One critic characterized "Breaking Bad's" dark humor as "Thelma and Louise as seen by Dostoyevsky" and that was one of the perkier, more optimistic descriptions. A seven-part AMC series, "Breaking Bad" TV show tells the story of Walt White, high school chemistry teacher turned methamphetamine cooker and dealer. Of course, as Glenn Frye crooned, "The lure of easy money has a very strong appeal," but "Breaking Bad" does not allow for even a split-second of sunshine through the abysmal darkness. In this corner of the universe, crime never-ever pays. Walt, expertly portrayed by Bryan Cranston of "Malcolm in the Middle" fame, is neck-deep in problems, complications, and flat-out ugliness from the minute he lights the Bunsen burner. Although the writers have woven-in some amazingly ironic lines, known in the trade as "comic relief," the characters deliberately deliver their quips in such a super-slow, slack-jawed drawl they seem more tragic than funny. Of course, "Breaking Bad" TV series make some pretense toward allegory of the American middle class struggling through the throes of deep recession, and it scores some hard hits. Most of all, though, "Breaking Bad" shows that even when fine writers, directors, and actors can find humor and pathos in displaced white-collar workers' undignified struggle for dignity, it still looks awfully damned dreary and ugly.

"CSI" TV shows reveals the side of Las Vegas tourists seldom see... Gil Grissom, team leader of the Las Vegas Crime Scene Investigation unit, pioneered the intensity that has become the signature quality in all of Jerry Bruckheimer's heroes; but his flaws were closer to the surface and more genuinely tragic than Horatio Kane's or Mac Taylor's. William Peterson put a handsome face on dorkitude, but he seldom could conceal his passion for insects and his perverse fascination with the world of bondage and discipline. When Grissom bid adios to "CSI," Catherine Willows naturally stepped-up to take his place, dragging her single-mom issues and checkered past along with her. Blasting from relative obscurity to television uber-stardom, Marg Helgenberger has so thoroughly imprinted her own style on her character that fans expect her to sign "Catherine Willows" as her autograph. More old-fashioned gumshoe than techie whiz-kid, Willows nevertheless guides her hyper-dedicated team with skill, style, and love. No more sophisticated than any other television crime drama, "CSI" nevertheless has owned its time slot since its debut, because its characters combine street-savvy toughness with genuine likability. And who can resist all those cool shots of bullets blasting through brain matter? Trivia devotees will note that songstress Taylor Swift made her critically acclaimed acting debut on "CSI," playing the a dark, troubled, and ultimately dead "goth" girl in search of love and understanding"”in other words, the diametric opposite of her authentic self.

Admittedly indebted to Jack Kerouac and the cinematic stylings of Harrison Ford in the Indiana Jones series, "Supernatural TV show" wobbled as it took its first tentative steps into the paranormal, but it has grown stronger and smarter with age and experience. Fans of "The Gilmore Girls" immediately will recognize Jared Padalecki who plays Sam, a Stanford undergrad who wants nothing more than to escape his family's ghost-busting business and go to law school. Of course, that's not gonna happen. Instead, Sam gets stuck riding shotgun on a road trip with his profligate brother Dean, played well by Jensen Ackless recently of "Smallville fame. As the boys travel from San Francisco to LA, normally a boring ten-hour trip, they encounter ghoulish and ghostly creatures brought to life from American folklore and legends. Describing steady improvement in the show's writing and acting, one critic said it went from being "a pretty good show to being a pretty great show." Just before the show launched its fifth season, Rolling Stone was more effusive in its praise as it numbered "Supernatural" among its "Fifty Best Reasons to Watch TV".

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.

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?

"Good Trouble" is a television drama series that premiered in 2019 on Freeform, an American cable channel. It is a spin-off of the show "The Fosters" and follows the lives of sisters Callie and Mariana Adams Foster as they navigate adulthood in Los Angeles. The show tackles various contemporary issues such as social justice, identity, and relationships.