Second Season Of “In Plain Sight” Off To A Strong Start

If you haven’t had a chance to check out USA Network’s most recent hit “In Plain Sight” you could be missing out on one of the most original American television series dramas in a long while.

After “In Plain Sight” was plagued with a later than normal series start last year due to the WGA strike, the series has only received more and more added viewers with each episode. The pilot episode, which aired on June 1^st, 2008, pulled in over five and a half million viewers, placing it at the top of USA Network’s DirecTV highest rated television series since the debut of its other great series “Psych” in 2006.

This drama that takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is all about the lives of those FBI agents who work for the Federal Witness Protection Program, and the people who’s identities they are sworn to protect. The main character Mary Shannon (aptly played by Mary McCormack) is a Deputy United States Marshall with an extremely hectic personal life, a disdain for traditional authority, and a job that is obviously full of stress as she does what she can to ensure the safety and protection of individuals in the witness protection program. She is the perfect example of the flawed hero.

Her partner Marshall Man (played by Fred Weller) is a useless trivia aficionado and comes from a family of law enforcement and is the balancing force in Mary’s life. As the series has moved forward Marshall and Mary have developed one of the most dynamic friendships television has seen in awhile.

Along with a handful of other cast members, “In Plain Sight” is a fully robust experience for DirecTV subscribers. This series is sure to be a great staple for the USA Network’s lineup, and this season has only solidified that claim with already stellar viewership numbers for season two’s debut.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Is A Travel Channel Treat

If you ever had a chance to check out Anthony Bourdain’s 2001-2002 Food Network television show entitled “A Cook’s Tour”, you’ll know that Mr. Bourdain loves to travel to beautifully exotic places all over the world to sample the local food and culture. Although “A Cook’s Tour” was canned after two seasons, the Travel Channel (airing on DirecTV channel 277, with Video On Demand on channel 1277) was smart enough to give him another great show along this same vein entitled “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations”.

Anthony Bourdain, a great chef himself, fascinates home satellite television viewers all over the world. Not only does he find culinary treasures in the United States, his farther travels have sent him across to the globe to places like Sicily, Italy (where he met with Sicily’s president), Thailand, Ghana, Romania, Laos, Ireland, and Shanghai, just to name a few. He has since received critical acclaim for an episode chronicling his journey to Beirut that landed him a nomination for a 2007 Emmy Award for “Outstanding Informational Programming”.

Besides being an extremely personable, educated, and very brave soul when it comes to eating bizarre insect-related dishes, Anthony Bourdain is a great host. He also has famous friends to bring along, such as the much-lauded author Chuck Palaniuk, the UK band Morcheeba, George Pelecanos, and fellow bizarre food enthusiast Andrew Zimmern, ensuring that every episode is entertaining, informative and fun.

It seems that the fun won’t be ending soon either, with future seasons already slated and Bourdain’s online blog has stated that he’s planning to take his stomach and film crew to Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia, Melbourne, and Chile to new a few. And for those that enjoy DirecTV’s channels that specialize in cooking or travel, you can get both with this Travel channel exclusive.