Journalists don't have the best reputations, but I'd have to guess that if you separated foreign correspondents from other reporters in polls, the favorable numbers would be higher.

They should be. I'm not devaluing local news, but it takes a special breed and a special kind of courage to go to far-flung places and cover stories where the danger is evident.

"Vice" (11 p.m. Friday, HBO), an edgy news magazine, is chock full of that special breed of journalist and is focused on the stories that take a lot of effort and a lot of bravery to cover. It makes for a fascinating and illuminating half-hour.

You might have heard of "Vice" recently; that North Korea trip by "Celebrity Apprentice" and former NBA star Dennis Rodman was done for this show.

Hosted by Shane Smith, the Vice media company's founder, the first episode features a look at political assassinations in the Philippines. Reporter Ryan Duffy follows a candidate registering for re-election in a country that has has 1,200 political assassination in a decade. He uses that journey as a way of examining the country's gun culture (nearly 70 percent of the population owns guns) and how opposition groups teach children to use guns and kill.

That detail connects the story to the second report, about children suicide bombers in Kabul. Children are used because they can get past the checkpoints easier; 80 percent of the attacks are now done by teenagers, ignorant of the true teachings about suicide in the Koran, and duped by the Taliban to believe either that they will survive the bomb strapped to their chests or to think the vests are full of documents.

Smith manages to get interviews with some of the children captured, and it's clear and sad to see that they are indeed children. And there are hundreds of them. Some of the people fooling them are imams, religious leaders co-opted by the Taliban. Smith even gets an interview with a senior Taliban leader.

A second episode I screened had stories on an underground railroad that helps people escape North Korea and the volatile Kashmir border that separates India and Pakistan.

These stories are scary, but important, the kind of news you need to know but that you don't want to know because they let you know how precarious peace and safety are. Thank goodness for the journalists at "Vice" for being brave enough to bring these stories to us.

Watching the first five episodes of NBC's new series "Hannibal," I kept coming back to something I saw a few weeks ago on Twitter (if I could remember who said it, I'd credit them): "Hannibal" is everything Fox's serial killer drama "The Following" wants to be and everything its pilot falsely promised us it would be.

But it's also more.

This highly anticipated drama (by me at least), based on the well-known Hannibal Lecter character from Thomas Harris' novels (and of course, from the films), stars Mads Mikkelsen (left) as Lecter. Mikkelsen is an exceedingly magnetic Danish actor best known for playing a villain in the James Bond film, "Casino Royale."

In the NBC series, Dr. Lecter is a highly respected practicing psychiatrist recruited by Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne), the head of the FBI's Behavioral Sciences Unit, to assist his top consultant, Will Graham (Hugh Dancy, pictured below). But Hannibal's primary purpose isn't to help Will profile sick killers, he's mostly there to help Will manage his own fragile mental and emotional state.

Dancy's Will Graham is really the central character in "Hannibal," possessing an almost supernatural ability to profile serial killers, which he does for the FBI in addition to lecturing. And in today's television vogue, we all know that any crime solver with uncanny deductive skills is likely to be presented as being on the Autism spectrum -- something Will almost confirms in the first episode ("My horse is hitched to a post that is closer to Aspergers and autistics than narcissists and sociopaths," he says). But unlike some other fictional crime solvers I could name, Will's particular condition isn't presented to make him seem quirky or magical; his is a very, very dark burden.

In fact, Will's particular gift-slash-burden is that he over-empathizes to such a degree that he is able to imagine himself as the killer and "experience" the crime being committed. The viewer sees what Will experiences when he mentally transports himself, which is Will acting out atrocious crimes so that he can better understand the motive and the murderer.

As you might guess, spending a lot of time inside a psychopathic killer's brain takes a toll, and Will wears down, both physically and psychologically, as the episodes progress. Dr. Lecter is brought in as a sort of safety net (for Will or for the Bureau, we're not always positive) in case Will seems about to snap.

I absolutely love this show, but I made some incorrect assumptions about it as I watched the first episode, particularly in regard to any role Hannibal may or may not have in the series of crimes being investigated. By episode two, I realized my mistake and settled into the show's storytelling groove. By episode five, all of that is upended with a revelation that left me salivating for the next installment.

