If you haven’t seen Weeds on Showtime yet, you’re in for an interesting experience.  I think it’s one of the most original and entertaining shows on TV right now.  Mary-Louise Parker is delightfully quirky in the lead role, and the supporting cast of characters is equally eccentric.

There is one thing, though.  To enjoy this show, as with Dexter on the same network, you have to be willing to sympathize with a morally ambiguous (at best) lead character.  Parker’s Nancy Botwin is a drug dealer.  There’s really no way to ignore it.  It’s what the series is about.

There’s more to this show than just trying to justify dealing marijuana and all the incidental crimes that go with it (like murder and arson).  You see, Nancy has two kids, and she’s a widow.  She began dealing drugs to her suburban neighbors in order to be able to stay financially afloat.  The show humorously portrays how a person who makes a bad choice in a desperate situation can get in over her head really quickly.

As the fourth season opens, Nancy and her two sons are fleeing the scene of her latest crime, aiding and abetting arson.  Their whole subdivision is burning, including their own house.  So, she is relocating her weed business.  Presumably, the season will focus on the challenges of finding a niche market for her brand of weed.  If past seasons are any indication, this will involve making deals with suppliers, other dealers, and lots of unwanted criminal consequences.  Tune in and see.  I don’t think you’ll regret giving this genuinely original series a try.