Showtime has released the pilot episode of its new half-hour comedy United States of Tara online for your viewing pleasure. They have graciously shared with us the episode and you can now view it right here on BuddyTV.

If you haven’t heard of it before, United States of Tara is a show about a housewife named Tara, played by Toni Collette, who suffers from dissociative identity disorder or, more commonly known, multiple personalities. Her husband Max, played by John Corbett, and their two kids, Kate (Brie Larson) and Marshall (Keir Gilchrist) all struggle to keep the family as normal as possible as Tara transitions from one “alter” to another.

Meanwhile, Tara’s sister Charmaine, played by Rosemarie DeWitt, has the hardest time accepting Tara’s disorder and often dismisses it as an act.

In the pilot episode, we follow the Gregsons as they deal with several problems, all surrounding Kate. First, Tara finds a prescription for the morning after pill in Kate’s purse. Feeling out of control, Tara transforms into one of her alters T – “Like the letter not the drink” – who is an extremely promiscuous fifteen-year-old girl. Later, Tara sees Kate being pushed around by her extra-emo faux-Japanese boyfriend and transitions into Buck, a Vietnam vet who likes to drink, smoke and clean his gun.

Overall, it’s a funny but touching first episode for the new series. The writer, Diablo Cody, left out most of her over-stylized Juno-esque writing. The interactions between the Gregsons are not only very real, but very inspiring. The love and support they show one another is touching to say the least. Executive Producer Steven Spielberg may have found himself another hit.

So check it out and let us know what you think.

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-Kim Wetter, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image Courtesy of Showtime)

Kim Wetter

Senior Writer, BuddyTV