Describing "Harry's Law," one summary says flatly, "A former patent lawyer brings together a group of misfit associates to form an unconventional law practice." How did the producers ever pitch that concept to the network? Oh, wait. It was NBC. Still, a patent lawyer? Misfit associates? Real exciting, right? Do not judge too quickly, because Kathy Bates applies her quirky charisma to her portrayal of Harriet "Harry" Korn, and she works some small screen magic. A mid-season replacement for one of NBC's cavalcade of epic failures, "Harry's Law" actually looks a lot like a real television drama"”real characters, real actors, real plots, and dialogue peppered with genuinely witty repartee. The premise and some of the best writing come from David E. Kelley, television's answer to John Grisham"”prolific and provocative. As The New York Times observes, "A hallmark of Mr. Kelley's shows is often the thinnest application of logic or reason in depictions of a world dedicated to logic and reason." The settings and courtroom dramas seldom resemble anything in real life, but they tend to recreate the audience's imagination of the legal system and "crusading" criminal attorneys. Close enough. In eight episodes, "Harry's Law" has established a loyal following in a timeslot long dominated by ABC's "Castle." Vegas betting parlours probably will give you odds on "Harry's Law" returning in the fall, and it might be worth risking a dollar or so.

Tell Me Lies is a television series based on a novel of the same name by author Carola Lovering. The story revolves around two college students, Lucy Albright and Stephen DeMarco, who fall in love despite their differences in background and personalities. However, their relationship takes a dark turn as they both struggle with addiction and mental health issues, leading to a toxic and manipulative dynamic.

Sometimes "Bravo" serves-up high-quality instruction at least as powerfully as "The Learning Channel" and "National Geographic." Case in point: "Kell on Earth" reveals the ecology of New York's fashion industry, vividly illustrating the perilous lives of smaller fish on the couture food chain, and charting the symbiosis between design houses and the fashion press. The "Kell" in "Kell on Earth" refers to hyper-manic high-powered fashion publicist Kelly Cutrone, diva-dominatrix of public relations firm "People's Revolution." Although eponymous Kell gets the most air-time, "Kell on Earth" is not automatically all about her; instead, it shows the harried lives of second-tier stylists, public relations interns, and personal trainers who dwell near the bottom of New York's tumultuous, tempest-tossed fashion fishbowl. Observant viewers will note striking similarity between People's Revolution and Lauren Conrad's workplace on "The Hills" and "The City," which brought Cutrone into the public eye. Those same insightful viewers will see, however, that real-reality show "Kell on Earth" proves Cutrone's "little people" frequently sweat, swear, and stress, really working for their paychecks.

Lisa Jane Smith, author of a whole library-shelf full of Vampire Diaries for literate tweens, has every right to feel like a Shakespearean monarch whose throne is usurped in a tragedy's first act. She pioneered the genre, took a little sabbatical, and came back to find her world dominated by Harry Potter and all those "Twilight People." In 2008, The Vampire Diaries were reprinted in cool new covers and fonts, and L.J. Smith returned to writing full time. In the fall of 2009, "The Vampire Diaries TV Show" came to the CW, developed and produced by Kevin Williamson of "Dawson's Creek" fame. To his everlasting credit, Williamson expertly preserves the goodness and sweetness of Smith's characters and situations. Although the vampires naturally want to seduce the sensitive young heroines into their dark world, the pretty little women always bring the flesh-hungry bad boys back into the light. Of course, the show's production values allow lots of room for good music and teen-aged angst"”there is no shortage of fog, but it also has plenty of attitude. In addition to foretelling evil events, the show's prophet can predict fashion trends. The story turns on a tween's eternal dilemma: wistful good girl falls in love with the good vampire brother but is constantly tempted by bad-boy vampire other-brother. What is a girl to do?

"The Drop" is a story about a young married couple, Lex and Mani, who are trying to have a baby while living in Los Angeles. They attend a destination wedding in Mexico with Lex's old college friends, but an accident during their stay causes the couple to question their relationship and their potential parenthood. However, the story is weakened by an ensemble of absurdist friends who take focus away from the main conflict and lead to a fractured and uneven exploration of love. The story starts off with an exciting premise, but ultimately falls short in its execution. The Drop is a comedy film that centers around characters talking endlessly, over-analyzing and presuming rather than making progress. The main incident that drives the story is when one of the characters drops a baby, and the characters spend the rest of the film discussing the incident and its implications. The movie is in the style of Seinfeld episodes, and movies by the Duplass brothers, where the humor comes from the characters' conversations rather than the plot. The movie also deals with the theme of privilege, and how well-off people with too much free time tend to believe in nonsense, while thinking they've discovered the truth.

Empire is a television series that first aired in 2015 and ran for six seasons. The show centers around the Lyon family, who run a successful music company called Empire Entertainment. The patriarch, Lucious Lyon, is a former drug dealer turned music mogul who is diagnosed with a terminal illness at the beginning of the series. As he struggles to choose which of his three sons will inherit his business, tensions rise and family secrets are revealed.