Four Controversial Showtime Series on Satellite TV By Carina Brantley

One of the great television trends of the last decade is the arrival of so many award-winning series on premium cable networks. Starting with the Sopranos on HBO and the many that followed in the show's prize-grabbing footsteps, cable television is the place where top-notch actors star in original series. Right now, satellite TV viewers with the Showtime HD package can view these shows on a weekly basis. Here is a rundown of four of the most controversial series.

Californication

Sharing a name with a Red Hot Chili Peppers song (lawsuit still pending, though apparently futile), this show could be subtitled "Misanthropic Writer Behaving Badly." David Duchovny of X-Files fame stars as a promising New York author who moves to Hollywood and watches his life go from bad to worse. Trying to reconcile his inner torment and dislike of Los Angeles with a desire to reunite with his ex-girlfriend and mother of his teenage daughter, writer Hank Moody is a troubled soul. The show follows his many trysts as Moody bottoms in a sea of alcoholism and sex addiction. Would Charles Bukowski be proud? Perhaps, but scenes from Barfly don't look as good as Californication's HD production.

Penn & Teller Bulls**t

From the bad boys of comedy, this show revolves around Penn & Teller's exposing new trends and lies swirling about in the modern world. Episodes have focused on the bottled water industry and the exaggerated ills of second-hand smoke. While the tobacco industry may have supported such a bold statement, the so-called "evil duo" have lately been proven wrong on the second-hand smoke issue and recanted. Nonetheless, their quest for truth did focus on available materials at the time and treated the subject straightforwardly. As for the bottled water episode, they went out of their way to humiliate customers at an elegant California restaurant, when they filled a bottle from a hose out back before selling it for $7. Point taken.

Weeds

Another highly celebrated show on the Showtime HD lineup. Weeds is the story of what happens when a California mother is widowed and has to look for a way to support the family...which turns out to be selling marijuana. Originally a desperate move, the woman (played by Mary-Louise Parker) becomes more enterprising as business picks up and she finds herself dependent on this dangerous profession. Ranging from sardonic to frightening in tone, Weeds has attracted a big cult following and Parker has won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the lead character.

The L Word

Recently concluding its very popular six-season run on Showtime, The L Word was a sensation in the gay and lesbian community. Focusing on the lives of a somewhat wild sector of the gay population in West Hollywood, The L Word was supposedly based on a famous New York hair stylist and her life upon moving west. The show took on a lot of taboos in American television (such as bisexuality and transgender issues), earning a lot of respect for the network in the process. Though the show is out of its production phase, satellite TV subscribers can check out episodes using the On-Demand feature.