Sure, “Lost” and “Grey’s Anatomy” are popular shows, but what about the TV no one watches? These shows are ones you probably haven’t seen, or even heard of. Nevertheless, they are true gems that gleam off the beaten path, and they deserve a chance.

p. **“History Detectives”**
One of the most interesting shows on PBS, “History Detectives” involves real-life researchers, mostly appraisers and academics, who answer questions about various items of unknown historical importance. Usually, the cases involve family heirlooms that, according to legend, once belonged to historical figures. The researcher meets with the person, gathers any information they have about the item, and then performs research and interviews historians familiar with the subject for more clues. Some of the items that research determined were authentic include a $250,000 cast-iron eagle that once adorned Grand Central Station and an early-1800s handwritten list of public education donations, including $200 from then-President Thomas Jefferson (which bankrupted him). Some items that research couldn’t prove (although didn’t disprove either) to be authentic include a flag thought to have draped President William McKinley’s casket and a possible piece of a Civil War air balloon used for reconnaissance against the South. The show is an interesting look at our nation’s heritage. “History Detectives” airs locally on WCVE Mondays at 9 p.m.

p. **“My Boys”**

In an age when almost every sitcom is formulaic and plagued by canned laughter, TBS’s “My Boys” is refreshingly original and comedic. The show focuses on Chicago sportswriter P.J. Franklin (Jordana Spiro) and her group of friends — most of whom are men. In many respects, P.J. is rather masculine; she plays poker and hangs out in bars with her boys, is somewhat blunt with the men she dates and, as the narrator of the show, likens events in her social life to sports metaphors. Included in her group is her older brother Andy (comedian Jim Gaffigan), who is married and lives in the suburbs but always joins the group for poker; Brendan (Reid Scott), a radio DJ who often has to crash at P.J.’s after fighting with his girlfriend; Mike (Jamie Kaler), a commitment-phobic ladies’ man; Kenny (Norfolk native Michael Bunin), an awkward sports store owner; and Bobby (Kyle Howard), a rival sportswriter and P.J.’s past love interest. P.J.’s only real female friend is Stephanie (Kellee Stewart), whom she met in college. Stephanie often advises her to act more femininely to attract men. The entire cast has real chemistry, lending the series a very real feel. Gone are the stupid quips that plagued “Friends;” instead, the characters realistically banter with and tease each other. This Tuesday, the last two episodes of the season will air back-to-back at 10 p.m. on TBS.

p. **“Feasting on Asphalt”**
Food Network regular Alton Brown (“Good Eats,” “Iron Chef America”) hits the back roads of America in the second season of his travelogue show, “Feasting on Asphalt.” This season, titled “The River Run,” shows Brown and his crew exploring Mississippi River routes on motorcycles and stopping what seems like nine times a day to eat local cuisine and to interview the proprietors. By not traveling on major interstates and avoiding chain restaurants, Brown makes backcountry America seem savory and delicious. The delight of the show is that Brown’s knowledge, attention to detail and offbeat humor are really a part of his personality and not just of his quirky TV self. He is especially great at narrating the history of a particular region or extolling the virtues of cooking methods developed nearby while riding a motorcycle. It’s fascinating to see the various reactions of locals; after all, even Brown himself doesn’t know where he’ll be stopping. Some restaurant owners let him try his hand at serving their food; others won’t even let him past the counter; and, occasionally, he’s mobbed by Food Network groupies. Hopefully we’ll be treated to another on-camera car crash; last season Brown injured his clavicle. The final episode of the season, in which Brown completes the journey with a stop in Minnesota, airs tomorrow at 9 p.m.

