In today's more crowded than ever TV landscape it's easy to miss some rare gems airing on channels like Epix not known for their original programming. "Graves," starring Nick Nolte and Sela Ward is one of those gems. The setup is that Graves, played by a gravel-voiced Nolte doing the best work in his career, is a former two term Republican president (a cross between Reagan and George W. Bush) lauded by conservatives for his regressive, anti-immigrant, anti-gay, anti-environment - basically anti anything good, policies which have wreaked havoc on the country.
Now, twenty years out of office, he has an epiphany where he realizes what a genuinely horrible president he was. Wracked with regret and on a constant verge of a nervous breakdown, he embarks on a whacked out odyssey of redemption all to the consternation of his respectable Republican wife, played by Sela Ward also doing the best work in her career. Who knew she was that funny? This show is one of the smartest and funniest political shows to hit TV in years. Unlike Veep, which though funny is completely cynical and cold, Graves is funny AND filled with genuine emotion. The humanity and vulnerability of the characters in "Graves" make the laughs much deeper and more satisfying than anything Veep has ever done. Graves also has smarter writing and better acting than any other comedy on TV today. One would have to go back to the "All In the Family" to find a comparable show that combines politics, social issues and comedy in such a brilliant way.
