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"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.

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Like fine red wines, pate de foie gras, and escargot, Criminal Minds probably is an acquired taste: The crime drama psychoanalyzes the psychoanalysts, definitely building tense drama, but ironically downplaying the crimes. The New York Times has described Criminal Minds as "cerebral," a euphemism for "nerds with guns." Brilliant writing and compelling characters, however, make it work. The stories represent an elite team of specialists"”the FBI's "Behavioral Analysis Unit" "” who, in just forty-four minutes, can deconstruct a crime, profile a criminal, and bring everything to a profound resolution complete with quotation from literature. Naturally, the feds encounter resistance from local enforcers eager to protect their turf. Just as naturally, many of the stories spark viewers' recognition, because they are "ripped from the headlines." Two features sustain viewers' interest in this sometimes too-heady-for-primetime series: First, every audience loves a good hunt for a psychotic serial killer; and, second, in Criminal Minds, many of the good guys are almost as twisted as the bad guys.

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Although the producers of "Family Guy" claim that it represents a "dysfunctional" family, millions of American viewers say it looks perfectly representative of most of the families in their neighborhood. Part of the "animation domination" line-up on Fox Network, "Family Guy" dramatizes the everyday dramas in the lives of Peter and Lois Griffin, their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their dog Brian. Like all Seth MacFarlane productions, "Family Guy" depends on scathing satire of American popular culture for most of its humor, stretching the "plausible impossible" to make the baby and the dog by far the smartest and most perceptive among the members of the family. The Griffins have garnered three Emmys and three Annies for MacFarlane and company, and they have earned one Golden Reel Award. In 2009, "Family Guy" earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series"”the first time since "The Flintstones" were nominated in 1962 that an animated series had numbered among the nominees.

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At the time "Rules of Engagement" premiered on CBS, the network's average viewer was fifty-three years old and more devoted to "60 Minutes" than sexy badinage. Although committed to The Eye's Monday night youth movement, a few programming executives worried that David Spade's first-episode proclamation, "I do what I want. I date who I want. And I sleep with whoever will let me," would tank the new sit-com before it found its legs and voice. Instead, "Rules of Engagement" became a Monday night mainstay, a natural complement to "Two-and-a-Half Men" and "How I Met Your Mother." According to one pundit, "Rules of Engagement" shows "the three stages of sit-com love," comparing and contrasting a scoundrelly, scamming bachelor with both a love-struck, starry-eyed newly engaged couple and a jaded, open-eyed, realistic couple married to one another approximately forever. Although plots generally center on the fiancees, Jeff and Audrey, veterans of marriage, often save the show from life-threatening boredom. Patrick Warburton, poker-faced and intoning his lines in a deliciously monotone bass, makes the perfect foil to Russell, the bachelor's manic sex machine and Adam's ingenuousness.

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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."

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Television snobs maintain the American version of "The Office" TV series pales by comparison with its British forerunner. Their sneers, however, have done nothing to diminish "The Office's" standing as America's premier sitcom. Audiences and critics wholeheartedly agree the Dunder Mufflin office follies restored NBC as network television's pre-eminent purveyor of great half-hour comedies. Filmed as a "mockumentary," the American "Office" TV show remains faithful to the British example of perfectly deadpan delivery, and the producers wisely add neither laugh-tracks nor musical cues. Of course, brilliant one-liners punctuate the show, but they are subtle and ironic rather than snappy. For example, in characteristically clueless style, Scranton office manager Michael Scott tells his staff, "As Abe Lincoln once said: If you are a racist, we will attack you from the North." Steve Carrell leads a well-chosen ensemble cast who portray a sales force the New York Times aptly characterized as "uniformly unattractive, wan and dull" characteristics which, of course, make them deliciously funny.

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Shot in the fashionable "mockumentary" style, allegedly compiled by a foreign exchange student from Sweden, "Modern Family" shows three branches of the Pritchett family tree: Pater familia Jay Pritchett has married Gloria, a much younger, beautiful, passionate and outspoken Columbian, who brings her somewhat unconventional son, Manny, into the family with her. Jay's daughter Claire has married real estate broker Phil Dunphy, and they have three children--Haley, a boy-crazy, attitude-rich high school diva; Alex"”short for Alexis"”a gifted, insightful, but somewhat awkward tween cello player; and Luke, who is cluelessly stumbling through life and elementary school. Jay's son Mitchell, an attorney, and Cameron, his gay partner, have adopted a VietNamese daughter, Lily; and they are adjusting to partnership and parenthood all at once. Together, the family struggles through the predictable crises of everyday life. Spectacular writing distinguishes the show, and its perfectly chosen ensemble cast looks and feels like families who live just up the street. In 2010, at the middle of its first record-breaking season, "Modern Family" collected six Emmy Awards, including the much-coveted award for Outstanding Comedy Series. "Modern Family" also collected a Writer's Guild Award, a Peabody Award, a Directors' Guild Award, and a Television Critics Award.

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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.

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Imported in USA from Great Britain, "Undercover Boss TV show" works on a simple, delectably ironic premise: For a week, the CEO of a major American company goes into stealth mode, impersonating a brand new employee at his own company. The bigger the company, the more the premise works, because most rank-and-file workers could not distinguish between photos of their CEOs and headshots of Carl Rove. CEOs typically spend an entire week going from one entry-level position to another. They go in equipped with plausible back-stories and perfectly plausible explanations for the presence of a film crew; the best of them act just as surprised to see the cameras as all of their co-workers. If the work-a-day grind fails to serve-up "organic" drama, the producers stage challenging situations to develop both the action and the bond between boss and worker. At the end of the undercover week, employees learn "the new guy's" true identity, and the boss rewards employees who have done well or refers struggling workers for more training.

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American Idol has consistently been one of the most watched reality TV shows of all time and continues to draw huge audiences as each new season begins. Most of the previous winners have gone on to have amazing careers in show business. Winning contestants like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Ruben Studdard, Taylor Hicks, Lee DeWyze, and Jordin Sparks have gone on to success both professionally as well as financially. Judges have changes recently but the original three (Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell) were perhaps the most entertaining part of the show because they are each strong personalities themselves and tend to stand out while voicing their own unique opinions regarding what talent is all about. Ryan Seacrest has been MC for the entire run of American Idol and he is a former disk jockey who knows something about musical talent himself. Viewers get to watch some contestants stumble and fail because they simply don't have what it takes to perform while the occasional super talent will come along and truly shine, then move on to become the next American Idol.

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