p. **“Eureka”**

This sci-fi, comedy-drama seems a little too good to be true at first; you keep expecting the disaster-of-the-week bit to get old. Fortunately, the writers and cast are able to keep “Eureka” fresh and interesting. The show features a town called Eureka somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. This town is unique because everyone who lives there is a genius — it was created by Dwight D. Eisenhower after World War II to keep America ahead of its rivals with regard to scientific developments. To this end, all of the nation’s most intelligent people from every branch of science, ranging from military science to cryogenics to lepidopterology (the study of butterflies) work and live in Eureka, leading to massive technological development, but also to dangerous mishaps. The really interesting part is that every last townsperson is smart — even the local farmer raises cloned chicken meat instead of living fowl. Colin Ferguson plays Sheriff Jack Carter, who is assigned to Eureka after stumbling upon the town and helping solve a case. Carter has average intelligence, but often provides a necessary real-world perspective to the scientists. Carter lives in a smart house with his daughter Zoe (Jordan Hinson), who scored genius-level in an IQ test but didn’t tell her father. Also in the cast are Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Joe Morton and Ed Quinn, all of whom play brilliant scientists, and Erica Cerra, who plays Carter’s ex-Marine deputy. “Eureka” is the perfect mix of breezy fun, sci-fi thrill and excellent performances. New episodes will air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. until the end of the season in October.

p. **“Psych”**
This comedy-mystery series focuses on Shawn Spencer (James Roday), the son of a former policeman. Shawn possesses heightened observational skills and has a knack for investigation, enabling him to solve mysteries with ease. The show is called “Psych” because, after viewing a news report on a crime, Shawn phones in a tip to the police, making them suspicious that he is involved in the crime. He manages to convince them that he is psychic in order to avoid prosecution and is forced to keep up the act as the police constantly employ him as a case consultant. He starts a psychic detective agency called Psych and hires his lifelong best friend, Gus (Dulé Hill, “The West Wing”), the Dr. Watson to Shawn’s Sherlock Holmes. Gus also works as a pharmaceutical representative, which Shawn loves to tease him about. The rest of the cast, mostly members of the police force, are forgettable, but Roday and Hill carry the series themselves as they humorously investigate crimes. Gus is usually the calmer, more level-headed of the double act; Shawn, on the other hand, spends much of his time hitting on a cute female detective and making witty pop culture references. Several more episodes will air on USA Fridays at 10 p.m., and the second half of this season will air in 2008.

Okay, I’ll admit it; I’m the kind of guy who, when forced by his girlfriend to go to a chick flick, whines, moans and puts up any and all forms of resistance. The truth is, secretly, deep down, I end up enjoying chick flicks just as much as she does. “The Nanny Diaries” is no exception. Having seen all the tell-tale signs of a chick flick in the trailer — a pretty girl, a good-looking guy, hints of a love story and, among other things, the words “Nanny” and “Diaries” in the title — I was hesitant at first. However, as with other films in the genre, I came out of the theater with a bit of a smile on my face and without any regret of having spent my precious cash on the trip to the movies.

p. “The Nanny Diaries” is based on the 2002 novel by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. It follows the story of recent college graduate Annie, played by Scarlett Johansson (“Lost In Translation”), who, while trying to figure out what to do with a degree in anthropology, is thrust into a babysitting job for a wealthy New York family. Throughout the film, Annie tries to overcome the various challenges that come from being a first-time nanny; having to care for a child who comes from a much higher social class than she does makes it all the more interesting. Annie also meets Harvard Hottie, the code name she gives to her love interest, played by Chris Evans (“Fantastic Four”), with whom she has a number of embarrassing exchanges. The humor of the film plays out in these scenes of stressful struggle and awkward interactions, but the heart of the movie is really in the moments that give the film a much more serious undertone.

p. Annie is forced to start a life of her own after college — getting out from under the protective shield that parents and student life holds up. She is put into a situation where she has to come to grips with reality, forced to live real life when she sees instances of infidelity, spousal and child mistreatment and, fittingly, lying, cheating and stealing. The abstract, dream-sequence style of direction in certain scenes brings out Annie’s realization that there is life after school, and that the most important lesson therein can merely be knowing oneself.

