The world is becoming more cluttered. There are millions of websites and blogs, not to mention billboards, competing for our attention.
It's no different in the tv arena.
There are hundreds of television channels with thousands of tv shows. And competing with this, of course, is youtube and other burgeoning online video destinations.
With all this clutter, it's easy to miss some really good tv shows--there's just not enough time in the day to cram your mind with all the entertainment you might want to.
Here is a list of four tv shows you might want to make room for. If you missed them, you can now watch them online.
Ain't the internet grand? Yes. It is.
1) Mad Men: A show about 1960's advertising men (and the women they exploit) in Manhattan in the heyday of the ad business. Mad Men inhabits a world where drinking well before five pm is commonplace, and smoking cigarettes is as popular as breathing.
image courtesy of AMC.comThe writing on the show is excellent and every attempt is made to make the world of the show appear genuine and how America was at that time. The characters speak like you would imagine they would in New York in the 1960's.
The plotting of the story is deliberate and the characters are complex and interesting. Just listening to the clever, well-researched dialogue is fun. As the story unfolds, this show gets more interesting.
Watch
Mad Men season 2 episode 1. This link opens up another page on this site.
Watch some episodes from
Mad Men Season 1 over at fancast. It is possible that by the time you are viewing this post, these videos may have expired.
2) It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Wow. This might be the funniest show on tv. And you haven't seen it. I have to be honest--I don't even know what station FX is on direct tv.
image courtesy of FX.comI had heard some good things about this show, but me and it had never crossed paths during my labyrinthine travels through cableland. Let me be the first one to tell you that this show is hilarious.
The show follows a group of friends who own a small unsuccessful Irish bar in Philadelphia. This hapless crew--three guys, a girl, and Danny DeVito--get into crazy situations as they just try to get by.
The comedy is ridiculous, over the top, and unrealistic, so if you like clever and weird comedy like that of Arrested Development or even Family Guy, then you will probably like this show. Give it a go. Watch an episode of
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. (this link will open a new page of this website).
3) Dexter: This show is pretty dark and bloody. But it's also very entertaining. I don't know what that says about me as a person, but I really like the conflicting issues swirling around Dexter's head.

A little background. Dexter is a blood splatter specialist who works for the Miami police department, which is the perfect cover for his extracurricular activities.
In his spare time, Dexter is a serial killer. But there's a twist. He's a serial killer of killers. Dexter's vigilante work can be seen as actually bettering society because he exterminates very bad people.
Dexter is not available online legally, but hopefully an episode or two will be soon. Season one of Dexter will be replayed on CBS this fall and you can also buy or rent seasons one and two.
4) Andy Barker, PI: Okay, I see that this post has sort of digressed into a piece about my own personal favorite shows, and this example, may be the most obscure. But it's a funny show that, unfortunately, didn't even last one season. I like to call that "being ahead of its time."
image courtesy of NBC.comConan O'brien created this show and Andy Richter (Conan's former co-host) starred in it as a clueless accountant who unintentionally becomes a private eye because his new office was formerly occupied by one.
Andy Barker is a straight-laced, by the books accountant, so hilarity ensues when he's placed in situations with damsels in distress and unsavory characters. The show almost feels like it was made for the internet.
If you like Andy Richter and Conan's sense of humor, then you may like this show.
Watch Andy Barker, PI.
These should keep you busy for a while.

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