once upon a time, Dr. McDreamy, star of "Grey's Anatomy" and a million women's fantasies, was uncomfortably married to Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh). Then, Dr. Montgomery proved complicated, compelling, and cute enough to warrant her own TV show"”"Private Practice." For a very little while, "Private Practice" TV series depended on viewers' basic understanding of "Grey's Anatomy," because it showed Dr. Montgomery, probably much better known simply as Addison, leaving Seattle Grace Hospital and joining the staff at Oceanside Wellness, a practice owned and operated by all of her old medical school buddies. A few of the early episodes depended on the good doctor's broken heart and separation anxiety for their drama and poignancy; after all, withdrawal from McDreamy takes its toll on a girl. But as "Private Practice" gained momentum and popularity, plots focused more and more on cases that challenge the doctors' ethics and skills. Despite her genius and surgical prowess, Dr. Montgomery suffers fierce bouts of self-doubt, making her accessible and an object of empathy for the show's predominantly female audience.
Those of us who love a good "who done it" or murder mystery are drawn to television programs like Cold Case because they solve crimes and they prove who was guilty. It might be human nature to want to solve crime, especially those that were previously unsolvable until new technology (such as DNA evidence) answers the questions that were left behind. Even though the Philadelphia Police Department portrayed in Cold Case is a fictional "cop shop" we get caught up in the characters portrayed by writers on the set. The senior detective is Lilly Rush (actress Kathryn Morris). Lieutenant John Stillman (John Finn), Senior Detectives Scotty Valens (Danny Pino) and Nick Vera (Jeremy Ratchford) head up the intrepid team of master sleuths that solve old stale cases that were put back on the shelf, awaiting new evidence or better technology. We get to see how they solve the crimes others gave up on. The background music also plays a significant part in most episodes as it ties in with the year crimes were committed and many big names such as Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, John Lennon, and Frank Sinatra are featured.
A stylistic and narrative departure from the other titles in the "CSI" franchise, the CSI: Miami edition strives to recreate the neon-drenched allure of South Beach. Veteran television viewers may recognize the show's natural affinity with the eighties hit "Miami Vice"; apparently, in Miami, the light always shines through colored filters and everyday events always have awesome soundtracks. As in all the "CSI" shows, a dedicated squad of forensics experts solves otherwise unsolvable crimes with the benefit of their daunting intellects and their dazzling technology. Plots follow Jerry Bruckheimer's tried-and-proven formula for "following the evidence" wherever it leads. The "pretty" one among the CSI brands, "CSI: Miami TV Show" features at least as much scientific could-be as it depends on forensic facts. Naturally, the characters are as pretty as their surroundings. David Caruso stars as Horatio Cane, the unit leader with a special gift for slowly and deliberately taking off his sunglasses and delivering pithy one-liners as if they were lines from Shakespeare. Emily Procter charms as ballistics expert Calleigh Duquesne, and the juxtaposition of petite southern belle with major firearms is not wasted on the show's primarily male audience. Adam Rodriguez plays the sometimes tormented "Delko," and Rodriguez tops fan polls as the show's most personable actor. Jonathan Togo and Eva LaRue round-out the show's collection of pretty people.
When "The Good Wife" premiered in the fall of 2009, insiders whispered that Alicia Florrick, the good wife, was modeled after Silda Spitzer, the remarkably resilient former spouse of Elliott Spitzer, former New York prosecutor who ended-up himself prosecuted on charges of using public funds to support his prostitute habit. In the first few episodes, Alicia stood mute and shell-shocked as her politician husband admitted to "indiscretions," was tried and sent to jail. With only mild irony, the good wife emerges as the amazing woman as soon as hubby gets fitted for his orange jumpsuit. Played with tremendous grace, style, and power by Julianna Marguiles, Alicia Florrick, a la Silda Spitzer, returns to her old law practice. A little out of practice after thirteen years as wife and mother, she wobbles before she restores her professional standing. As "The Good Wife" evolved, it outgrew its need for "ripped from the headlines" comparisons. Episode by episode, Marguiles quickened, toughened, and deepend Alicia's character. Her imprisoned spouse becomes simply a footnote or sidebar as Alicia struggles to keep her family intact and build her career in a law firm riddled with scheming, scandal, and intrigue.