In addition to the inventive storylines and excellent acting (Mikkelsen in particular is mesmerizing), "Hannibal" distinguishes itself from anything else on network television by being beautifully and imaginatively filmed. (It's developed, executive produced and written by Bryan Fuller, the creator the exquisite "Pushing Daisies" and "Wonderfalls.") The violence and crime scenes are graphic, but not gratuitously so, in my opinion.

In fact, some of the most chilling scenes involve no apparent violence at all: Dr. Lecter preparing and serving food to guests. Knowing what we know -- or think we know -- about Hannibal Lecter, it's impossible to watch Will take a bite of homemade sausage or see Crawford eat a bite of "loin" without freaking out a little. Even more disconcerting than the way Lecter's guests devour his scrumptiously prepared gourmet meals is the way he studies them as they take those first bites.

"Hannibal" looks and feels like a show you would see on cable, which is about the highest compliment you can pay a network program these days. And it's by far the best show NBC has introduced in years, as well as the best new broadcast network show of the season. It's in a killer timeslot, though (so to speak), up against "Scandal" on ABC and "Elementary" on CBS on Thursday nights at 10.

But if you're a fan of the murder mystery TV genre, just do whatever you have to do to check this one out.

***
"Hannibal" debuts on Thursday night at 10 on NBC.

When I saw the promotions for "Forever Young" (10 tonight, TV Land), I rolled my eyes. Putting seniors and 20s omethings in the same house seemed gimmicky and lame.

Well, it is gimmicky and it's not the bold social experiment the producers (including Ashton Kutcher) would like you to believe it is, but "Forever Young" is a sweet, little show that proves that each group can learn something valuable from one another, if only they took the time to talk.

The cast on the under 30 side includes Mike, a cancer survivor; Andree, a pretty Latino; Angelina, a tough girl; Sam, a so-called 'crunchy' guy; and Christian, who's gay. The over 70s are Arthur aka Double A, the godfather of racquetball; Shirley, a former showgirl; Lou, a former pro football player; Emileen, a recent widow; and Eugene, a quiet and amiable veteran.

No doubt about it, you'll like the seniors immediately. They are active, spunky, funny, everything you hope to be when you grow up. The 'kids' come across, at first, as brats. The ladies, in particular, are rude and they all don't seem very bright. In the first episode, there's a game show contest between the groups in which the seniors must answer questions the 20 somethings would know and vice versa. It's telling that the questions aimed at the seniors are all pop culture related ("Who is Brangelina? "What is a bromance?") while the questions aimed toward the 20 somethings are historical facts like "Which war came first: the Civil War, Vietnam or World War II?" And the 20 something asked doesn't know the answer. (By the way, it seems the best age to be is between 40 and 60. You can use a map, a GPS & you know about Brad & Angie.)

But as the show continues it gets less gimmicky and gains a lot of heart. You learn more about some of the cast (Eugene gets left out for the most part, sadly) that deepens your understanding of their behavior, you see some defenses come down, and true connections are made.

That's not totally surprising; it's often easier to get along with your grandparents than your parents. They usually love you a little differently, with a little less judgment.

One thing I disliked: there's a financial element to the show that doesn't make sense, doesn't seem necessary and cheapens the effort.

But it doesn't ruin the sweet message of the show: we never stop learning and wisdom can come from many places.

The phrase 'The truth will set you free' comes vividly to life in "Fall to Grace," (8 tonight, HBO), a documentary exploring the ever-after of Jim McGreevey. That's the New Jersey governor who announced his resignation from office in 2004 because of a scandal, and then, with his wife at his side, declared himself 'a gay American.'

So what ever happened to him? After hitting rock bottom, McGreevey realized he was addicted to the power and perks of being an up-and-comer in Democratic circles. Now he lives a simpler life (although in a grand house), serving as a spiritual advisor to female inmates and studying to become an Episcopal priest.

We all learn at some point (if we're lucky) that lies are traps but seeing that wisdom through McGreevey's life is inspirational and powerful. He was good as a politician -- you can see that in the way former constituents warmly greet him -- but he's even better as an advisor. Caring, patient, persistent, it's clear the inmates love him and want to please him. And they can feel his love and care as well. He can speak to them because he's had his own redemption song to sing, and he can speak to them honestly because he's not pretending anymore.

The film is directed by Alexandra Pelosi, who has an easy, conversational style that fits the film, which is only about 45 minutes.

