Only the most successful television shows are aired for more than a couple of years. It is the aim of all directors to overcome what has become known as the second series syndrome, where the program fails to live up to the promise of the first series and is subsequently cut and resigned to daytime television. With 5 series since 2005 (the 6th due to air this year), it can be said with confidence that the series ‘Weeds’ has been a success. The show revolves around Nancy who was widowed and turned to selling drugs to make a living; the title of the show draws upon the slang term for the drug Cannabis. As the series has progressed she became embroiled in more and more criminal activities such as smuggling the drugs across borders.

Nancy is played by Mary Louise Parker who puts in an accomplished display as the grieving yet determined protagonist. Her excellent performances have won her a host of awards; a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 2006 and a Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 2005. She has also been nominated for a further 6 awards throughout the course of the show. The Golden Globe in particular was an exceptional achievement as she managed to beat off the other 4 nominations who were the leading actresses in the popular show Desperate Housewives; an achievement that managed to shock many of the critics at the awards ceremonies.

Mary Louise Parker is a successful actress gaining in popularity. One of her best known role is that for the series Weeds in which she was nominated for an Emmy for “Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.” Weeds first debuted in 2005 where Parker played the part of Nancy Bowtan, a suburban mom turned drug dealer. This series created a great deal of hype and brought a great deal of attention to Parker for her comedic role. In addition to her Emmy nomination for weeds, Parker was nominated for an Emmy for her part as Zenia in the television film, “The Robber Bride.” In addition, Parker played the lead female role of Zerlda Mimms in the film “The Assassination of Jessie James by Coward Robert Ford” which debuted in theaters during September of 2007. It was during this time that she continued her role in Weeds and even posed nude for an ad for the third season of Weeds, appearing with a snake draped around her body as Eve in the Garden of Eden. The series Weeds continued until September 2009 and remained intensely popular throughout.

Parker has also embarked in several other films including 2008’s “The Spiderwick Chronicles.” She was also in the film “Les Passages” with Julie Delpy and took the leading role in the play “Hedda Gabler”. Parker is currently working on an upcoming film opposite of Bruce Willis titled “Red” which is an adaptation of a comic book series. This film is scheduled to debut in October of 2010.