With Dexter, Californication and Weeds between seasons, Showtime is currently coasting on slighter fare like Tracy Ullman's State of the Union (passable), Secret Diary of a Call Girl (surprisingly lively in its third season) and La La Land (Ali G-lite filler). Where's the meat? ---

March is the answer: Showtime's newer buzz series United States of Tara and Nurse Jackie will both return for second seasons on Monday, March 22. Tara's Toni Collette won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of a harried housewife with three extra personalities who come and go at will; Jackie's Edie Falco was up for the same award for her amoral-yet-compassionate NYC ER nurse. Both shows are the definition of the Showtime dark comedy: Get the laugh, temper with angst, throw in the twist, take it all over the top. And both are killer, addictive series that HBO can't quite touch--not even with vampires and polygamists.

The United States of Tara and Nurse Jackie 2010 previews--looks like Tara is going to get a fourth housemate in her head: