The Nativity Story

On December 1st, 2006, one of the most underrated Christmas movies of all-time was released, and if you have never had a chance or made the time to watch "The Nativity Story" you should make this the year. I've noticed that it is playing a few times in the coming days.

The movie features a starring performance by Keisha Castle-Hughes, the young Australian actress who was just 16 years old at the time of filming. She delivers a commanding yet understated performance as Mary, the mother of Jesus, in a manner that anyone familiar with her story would find credible.

Guatemalan actor Oscar Isaac takes on the Joseph role well here, but perhaps the strongest male acting performance is turned in by Irish actor Ciaran Hinds, familiar to many from his starring role as Caesar in the HBO epic series 'Rome'. Hinds gives perhaps the finest performance of Herod to ever grace the silver screen.

Brought to life here by 'Twilight' director Catherine Hardwicke, 'The Nativity Story' is, as always, all about the story itself. As one of the film's taglines tells it, the story is about "a message foretold in the heavens...a prophecy that would threaten an empire...a miracle that would change the world."

There is nothing overly dramatic about that tagline. It is the simple truth. No matter what your view in your own life towards Christianity in particular or religion in general, there is no valid way to argue the fact that the life and death of Jesus Christ and the message that he delivered has changed and shaped the entire world over the ensuing two millenia.

This film and the whole of the Nativity story covers that period in the life of Mary and Joseph from the time of their engagement on through to the birth of their child. The story is far from comfortable. Mary is a teenage girl from the small town of Nazareth who is forced into an unwanted engagement with a much older carpenter whom she barely knows.

During the time of their engagement and while still a virgin, Mary is visited by the angel Gabriel who tells her that God has chosen her to bear His Son. Mary is also told that her cousin Elizabeth, believed far too old to bear a child, is also pregnant. Both pregnancies ending up coming to fruition.

Joseph becomes understandably angered by the fact that his young fiancee, with whom he knows he himself has not had relations, has turned up pregnant. Prepared to set her aside quietly, he is also visited by an angel who tells him of God's special purpose in their lives. In staying together despite the scandal, both are ostracized by their community.

During this same time, King Herod, who had been appointed as the Rome-backed ruler of the small Jewish nation of Judea, was fearing the realization of an ancient Jewish prophecy. This prophecy revealed that a ruler would emerge from the lineage of the ancient King David. Herod decided to command a census of all people in which they must return to their ancestral homes in the hopes that he could sort out the identity of this future challenger to his rule.

Joseph was from the town of Bethlehem, known as the City of David, and so was forced to return there for the census. He took Mary along with him, and during the trip she began to appreciate him for his good nature and their affection for one another grew. On arrival at Bethlehem they can find nowhere to stay thanks to the increased population due to the census, and they are forced to stay in what amounts to a cave-like stable.

While Herod is fretting and Mary goes into contractions, three 'Magi' or wise kings arrive from Persia at Herod's court in Jerusalem. They have been studying the prophecy and also believe that the time is at hand for the birth of this special king. Learning from them that the king is a child to be born and not a grown man, Herod orders the murder of all babies in Bethlehem.

As we all well know, Herod's plan is unsuccessful. Mary gives birth in the stable, laying her boy child in a manger and naming him Jesus. Shepherds tending their flocks nearby have been told of the miraculous birth by an angel, and they show up to greet the newborn. They are quickly followed by the Magi, who come bearing gifts for the young king and the family.

Just as Herod's troops arrive and begin their unimaginable slaughter, Joseph is again visited in a dream by an angel who warns him of the pending attack. Joseph rouses Mary from sleep, they gather the infant Son of God, and make their way out of Bethlehem just ahead of the wave of death falling across the city.

This is the story of the birth of the baby Jesus, who would grow to become the Christ, the saviour of mankind, a great king as foretold in the prophecies. A king not of this world, but of a higher kingdom ruling over all mankind based on God's laws and His own teachings of love and peace.

It is the story of Mary and Joseph saying "Yes" to God's calling, and overcoming numerous obstacles placed in front of them by family, community, and royalty to bring Jesus into the world. It is simple and yet commanding and compelling. It is 'The Nativity Story', the beginning chapter in the greatest story ever told.

TV Watch: Sons of Anarchy

The best gang show on television this side of 'The Sopranos' has just concluded it's 2nd full season, and fans of this emerging masterpiece will be happy to learn that 'Sons of Anarchy' has just been renewed for a full third season that will begin airing in September 2010.

