Remember when summer meant reruns of the television shows that ran from fall to spring? Those days are long gone with fresh crops of new summer programming on both cable and network television. Here are a few new and returning shows to look forward to this summer.
Starting on June 6 on the USA network is the new drama Graceland. USA is known for its quirky take on characters. The premise here is that undercover cops from three branches of law enforcement live in a house together. On a beach, of course. It sounds like a reality show, but thankfully it’s not. Supposedly it is based on real events. These cops are good looking, funny, and the first 5 minutes look pretty good.
True Blood will be back June 16 on HBO. We last saw the decidedly non-sparkly vampires, werewolves, shape-shifters, and other supernatural creatures in all kinds of trouble. This is what makes the series so much fun to watch. Vampire Bill has become some kind of evil, naked, blood covered manifestation of an ancient vampire in last summer’s finale. This will definitely affect the love triangle of Bill, Sookie, and Eric…
June 24 yields a “limited event” (what we used to call a mini-series) based on Stephen King’s novel, Under the Dome on CBS. Basically, a small town is mysteriously trapped under a transparent dome. No one can get in or out. Nobody knows where it came from. As you can imagine, things get ugly pretty quickly.
AMC’s amazing Breaking Bad begins its final season on August 11. Knowing this is the final season, creator Vince Gilligan promises to take care of all of the loose threads with a fast-paced season to a fantastic finale. Will Walt’s cancer get him before someone else?
TNT is presenting a new reality showon June 6, 72 Hours. Contestants are left in the wilderness to search for a suitcase with $100,000. Each of the three, three-person teams is left with a GPS and one bottle of water. Thirsty yet?
Crossing Lines is the new drama offered up by NBC, starting June 23. The series, starring Donald Sutherland is a crime drama that takes an elite task force into a worldwide hunt for bad guys.
Lifetime is where Marc Cherry, creator of Desperate Housewives, is looking at life from the other side of the paycheck with Devious Maids. Somehow, I expect these are no ordinary maids and very little cleaning will get done.
ABC has me wondering how the four women in Mistresses, premiering June 3, ended up as friends. The friends are all having affairs. Hot and heavy, soap opera-worthy affairs. At least Yunjin Kim, last seen on LOST will be able to wear nice clothes and makeup!
Dexter returns on Showtime, dealing with Dex’s sister who has gone from cop to murderer. As a serial killer with a strict code of ethics, will Dex be able to deal with her? Or are all of his ethics gone? Maybe the serial killer specialist psychiatrist will be able to figure it all out.
There are tons more new and returning shows this summer. In other words, if it’s hot outside, there will be lots to do inside.