Now that the Writer’s Strike is finally over, content on TV is finally getting refreshed. That means new shows, and that means more freebies at the iTunes Store.

Life is good. Let’s get to it.

If you’ve been a fan of some of the REAL reality shows like Dangerous Jobs and Ice Road Truckers, then you are bound to get a kick out of Axmen, the new History Channel show about lumberjacks. (Those of you familiar with the Monty Python tune can go ahead and sing, I’ll wait... Done? Great!)

If you’ve actually wanted to be a lumberjack, but wound up pushing paper in a cubicle, here’s where you can count your blessings. In the 44 minute pilot episode all sorts of near-death happenings occur. Logs weighing well over a ton fly this way and that, high-powered chain saws that can rip through trees and flesh like the proverbial hot knife through butter are handled in such close proximity to other men that they could easily use them to shave. It kinda puts your paper cut complaint in a new perspective, huh?

I’ve seen the adverts for the show on the History Channel and it did look interesting. I’m happy to report that the pilot episode meets my expectations. Though I’m not a fan of reality shows, this one I might just tune into, and you might too.

Grab the free episode at the iTunes Store.

Another show that’s piqued my interest is the new Fox TV series, New Amsterdam. What interested me about it was the name. I didn’t know what the show was about; I only got glimpses of the ads for it on TV, but it just looked like something I’d want to watch.

Well, it turns out that it is something I want to watch, and you might too. Here’s the background story: Way back in the 1600’s, when Europe was in the midst of its global land grab, John Amsterdam finds himself in The New World. He was a normal bloke back then -- that is until he saved an Native American priestess from being slaughtered.

In return for the kindness she casts a spell on him: He will never age and never die until he finds his soul-mate. I bit of a fairy-tale, I know, but it’s actually not a bad show.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, the guy that plays John Amsterdam in the show, is a relatively new face on American TV and he appears to be just right to play the part of an ageless police detective with a secret. If the rest of the series is like the pilot episode then I might be a fan.

Download the 44 minute free episode and see if you agree.

While we’re on the subject of law, have you ever wondered why there are so many courtroom drama shows on TV? I know I have, and the only reason I can come up with is that people, in general, are nosey monkeys and we like to get all up into the private business of others. The more tragic or sin-ridden the tale, the better we like it.

If you are all about lawyer dramas, which tend to be more tragic and sin-ridden than most, then you’ll likely enjoy Canterbury’s Law, another new show from Fox TV.

In the free pilot episode we find Elizabeth Canterbury (Julianna Margulies), a high-priced lawyer, finishing up a session with one of her clients. As we watch her go through her daily routine of defending who she is paid to defend we find that there is more to her than the tough exterior presents. For instance, she takes on tough cases, defending those who can’t defend themselves.

Elizabeth is married, by the way, to Matt, played by Aiden Quinn, and their marriage is on the rocks after their son, Sam, disappeared.

If you’re into lawyer dramas, Canterbury’s Law should keep you happy and give you something else to watch beside Law and Order. Grab the free episode at the iTunes Store.

Well, that’s going to do it for this week. Next week I’ll highlight more podcasts. There’s some really good stuff out there.

More freebies at the iTunes Store:

Vern Seward is a writer who currently lives in Orlando, FL. He’s been a Mac fan since Atari Computers folded, but has worked with computers of nearly every type for 20 years.