If You Were Going To Feature Real Products in a TV Show...

... what would that TV show be about and what products could it spotlight?

Let's see, The Sopranos could feature big, black SUVs and, oh, maybe bullets. NCIS... maybe products used in autopsies like sponges and scalpels and rubber aprons. Law & Order? How about some of those lawyers (already on late night TV) who promise to get you money if you've "been in an accident?" Actually, that'd work for Sopranos, too.

Wait, there's one scenario that opens the door to almost any product - a show about an ad agency!

TNT's new Trust Me (premiering next Monday night at 10 pm) is that show. If you're a fan of Mad Men (as am I) we'll be watching just to see if it measures up. Remember, this is the show that springs from the experiences and imaginations of a couple of ad vets from Chicago.

I can't wait.

In the meantime, TNT, Unilever and - we assume - media planners everywhere are watching to see if "branded entertainment" - which will be practiced freely and unashamedly on Trust Me - breaks through in a way that 30-second commercials don't. Here's the story in this morning's New York Times (free access with registration).