It's lovely to see in "Fall to Grace," a fallen politician get up and serve not himself or his bank account, but the public. These days, Jim McGreevey is truly a public servant doing important work.

Other airdates: April 2 (5:30 p.m., midnight), 6 (10:00 a.m.), 10 (3:00 p.m.), 14 (5:00 p.m.), 19 (6:10 a.m.) and 23 (9:00 a.m.)

"Phil Spector" (9 p.m. Sunday, HBO) is a creative experiment by David Mamet gone, not exactly wrong, but maybe gone left.

It's a 'mythological' piece, a note tells us, not a comment on the trial, not using the facts of the trial. Although it's named for the famed music producer, it's really about his lawyer.

When the story begins Lana Clarkson has already been shot at the home of Phil Spector (Al Pacino). His lawyer Bruce Cutler (Jeffrey Tambor) brings in Linda Kenney Baden (Helen Mirren) to help with the defense. Baden initially thinks the case is a dog, that Spector is guilty, and she doesn't want to take Cutler's route of tearing down Clarkson.

From there, the film basically becomes a story of the relationship between Baden and Spector, as she comes to believe he might not be guilty, that there is reasonable doubt, even as she realizes the difficulty of overcoming Spector's eccentric behavior.

We don't learn much about Spector as a person; the film is more interested in Baden's process of gaining justice for Spector. And I've got to give Mamet credit -- the film is pretty interesting despite being light on action or even tension.

Certainly Mamet as director and writer gets some of the credit, but I'm going to give most of the kudos to Mirren. It's amazing how, from role to role, she morphs. Here she's dowdy, savvy and blunt. She brilliantly masters silent moments; you can see by the look on her face when she changes her mind about Spector. The best scene in the film is when Spector walks into the courthouse with a crazy Afro wig and Baden knows she's got to revise her plan. Spector, she knows, can't help himself and I mean that legally and psychologically.

Pacino, on the other hand, was less effective for me. He seems to have Spector's mannerisms and speech patterns down, but it feels like an imitation rather than a transformation.

There has been a lot of criticism about the film's veracity. Mamet's 'This is a work of fiction. It’s not ‘based on a true story’ note at the beginning of the film shows he was expecting some flak. The problem he tries to have it both ways. The end notes of the film tell what happened at the end of the actual trial and the actual retrial. (It gives a whole lot of credit to the real Baden who happens to be a consultant on the film.) I wouldn't say the film undermines the jury system, but it does seem to suggest that Spector might have been misjudged.

Production notes include quotes from Mamet who says he wanted to explore, through Baden's character, the notions of reasonable doubt and prejudice. The film seems to end on the idea that both of those elements are arbitrary; both are bestowed or withheld based on factors like celebrity or appearance. Yet I'm not sure that's only the case for someone like Phil Spector; ordinary folk can have the same issues based on race, income and yes, appearance. As odd as Spector may be, he had money on his side. And as even the film concedes, cash can change the dynamic dramatically.

You can't blame the real Chris Porco for trying to stop the airing of "Romeo Killer: The Chris Porco Story" (8 tonight, Lifetime). Murdering your father with an ax and attempting to do the same to your mother isn't something you want everyone to know about. And he's definitely right: this movie will not do great things for his reputation.

But here we are, another ripped-from-the-headlines film on the channel that specializes in them. It's a solid job, not one of the stellar efforts but the particulars of the case are compelling enough to carry it over the line.

The film opens in quiet Delmar, New York, where we see someone enter the home of the Porcos; dad (Lochlyn Munro) and mom (Lolita Davidovich) are sleeping. Mom wakes up just in time to see a hooded figure begin the butchering. When dad doesn't make it to work, the crime is discovered. Dad dies, but mom survives and clinging to life, nods in affirmation when asked if son Chris (Matt Barr) is responsible.

The person doing the asking is Joe Sullivan (Eric McCormack) who has known the family for years and Chris all his life. He doesn't seem to like Chris, who has a close relationship with Sullivan's daughter.

He brings Chris in and Chris denies the crime. He was away at school; someone even saw him jogging earlier that morning.

In flashbacks, we learn more about Chris' relationship with his parents. It seems Chris is a phony; he's been telling his friends at school that he's wealthy, and running up debts and stealing from his family to keep the lie going. And his grades are horrendous. Near the time of the killing, his parents are practicing tough love for Chris' transgressions.

