Starring Edie Falco, Showtime's "Nurse Jackie" stands out as arguably the best medical drama on television, because the premium cable network allows writers and producers plenty of latitude for developing all of Jackie's passions"”the quality of her patients' care, the unbearable arrogance of vaguely sociopathic physicians, and the delicious relief of good orgasms and Oxycontin. "Nurse Jackie," both the character and the show, have some issues: The character suffers excruciating pain from a bad back and therefore has developed an addiction to painkillers. Yes, you have seen this dangerous dilemma recently on both "House" and "Southland," where the admirable characters continue doing their wonderworks despite their addictions. "Nurse Jackie," the show, suffers a subtle but unmistakable identity crisis, suggesting opportunities for some of the most brilliant black humor known to American medical drama; but, like a pensive and pretentious nineteen-year-old, it insists on taking itself much too seriously. One critic aptly observes, "'Nurse Jackie' doesn't look like the average network medical drama, but it does follow the formula of many premium cable shows, taking a knowing and at times dark, sardonic look at the classic themes of love, life and work." The critic, however, forgets to mention that nowhere does "sardonic" appear as a synonym for either "funny" or "engaging."

"How I Met Your Father" is an upcoming American television series that is a spin-off of the popular sitcom "How I Met Your Mother". The show is set to follow the story of a new group of friends living in New York City and their adventures in dating and relationships. Unlike the original series, this time the story is told from the perspective of a woman as she recounts to her children how she met their father.

Kenny Powers can play baseball with the best of them but when his career as a professional pitcher is on the downslide he decides to go back home to Shelby, North Carolina and become a physical education teacher. Some may wonder where those coaches come from and this might be a clue. Plenty of pro athletes return to their roots when they find there are only so many positions to go around and lots of excellent potential superstars to fill them. Helping mold and train those brilliant young athletes is what coaching is all about and Kenny Powers plans on doing his best to help build the best. Danny McBride stars as Powers and this Will Ferrell produced television show made for HBO is excellent programming that shows the difficulty and rewards of becoming the best that you can be. The trip back to his middle school and home town give this burned out ball player a new lease on life and is an inspiration for young athletes and physical education in general.

Councilwoman Melissa Burke known as "Mel" used to be quite the party girl and rebelled against society before growing up and getting serious about her community. Now a dedicated councilwoman, Melissa (played by Melissa Joan Hart from Sabrina the Teenage Witch & My Fake Fiancee) finds she must provide a home for her nephew and niece (her sister's children). Seems that their mom is in jail for money laundering while their dad is on the run after being accused of running a Ponzi scheme. Melissa soon discovers she needs help with her new instant family and hires a babysitter to help out. Joey Lawrence (My Fake Fiancee & Gimme a Break!) plays Joe Longo, a commodities trader, is currently out of work due to the same Ponzi scheme and hires on as the new nanny or "manny". Taking on two youngsters, Ryder and Lennox, is no easy task as both Joe and Mel soon find out. This heart warming family sit-com is full of hope and day to day situations that mirror real life.

"White Collar" delivers the requisite Feds and felons, but you do it a serious dis-service if you describe it as a "crime drama." No one on "White Collar" would insist "just the facts, ma'am; just the facts," because complex characters and complicated motives drive the plots and magnetize viewers. As The New York Times wisely remarks, "White Collar" complies with USA Network's higher standards for cops and robbers; it "creates a fantasy version of law enforcement in which bureaucracies don't scuttle justice, reason prevails, and brilliance ensures the best possible outcome. At one point Burke asks his office how many went to Harvard, more than half raise their hands." Matt Bomer plays Neil Caffrey, "White Collar's" resident lovable bad-guy-turned-good-guy. Caffrey, whose style and savoir faire give him legitimate claim to membership in the Rat Pack, has struck a deal with his long-time nemesis, FBI agent Peter Burke, played to perfection by Tim DeKay. Burke will release Caffrey from Federal prison long before the end of his sentence if Caffrey agrees to lend his criminal genius to the Bureau's efforts to seek-out and imprison sophisticated evil-doers. Who could resist a deal like that?

Take a pair of long time friends who've become attorneys then put them to work in a stuffy law firm, and you have a new hit television series called Franklin & Bash. Breckin Meyer (Garfield: The Movie & Ghosts of Girlfriends Past) is Jared Franklin, overly self confident son of a well known trial lawyer who still loves to party, even while on the job. Mark-Paul Gosselaar (John from Cincinnati, Raising the Bar) plays Peter Bash who has been a close friend of Jared's for years and is much more mature than his zany pal "crash" a law firm by use of some rather unconventional techniques that amaze senior partner Stanton Infeld (Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) enough that he hires them to work in the firm. Once they move to the new prestigious firm even get their own enormous partners office. Franklin & Bash realize they've hit the jackpot with their new jobs and won't let their stuffed shirt new bosses tell them how to practice law. All is not well, of course, and they learn that compromise is important to succeed in their line of work and still have fun doing their jobs.