For the uninitiated, the show centers on the activities of a biker gang, also known as an outlaw motorcycle club (MC) called the 'Sons of Anarchy' which alternately is known by the nickname 'Samcro' or 'Sam Crow', a moniker loosely based on an anacronym for the official full name of the 'Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original' charter.

The show airs on the 'FX' network with in-season first run episodes coming on Tuesday nights at 10pm. Prior episodes are available through the Comcast OnDemand service in the TV Entertainment section.

'Sons' centers largely around both the MC and family activities of three main characters. Charlie Hannum is a revelation as Jackson 'Jax' Teller, a young Vice-President of the MC and the son of deceased club founder John Teller. Katey Sagal plays Jax' mother, Gemma Teller Morrow, the matriarch of the family and the MC. Widow of the founder, she is now married to the new President of the MC. That character is Clarence 'Clay' Morrow, played by veteran actor Ron Perlman.

The 'Sons' run an automotive repair business as a cover front for their real business, a lucrative gun-running operation. They are in complete control of the small town of Charming, California in which they reside and base their operations. While somewhat of a menace to law enforcement in the town, the MC does try to keep the town clean of drugs and other illegal crime operations.

The prime conflict developing in the show is that during the first season, Jax stumbles across a sort of manifesto that his late father wrote just before his death. In it, John had been planning to take the club 'clean', getting it out of all illegal activities. Jax begins to see this as a birthright, as his destiny.

His mother Gemma is aware of the manifesto, but is against that direction knowing that her current husband Clay has no intention of changing course. Much of the internal family activity revolves around Gemma running interference and playing mediator between these two most important men in her life as they begin to butt heads more and more regarding the direction that the MC should take. Other interesting plot lines are developed around the main characters and the fine supporting cast.

That support is led by Maggie Siff as Jax' love interest Dr. Tara Knowles. A former love of Jax in the past, Tara returns to town and their relationship once again takes off after a major traumatic incident, causing strain on her career and both of their personal lives.

The other MC members include Mark Boone as club Secretary Bobby Munson, Kim Coates as the wild Sergeant-at-Arms Alex 'Tig' Trager, Tommy Flanagan as Scottish club member 'Chibs Telford, Theo Rossi as club Intel Officer Juan Carlos 'Juice' Ortiz, Ryan Hurst as 'Opie' Winston, William Lucking as Opie's dad and fellow club member 'Piney' Winston, and Johnny Lewis as Kip Epps, a young Iraq War veteran trying to join the club.

Their principle nemesis is a white separatist organization known as 'The League' that is trying to muscle in on Samcro's gun business, and that manipulates the local black and Hispanic gangs against one another and against Samcro. Veteran actor Adam Arkin plays that organization's clean cut evil leader, Ethan Zoebelle, and Henry Rollins plays his right-hand man and a true neo-Nazi in AJ Weston.

Law enforcement in Charming walks the line between wanting to shut down Samcro but realizing that it may be the lesser of two evils. That faction is played by Dayton Callie as Chief Wayne Unser, and by Taylor Sheridan as his Deputy Chief David Hale. From the Federal angle, Ally Walker plays ATF agent June Stahl, trying hard to shutdown Samcro and put the members behind bars.

The first two seasons have seen the development of the characters, with an interesting enough first season followed up by an even better written and more well acted second season that just ended. The first season ends with the death of a major character, something that 'The Sopranos' became well known for, and the second season finish only leaves fans thirsty for more next year.

At times, shows like 'Sons of Anarchy' slip through the cracks for many TV viewers who habitually only watch the 'major' networks such as ABC, NBC, CBS, HBO, and Showtime for their series. But 'FX' has both 'Sons' and their outstanding comedy "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' to offer (I'll cover them in my next 'TV Watch' installment), and AMC offers perhaps the best dramatic show on television in the previously reviewed 'Mad Men' series.

While it doesn't contain the 'R' rated language and sexual scenes of other cable shows, it remains edgy enough. And in the familial struggles and the struggles of Jax to possibly reform the MC, there is also a chance at redemption here. If you were a fan of 'The Sopranos' but haven't watched 'The Sons of Anarchy' as yet, give it a shot. Once you get to know the characters and follow the plot line after a handful of episodes, you will be hooked.

NOTE: This is a continuation of the 'TV Watch' series of television program reviews. To see all entries in the series, click on that below Label.

TV Watch: Taking Chance

Every other review that I've done in these 'TV Watch' items has been about a television series, and so HBO's 'Taking Chance' is the first movie-length program that has made the grade.

