Intervention (A&E)

INTERVENTION is a graphic documentary series that follows the horrific journey from addiction to -- hopefully -- redemption. Past participants include one blond, still-handsome, once-successful mortgage broker who sleeps on a random rooftop, his prized condo lost to cocaine use; an FBI driving instructor falls from the top of his game after drinking too much and gets a near-fatal diagnosis; and a divorcee faces the prospect of losing everyone she loves.

In many ways, the show's premise works. It's straightforward, no-holds-barred, and uncensored, which is really the only way to address the topic. The subjects are shown drinking and drugging, and the results of their actions are also made clear; ambivalence would only water down the series' impact. If anything could scare somebody away from using and abusing drugs and alcohol, surely watching the people who depend on them fall deeper and deeper into their own personal hell should do the trick.

Because there's so little sentimentality (thus reducing the risk of turning the show to an after-school special), it's hard not to feel like a rubbernecker staring at an accident that's best left behind closed doors. Nevertheless, this show is truly a learning experience (as well as full of cautionary messages for teens).