But Chris is charming. He's not just a Romeo for young women his age, whom he sways to his side, but also to older women who see him as the perfect son. And when she recovers from her injuries, mom takes his side too. Because of her injuries she can't remember what happened, but the film suggests it could also be that she doesn't want to. Who wants to acknowledge rearing a sociopath?

The film focuses mostly on Sullivan, who becomes a pariah in town because of his zealous quest to convict Porco, and Porco, who spends most of his time manipulating everyone. Barr has the right square jaw looks be a low-rent seducer, but he's not charming enough to seduce the viewer into buying into his act too. The trick is to keep the audience guessing; instead Barr's Chris is so clearly a phony, his supporters look like dupes. McCormack always seems a little frustrated and determined in his roles, so the part works for him.

In the end, "Romeo Killer" offers a portrait of a disturbed young man, who even when he wasn't killing, had little regard for others unless they had something to offer him. It may not be a story that had to be told, but it is one that is interesting in the telling.

The quick description of director/writer Jane Campion's "Top Of The Lake" (9 tonight, Sundance Channel) is "The Killing" as written by someone who possibly smoked something...interesting, which makes for a story that's more than a murder mystery. You get entry into a weird little world and to witness the underbelly of humanity.

Like "The Killing," at the heart of the story is a police detective with a troubled past, in this case she's Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss). Griffin is on vacation with her mom, who has cancer, when she gets a call to consult on a case. A little girl named Tui (Jacqueline Joe) was found standing in freezing water, a move that might have killed her. When she's retrieved from the lake, it's discovered that she's 5 months pregnant. Robin tries to get her to reveal the rapist's name; Tui tells her that it's 'no one.'

As it turns out, Tui is the daughter of Matt Mitcham (Peter Mullan), the local drug lord. We will gently describe Tui's surroundings as rough and tumble. He has a less-than-parental response to Tui's pregnancy. Then Tui disappears, taking Robin's investigation into stranger and more ominous places.

Although the mystery of Tui's rape and disappearance drive the story, there's so much more going on. There's Robin past in Queenstown and her relationships with Tui's half-brother Johnno (Thomas M. Wright) and her mentor Al Parker (David Wenham). There's the androgynous, comically blunt, scarily astute spiritual guru CJ (Holly Hunter) who leads a group of broken women on a piece of land called Paradise that has ties to the Mitchams.

Here's what is not a mystery: the excellence of the performances. By my ear, Moss does a credible Australian accent and, as Robin, reveals the layers of her turmoil brilliantly. Mullan is creepy, sad and oddly alluring. Hunter's turn as CJ is crazy good.

Except for the beauty of New Zealand, "Top Of The Lake" isn't an easy watch. It starts slow, but stick with it. After the third episode, I was all in, although I'm not sure why. I think the best word for the series is mesmerizing; it sort of hypnotizes and fascinates. Falling in love with it might come later.

If you saw "Amour," the Oscar-winning film about aging, and left the film with the thought that getting old stinks, wait until you see "Kings Point," (9 tonight HBO), an Oscar nominee for best documentary short.

They are companion pieces. "Amour" gave a pull-no-punches look at failing health and caregiving. "Kings Point" looks at life in a retirement resort. Unlike other recent explorations of elderly complexes, this film isn't about how all the men are players (because the women are plentiful and the men aren't), although there's some of that. This film deals with the emotional difficulties of being alive when death lingers like a shadow.

Kings Point is a community in Florida that drew many from the Northeast during the 70s; at an affordable price, retired couples could get a piece of 'paradise.' But years later, some of those retirees have lost their spouses and their health has declined. Everything has changed. "Kings Point" focuses on five seniors in particular.

The film, just under 40 minutes, is saturated with loneliness. Widows and widowers want to find love again; others don't believe love at this age is possible, but they long for something like it anyway. Romantics relationships aren't the only ones lacking; friendships are superficial. No one wants to get too close because losing someone to death (again) is too difficult.

Going home to stay with children isn't much of an option either. If the kids aren't reluctant, they just have their own lives. And the seniors still have lives they want to live too.

