In recent years, however, two things have happened. The networks have started using the summer and mid-winter months as a chance to try out new series. Some of the shows that started from May through Aug. on the major networks include "Mental" on Fox, "Merlin" and "The Philanthropist" on NBC, and "The Superstars" on ABC. I watched the two NBC shows and can see why they were relegated to the summer line up. "Merlin" seems like only a show fantasy fans - as in wizards and stuff - w0uld enjoy and "The Philanthropist" is told in such a disjointed way that I've never been able to get into it.
The other thing that has happened is that stations that used to just run syndicated reruns of the shows that used to be on the networks are now developing their own shows. One summer show that came out two years ago and unfortunately ended after two seasons was "The Riches" on FX. It was about a family of grifters who happened upon the identity of a very rich family. Starring Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver, the show gave me something to look forward to on TV once a week.
This summer there are also some summer series I hope make it onto the fall line up. A couple of the shows I've liked so far are on TNT. The first is "HawthoRNe," which stars Jada Pinkett Smith and Michael Vartan. The show is about Hawthorne (Smith), who is a head nurse in an ER and a single mom of a teenage daughter. The latest drama on the show is budget cuts and layoffs at the hospital - imagine that. I first watched this because I have a thing for Vartan ever since he was in "Never Been Kissed." But so far Smith carries the show. Maybe I just like that I can relate to her attempts to hold everything inside and be strong while she is at work only to crumple a bit at the end of the day in her car when all the stress hits her.
Another show I've watched a few times is "Leverage." Timothy Hutton helms this show that is about a group of con artists who use their talent to help the aggrieved. Think the type of people who would help all those who lost money with Bernie Madoff. Recent episodes include them getting back money for a clinic that was swindle by a Madoff-like guy and another one was about helping a man get his reputation back. So far my favorite part of the show is seeing a different side to Gina Bellman who played Wacky Jane in the hilarious British series "Couplings." Bellman was seriously funny in "Couplings," but she seems to pull off the serious role she has in "Leverage."
The last show that has caught my attention is one about two FBI agents who get sent all over America to investigate supernatural phenomena - one who is a believer and one who is a skeptic. No, it's not a remake of "X-Files." It's the new series on the Syfy channel "Warehouse 13." The show is a little hokey with the agents searching down "artifacts" that have special powers and need to be stored in a secret warehouse owned by the U.S. government. There is nothing alien here - these items are all supposed to be from some point in the past from anywhere in the world that just happen to have special powers. Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClinktock) is the agent with something of a sixth sense while Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) is the skeptic. The two agents are new to the warehouse program, but they have some guidance from Artie (Saul Rubinek), who helps them from their homebase.
The fall season is still a month or so away, but I'll keep Tivo-ing these shows in the meantime.
Photo from http://www.tnt.tv/series/hawthorne/photos/?oid=47220-47225. Jada Pinkett Smith stars as Nurse Hathrowne in TNT's new series "HawthoRNe."
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