HBO has scored big in the past few years with productions like Band Of Brothers, True Blood and Big Love.

Now, there are two big hits lined up for premiere on Monday. First up is the long-awaited United States Of Tara, executive-produced by Steven Spielberg and Diablo Cody (Oscar-winning screenwriter for Juno).

Aussie actress Toni Collette - now with an American accent - delivers an Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning performance as Tara Gregson, a woman with dissociative identity disorder.

That causes three different personalities to emerge when Tara is under stress (and there is a lot of that, as she struggles to raise a teenage daughter and son).

There is T, a teenager with a penchant for low-slung jeans and spending cash on slutty T-shirts; Buck, a beer-swilling, trucker hat-wearing "dude" who's prone to smoking and violence; and Alice, a 1950s-styled housewife who demands perfection in her home.

The big problem is that the real Tara - a smart, somewhat harried, loving wife and mother - disappears when her "alters" arrive.

And when they do show up, they all have different takes on raising a family. Plus, T and Alice make big efforts to get into the pants of Tara's husband, Max (played brilliantly by John Corbett, aka the scrummy Aiden from Sex And The City). Buck just enjoys playing bowling and watching porn with Max.

Ultimately, for Max, it is about having all of Tara. And for Tara, it is about accepting all of herself, while juggling motherhood and marriage. Supporting roles for their two kids are humorously played and, trust me, there are plenty of laughs to be had in this show.

But behind those moments are poignant ones. As Tara emerges, exhausted, from each visitation of her "alters", any person who has struggled with day-to-day demands feels her pain.

It leads one to this question: Who am I? And do any of the roles I play endanger the search for my true self, and the search for meaning in life?

The other must-not-miss HBO offering is The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, whose two-hour premiere screens right after United States Of Tara.

In the first few moments of the first episode, you are introduced to a new world - that of Botswana, seen through Precious Ramotswe's eyes.

It is a gorgeous vision filled with meerkats, giraffes and the African plains.

Yes, this seven-part series, adapted from Alexander McCall Smith's books, is a most enchanting adaptation. No wonder, for it has got serious Hollywood weight behind it.

The show is co-written by Blackadder's Richard Curtis. The premiere episode is the last film that the late Oscar winner Anthony Minghella (The English Patient) directed, and one of the last that the late Oscar winner Sydney Pollack (Tootsie, Out Of Africa, The Interpreter) produced.

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and poet Jill Scott imbues the role of Precious, who decides to become a detective when her beloved daddy dies, with utmost charm.

Precious opens up the only ladies' detective agency in Botswana, and begins to investigate cases of philandering husbands and missing children. Her cause? "To do good with the time God has given me," she says.

The mysteries that Precious chooses to solve are not earth- shattering, but they speak to the daily life and concerns that you or I might experience.

And, when she finds triumphs there, these are triumphs that speak directly to the heart.

For more my paper stories click here.