the rachel maddow show

The BP Oil Spill is just the latest crisis to devastate the Gulf Coast region. (Previously, there was a very large hurricane that you may have heard about.) On 'The Rachel Maddow Show' (weeknights, 9PM ET on MSNBC), Rachel visits a couple of Gulf Coast residents who are trying to make the best of things.

Jamie and Terri are the proprietors of the Dock of the Bay Bar on Grand Isle -- an island just off the coast of Louisiana, which has been one of the areas hardest hit by the oil spill. The main customers of the bar are fishermen, but there is no fishing in the area anymore, and thus, there are many fewer customers in the bar.

The most famous Rachel on TV today isn't the same one that made Jennifer Aniston a star. And it's Rachael with the extra "E" that's the syndicated star of a talk show that won the Emmy in 2008. But the newest Rachel on the air is MSNBC's plucky new host of her own show, Rachel Maddow. Like Aniston, Rachel Maddow's hairdoo is fashionable, and like Ray, Maddow's very personable. However, The Rachel Maddow Show is worlds apart from Friends or 30 Minute Meals/The Rachael Ray Show. Maddow is all about politics, current events and things that, by and large, are important.

In some ways, The Rachel Maddow Show is a spinoff of Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Maddow has been a regular sub for Olbermann, proving her prowess to MSNBC, and her show has a cushy spot between the first run of Countdown at 8 p.m. ET and the replay at 10 p.m. For the premiere episode, in fact, Keith appeared as Rachel's first guest -- a crossover from the end of Countdown where Rachel was interviewed in the last segment before the close. This was a smart move, sort of like a bridge from his show to hers, a bridge to somewhere if you will.

The new studio for Maddow has the quality MSNBC look, glass top desk, plasma screens, obnoxious -- but expected -- graphics on the bottom and bugs and flags reinforcing information as it's spoken.