The first season of this HBO-produced TV show is set in small town Treme three months after Hurricane Katrina has hit the New Orleans area. The leading characters in the TV series are musicians, bar-owners, chefs and Mardi Gras Indians and other odious characters, many of them playing themselves as a jazz trumpeter, singer and composer Kermit Ruffins who take part in the pilot episode and appears through all of the first season (he guests in second and third episode as well). As for Treme creators "“ you definitely know the names David Simon and James Yoshimura, who wrote a screenplay for another HBO TV show: Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets; Nina Kostroff Noble, who brought to you The Corner; Eric Overmyer, a talented writer and producer, who stands behind Law & Order, The Wire and New Amsterdam; Carolyn Strauss, an ex-President of HBO, who was responsible for success of The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Sex and the City. This professional team has delivered a buoyant and life-asserting television show about life and struggle of New Orleans residents trying to rebuild their homes, businesses, lives and relationships. These quite a serious, as per common sense things, are presented in very humorous light, making us to believe the everything will be OK with these nice Louisianan folks. The slogan of TV series is: " Hurricanes, Floods, Exile, Crime. Corruption. Betrayal. Greed. Neglect. Is That All You Got?" is colorfully reflects their life-affirming relation to reality, which is worthy of all respect taking to consideration all the circumstances they have been so unlucky to gone thru.

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".

Another reality television show that actually has merit is School Pride. The show is based on an actual restoration on Carver Elementary, a school in Compton, California seven years ago. The schools chosen on this program will receive around two million dollars worth of upgrades and repairs that were sorely needed plus plenty of exposure via the television program. Additionally the student participation helped with School Pride as they were a part of renovations and it is their family, volunteers, and neighbors that help organize the production. The premise is that schools in need of costly repairs can receive help when they showcase how much need there is for improvements and students participate by showing how much pride they have for their school. Somewhat based on the television program "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" the cameras follow students, teachers, and community members performing the renovations badly needed by a particular school. In seven days it's amazing how much can be done and camera crews will return a few months later to see just how much improvement has been made and how it affects the surrounding community.

Those familiar with Law & Order will appreciate the concept of approaching legal cases from more than one perspective. In The Whole Truth we see each case from both the prosecution and the defense angles so have an opportunity to decide whether a defendant is guilty or innocent judging by the evidence presented to us and to a judge and jury. One memorable episode includes the addition of Judd Hirsch (Taxi) to the cast as a beloved judge who has been charged in a murder. Seems he approved a wiretap on a dangerous drug lord before it turned into a far larger problem involving federal charges. Rob Morrow (Numb3rs, Northern Exposure) portrays Jimmy Brogan is the prosecuting attorney for the state of New York (actually the filming was done in Los Angeles, California) and Maura Tierney (ER) is Kathryn Peale a strong advocate of personal and legal rights for her clients. The two attorneys are on opposite sides of the courtroom in each episode and we must decide who we think has the upper edge or who puts on the best case for their clients, then we see the results in the finale.

"Six Feet Under" is an American television series created by Alan Ball. It aired on HBO from 2001 to 2005 and follows the lives of the Fisher family, who run a funeral home in Los Angeles.

A fictional British Royal finds he is in succession for the throne after his father King James III has died. The twenty four year old Richard IV who is played by Rupert Evans (Paradise Heights, Emma) finds himself being resented by his older sister, the Princess Eleanor (played by Sophie Winkleman from Red Dwarf, Love Live Long) because she has evidently been passed over in favor of her brother and she desperately wants that throne for herself. Princess Eleanor and Major Simon Brooks, played by David Harewood (Blood Diamond) who is her private secretary have devised a way to plot together in an attempt to discredit now King Richard and bad family blood may be shed before she gets her way. Richard's own secretary, Abigail Thomas (Zoe Telford) has plans on writing a "tell all" book about the goings on in the Royal Palace. Politics and corruption within the royalty of Britain is always interesting viewing and The Palace brings plenty of interesting half truths and while a dramatization it still provides some insight into how royalty live their lives.