An official selection of the Sundance Film Festival, this true story is one of the most moving and emotional war films of all-time, yet it contains no more than a couple minutes of actual combat action. Instead, 'Taking Chance' tells the story of two men who never meet in life, but whose paths cross in a most unusual and pivotal manner.

Kevin Bacon plays the starring role of United States Marine Colonel Michael Strobl who served his country well in Operation Desert Storm back in the early 1990's and who then drifted later in his career into an office-type desk job position. Strobl is now an analyst with the Department of Defense, and he struggles with his desk job role, particularly when he passes over an opportunity to serve in Iraq in order to remain home and close to his wife and two young children.

His struggle is that of a former warrior who still feels the call of the battlefield, and the responsibility that only those who have warn the uniform can know. That responsibility is not only for your country or municipality, as those in the military or in other uniformed service such as police officers know, but also to your fellow men and women in uniform.

To put it directly, Strobl wrestles with the idea that he may not have done enough in his career to earn his Marine title. He spends some of his off-duty time searching through the Department of Defense website, scouring the casualty lists to see if anyone that he knows or has a connection with has been injured or killed in battle.

One day as he searches the site he comes across the name of PFC Chance Phelps and notices that Phelps comes from the same small hometown as Strobl himself came from. Strobl feels the call to do something, and volunteers for the mission of escort duty, the person who travels with the deceased body from its arrival on U.S. soil through to the funeral home.

This is the dramatic story of Lt. Colonel Strobl and PFC Chance Phelps, their travel together from Philadelphia to Minnesota to the final resting place at Phelps' family home in Wyoming. It is the story of the emotional reaction of regular people, from airline pilots, ground crew, and service staff to Strobl's fellow passengers, to all manner of regular people along the way who take the time to stop and reflect as they see Chance's body being transported, or as they become aware of Strobl's assignment.

Chance Phelps was inspired, as were many young Americans, to join the military after the attacks of September 11th, 2001. These fine men and women understood that the United States of America is not the product of words on a paper, but is in reality the product of men and women like them who were willing to stand up and fight for freedom and democracy. P

helps was just 19 years old when he was killed in Iraq, but he was highly decorated for such a young man. He was the recipient of the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with Valor, among a number of other decorations. He was also a wise-cracking young man with an infectious sense of humor which he never lost right up to the day he died.

The folks at HBO put together some of the finest work on television today, and that they bring this kind of quality film to the small screen is no surprise. Kevin Bacon does an outstanding, understated job of somehow in the end relating that his is really the supporting character. It is Chance Phelps who is the star, and the story of Michael Strobl taking Chance home is one that you simply should not miss. NOTE: This is the latest in the 'TV Watch' series, all the reviews of which you can read by clicking in to that below label.

TV Watch: '24'

After an extended delay that cost we fans of the Fox television series '24' almost the entire year of 2008, Jack is finally back. Intrepid U.S. counter-terrorist Jack Bauer that is, and he's on a mission to stop yet another crazed terrorist from laying waste to the land of the free and home of the brave.

This time around there are many new challenges facing Bauer and the series producers have also decided to bring some of today's top public issues into the discussion. These early episodes of the shows 7th season have brought the issues of coercive interrogation, torture and communications interception into play, and future episodes will be exploring these issues even more closely.

Taking on modern issues and putting them firmly into play is nothing new for the folks at '24', who this year have cast actress Cherry Jones as President Allison Taylor, the first female President of the United States. She follows on the heels of the early years of the show which featured regular character David Palmer as the first African-American U.S. President.

For those who have not followed closely, the basic plot of '24' surrounds Keifer Sutherland in a career-defining role as a U.S. undercover operative named Jack Bauer. Bauer has spent most of his adult life in highly sensitive, dangerous, and at times violent deep undercover operations for the government.

During most of the series he has publicly re-emerged and become a member of, and at times the head of, the fictional CTU (Counter-Terrorism Unit), and each season he and his CTU buddies are up against some major terrorist group planning some major strike against America. In fact they are often up against multiple groups with disparate agendas with multiple threats against our country developing as the day moves along.

I say as the 'day' moves along because that is the other major plot vehicle in the show. As it's name implies, '24' seasons happen within the span of one 24-hour day. Each episode shows what is happening during a particular hour of that time frame from the perspectives of Jack, his CTU co-workers, the President, the terrorists, and even in some of the characters families and personal lives.