p. Of course, no matter how deep the underlying message, “The Nanny Diaries” is still a chick flick. The movie follows the genre’s stock plot line: A girl who is set on empowering herself through one means strays from her original intentions. She meets a guy. She somehow becomes self-absorbed, which her friends, family and new man let her know. By the end, she becomes empowered anyway, through self-discovery and making and fixing mistakes. Oh, and did I mention, before she does all this, she performs the requisite move of standing up in a convertible and singing as loud as she can while driving through the streets of New York City?

p. Formulaic though it may be, the cast is what brought the movie to a higher level than the usual chick-flick fare. Johansson does a great job as the film’s main character, but Laura Linney (“Kinsey”) and Paul Giamatti (“Lady in the Water”) make very believable parents. Linney and Giamatti give such wonderful performances that the characters are hated the minute they’re seen onscreen, as they should be. Alicia Keys is surprisingly good as Annie’s best friend Lynette, and thankfully Evans, who is often found lacking, does a good enough job in the short amount of screen time he actually has.

p. Overall, it’s a great chick flick, and not a bad movie. Yes, quite a bit of the story is predictable, but it’s cute, it has a happy ending, and guys, if your girlfriend wants to drag you to this, don’t whine too much, it’s not that bad (plus it has Scarlett Johansson, come on).

Strolling through the Muscarelle’s much-anticipated exhibition of our nation’s foremost landscape photographer, one can easily recognize Clyde Butcher’s undeniable photographic talent. Numerous works by the so-called “contemporary Ansel Adams” exhibit America’s natural beauty with vast detail, stark contrast and sheer size. Less noticeable, but just as striking, are the emotions hidden deep within the wooded scenes of the large black and white photographs that consume the vibrant walls of “America the Beautiful: The Monumental Landscapes.”

p. In his formal artist statement, Butcher confesses, “Wilderness, to me, is a spiritual necessity. When my son was killed by a drunk driver, it was to the wilderness that I fled in hopes of regaining my serenity and equilibrium.” Rushing water, illuminated woodland, rolling clouds and arid deserts represent the heartache and suffering Butcher and his family endured. From Yosemite and Death Valley to his home state of Florida, Butcher has now devoted his gift to preserving what he shoots.

p. In 2000, Butcher was the recipient of the coveted Ansel Adams Conservation Award, recognizing him as the photographer who best used his abilities to further conservation efforts. This photography aficionado puts his talent to use by depicting some of America’s most amazing locations. Butcher works to further the goals of such projects as Visions for the Next Millennium, Message to Teachers and the Melaleuca Project, all of which focus on making sure the planet is as beautiful in the future as it is today.

p. The breadth of work exhibited in the College’s gallery is truly monumental. Upon entering the Muscarelle, you are greeted by “Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge,” an eight-by-four-and-a-half-foot congregation of water lilies and swamp grass containing such transfixing detail and contrast that your body refuses to move and your eyes decline to wander. The other snap shots range from rolling rivers to colossal overgrowth, and all showcase Butcher’s uncanny ability to fit massive amounts of America into the black frames and white mats of the photographic world.

p. Along with Butcher’s amazing portfolio of prints, the Muscarelle is offering an exhibit outlining the development of the College’s academic campus. “Building the College: The Colonial Revival Campus at the College of William and Mary” shines with weathered photographs, lifelike models and original blueprints of the campus, along with portraits of instrumental people who influenced the College throughout its history. The worn edges of the images showcasing the College’s architectural heritage are bold and straightforward, revealing its decisive expansions.

p. There is a display of recognizable color photographs that take what students see every day while traveling around campus and convert them into extraordinary representations of academic life and colonial tradition. Of the small collection of prints, the most moving are the vibrant shots of the Wren Building, which illustrate the artist’s skill and artistry.

p. Butcher will give a lecture on tomorrow at 2 p.m., marking the opening of both shows. Butcher’s exhibition runs through Dec. 2, while the campus exhibition runs through Nov. 4.