NURSE JACKIE season 3 starts tonight at 10/9c on Showtime, and for the first time in their now three year life-span, I’m completely smitten with the show.  Other reviewers have made claim that the show fails to progress beyond the idea that Jackie is a drug addict who is constantly on the verge of being found out; I definitely agree that the writers don’t seem to allow Jackie any room to grow, but I forgive them that small issue because this season takes an already stellar supporting cast and fleshes them out in a stronger way.  I would also argue that Jackie doesn’t need, or doesn’t know how, to evolve – the drug addiction is designed in a way to hold her back from doing so.  People around Jackie are growing and changing (in the cast of Peter Facinelli’s Dr Cooper, sure, he’s regressing, but he’s still changing) and she’s ill-equipped to handle it or do the same.

While there’s no argument that Edie Falco is doing great work with a stuck-in-a-rut NURSE JACKIE, Merritt Weaver continues to be the number one reason to tune in.  Zoey is getting stronger and more outspoken; she continues to offer laugh out loud moments, and the biggest heart of the show.  The Fatch (Facinelli as Fitch Cooper) is delivering some of the best work this year, as Cooper deals with hit after hit on his personal and family life.  It’s nice, too, to finally see Anna Deveare Smith’s Akalitus fleshed out as a Michelle Obama and Saintly-statue loving administrator who values tenure over adhesion to rules.  Ruby Jerins slays me as little Grace, dealing with more than any child should need to deal with.  And the strong back bone that the show has given to characters like Eddie (Paul Schulze – always on the verge of a smile even when he’s delivering some bad news) and a slowly simmering-to-the-point-of-exploding Kevin (Dominic Fumusa) makes it maybe a little easier to feel for a main character who never seems to face any consequences.

The long story short is that NURSE JACKIE is worth watching every Monday night.  Let us know – are you sick of Jackie not changing, or is that okay with you?  What’s your favorite thing about the show this season?