I have a bit of a weird history with '24' in that it was one of those shows that always looked interesting to me, but was difficult to follow because of what I believe is one of it's main problems - it is network television. With a job like mine in police work, this didn't always prove conducive to my schedule, and once I missed the first season I just let it drop for a few years. I really believe that a show such as '24' could be so much better under the greater creative freedom and with the expanded viewing opportunities that a cable network such as HBO or Showtime could provide.

Anyway, I finally purchased the first four seasons after they were finished, and I caught up on DVD. Let me tell you that there is no better way to watch a television series than on DVD or recorded in some other way that allows you to fast-forward through commercials. These days I always 'DVR' the episodes on Comcast and then watch after they air for this very reason.

In any event, I caught up with Jack and his pals quickly through their first four years, and my opinion is that while the show remains well made they have been chasing their tails a bit since the 1st season. That first season of '24' was simply one of the best dramatic television seasons that I have ever seen, full of interesting plot twists, a solid story line, and strong acting. It showed Jack as both an agent and a family man, and his efforts to balance these roles and ultimately combine them when his family became involved in his work responsibilities.

If you have never followed the show it is well worth pursuing it on DVD or some other medium, starting from the beginning. In this current season, which began actually with a 2-hour television movie titled "24: Redemption" that aired back in late November, Jack battles a new enemy.

Instead of the radical Islamists and their sympathizers that have appropriately reared their heads in previous seasons, here it is an African dictator bent on genocide and keeping America out of his efforts to control his country with violence that is providing the danger. He also is up against the challenging fact that he is being questioned by a government panel investigating past allegations of torture and prisoner abuse.

All this on his plate, and his CTU has been disbanded, so he has no official agency to help support him. How can Jack Bauer possibly succeed without all of the CTU agents, gadgets, gizmos, and quirky-teckie support personnel? That is another twist which reveals itself early on, but I won't ruin it for you.

Suffice it to say that I am very glad that Jack is back. In these days of terrorism and other threats in reality to the very existence of our way of life, it is comforting to know that there are actually real people out there like him trying to keep us safe.

NOTE: This is a continuation of the 'TV Watch' series highlighting various programs that I recommend. All the articles in the series can be viewed by clicking in to that below label.

TV Watch: Big Love

The 3rd season of the outstanding HBO drama 'Big Love' from Executive Producer Tom Hanks kicks off tomorrow (Sunday) night at 9pm. For those who have access to a service, such as Comcast's OnDemand product, that allows you to catch up on the first two seasons, now is the time to catch up on the interesting and well-acted story line.

The basic premise of 'Big Love' is a polygamist Utah family trying to emerge from the shadowy cult-like past and into mainstream society. As a Catholic, there is no way that I will ever advocate the family lifestyle of the featured Henderson clan. As a Christian, however, there is much to take from their struggles.

There is a basic recognition, love, and respect for God here, albeit with a number of misguided principles and interpretations inherent in some of Mormon teaching and in the polygamist community in particular. 'Big Love' also draws strength from its extremely talented cast who you will mostly know from their motion picture work.

The show is set in the suburban town of Sandy, Utah. Family head Bill Henderson, played by veteran actor Bill Paxton, was born and raised in a polygamist cult community, but escaped as a teenager and eventually blended into normal society. But after establishing himself with a normal family, fate brought drastic change to the Henderson clan.

In the show, he has set up three single homes in a row. From the outside they appear to be three different families. But a shared rear yard shows the true story. In each home lives one of Bill's three wives, and with each wife lives the children that they have conceived with him.

His first wife, Barb, is literally known within the setup as 'First Wife', and is played by Jeanne Tripplehorn. At one time in the past, Barb and Bill had a 'normal' one-on-one marriage, had three children, and belonged to a mainstream Mormon church. Then one day, Barb became extremely ill and was near death.

A young woman from Bill's former community named Nikki, played by Chloe Sevigny, came to live with the family and help with Barb's care. It was the beginning of the end for the Henderson's normalcy. Largely thanks to Nikki's help, Barb recovered. But a relationship had formed between Barb, Bill and Nikki, and Bill became 'inspired' to return to practicing what is known as the 'Principle' of a polygamist lifestyle.

In this lifestyle men are permitted to take any number of wives as they are inspired to and to have children with these women, as long as they can afford to properly support this expanded family. They also are responsible for bringing this family up in God's teachings.

After a period of struggle with this idea, Barb decided to stay with Bill and enter the lifestyle, and they took in Nikki as a 2nd wife. This eventually spread to a 3rd wife, the very young and perky Margene, played by Ginnifer Goodwin. It is this 3-wife setup that is in place as the series began.

