As he championed "the new journalism" in the late sixties, Tom Wolfe suggested no one ever would write anything truly compelling"”fact or fiction"”about the suburbs; he asserted, "There is no life there." During the New Depression, however, the suburbs have gone ghetto, suddenly teeming with life and depravity; and television writers are producing all kinds of compelling stuff about what they have discovered beyond the white picket fences. Witness Showtime's smash-hit "Weeds," the life and times of a "proper" suburban widow keeping-up appearances while she deals more dope than a six-pack of Mexican cartels. As in "The Office," the basic premise for "Weeds" is an import from Great Britain, adapted from the British film Saving Grace which showed a widow and her gardener conspiring to maintain the widow's lifestyle by supplying the locals with their favorite herbal refreshment. Critics frequently compare "Weeds" with American Beauty for its exploitation of the idea "Normal is the face we wear to cover how f***ed-up we are." By contrast with "Desperate Housewives," Nancy Botwin, our entrepreneurial heroine, has far more good reason for desperation than her difficulty achieving orgasm; she has a house, a mortgage, two sons, and a reputation. Since Bonfire of the Vanities tanked and "Weeds" flourished, Tom Wolfe may have to consider the distinct possibility that there is no life in Manhattan.

Dave is a comedy television series that premiered on FX in 2020. The show stars Dave Burd, a rapper and comedian who goes by the stage name Lil Dicky. The series is loosely based on Burd's own experiences in the music industry and his journey to become a successful rapper.

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.

"Bored to Death" seems so completely and consummately the work of Larry David it ought to come with some kind of designer label. Its characters show the same seen-it-all New York brusqueness that distinguished the most memorable characters on "Seinfeld," and the characters sleep-walk through their lives with the same un-self-consciousness as their cousins on "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Not surprisingly, therefore, David scored a prestigious nomination for a 2010 Writers' Guild Award. Based on a delectably quirky premise, "Bored to Death" stars Jason Schwartzman as Jonathan, a writer in search of meaning, adventure, and consolation has he struggles through a pretty routine midlife crisis. When his long-time girlfriend dumps him, walking roughshod all over his delicate ego, Jonathan becomes a Craig's List private detective. The New York Times explains, "One of the charms of "Bored to Death" is that the hero, a pothead and screw-up, secretly moonlights as a man of action" at least as much action as missing skateboards and cheating boyfriends can trigger. Ted Danson co-stars as George, a profligate publisher and socialite, who encourages Jonathan's new endeavor. Not surprisingly, Danson shows a marked tendency to steal all the scenes in which he appears. Mid-life man's marginalization probably is the well-spring of Larry David's most exquisite ironies.

General Hospital TV Show is a daytime soap opera that is set in Port Charles, along the coast of New York. The main hub is General Hospital with the focus on the people that work there and their families. The Quartermaines hold the most history in Port Charles and most things involve them, but mob boss Sonny Corinthos always adds to the mix of events. You will find everything from secret paternity to murder to multiple marriages, but never a dull moment. With General Hospital TV Show there is always some extreme twist around the corner to keep you captivated and wanting more.

An Australian TV mockumentary, Angry Boys has what it takes to make reality television fun to watch. Take a set of teenage twin brothers from Australia, a rapper from Los Angeles, California, a young Japanese boy who wants to become a champion surfer, and an assortment of other characters who drift in and out of the weekly shows and you have a strange combination that somehow works in the "reality TV" format. It's about the typical issues faced by young males in this, the 21st century. The peer pressures, the hopes and dreams all young people have to begin with. Some see their dreams come true, some simply go another route to find happiness. Twins Nathan and Daniel live with their mother and step dad and lead average lives but Nathan happens to be almost entirely deaf. His brother, Daniel decides to give him a great going away present (before Nathan goes off to a school for the deaf) and invite a few of their heroes to attend. Those include a rap artist from LA, S mouse, a surf pro, Tim Okazaki, and a bikini clad model named Emily Chase. Some unusual character combinations make this fun and interesting viewing.