I would like to preview a few of this Summer's shows. I'll group them into "Returning Shows" and "New Shows," all ones I am considering watching or already watch. Certainly you should enjoy the outdoors more during the Summer, but there's no reason you can't make time for a great series or two.
Premiere dates are included. You'll find that some of these shows have already began their season this Summer.
Returning Shows
Childrens Hospital is parody of medical shows like ER, Scrubs and Grey's Anatomy. Each episode is only fifteen minutes long, which was preferred by creator Rob Corddry since the show started as a short web series.
White Collar is about a professional con-man and thief, Neal Caffrey (Matthew Bomer), who was captured by the FBI after many years of pursuit. Neal now works for the FBI as a consultant to help capture thieves similar to himself. The new season kicks off right where season 2 ended, and we find out how Neal (Matthew Bomer) came to having a warehouse filled with Nazi treasures.
Though this already aired in the UK, the third (and final) season of The Inbetweeners makes it's American debut this Summer. The show is comedy that follows the lives of four suburban teenage boys in England. This is a very funny show that is able to get away with certain things cause it's made in England.
After being off the air for seven years, Futurama returned with new episodes in 2010. After giving Comedy Central some of it's all-time best ratings, the show was renewed for a seventh season. This has always been one of my favorite animated shows on television, and the quality certainly hasn't diminished after all these years.
Season 7 of Weeds isn't going to continue where the previous season left off, like most shows. Instead, the story will continue three years after the events of the season 6 finale, when Nancy turned herself into the police. Season 7 will start with Nancy getting out of jail after three years. As far as I know, the boys are still in Copenhagen. This should add some freshness to a show that many believe has already overstayed its welcome.
I'm not really a fan of shows breaking their seasons into two halves, especially when those two halves air a year apart. Eureka has aired new episodes every summer since 2006, but is only on season 4 (4.5 as they call it). Season naming aside, I very much enjoy Eureka. It has been one of my two favorite summer shows (the other is Rescue Me) over the last few years. The show is about a secret town in the Pacific Northwest where the most brilliant minds live and work. It's quirky style lends itself well to the crazy events that occur on the show.
Warehouse 13 and Eureka have gone hand in hand over the last two years, as they've aired together since Warehouse 13 premiered in 2009. They work so well together, that last year they each had a crossover episode, as well as special Christmas episodes that aired over the holidays (when the shows aren't normally on). Warehouse 13 is about a secret warehouse in Wyoming that houses special artificats, many of which have had important roles in history. It's quirky just like Eureka, and usually much lighter than most procedurals you'll find on television.
Rescue Me follows NYC firefighter Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary) as he deals with life and tragedy after the events of 9/11. A lot has happened over six seasons, and it will all come to a close this year. It was announced a couple of years ago that the series finale would air the week of the tenth anniversary of 9/11, as they want to pay tribute to all the lives that were lost. Nine episodes left of this dramatic series, and I have no doubt the finale will be an emotional one.
Based on the Stephen King novel The Colorado Kid, Haven is a drama about a town in Maine (Haven) that for unknown reasons appears to be the center of supernatural activity. FBI agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) is sent to Haven to investigate a crime, but ends up staying to research a connection she may have with the town. Some big things were revealed before the end of season 1, but there are still many questions to be answered.
Largely regarded as one of the best shows on television, Breaking Bad is about high school chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) who finds out in the first episode that he has cancer. He decides to start cooking and selling methamphetamine in order to raise enough money to support his family when he is gone. Over three seasons, the cancer has gone into remission, but Walt isn't able to quite the crime business due to many unforseeable circumstances. Bryan Cranston has won three Emmys and supporting actor Aaron Paul, who plays Jesse, has won one Emmy. Oh, and the show is filmed and takes place in Albuquerque!
The Venture Bros. is an animated action comedy on Adult Swim. The show pays homage to many things, especially adventure shows like Jonny Quest. Dr. Venture is a former child adventurer (ala Jonny Quest) who has grown up to be an intelligent, but largely incompetant scientist. His two boys, Hand and Dean, think they are great adventurers themselves, but they for the most part weak and dimwitted. A major theme in this show is "failure," which is what the characters experience often.
New Shows
Franklin and Bash is like a buddy comedy meets a legal procedural. The two main characters Jared Franklin (Breckin Meyer) and Peter Bash (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) are two unconventional lawyers who are highed by a large law firm to loosen them up a bit.
Falling Skies is a science-fiction drama that takes place in the aftermath of an alien invasion. Steven Spielberg's name is attached to this, so there's already some postive cred. Most alien invasion shows take place at the start of an invasion. The idea that Earth has already been invaded (and largely conquered) gives Falling Skies a fresh take on the genre.
Wilfred is an American remake of an Australian show about a man, played by Elijah Wood, who after a failed suicide attempt befriends a dog whom he sees as a man in a dog suit. It sounds a bit strange, but it is original (for American television) which is hard to find in shows these days.
Think Heroes but less like a comic book. Alphas is about a number of people who find out they have superhuman abilities and use them to solve crime. You won't see men in tights running around beating down thugs. It sounds more like a crime-solving procedural, but with people using special skills to help get better results.
What started out as a fake commercial during Childrens Hospital, National Terrorism Strike Force: San Diego: Sport Utility Vehicle is a spoof on crime procedurals. It will be in short form like Childrens Hospital, and was created by Paul Scheer (Andre on The League).