Toxic Town

ER is a medical drama TV series that ran on NBC from 1994 to 2009. It was created by Michael Crichton and produced by John Wells. The show follows the daily lives of emergency room doctors and nurses at the fictional County General Hospital in Chicago.

Using state-of-the-art technology and amazing skill with make-up and costuming, Chance, the main character, becomes literally a human target. In each episode of "Human Target," Chance assumes the identity and everyday life of a prominent person in danger. Describing himself as an "extreme bodyguard," Chance uses his wits, skills, and wise-cracking bravado to turn serious danger into a trap for the villains. The sinister evil-doers plot kidnapping, blackmail, extortion, and especially death; the "human target" plots capture. Not the kind of thing for which an ordinary guy usually would volunteer. "Human Target" TV show was praised by the critics and audiences for the quality of the acting"”especially the performances by Earl Haley, Jr., which make a somewhat implausible premise absolutely believable and compelling. Because "Human Target," a decidedly out-of-the-box crime drama, is loosely based on the DC comic series of the same name, the creators have no shortage of bad guys, nor do they struggle to find quirky characters for Chance to impersonate. Critics and audiences agree that the actors playing the three main characters go a long way toward redeeming the show's average, sometimes genuinely awkward writing. They wonder, though, will the actors be able to hold the viewers' attention and loyalty long enough for the writing to fulfill the promise in the premise?

"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.

Based on the Italian fifteenth century Borgia dynasty, the made for the Showtime network series titled The Borgias follows Rodrigo Borgia (Jeremy Irons) rise to power and the Papacy. Called the original crime family, the Borgias amassed great wealth, influence, and power as family patriarch Rodrigo committed nearly every sin imaginable as he gained power and vast wealth. Such successors as The Godfather (Mario Puzo) and The Prince (Niccolò Machiavelli) were inspired by the original "bad family" the Borgias and made for entertaining viewing. But the originals were greedy evil people who had no morals. It is at the height of the Renaissance period that we find the Borgia family intriguing to watch and perhaps learn from. Besides Jeremy Irons there are many fine actors in the cast including Francois Arnaud as Cesare Borgia, Holliday Grainger as Lucrezia Borgia, David Oakes as Juan Borgia, and Derek Jacobi portraying Cardinal Orsini. Look for this entertaining television series and see the original "Godfathers of crime".

A driven new doctor battles chaos in an overwhelmed, underfunded Berlin emergency room in Apple's acclaimed German drama. On Apple TV+.

"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."