"Deadwood" is a critically acclaimed American Western television series that aired on HBO from 2004 to 2006. The show takes place in the late 1800s in the lawless town of Deadwood, South Dakota, during the Gold Rush. The show was praised for its authentic portrayal of the historical period and its use of language.

Call it one of television's most credible attempts at realistic fiction: Ryan Murphy, "Nip/Tuck's" producer, insists the medical conditions and procedures on which the episodes center "are 100% based on fact." Ironically, though, "Nip/Tuck's" representation of the surgeon's private lives may impress ordinary viewers as the program's most faithful representation of real life people and events. "Nip/Tuck" centers on Sean McNamara and Christian Troy, successful plastic surgeons, originally practicing their science and art in Miami, but conveniently relocated to Los Angeles at the end of "Nip/Tuck's" fourth season. Dr. McNamara, "the nice one," struggles to keep his family together as they weather trials and tribulations that come as the complications of success. Dr. Troy, "the naughty one," loves money and sex, and sometimes commits serious scalpel screw-ups. Never shy about taking-on controversial subjects, "Nip/Tuck" won critical acclaim, Golden Globe and Emmy awards for its treatment of domestic violence, promiscuity, recreational drug use, and the risk of addiction to cosmetic surgery. On March 3, 2010, "Nip/Tuck's" one hundredth episode, last in the series, became the most-watched scripted program in the history of the FX network.

"Spartacus: Gods of the Arena" - different gladiator, same sex and violence. Starz' deliciously decadent"”salacious, violent, often flat-out brutal"”"Spartacus: Blood and Sand" recently went on extended hiatus, leaving its legions of loyal fans "jonesing" for their weekly doses of decapitation and bare breasts. The Spartacus team satisfied fans' craving with "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena," a six-episode prequel to the continuing saga of Batiatus and Associates. Starting with a flashback montage of "Blood and Sand's" greatest hits, more precisely Batiatus's life flashing before his eyes in the moment before his death, "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena" shows Batiatus's rise to prominence and power with the assistance and support of his all-pro gladiator Gannicus. Because these stories represent "a more ruthless time"¦where honor was just finding its way into the arena," the writers and producers feel free to elaborate and experiment with their already-established characters, and they feel similar artistic license with super-slow-motion gore and fun-fantasy sex. They clearly are perfecting their craft. One particularly insightful viewer concluded his review of "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena" with a sage observation: "I think that's one of the smart decisions putting it on a Friday night since it's an ideal end of the work week thing to watch."

"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.

"I Know This Much Is True" is a six-part miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Wally Lamb. The series was created and written by Derek Cianfrance and premiered on HBO in May 2020.

How many television shows can claim the honor of creating a new term in the English language? "Grey's Anatomy" qualified for the Oxford English Dictionary with its phrase "McDreamy," the residents' term for the hot young surgeon with whom they worked and studied. And original coinage is just the tip of the program's linguistic iceberg as it has remained arguably the best written show on television for more than five seasons. Both narrative and dialogue dazzle in every episode; accompanied by the right music, the closing sequences guarantee a good cry. Enrolled in the nation's toughest and most competitive residency, five young women doctors struggle to survive forty-eight hour shifts and the rigors of a program supervised by five famous doctors who are determined to shape them up or break them down. The women focus on, often obsesses with their careers, and romance, in the words of one viewer, "like take-out pizza, is consumed on the run." Just before the show's 2005 debut, Alessandra Stanley described it as "a Girl Power version of "˜ER'," still the best one-phrase summary ever. All those young girls, and only one McDreamy.