The show covers the challenges of family life in such a setup. From within, the three wives have the challenge of sharing time with Bill, and sharing a life with one another as 'sister wives'. There is also an issue within Bill's first family in that the oldest daughter Sarah, played by Amanda Seyfried, is not totally on board with the whole polygamy setup.

Further stress is put on the family by their ties to the polygamist cult community of Juniper Creek. With both Bill and Nikki having been born and raised there, and still having family ties there, the community insinuates itself into the family constantly, never in a postive way.

Juniper Creek is led by Nikki's father, Roman Grant, who is played by Harry Dean Stanton, and who is set as Bill's main antagonist in the first two seasons. Other co-starring turns come from young Douglas Smith as the Henderson's eldest son Ben, and from veteran actors Grace Zabriskie, Bruce Dern, Mary Kay Place, Brian Kerwin, Joel McKinnon Miller, and Tina Majorino, all of whom are familiar faces.

Bill Henderson supports his family with a chain of Home Depot-like hardware stores, and is attempting to expand into the gaming industry, with the business dealings adding intrigue and challenges to the family. And now adding further strain is a relationship that he has entered into with a woman named Ana, played by Branka Katic, who he may have designs on making wife #4, something that at least two of his current wives will not welcome easily.

The acting is tremendous in this series, and there is a basic loving, redemptive family story here underneath all of the challenges of an extremely dysfunctional family. I highly recommend 'Big Love', a quirky but ultimately satisfying family drama, for adults with a discerning mind and heart.

NOTE: This is a continuation of the regular "TV Watch" series of articles, all entries of which can be viewed by clicking on that below 'label'

TV Watch: True Blood

The newest product introduced for this season by the award-winning HBO television folks is one of the farthest-fetched ideas to date, and yet once again proves to be a winner for the cable network that has taken television series development to an art. Cable series such as HBO's cultural icon 'The Sopranos', Showtime's controversial 'Dexter', and AMC's homage 'Mad Men' have used their loosened cable restrictions to leave the old networks in the dust. The latest entry by HBO is the vampire-inspired 'True Blood', starring Anna Paquin ("The Piano", "Finding Forester", "X-Men", "Almost Famous") as quintessential small-town girl Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie is a waitress, and the story revolves around her life, her family, her friends, and her experiences at the bar/restaurant at which she waits tables and in the small town in which she resides. The quirks in this particular HBO drama? Sookie can read your mind. She is constantly bombarded by the thoughts emanating from the minds of everyone around her, often to her dismay. She is fairly up front about this ability, so most in her little town of Bon Temps, Louisiana either know of her 'gift' or suspect it having heard rumors. Perhaps enough of an interesting plot line, especially with the right actors involved. But that's not the real kicker. The real story behind 'True Blood' is that it is set in today's modern world, and that vampires are indeed real. After centuries in the shadows of myth, legend, and fantasy, vampires have finally 'come out of the closet' thanks to the Japanese invention of a synthetic blood product. As a byproduct of the development and use of the synthetic blood, vampires have found that it enables them to feed their 'habit' without having to do so on human beings, and so they "come out of the coffin" if you will with the product becoming marketed to them as a drink known as 'TruBlood'. The resulting tensions, apprehensions, fears, and fighting of undead vampires suddenly being thrust out into the open with the living hearken back to every previous human cultural experiment. From the freedom of slaves, to massive waves of immigrants, to gays coming out of their own closets, Americans have repeatedly had to learn to live with new groups asserting some previously repressed rights as they attempted to blend into our great living experiment of a national melting pot. 'True Blood' hits on all these old chords as the undead attempt to blend with the living. Of course there are just enough of the vampire community who don't want to leave the old ways behind so easily, and enough of the living who don't want to embrace even those who do want to blend, to keep things tense on both sides. Into Sookie's life walks one Bill Compton, played by Stephen Moyer as a sort of modern day Barnabas Collins from the 1960's legendary series 'Dark Shadows'. Compton is a dark, dashing, handsome 173-year old former Confederate soldier and vampire who embarks on a true May-December romance with Sookie, and the story largely revolves around this relationship. Other characters being played well in these early episodes include Ryan Swanten as Sookie's troubled, womanizing brother Jason, Sam Trammell as Sookie's bar owner-boss with a crush on her named Sam Merlotte, Nelsan Ellis as a cook at the restaurant and a small-time local drug dealer, and most especially the beautiful Rutina Wesley as Sookie's strong but sensitive best friend Tara Thornton. There are a couple of graphic sex scenes, and some allusion to drug use and some violence, but it's nothing that we haven't seen before from that legendary Sopranos crew. This is a well-made, well-acted offering with a truly fantastical premise, and we can only hope that the writing and production keep up the early pace. If so, then HBO has another hit on it's ever-growing list of them with 'True Blood'. Now is the time to start watching, as the network just aired episode 6, with all available now through Comcast's OnDemand service.

