"The Handmaid's Tale" is a TV series based on a novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood. It takes place in a dystopian society called Gilead, where a fundamentalist Christian group has overthrown the US government and created a new society based on strict religious laws. Women are treated as property, and many are forced to become "handmaids," whose sole purpose is to bear children for wealthy families.

For several years, "Law and Order: SVU TV show" has reigned as the most popular title in the "Law and Order" franchise. As the opening intones, In New York's war on crime, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous.," and the Special Victims Unit works round the clock on the city's most gut-wrenching cases. "SVU" has held onto its legions of loyal viewers by delivering hard-hitting, compelling and complicated plots week after week. Over the years, the characters have evolved, but the core cast has remained constant. The consistency and continuity undoubtedly contribute to viewers' dedication to Detectives Elliott Stabler (Christopher Meloni) and Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay). "Law and Order: SVU TV show" also attracts high-powered stars for special appearances in every episode, and it challenges the guests to step well outside their comfort zones, demanding they play parts radically different from roles that made them famous. In recent years, Julie Bowen and Luke Perry co-starred in an episode that told the story of a woman who unwittingly married the man who raped her. Cynthia Nixon of "Sex and the City" fame played a woman with multiple personality disorder; and superstar Sharon Stone has done a stint as Deputy District Attorney. "SVU's" combination of an exceptionally strong core cast plus great guest stars plus intriguing, engaging, labyrinthine plots often "ripped from the headlines" takes viewers on a weekly thrill ride, keeping it riding high in the ratings.

As with the movie that aired on the Lifetime network in 2010, The Client List is about a single mom who struggles between her parenthood role and the career she has chosen in the massage therapy business. The industry has long existed under a dark cloud and many thought there was prostitution involved. Professional Massage Therapists keep trying to convince the public that theirs is a strictly legal line of work and that they operate with high moral standards and are regulated by state medical rules in most states. Jennifer Love Hewitt does reprise her role from the 2010 made for TV film, The Client List, as Riley Parks the single parent who tries to provide for her children while managing to be a strong business woman. As she balances her two lives Parks struggles to keep food on her family's table and help her business gain legitimacy. Jennifer Love Hewitt (Hot In Cleveland, Party of Five) is joined by Cybill Shepherd (Moonlighting, The Last Picture Show) who plays her mother, Lynette. Rebecca Field (October Road, Monk) is Lacey, longtime girlfriend of Riley. The TV series fits in well with Lifetime Television's style of portraying roles based on strong independent women.

Television currently suffers a serious adolescent crush on New Jersey, happily showcasing its housewives, manicurists, unemployed party animals, and now its history of slick, sophisticated organized crime. "Boardwalk Empire," adapted from the bestseller with the same name, shows Atlantic City's colorful jazz age history, paying fierce attention to realistic details and historical accuracy. "Boardwalk Empire" takes the Sunday night timeslot usually reserved for "True Blood" while the vampires go on hiatus, and with skilled assistance from Martin Scorsese, it so completely rivets its audience that they cannot remember what they used to watch after "60 Minutes." Like a complicated, sophisticated Victorian novel, "Boardwalk Empire" takes two episodes to set the stage and establish its historical context; but once the bootleggers, gangsters, and corrupt politicians get their machinery greased-up and going, eager audiences stay tuned. The New York Times effectively summarizes, "'Boardwalk Empire' is a well conceived, beautifully made series that has every reason to be great. Who doesn't want to watch rum runners and gangsters on HBO?" Mtv and E! will break-up with Jersey, and they will not "still be just friends" when new seasons roll around; but viewers can look forward to HBO's going steady with "Boardwalk Empire" until the vampires come home.

You can compare Army Wives the television show to soap operas. There are similarities just as there are in real life. Maybe more comparable with Desperate Housewives though because of all they experience in a typical day. One "wife" is an Army brat who is used to the vagabond lifestyle of the military. Another, a former police officer, hires herself out as a surrogate mom to make some extra cash. There is also a male version of the Army wife, himself a shrink whose wife has become the first African American lieutenant colonel. There is plenty of jealousy, sex, and out-ranking plus some poignant moments thanks to the stresses involved in military life. Starring Kim Delaney ( NYPD Blue, The O.C.), Brigid Branagh (Criminal Minds, 24), Sally Pressman (Criminal Minds, Shark), Sterling K Brown (Detroit 1-8-7, Harry's Law), and Catherine Bell (The Good Witch, JAG). Former soap queen from All My Children, Susan Lucci joins the cast as the wife of a retired Brigadier General.

"The Alienist" is a television series that premiered on TNT in 2018. It is based on the novel of the same name by Caleb Carr and is set in 1896 in New York City. The show follows a team of experts, including a psychologist or "alienist," a newspaper illustrator, and a police secretary, as they investigate a series of gruesome murders of young male prostitutes.