“The world needs Bill Maher!”  Or so says the New York Times in reviewing his HBO series Real Time With Bill Maher. We tend to agree.  When it comes to debating vital issues with clarity and intelligence, offering razor-sharp commentaries, and volleying humorous, shrewd observations, Real Time, live on Friday nights from CBS Television City in Hollywood, is the authentic “must-see” TV.  Over at NBC, “must see” is little more than an over-used ad slogan in need of retirement.

Whether or not you agree with Maher’s progressive politics, he’s an Independent, and humanely enlightened world view, for one hour weekly, he and his eclectic guests, everyone from Newt Gingrich to Gloria Steinam, lay bare society’s smoke and mirrors, political postures, and illogical conclusions.  With laser precision, they expose the venal, corporate-owned politicians behind Washington’s curtains, who, indifferent to Planet Earth’s well-being, are waging a war on terra, and not on terror.

Maher understands that if we don’t heal our imploding environment, poisonous diets, outdated beliefs, as well as our greed and selfishness, fighting terrorism over there, or even right here, will be among the least of America’s problems.

In the case of Real Time With Bill Maher, it isn’t television; it isn’t even HBO.  It’s simply the real deal.