In a slight twist on all of the Best of the Decade/Best of the Year lists floating out there on the interwebs, The Chicago Tribune’s TV critic offers her take on the 10 key TV events of the decade. Some of them you might guess (the mocumentary aesthetic, the ascension of cable networks). But also on Maureen Ryan’s list is the rise of TV series starring women — and casting female leads “of a certain age” at that.
Shows like Weeds, Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara feature top-notch actresses in plum roles, she notes, and cable networks like Showtime …read more

Some of you felt Weeds jumped the shark this past season. And there’s plenty of evidence on that point: the two baby daddies, Esteban’s junkie princess of a daughter, the General Lee, Celia as hostage-turned-makeup-and-marijuana maven and the smashing of wieners in desk drawers. But say what you will about the series: Hank Stuever, a pop culture writer at The Washington Post, thinks you’re wrong.
Stuever placed Weeds at No. 3 on his Top 10 list of the best TV in 2009, slotting the series just behind Glee as one of the most entertaining scripted TV offerings this year …read more

Oh Alexander Gould, we love you so much as Weeds accidentally homicidal teen Shane Botwin! Still, it’s nice to see from this video that you’re in fact a wholesome young man who buys his sister jewelry, treks to Home Depot for his dad’s present and makes homemade gifts for his mom.
Here, Showtime fans, are Alexander’s picks for the best places to buy holiday gifts:
And if his list doesn’t satisfy, there are plenty of Weeds-oriented gifts to give, including Season 5 available now on iTunes. You can also pre-order it on DVD and Blue-Ray from the Showtime Store.

“Best of” lists tend to be as great or as useless as the minds behind them. We’re happy to note, then, that the staff of Paste Magazine has used its collective brain power to come up with the 20 Best TV Shows of the Decade.
While we agree with the commenters who say Six Feet Under was tragically overlooked, most of the Paste picks are right on the money. Of course it helps that two outstanding Showtime series made the cut.

At No. 19, Dexter got a shout out for its complicated leading man. “The fact that Dexter is governed by a …read more

The Producers Guild of America announced its picks for top TV shows this week, and Showtime led all other networks with four nominations.
Weeds and Californication made the short list for comedies, while Dexter got a nod in the drama category and This American Life received spot on the list for non-fiction television.
The winners will be announced at the PGA Awards ceremony on Jan. 24 in  Hollywood.
Check out the PGA’s full announcement of the nominees after the jump.

Images: Courtesy of Showtime

His cute mug keeps getting Weeds star Hunter Parrish noticed on the newsstand.
The 22-year-old actor was featured in a photo spread in People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” issue this week, earning him the distinction of being one of the “110 of the hottest guys on the planet.” (Nurse Jackie fans will be happy to note that Peter Facinelli also got a shout-out in the issue, as “hottest dad.”)
In Parrish’s photo feature, set on the Las Vegas strip, he shared his craziest memory from a night in Vegas and explained why he gets high on life when he’s there:
Wildest Night in Vegas: …read more

Justin Kirk took his character, Andy Botwin, to new heights last season on Weeds – the General Lee! The Mountain Man beard! The wooing of Nancy’s ob/gyn! — and we’ve missed him on Showtime ever since Season 5 wrapped.
Kirk’s now turning heads off-Broadway in the play The Understudy. He plays the title character, a struggling  actor named Harry who subs for a pretty but talentless star played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar.
“It’s been a while since I did a play,” he said in a recent interview with Backstage. “It’s a different muscle. You have to give yourself permission to have your process …read more

Season 5, episode 13: “All About My Mom”
Air date: Monday, August 31, 2009 on Showtime
Everything comes to a head on tonight’s season finale of Weeds, with some of Nancy’s clan selling each other out and others coming together in desperate times. Here’s what to expect:

Nancy learns of Esteban’s fate and takes action to save her own skin.
Andy makes a big change in his life.
Dean, Doug and Celia find common ground.
Silas helps Adelita with a disturbing medical issue.
Pilar Zuazo reappears and reaches an understanding with Esteban.

Here’s a sneak peek:
As a bonus to the finale, Weeds star Kevin Nealon will  host tonight’s …read more

Season 5, episode 11: “Ducks and Tigers”
Air date: Aug. 17, 2009 on Showtime
Now that the Botwin-Reyes marriage is official, family matters get even more complicated tonight on Weeds.

Nancy and Esteban deal with the arrival of his daughter Adelita.
Andy and Audra spend a day in bed.

Nancy pays a visit to Guillermo in jail.

Dean, Isabel and Doug plot their revenge against Celia.
Esteban manages issues with law enforcement in Mexico.
Nancy questions her parenting skills, but Esteban assures her she’s a fine mother.

Photo: Sonja Flemming/Showtime

Season 5, episode 10: “Perro Insano”
Air date: Aug. 10, 2009 on Showtime
“It’s a nice day for a … white wedding. It’s a nice day to start again.” With apologies to Billy Idol, it looks like we’ve got a wedding about to pop off tonight on Weeds. That’s right, Esteban and Nancy are headed to the altar … but will they really tie the knot?

You’ll find out in a few hours whether Mr. and Mrs. Reyes make it official. Here’s what else to expect on tonight’s episode:

Audra patches Shane up after he’s hit by gunfire intended for Nancy.
Andy, trying to move on …read more