TVision: Edie Falco’s ‘Nurse Jackie’ debuts on Showtime

Edie Falco, best known for her role in 'The Sopranos,' is the star of Showtime's new medical comedy/dram 'Nurse Jackie.'

Such programs as the Peabody award-winning Dexter, The L Word and The Tudors have forever ended any notions Showtime couldn’t compete with HBO in terms of developing competitive, and compelling original shows.

Now they enter the medical world Monday night with the debut of Nurse Jackie at 9:30 p.m. The show’s star is Edie Falco, whose portrayal of Carmen Soprano on The Sopranos earned multiple awards and plenty of notoriety.

Her latest character Jackie Peyton takes the opposite approach from Fox network medical sleuth Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) in House. She has no use for doctors and loves patients. But they do share an addiction to painkillers, though Peyton’s dependency is linked to a bad back.

The show is only 30 minutes, so there’s not nearly as much time for brooding or intricate storylines. Peyton is married, but involved with the hospital’s pharmacist (Paul Schulze). She’s also less than thrilled by what she sees on the job, something that will no doubt result in numerous clashes as the season continues, along with the possible discovery of her affair by her husband (Dominic Fumusa). And, she finds herself at odds with the hospital administrator (Anna Deavere Smith).

Another returning Showtime program is Weeds at 9 p.m., and the fifth season promises shattering developments. Alanis Morissette joins the cast for seven episodes, while Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker) must deal with sibling issues when her estranged and quite jealous and angry sister (Jennifer Jason Leigh) appears out of nowhere.

Of course the fact that she has a baby coming will further complicate things for Nancy, who has already found that there’s no such thing as casual drug selling and that some of her clients can be quite dangerous.

With these two programs, plus Dexter set to return in September, Showtime seems poised to challenge not only HBO, but also basic cable titans USA Network and TNT for the top crown among cable outlets doing quality original dramas.

Still, HBO is bringing out one of its big guns this week. The vampire saga True Blood did good business for the network last season and the second 12-episode season gets underway Sunday night at 8 p.m. The opening show will jump-start the season with a murder, which shakes up the entire Bon Temps community since they just put a serial killer out of business.

There will also be romantic conflicts, with a new presence in teen vampire Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) to complicate the relationship between Bill (Stephen Moyer) and Sookie (Anna Paquin). Creator Alan Ball has been promising some plot shakeups and big events in various interviews, and fans who can’t wait until Sunday can get a sneak preview of the show online at hbo.com/trueblood.

New reality shows

MC Hammer has already made one comeback of sorts in commercials. Sunday night he’ll become the latest center of a reality show as Hammertime makes its debut on A&E at 9 p.m. You’ll get such thrills as watching him appear at the Take Your Dad to School function and also go through spring cleaning in his closet. Later shows promise to tackle equally riveting events like a relative named “Lyin’ Marv” and his attempts to crash Hammer’s dance crew.

At least the show Kathy Griffin: My Live on the D-List, which begins its fifth year Monday night on Bravo at 9 p.m. doesn’t take itself that seriously. Griffin is great at spoofing celebrity obsession with fame, and she actually gets some pretty good guest stars on the program periodically. Cher, Gloria Estefan, Bette Midler, Rosie O’Donnell, Paula Deen and Suzanne Somers are among the names scheduled for guest appearances.