One of the year’s best romances.

There’s a greater focus on teen angst and rites of passage in Party Of Five than overt social commentary, which can feel more groundbreaking and political than its real-life allusions.

Set in the late 1930s, the grisly series tackles such perennial issues as racism and the influence of hypocritical evangelicals.

Once the new “Perry Mason,” written by career TV writer Ron Fitzgerald and the brilliant playwright Rolin Jones, settles down, it’s a tense, surprisingly funny whodunit about the breadth of Los Angeles during the Great Depression.

Power garnered big audiences because, despite being a bit soapy and unbelievable at times, it carried lots of fine performances and more than enough quality writing to overcome its flaws. That trend continues with the first sequel.