Parents' Guide to Weeds

This engaging dramedy isn't the first TV show to expose the dark side of life in the suburbs, and it almost certainly won't be the last. But it's probably safe to say that Weeds is the only series that goes behind the facade in such a large cloud of marijuana smoke. Of course, just about everyone has some good mixed in with the bad. The trauma of her husband's death has left Nancy very much at sea, and all she can do is get through one day at a time. She cares deeply about her sons and honestly wants what's best for them, even if her very questionable parenting choices don't always make that clear. And Andy really likes being part of a family -- he just has trouble understanding that he's supposed to be one of the grown-ups. Even Celia has a softer side, though she doesn't show it often.

Thanks to complex, interesting characters like these and some very sharp writing, Weeds can be both laugh-out-loud funny and poignantly dramatic. But it's definitely meant for adults. The rampant drug use, racist stereotypes, and statutory rape -- all mined for dark comedy -- are only a few of the show's red flags. Most of the characters curse a blue streak, teens drink and do drugs, and almost all of the show's Black and Latino characters are drug dealers and gangsters. One thing's for sure -- life in Weeds may be complicated, smoky, and sometimes even shocking, but it's certainly never boring.