Even though the writer's strike is probably over and may be bringing back some of our favorite shows (finally), there has actually been some very decent TV that has started since the strike has been on (maybe because of it).

So, I thought I'd mention a couple of the new shows I've been watching.

The first, In Treatment, is on HBO every weeknight (!) at 9:30. It stars Gabriel Byrne as a psychologist treating a variety of patients. The show is actually set up in a very interesting way: each weeknight follows a specific patient, and then you hear from them again at the same time next week, much like you would if they were actually in therapy. The current schedule is:

Monday: Woman contemplating marrying her longterm boyfriend, but also happens to be "in love with" Byrne. He may or may not return her feelings.

Tuesday: Blair Underwood as a bomber pilot who killed 16 children in a Madrassa mistaken for a bombing target. He has forced himself (by running 22 miles straight) into a heart attack, and has revisited the bombing site, but insists he "feels nothing."

Wednesday: A teenage girl (who is in Byrne's daughter's school) comes to him after an accident (her bicycle was hit by a car) is ruled by the insurance agency to maybe not have been so much of an "accident." She is a competitive gymnast, and there also might be something creepy going on with her coach.

Thursday: A couple who have been trying to get pregnant for five years. When they finally do, the woman (a high powered executive type) decides she wants an abortion. The husband is a jackass and the wife is a manipulative liar - picture a stereotypical "fighting couple." Also, in their last session, after being goaded on by the husband, Byrne broke down and screamed at them that they should get an abortion.

Then, on Friday, the tables are turned, and Byrne goes to an old friend/colleague/mentor for a session himself. The woman is interesting, and there's some history there (they haven't talked in 10 years, after her husband died and he didn't attend the funeral). Quite a bit of tension as he is naturally resistant to her "shrink" techniques.

So, yeah, it's really good. Byrne gives a very nuanced performance, and all of the "patients" are all very good as well. It's great to see him do very well with the patients, but also be going through so much himself - they could have easily made him comically bad or just empty and good at his job, but they gave him many layers that I'm excited to see develop through the series.

The second show, Breaking Bad, is on AMC Sundays at 10pm. It stars Bryan Cranston (probably best known as the father from "Malcolm in the Middle") as a High School Chemistry teacher with a wife, one child with cerebral palsy, and another on the way. He is struggling to make ends meet when he finds out he has inoperable lung cancer and, even with chemo, only has a few years to live. So, he enlists a former student (now a drop out and a drug dealer) and they start cooking crystal meth. It's at times very dramatic, but at times also very funny. It sort of reminds me of the vibe of American Beauty, where you have a worthless man realizing his inner potential through adversity, and drama and hilarity ensue.

One of the scenes from the pilot involves him and his wife in bed on the night of his 50th birthday. She's checking eBay on her laptop and casual puts her hand... beneath the sheets. He asks "what's going on here?" and she says "It's your birthday... and don't worry, we're just doing you tonight" (as he looks down warily at her pregnant belly) and she starts to... you know.

He closes his eyes and starts to get into it, and she starts to go "yes... keep going... that's it... keep going!"

... and then "Yes! Sold for 56 dollars!"

So, uh, watch these shows! They're good!