I've not been paying close attention to chef Rocco DiSpirito, so despite the fact that he's been a reality show regular, I'm not sick of him.

That's important when you're watching "Rocco's Dinner Party" (Bravo, 11 tonight; moves to 10 next week) because, just like in the title, Rocco is front and center.

Surrounding him is a show that's kind of like a mini-"Top Chef"; 3 chefs compete to cook a dinner for Rocco and his friends. One is eliminated quickly after a Quick Fire-like challenge. The other two go head to head, preparing a meal for a themed party. (The first theme is speakeasy.) The winner gets $20,000.
 

By its barest description, "Luther" (BBC America, 10 p.m. Sundays) sounds like you've seen it a thousand times.

It's about a troubled brilliant cop (played by Idris Elba aka Stringer Bell on "The Wire") whose questionable tactics give him the right results with murky morality. But "Luther" offers so much more than that description. This is an intense, complex, creepy ride.

When we meet John Luther, he's chasing a man who has killed several children. He's got him cornered, and in forcing him to give the location of his latest victim, Luther makes a choice that provides the subtext for nearly everything that happens in the six-part series. (I've seen three and I already want more than six.)

It's an idea so great that it's hard to believe it's just a joke. But it is.

A satirical website out of the UK (think British "Onion") has a great little story about Monopoly coming out with a version of their game based on the widely acclaimed HBO cult hit, "The Wire." The Poke story even has fake quotes from a Hasbro official explaining the game and some of the "Re-up" or "The Game" cards you might draw: "Chris and Snoop are looking for you! Hide! Miss 2 goes.’”

Click below for more and for a larger look at the board.

All five seasons of HBO's critically acclaimed drama "The Wire" are coming soon to DirecTV. 

The series will air for the first time since its original HBO run, uncut and commercial free, beginning this Sunday, July 18.

This is also the first time "The Wire," which debuted on HBO in 2002, will be broadcast in high definition.

As a DirecTV exclusive, series creator David Simon will introduce the premiere and select episodes over the course of the series run.

To quote Buster the dog, "Sheeeeeeee...."

Note: It's "Toy Story" but it's also "The Wire," so do I have to warn you about language? Not for the kids.

In case you missed it this weekend, N&O reporter Matt Ehlers had a great article about a course being taught at Duke University on HBO's critically acclaimed show, "The Wire."

Ehlers explains that it's not a study in pop culture, but a class touching on disciplines in African and African-American studies, cultural anthropology, international comparative studies and sociology. Read it.

On a related note, David Simon, the creator of "The Wire," had a new show premiere on HBO last night. "Treme" is a wonderful new series about life in post-Katrina New Orleans (read our "Treme" review here). And today, when Pulitzer Prizes are announced, The New York Times reminds us in a nice video commentary by David Carr that "Treme" was built on the prize-winning reporting of the New Orleans Times-Picayune and the Sun Herald in Biloxi, Mississippi.  

There's this funny sequence in the second episode of "Treme", (HBO, 10 p.m tonight):
Three young tourists in post-Katrina New Orleans get sent to a bar in a dicey neighborhood to hear music and experience the authentic nature of the city. There they encounter good music, good cue and a bony man with too many gold teeth and a ready grin.

I won't give away what happens, but elements of their experience are akin to how "Treme" made me feel in only three episodes: immersed, giddy, and longing for more.