If your family drama cannot be "Modern Family" or "Brothers and Sisters," then what can it be? It almost inevitably will be NBC's "Parenthood," a mid-season, post-Olympic experiment boldly launched in February, 2010. The "Parenthood" experiment tests the hypothesis that good writers and actors can find the middle ground between "Modern Family's" understated but outrageous satire and "Brothers and Sisters'" intensity. Producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are re-working the basic premise of Parenthood, the 1989 movie starring Steve Martin as a frazzled father trying with all his might to do the right thing for everyone he loves. The New York Times accurately observes, "'Parenthood,' with its polished scripts and beautifully shot exteriors, seems like a last gasp of television past," big-big production values and a cast of small-screen all-stars including Craig T. Nelson, Bonnie Bedelia, and Lauren Graham. "Parenthood's" plots and dialogue exploit the irony in everyday family life, winning empathetic laughs and wry smiles where other teams might push too hard for punchlines. Some of the dialogue has the same brilliant serrated edge that distinguished "Gilmore Girls," but, as Lauren Graham points out, "I do not have to talk so fast." Like all good comedy, the teasing and quirkiness are fundamentally good-natured, and every episode features at least one weep-worthy segment. Because "Parenthood" is not "Modern Family" or "Brothers and Sisters," it has become the rarest of rare productions at NBC"”a hit.

Broad City is a television series that aired on Comedy Central from 2014 to 2019. The show was created by and stars Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, who also wrote and directed many of the episodes. The series follows the misadventures of two best friends, Abbi and Ilana, as they navigate their 20s in New York City.

As Larry David developed "Seinfeld," he openly and unabashedly acknowledged it was "a show about nothing." Now, "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Larry David's show about Larry David similarly is a show dedicated to complete dramatization of practically nothing. Somehow, it manages to be funny anyway. Larry David stars as Larry David, who is a fictionalized version of Larry David. No narcissism in that set-up. The coincidences persist through the rest of the cast: Cheryl Himes plays Cheryl, Jeff Garlin plays Jeff, and Susie Eastman plays Susie, making it much easier to play along on the home version. A semi-retired television writer, David has trouble adapting to the social conventions in Los Angeles, and he devotes a great deal of time and energy to correcting or making-up for his mistakes"¦except when he correcting other people's rude or outrageous behaviour. In its way, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" testifies to David's and the cast's comic genius, because he outlines the plot for each episode, but the actors improvise all of the dialogue, keeping their own enthusiasm well under control.

Television snobs maintain the American version of "The Office" TV series pales by comparison with its British forerunner. Their sneers, however, have done nothing to diminish "The Office's" standing as America's premier sitcom. Audiences and critics wholeheartedly agree the Dunder Mufflin office follies restored NBC as network television's pre-eminent purveyor of great half-hour comedies. Filmed as a "mockumentary," the American "Office" TV show remains faithful to the British example of perfectly deadpan delivery, and the producers wisely add neither laugh-tracks nor musical cues. Of course, brilliant one-liners punctuate the show, but they are subtle and ironic rather than snappy. For example, in characteristically clueless style, Scranton office manager Michael Scott tells his staff, "As Abe Lincoln once said: If you are a racist, we will attack you from the North." Steve Carrell leads a well-chosen ensemble cast who portray a sales force the New York Times aptly characterized as "uniformly unattractive, wan and dull" characteristics which, of course, make them deliciously funny.

Enlightened brings the very talented Laura Dern to television as Amy Jellicoe, an executive who has found her job and her life to be too much to bear. When she suffers from a breakdown which just happens to be a very public embarrassing situation for her, she finds she must attempt to put her life back together by going through rehabilitation. Watch for Diane Ladd who plays Amy's mother, Helen Jellicoe (she is Dern's real life mother). Amy spends three months in Hawaii where she undergoes therapy to help with her problems, then returns home to face reality and the group of co-workers she embarrassed herself by breaking down in front of, living with her mother who is never short on unwelcome advice, and a lazy ex-husband (Luke Wilson) who enjoys his "recreational" drugs too much. Laura Dern is known for her roles in Jurassic Park, Rambling Rose, & Wild At Heart. Actress Diane Ladd has starred in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Primary Colors, & Wild At Heart. She and actor Bruce Dern are Laura's parents. Luke Wilson has been seen in 3:10 To Yuma, Blades of Glory, & Death at a Funeral; and he is brother of Owen Wilson.

Dish Nation is a TV show that features a team of radio personalities from various cities in the United States discussing celebrity news and gossip. The show began airing in 2011 and has since expanded to include teams from 8 different cities. Each team records their own segment which is then edited and compiled into a national broadcast.