"Black-ish" is a popular American sitcom that premiered in 2014 and is still running. The show is centered around an African-American family, the Johnsons, who live in the wealthy and predominantly white neighborhood of Los Angeles. The series explores issues of race, class, and identity in a comedic way, while also touching on more serious topics.

If your family drama cannot be "Modern Family" or "Brothers and Sisters," then what can it be? It almost inevitably will be NBC's "Parenthood," a mid-season, post-Olympic experiment boldly launched in February, 2010. The "Parenthood" experiment tests the hypothesis that good writers and actors can find the middle ground between "Modern Family's" understated but outrageous satire and "Brothers and Sisters'" intensity. Producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are re-working the basic premise of Parenthood, the 1989 movie starring Steve Martin as a frazzled father trying with all his might to do the right thing for everyone he loves. The New York Times accurately observes, "'Parenthood,' with its polished scripts and beautifully shot exteriors, seems like a last gasp of television past," big-big production values and a cast of small-screen all-stars including Craig T. Nelson, Bonnie Bedelia, and Lauren Graham. "Parenthood's" plots and dialogue exploit the irony in everyday family life, winning empathetic laughs and wry smiles where other teams might push too hard for punchlines. Some of the dialogue has the same brilliant serrated edge that distinguished "Gilmore Girls," but, as Lauren Graham points out, "I do not have to talk so fast." Like all good comedy, the teasing and quirkiness are fundamentally good-natured, and every episode features at least one weep-worthy segment. Because "Parenthood" is not "Modern Family" or "Brothers and Sisters," it has become the rarest of rare productions at NBC"”a hit.

According to the series' creator Marc Cherry, "Desperate Housewives TV show" recreates the suburban malaise of the hit movie American Beuaty, substituting irony for melancholy. Cherry reportedly conceived the show after watching news reports about Andrea Yates. When he first pitched the show, Cherry called it a "parody" of soap operas; when ABC picked-up the show, executives told Cherry to focus on the soap opera and the parody would take care of itself. They were right. Up and down Wisteria Lane, four women wage love and sustain family life, cleverly concealing all kinds of insidious plots, illicit affairs, and the occasional felony. Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, and Eva Longoria Parker have imprinted their styles on their characters, collecting armloads of Emmys, Golden Globe Awards, and Screen Actors' Guild Awards along the way. In April, 2007, ratings experts reported "Desperate Housewives" was the most popular tv show in its global demographic, boasting more 120 million worldwide viewers. Behind the scenes, a little bit of the show's history reveals how Disney executives can overdose on their own sugary snacks. Shortly after programmers Lloyd Braun and Susan Lyne gave the go-ahead for "Desperate Housewives," the suits fired them, because they simultaneously had approved an extremely "risky" TV show called "Lost."

Legendary bad-boy and all-around ace philanderer Charlie Sheen stars in CBS's hit sitcom "Two-and-a-Half Men," inspiring most loyal viewers to wonder how much the show and its situation actually challenge the million-dollar jokester really to act. Sheen plays, just coincidentally, of course, Charlie, a profligate composer living comfortably on the beach in Malibu thanks to his singular gift for making-up catchy commercial jingles. Charlie's steadfast devotion to "The Playboy Philosophy" meets serious challenges when his frighteningly repressed, skin-crawlingly anxious, and obnoxiously too-preppy chiropractor brother moves into the beach house, bringing his adolescent son with him"”both refugees from a Southern California tract-house divorce. Perfectly cast for his role in "Two-and-a-Half Men," John Cryer brilliantly recreates Alan's tics, quirks, and peccadilloes; and Angus T. Jones, television's consummate anti-Disney superstar, makes puberty and cluelessness look (almost) vaguely adorable. Brilliant, insightful, incisive, snarky and sardonic, frequently edgy, deliciously allusive writing keeps the show fresh and relevant"”lots of running jokes and familiar motifs have developed, but nothing ever seems even vaguely old"¦least of all, Charlie Sheen.

There are plenty of "cop" shows on television currently but one truly stands out as being totally entertaining and that one is Memphis Beat. Comedy, action, and some really good acting as well as scripts that stand out from the rest make for an hour's worth of enjoyment every week. Memphis Beat stars Jason Lee (My Name is Earl, Clerks II) as Memphis PD detective Dwight Hendricks, the self proclaimed "keeper of Memphis". He has several women in his life including his mother Paula Hendricks who is played by Celia Weston (Knight and Day, Modern Family), Memphis PD lieutenant Tanya Rice (Alfre Woodard from Desperate Housewives, Star Trek: First Contact), and an ex-wife Alex (played by Sunny Mabrey from Mad Men, Rules of Engagement) who shows up now and then. He has his hands full with each of these three women but his job seems to be a relief from personal life. Memphis Beat shows the southern charm and easy way of life of the south and even brings in some Elvis Presley music along the way. George Clooney is executive producer.

When Sasha Paley wrote her "young adult novel" about weight problems that are all too common in today's youth, she could have more than likely foreseen the popularity of a television series based on the concept. It is an enormous problem for many young people today and by addressing it within the context of a popular TV program it will be seen by many and perhaps help some who are struggling with their weight. A summer camp dedicated to weight loss, Camp Victory is the destination for the cast of "chubbies" determined to lose weight and become healthier along the way to becoming popular in school. Written capably by Winnie Holzman (My So-Called Life) and her daughter Savannah Dooley, the cast includes Nikki Blonsky playing Willamena, filled with resentment for being sent to "fat camp" by her parents, Hayley Hasselhoff is Amber, thinner and prettier than the rest but lacking self-confidence, and Raven Goodwin who plays Becca, bookworm who is painfully shy and becomes fast friend with Willamena. Good writing and a talented cast make this semi reality show well worth watching.