The Shield - FX
Real Time With Bill Maher - HBO
Family Guy - Fox
Chappelle's Show - COM
Daily Show - COM
I'll give a breakdown on a few of these, since most people didn't mention them:
The Shield -
Anyone who has not seen this show needs to head to Blockbuster, where they've finally gotten their heads out of their asses and carry the first few seasons. Rent Season 1 and prepare yourself for a cop show unlike any other. Until you have seen the first episode of this show, you will not "get" why this is such compelling drama. Taking the basic elements of a cop show and throwing them out the window, Shawn Ryan and FX present a show about the trials and tribulations of Detective Vic Mackie and crew on the streets of the fictional Farmingdale district of Los Angeles. Vic Mackie, played by The Commish/Fantastic Four star Michael Chiklis, is more Harvey Keitel in Bad Lieutenant than David Caruso in NYPD Blue. His commanding officer, Captain David Aceveda, refers to him as, "Al Capone with a badge." He commands a "Strike Team" of detectives who often take the role of SWAT, breaking down the doors others don't even want to knock on. They make street deals with drug dealers and use excessive force to control the streets. Aceveda wants to take Mackie down and elists the help of another officer on his Strike Team to try to incriminate him. Vic's too smart for him though and always seems to escape the hatchet despite the frequent close calls. Filled with nudity, violence and bad language, what makes this show truly unique is the moral ambiguity displayed by almost everyone on the show. The cops are shown working with drug dealers, beating criminals when they feel it appropriate, routinely tricking suspects into confessions and constantly lying to make things workable. That is not to mention the finale of the first episode, which must be seen to be believed. If you enjoyed Training Day, this show is for you. Cops are much more like this than in some Steven Bochco production, and Mackie is a classic film noir, hard-nosed detective. He's a bad guy with good intentions, or a good guy with street ambitions. Time is always running out for him, and he knows it. Even after several years, this show is still compelling and you often don't know quite what's going to happen next. Vic says to a suspect before beating him to gain a confession, "Good cop and bad cop left for the day. I'm a different kind of cop." And this is a different kind of show. Check it out.
Real Time with Bill Maher-
Bill Maher is the kind of guy who loves America and hates government stupidity. The voice of reason on COM/ABC's Politically Incorrect has found a home on HBO where he can be free to express his opinions unencumbered by censorship or corporate sponsors' objections. And he does a great job of it, inviting a diverse array of guests weekly to discuss and debate current topics of contention. Maher is often dismissed as a liberal, but he is more in favor of personal rights and responsibilities than in excessive social welfare. With friends ranging from Al Franken and Michael Moore to Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly, all of whom have made entertaining appearances on his show, he is always attempting to be even-handed in his debating and allow for different points of view. What makes this show great is not only that he speaks on subjects no one else tackles but it is at its most entertaining to see how easily sacred cows and paper tigers can be dispersed and debunked through logic and reason. When watching certain persons strain to make their point it becomes clear that they have either not thought out their position very thoroughly or are just plain full of crap. The show is a filter for B.S., sifting out the rhetoric and provoking that which is sorely lacking on most news channel debates, an impetus to think and decide for yourself what is truth and what is obfuscation. Also recommended are his last HBO special and his book, "When You Ride Alone... You Ride With bin Laden".
If you haven't seen the other mentioned series', then I think you've had your head in the sand too long.
