HBO tackles elder care

Pay cable networks have the luxury of mining some different territory for comedy. Showtime had a comedy about someone dealing with terminal cancer and one about a burned out nurse and her co-workers. HBO mined comedy from a celebrity and his friends, some 20-something girls trying to make it in the world, a show about nothing from the master of comedies about nothing, and one about an incompetent Vice President.

But few have mined the real world kind of issues of HBO's latest foray, "Getting On," based on the British series of the same name. It attempts to mine comedy from the staff of a geriatric long-term care facility at a hospital.

Comedy, of course, is a relative term with the show. It comes from the duo who created and ran another unusual HBO show, "Big Love." Though the principle cast are known for comedy — Laurie Metcalf, Alex Borstein, and Niecy Nash — this isn't a laugh-out-loud kind of show. There are some amusing things, but this isn't a typical comedy.

A lot has been made in recent years of the "comedies" on these pay cable networks. Laura Linney, an excellent actress, won for comedy at the Emmys with "The Big C," but some wondered if that was fair. The show was, in actuality, more of a dramatic series than a comedy.

The same could be said of "Getting On." There are some amusing moments, but the first two episodes mined a lot of truth and emotional depth. This is hard work, the people that end up in these places have heart-breaking stories, and there is a lot about the American medical system that is impersonal and depressing. This show deftly captures that, with ladies normally used to deliver funny lines offering something deeply emotional, relevant, and personable.

"Getting On" isn't a great show yet, but it is a surprising one. What's sad is that HBO has decided to unceremoniously dump the six episodes of this show — as well as the final five episodes of the drama "Treme" — in December, where they're likely to be missed.

But if you want to see something different, check this show out.