(NOTE: You can find all of the previous 'TV Watch' reviews by clicking into that below Label)

TV Watch: Entourage

Last Sunday marked the debut episode for the 5th season of the HBO hit series
'Entourage', the show that has sometimes been tabbed as a male 'Sex & the City'. The show focuses on the life and career of Vincent Chase, a hot rising young actor played by Adrian Grenier. Vinnie is a kid from Queens with great looks and some acting chops who goes to Hollywood and quickly makes it big. He is helped by the three guys in his entourage: Eric 'E' Murphy is played by Kevin Connolly and is Vinnie's best friend since childhood who takes on the role of managing Vinnie's career; another longtime friend known only as 'Turtle' is played by Jerry Ferrara and is the gopher of the group; and finally there is Vinnie's older brother, Johnny 'Drama' Chase played by Kevin Dillon. 'Drama' had some limited fame from a TV series in which he starred years ago, and is always trying to get back into the acting game and out from under the considerable shadow cast by his kid brother. The 5th wheel in this dramedy is Vinnie's agent, Ari Gold, one of the great characters in television history as played by Jeremy Piven. These five largely stick together through the thick and thin of Vinnie's turbulent acting career, and receive assists from a number of repeat characters in bit parts such as Ari's gay Asian assistant Lloyd, played by Rex Lee, Ari's wife played by Perry Reeves, Vinnie's publicist Shauna as played by Debi Mazar, and Ari's rival Dana Gordon as played by Constance Zimmer. This troupe is ably produced by Mark Wahlberg and a strong supporting crew that suck you into the rarely seen, if ever seen in this detail, behind-the-scenes world that a major Hollywood celebrity lives in. From home and personal lives to the show business world, from the nightclubs to the beaches to the film festivals, Entourage takes you places that no other show on television has ever gone, and does it very well. If you've never watched it, try to pickup the series from the beginning by ordering the DVD's from Amazon or some other such source, and as with all new series that you begin following, give it 3-4 episodes so that you begin to 'get it'. It won't take long, believe me. Part drama, part comedy, all entertaining, Entourage is simply one of the best series in the history of cable television, which makes it one of the best of series of all-time, period, and the boys are back with all-new episodes now every Sunday night at 10pm on HBO.

TV Watch: Mad Men

The Showtime and HBO networks have become masters over this decade in developing and producing great television series, the best that TV has to offer. HBO has led the way with the granddaddy of them all, The Sopranos. They have also given us Entourage, Sex & the City, The Wire, Big Love, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Rome, Deadwood, Carnivale, Six Feet Under, Da Ali G Show, and more. Showtime has given us programs like Dexter, Brotherhood, The Tudors, Sleeper Cell, Weeds, Californication, and The L Word among others. AMC has now gotten into the action, and their new drama 'Mad Men' takes a back seat to none of the HBO/Showtime offerings. The first season of Mad Men is set in 1960, and follows the lives of the office staff at a Madison Avenue advertising agency. Jon Hamm stars as Donald Draper, a superstar in the advertising industry working at the mid-level 'Sterling Cooper' agency. The plot line largely revolves around Draper in his work and home lives, with January Jones as his wife Betty. Hamm and Jones do an outstanding job, but they are not the only memorable characters. Vincent Kartheiser as young budding ad man Pete Campbell, Peggy Olson as Draper's newbie secretary Elisabeth Moss, John Slattery as firm partner Roger Sterling, and the spectacular Christina Hendricks (scene-stealing every time she appears) as office manager Joan Holloway all shine. And there is more, a tremendously deep supporting cast of office staff and family members that make Mad Men one of the best ensemble series to come along in years. The actors aren't the only excellent work being done on this show. The production staff does an outstanding job of recreating the world of America at the time just before Kennedy's Camelot, before Vietnam became a dirty word, before anyone knew what a hippie was. It was a time when smoking and cocktails were in vogue, and when there was no such thing as political correctness. This show is available locally on Comcast's OnDemand feature service, currently showing the full season one. Season 2 is scheduled to begin airing live in late July 2008. As with most series, it takes watching 2-3 episodes before you really get hooked, but this one will absolutely do it for you.