State of the Union

"The always-brilliant [Tracy] Ullman imitates some seriously foolish human beings,...and has a sharp eye for the precise ways in which Americans are ludicrous and laughable and deliciously self-satisfied, and she knows just how to demonstrate our vanity to us, whether she embodies [global warming fanatic] Laurie David bragging about her friend's minivan that runs on 'cadavers and goat shit' or an African celebrity who adopts an American boy to save him from 'dying of stupidity',...In another episode, [anchorwoman Linda] Alvarez cheerfully tells the camera, 'Coming up after the break, five things in your refrigerator that can kill you!'"

-- From Heather Havrilesky's Salon.com review of "Tracey Ullman's State of the Union" (10 p.m. on Showtime)