Black Sails is a series original to the Starz pay TV channel. The first episode introduced so many characters that I had to watch it twice. I also wanted to see if my first instinct to watch more was correct. It was. There is more to this than whatever your notions of “pirates” might be. This has a large canvas. Learn more here (which might have the first episode available to see) and here.
Rake is a new series on the Fox broadcast network. I heard about this entirely accidentally by somehow reading a review that piqued my curiosity. I caught it via cable On Demand. I was completely hooked in the first five minutes. Kinnear is wonderful as a brilliant lawyer who can’t otherwise handle life. Imagine House, M.D. without any cunning, without any arrogance, and an easy to dismiss demeanor. If that doesn’t do it for you, ignore that sentence and watch it anyway. It’s hilarious, brilliant, and free of all cliché. The website.
Mike Cane’s xBlog 