It's a Long Way from Nebraska

Yes, the Bering Sea may be a long way from Nebraska, but that's no reason not to be a fan of the Discovery television series "The Deadliest Catch". Who needs the crime dramas that are thinly-disguised retellings of the latest news headline, the not-so-reality shows, prime-time soap operas and un-funny comedies when you've got a life-or-death struggle to bring food to our tables that pits man against nature?

It's not so different from the cowboys of Nebraska's Sandhills fighting wind, weather and market prices to scratch out a living bringing beef to America's dinner plate. Well, except that the waves on Nebraska's "sea of grass" are more solid under foot than the waves of the Bering Sea. But if it's blowing strong enough, the spray in the form of sand and dirt can still be blinding, and the wind chill will freeze your face. And any rancher or farmer who raises livestock can relate to the setbacks of dead loss.

The lead up to the airing of the 2009 season, which is season 5 for the show, starts today (Tuesday April 7), at 6:00 p.m. Central Time (7 p.m. Eastern & Pacific), with four hour-long episodes of the best of seasons three and four.

Then there's a weekend marathon on April 10 and 11. And finally, at 8:00 p.m. (CT), on April 14, the new season begins with an episode called "Everything On The Line."

Thanks for stopping by. If you stop by for coffee during the show, we can only chat during the commercials.