When it first aired Star Trek the Next Generation sure seemed like a radical departure from the original. But it soon grew into it's own as a series. And then it set the mode for all the following Star Trek Series (Deep Space Nine, and Voyager) Then Next Generation specialized in stand alone pure sci-fi episodes, with very few ongoing story lines or seasonal arcs. This makes it easy to jump in and understand, and enjoy almost any episode at any time. However that does come at the expence of character development. Within the series (not movies) relitively little changed in the personal relationships. However the show was fantastic sci-fi, and set the look and tone for two other series lasting 7 years each. So it did something right.

Back when it was on NewsRadio seemed like just another run of the mill show taking up space, nothing special. But it is actually a great absurdist comedy. From a fairly standard sit-com premise a cast of truely crazy characters grew. Phil Hartman was comedic gold, and the character of Jimmy James is a classic. Whatever your feelings on Andy Dick, the character Matthew was lovable and sad. As the show went on plots became crazier and crazier, untill the fact that they were in a news station had litle of no bearing on events. The last season definately dropped in quality, but untill then it was a quick, silly, and sharp show.

Alton explains it all. From where exactly a cut of beef is from on the cow to how tortillas are made. Each episode focuses on one main ingrediant or dish. And then only two or three recipies are made. But what make's this show so great is the explainations. The reasoning behind using ingredeants or cooking methods. For example the reason that you keep kneading dough is the same reason you don't want to overstir waffles... Gluten. You want the flour to form it in bread so that it holds its shape when it rises, but you don't want it to toughen up you waffles. The lessons learned from each episode can then be applied to dozens of recipess, allowing you to know what your doing when you are playing around with your own cooking.

Deadwood is just about as unique as a show can get. With complex, and stangely poetic speaking, outstanding characters, an unbelivable set, and an epic storyline, this show was terrific. The languge is often remarked on for it's crude ness, but even with that, and sometimes becouse of it, the manner of speech is so deep that it's poetic. The characters are rich and detailed, and what is great is to see how the relationships change throughout the series. Enemie become allies, but still ramain true to their own ideals. And because this all takes place in a town litterelly built for the series, Deadwood has literally created it's own world.

Larry David is a jerk you can love. Curb specializes in that great form of humor... taking something too far. Larry will often pursue a trivial slight, trying to get it put right, to the extreme. He will often say something horribly awkard. Then ask follow up questions. And just won't let it go. The thing is half the time you want him to just stop, and let it go, and the other half of the time you completely agree with him. Why shouldn't you be allowed to bring water into a theater! But whether you thinks he's nuts or a crusader for justice, the result is always hilarious.