One of the most moving stories in "Kings Point" is the friendship of Frank and Bea. Frank is upfront; he won't get romantically involved with Bea. Bea understands, but her silence on the matter is clearly laced with sorrow. Frank's position seems cruel because they act as a couple, spending New Year's Eve together, kissing (on the cheek) at midnight. The fullness of their story is told and it's devastating.

"Kings Point" shows that aging isn't easy, but it's partly because we, as a culture, have made it difficult. Our fear of death, our reluctance to age, our disdain of the elderly -- we've created the emptiness at the core of a Kings Point. Death can come before the end of life. Perhaps "Kings Point" can start a conversation and lead to some action.

The latest midseason offering comes from ABC in the form of Russian mob drama that, compared to some of the other network shows we've gotten lately, isn't half bad.

"Red Widow" (9 p.m.) stars Radha Mitchell as Marta Walraven, the daughter of a Russian mobster. Marta's husband Evan, played by Anson Mount ("Hell on Wheels"), is involved in comparatively clean endeavors -- that is to say, he isn't part of her father's criminal network, but he is a marijuana importer. When pot-dealer Evan is gunned down in the family's front yard (and not for dealing pot), Marta must deal with a bigger and way badder Russian mobster to save herself and her three children from the same fate. The bigger, badder mob leader is played by Goran Visnjic ("E.R.").

"Red Widow," based on the Dutch series "Penoza," has promising credentials: It's executive-produced and written by Melissa Rosenberg, a former head writer for "Dexter" and the "Twilight" films.

Sunday night we get the first two episodes of the series back-to-back (it settles in at 10 p.m. next Sunday), and that second episode is when we really start to see the new life in store for Marta and her family, and the path the series is likely to take.

The premise is a little "Weeds" meets "Breaking Bad," but the version you'd expect from a broadcast network. Still, it's not bad. I'm very interested to see where Marta's character goes from tonight's jumping-off point. And in a Sunday at 10 p.m. timeslot, it has a darker-than-it-really-is feel after the soapy silliness of "Revenge."

There are two ways to view "Golden Boy" (10 tonight & March 5; moves to 9 p.m Fridays on March 8), the new CBS cop drama.

On the one hand, it's a typical police procedural surrounded by a concept that mimics "How I Met Your Mother"; the story of how the youngest police commissioner in New York City's history became the youngest police commissioner in New York City's history.

Yet it also seems to be an example of what some often complain about: a show in which a white guy gets all the glory after his wise black sidekick teaches him all he knows.

To be fair, in an early episode Walter Clark (Theo James) does give Owen (the dependably watchable Chi McBride) credit when it's due. But the show is called "Golden Boy" and we know who that is.

But back to the basic plot. Clark is a former street thug whom we meet as a beat cop. He and his partner respond to a robbery in progress. Clark takes down the bad guys, saves a hostage and saves his partner, which earns him a gold shield and a ticket to any place in the force he wants to go.

Flash forward 7 years and he's a graying (?) commissioner with a limp, telling the story of his quick ascent to a journalist.

And we're back to his back story. Ambitious and a bit of a hot head, Clark chooses homicide much to several folks' chagrin. Among the chagrined is Det. Christian Arroyo ("Southland's" Kevin Alejandro) who feels threatened by the golden boy's reputation. Arroyo's partner Deborah McKenzie (Bonnie Somerville) doesn't much like him either, but she won't go to the extremes Arroyo will to undermine Clark.

McBride's Owen, just two years away from retirement, becomes Clark's partner, guru, and maybe, father figure. He must make sure Clark's ambition don't destroy both of their careers.

James is super cute. You won't quite buy him as a tough kid taking care of his wayward sister, but he's cute enough that you may not care. I'm not even sure I believe the character, as written in the first two episodes, could end up being the commissioner in just 7 years. I mean, this is a guy who promises the parents of a homicide victim that 'we'll find the guy.' Anyone who has done any cop show TV watching knows that's a level 101 homicide cop no-no.

Still, "Golden Boy" isn't an awful show. Its crime stories are fairly compelling, and since the producers know how this will all end (I assume), the episodes have a firm direction and leave plenty of little mysterious knots to be untied later. McBride and Arroyo anchor the show where James doesn't have the gravitas to do it. (And dang it, I want Chi McBride on a hit show!!) It will pair well with "Blue Bloods" once it moves to Friday (maybe Walter Clark is the commissioner who replaces Tom Selleck's character. Crossover!).

But golden might be too strong a word.