Warriors of Liberty City

One of the best reasons to turn on a television this new fall season. Inspiring without being inspirational, dramatic without being dishonest, it has points it wants to make about work and commitment, parents and children, but never at the expense of things that might complicate its message.

It's really a window into life inside the inner city, where—contra The Wire—not everybody is out on the corner hustling dime bags.

There's a deeper cultural dig that Warriors of Liberty City could be doing, one on display in America to Me, talking in more depth about economic opportunities, the traps of race-based assumptions, community-police relations, a biased criminal justice system and more. Maybe and hopefully the pairing of this often very good show with that often great show will cause viewers wooed by the football hook of Warriors of Liberty City to also watch its Starz partner, or vice vers

It's a little too enamored with the will-they-win-the-game dynamic baked into the premise, as well as the familiar theme of organized sports providing an escape for the lucky few who win that golden ticket, while -- on a more basic level -- bringing structure and discipline into the children's lives.