If you’re a regular NPR listener…and if you’re not, why aren’t you?…you’re probably familiar with “This American Life.” Hosted by Ira Glass, it’s a show that offers a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people and manages to make them seem extraordinary. The topics are wide and varied, and it’s a longstanding hallmark of the series that you’ll find yourself enthralled to the point where, if you’re been driving home from work and listening to the show on your car radio, you will sit in your driveway until the story’s over. (Indeed, there’s a collection of the best moments from the series, called “Driveway Moments.”)

Some of the holier-than-thou National Public Radio listeners are no doubt freaking out at the thought that their beloved show is not only coming to television but, in fact, to a cable network to which they’ll have to subscribe to even be able to catch it. Well, after watching the first four episodes, let me assure those folks that, although waiting around for the inevitable full-season set isn’t the worst idea in the world, you won’t be wasting your money if you sign up for Showtime. the network’s take on “This American Life” is absolutely as perfect a transition to television as the show could possibly have managed. Sure, purists may find that, ironically, adding a visual element to the show actually takes away from the effect of listening to these stories…but how many times have you listening to an episode and thought, “Geez, I wonder what these people look like?” Well, now you’ll know. Okay, so you might find Ira Glass a little creepy-looking (my wife was very disconcerted to find that he somehow didn’t look anything like she thought he would, based on his voice), but it’s very cool the way they have him sitting behind a desk at various locations – in a field, in a parking lot – to introduce the segments.

Three of these four episodes are a must-see – the last one, which starts off being about a guy who can identify what a man’s like by the beard he sports but turns out to be a treatise on family and religion, is interesting but a little slow – but the one that’s arguably the most enthralling – at least to a music geek like yours truly – is the one which is narrated by the stepson of Frank Garcia, formerly the bassist for ’80s one-hit wonders Oxo. (You remember “Whirly Girl,” don’t you? “Let me tell you ’bout a girl I know / She’s been to Paris, France / And she can really dance“). I’m sure he’s not the only such person who’s descended into alcoholism while still bragging about his moment of chart glory, but, wow, you rarely see them so exposed on camera. And the thing is, the episode is really more about the relationship between stepson and mother…but Garcia’s so integral to their story that you can’t help but learn a great deal about him as well. There’s also a great episode about a guy who decides to give a band their Best Gig Ever by filling their NYC show with a crowd of folks who are cheering, dancing, and singing along…and how it doesn’t entirely thrill them when they discover after the fact that it wasn’t real.

In just these four episodes, you’ll go through more emotions than you have fingers. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season brings.