Officer Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) works for the CIA and as an operative strives to keep this country safe from another attack such as the one occurring in September 11, 2001. Her latest assignment involves finding a Marine Corp member, Sergeant Nicholas Brody. He was captured in 2003 and considered to be missing in action, but was later found to be held by Al-Qaeda until recently. There is danger that he was "turned" by the enemy and now may pose tremendous risk to our nations security. When Officer Mathison is put on probation due to conducting some unauthorized operations while in Iraq, she finds herself reassigned to Langley, VA and a CIA counter terrorism center. In other words, a desk job. While in Iraq Mathison learned of a prisoner from America there who had become corrupt. Now the CIA superiors of Mathison consider the prisoner Brody to be somewhat of a hero. Claire Danes (My So-Called Life, Temple Grandin) is Officer Carrie Mathison who is employed by the CIA in counter intelligence. Nicholas Brody is played by Damian Lewis (The Forsyte Saga, Band of Brothers), rescued after eight years as a POW. The CIA Division Chief of the Middle East and Carrie Mathison's mentor and former boss is Saul Berenson played by Mandy Patinkin (Chicago Hope, Dead Like Me). Cast is tremendous and story is fresh, up to date, and somewhat disturbing.

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.

Anyone who has ever been diagnosed with cancer knows there is little funny about the subject. And to be a young suburban housewife and a mother as well is, well let's say downright depressing to talk about such a burden. But Cathy Jamison manages to bring a lighter aspect to the Big C even as she deals with her immature husband. Laura Linney (Mystic River, Love Actually) plays Catherine Jamison who is a high school teacher diagnosed with melanoma. Not one to simply lie down and die Cathy infuses plenty of humor, sometimes dark humor, into her life and bolsters her family's outlook as well. Her husband Paul, played by Oliver Platt (Year One, Frost/Nixon) apparently has a child like vision of his life and approaches the situation with his wife as if it simply does not exist. Cathy also has a son and a brother with whom she tries to improve relationships with, not knowing if she will be around much longer. Humor is found in the rocky relationships between family and friends who handle her serious illness in different manners and the last thing Cathy needs is squabbling relatives when she has her own worries. It's all handled with a lightness that the writers find even in trying times.

"Ray Donovan" is an American television crime drama series that aired from 2013 to 2020. The show centers around the titular character, Ray Donovan, who works as a professional "fixer" for the rich and famous in Los Angeles. Ray's job is to make their problems disappear, whether it be covering up a scandal or silencing a witness. However, his own troubled past and complicated family dynamics often get in the way of his work and personal life.

"Parade's End" is a British television miniseries that aired in 2012. It is based on a series of novels by Ford Madox Ford and is set during World War I. The story revolves around a wealthy Englishman named Christopher Tietjens, who is in a troubled marriage with his adulterous wife, Sylvia. He also falls in love with a young suffragette named Valentine Wannop, who becomes his confidante and ally during the war.

"Show Me a Hero" is a six-part miniseries based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Lisa Belkin. The series was created by David Simon, who is best known for his work on "The Wire" and "Treme." It was produced by HBO and premiered in August 2015.