Men in Trees is the my favorite show on television, hands down. The stories are fun, the characters are compelling and different, and though many people like to call them "quirky," they seem to me to be the most realistic mix of real people on television. Not everyone is some plastic cut-out or Hollywood beautiful person...this cast's appearance is as unique and real as their attitudes and the Elmoian obstacles they overcome every week. Yes, I am a true fan and feel it's my duty to not only continue to spread the word about how great Elmo and it's inhabitants are, but how great it's viewers are as well. The most loyal of us are known as TreeHuggers and we have begun a really great campaign to save the show that we love. It's currently on a "hiatus" until it returns at the end of February. At first, we had just hoped to persuade the network to stop pulling it off the air and swapping time slots more than Marin changed shoes! But now, a very real and heartfelt campaign has started that will not only save the show, but will also feed the hungry as well. If you are a fan, if you're not a fan and just a philanthropist, whoever you are, if you are reading this post, do yourself a favor and check out the Men in Trees message board over at abc.com and see what you can do to save this great show while giving to a great cause. I guarantee it will make your day a little brighter, and you'll find out what it really means to be an Elmoian. Not many shows encourage you to become a better person. Men in Trees does every week. Every TreeHugger knows this, and now you can too. Please do yourself a favor and check out the Men in Trees message board at abc.com and look for the subject titled "Plant it Forward." Then be sure to tune in to Men in Trees Wednesday nights at 10pm starting Feb. 27th. Become a TreeHugger before it's too late!

MIT is a clever and wonderfully well written show that triggers a great amount of emotion in the viewer. Here is a show that is creative and hosts a great cast in which each and every character is well thought out and lovable. MIT's fans are absolutely in love with this show, they are loyal and prove it through their posts on ABC/MIT. Unfortunately ABC does not do the show justice and does not advertise it appropriately. ABC has also taken the show off the air for many months at a time "to give other shows a chance" and made MIT fans extremely upset. Just recently after the show coming back on air, ABC chooses not to run the show consistently again. The episodes are ALREADY TAPED and ready to go (this is well known fact among MIT fans and we are waiting) So what is the problem? We are left hanging once again and very frustrated. One can really connect with this show it is truly a gem amongst the drivel in t.v. land. I love each and every character and look forward to watching each week. I have not missed a single episode despite the network giving the fans the run around with not airing MIT consistently. I think it is high time all of us MIT fans were to fight back and win.

This show is finding its voice and direction. About 2/3 of the way through the first season it seems to really hit its stride. More sophisticated dialog and some clever plot twists, but more importantly, the actors seem to be comfortable with each other - and things really loosen up and become more 'authentic'. Anne Heche really begins to shine, as well. I found her really annoying at first and have grown to love her. She can play vulnerable quite well given the constraints of network TV. ABC is doing a good job, here, as much as I hate to give props to any network station. The last, so far unaired episodes are fantastic. I won't spoil the fun for all the fans, but they are really great. Looking forward to Season 2.

On one Thursday evening at 10:00pm, my local west coast ABC affiliate aired the pilot episode of "Northern Exposure". The ABC Network usually airs "Men In Trees" in that time slot but the program was preempted for a live sporting event.Despite both shows are set in Alaska and filmed on location in the Pacific Northwest (Exposure in Washington state, Trees in Vancouver, BC), re-watching "Northern Exposure" (as well as few episodes of "Sex and the City") reminds me how disappointed I am with the poorly conceived hybrid "Men in Trees". Anne Heche can be a good actress with the right material. Unfortunately her role as a writer who ends up in a small town in Alaska grates on my nerves. Perhaps because I feel that Heche is miscast, I am not convinced of her "fish-out-of-water" character.I also cannot help but feel that the supporting cast fits the typical quirky stereotypes. The hot-looking local, the kindly bar owner, the bush pilot, the local police officers, the dim but well-intentioned radio DJ, etc.The only stereotype that may have been broken was teddy bear and veteran "ER" actor Abraham Benrubi as the local bartender in love with two different women. Considering that one of the executive producers is filmmaker James Mangold, (his movies "Heavy" and "Cop Land" had lead characters who were large men) then I am not surprised why Benrubi was cast in a non-typical role.Nonetheless, I can see why there are a lot of dedicated viewers who love "Men in Trees". It fits the quirky niche for television audiences. I wished the show could find its own voice instead of borrowing ideas from better shows.