sammi says

Ummm....Wow! That's pretty much what comes to mind when summing up the first season of "Nurse Jackie" on Showtime. I watched the final episode of the season last night On Demand. If there's one thing Charter Cable's good for it's On Demand, which let me watch the season finale a week early. I couldn't wait after I saw the cliffhanger of episode 11!

If you're not familiar with the show it takes place in New York City and tells the story of Jackie, played wonderfully by Edie Falco of "The Soprano's" fame, and her life as a hardass nurse, wife and mother. Did I mention that she's also addicted to pain killers and is cheating on her husband with the hopsital pharmacist? It sounds a little crazy but you really do end up pulling for Jackie despite her morally gray behavior. She does what is right for her patients whether it's ethical or not, keeps her family hidden from the entire hospital and comes home at the end of the day as a woman who loves her husband and kids.

The show features a hilarious and intriguing supporting cast of characters played mostly by people I've never heard of before. Zoey, a nurse-in-training, kitten lover and all around too-upbeat-for-her-own good is played Merrit Wever. In the final episode of the season she decides to punish herself for giving a patient a wrong dose of medicine by wearing dark gray scrubs instead of her normals bright pink, bunny scrubs. It's so much fun to watch her character and Falco's interact because they are polar opposites.

A familiar cast member is Peter Facinelli (aka Carlisle Cullen for all you "Twilight" lovers) who plays the newest doctor, Fitch Cooper, a wannabe guy's guy and ladies man. Although should he get nervous, say when he's being yelled at by Jackie, he has what he calls "sexual tourrette's" which makes him grab people's breasts uncontrollably. This could perhaps be a result of growing up with lesbian mothers played fabulously in one episode by Swoosie Kurtz and Blythe Danner.

Showtime has really been quickly becoming my favorite television network. Between "Nurse Jackie," "Weeds," and "United States of Tara," I don't know that I've ever seen such comical, dramatic, smart and realistic writing and acting in shows starring women. But don't get me wrong, these shows aren't only meant for women viewers. My recommendation to you is to hurry up and watch all 12 episodes for free while they're still available On Demand or else you'll have to wait a couple of months when it comes out on DVD. If you don't have Showtime you should make friends with someone who does and take a couple hours and watch this show!