Must-See TV: Locked Up Abroad2:30 pm | Monday, August 11th, 2008

Unless you’re a fan of Dog Whisperer (we see you, Cesar!), you probably don’t even know that the National Geographic Channel exists. It’s time to get familiar. Our latest idiot-box obsession is NGC’s awesome original show, Locked Up Abroad, which airs Monday nights at 9 p.m…

Each hourlong episode is a dramatic reenactment of a traveler’s worst nightmare'being detained in an unfamiliar country. Think Midnight Express, Brokedown Palace, and Return to Paradise, with a healthy dose of “white-people-trapped-in-Third-World-country,” Heart of Darkness paranoia. It’s fucking intense and enthralling. On a less capable network, the show could be corny, but since NGC has the connects to film in the actual countries, it feels fresh. And as a bonus, some of the episodes feature eye candy, like the lovely lady in the “Bangladesh” episode. See a clip of her nightmare in action below.