New Show Alert: The United States of Tara

The United States of Tara is the latest original series from Showtime premiering January 18 at 10:00 PM. Showtime already has two of the best shows on TV right now with Californication and Dexter and now they have added a third.

The United States of Tara is a comedy/drama about a woman with multiple personalities and how her family deals with the fallout. These "alters" come out when Tara is unable to deal with whatever situation is presenting itself. So far Tara has three other personalities: a fifteen year old girl named T, Buck the white trash biker, and Alice the perfect housewife.

The United States of Tara is a fantastic show. A simply perfect blend of laughs and drama that is brilliantly written by (love her or hate her, I subscribe to the former) Diablo Cody of Juno fame. The diaglogue isn't nearly as headscratching as Juno tended to be so don't be worried. I will say that Diablo Cody has given us a stunning show with believable and relatable chracters. The cast is exquisite, especially Toni Colette and Keir Gilchrist, who plays Tara's son Marshall. Toni Colette is amazing here playing each of these personalities perfectly. I can definitely see some awards for her in the future.

The show is extremely funny but also touching as we see how this family deals with Tara's affliction. Each character has issues of their own that contribute to the alter's appearance and it makes for an extremely interesting dynamic.

The show has a few surprise guest stars as well that comedy and Arrested Development fans will recognize. I'll keep them secret and let you see for yourself.

I have the first four episodes of the show and after watching two of them I had to write this up. It's too good to delay getting the word out. My problem now is that I'll have to wait a month for the fifth episode to premiere. Ah the life of a critic, a double edged sword if ever there was one.

The United States of Tara premieres January 18 at 10 on Showtime. This is simply a can't miss show. I absolutely 100% unequivocally love this show. I'll say it again: One of the best new shows of the year. Discover it for yourself.