Summer Lovin' Part One

"Summer lovin' had me a blast,
Summer lovin' happened so fast"

Seems like just yesterday the fall TV season ended. Oh wait. That's almost true. I'm still getting over the strange adventures of Jeremy Bentham, and some shows, like BSG and Doctor Who are continuing their first pod of episodes for the year. But it's time for the Summer Season to start, and here is TNRLM's handy guide to the shows you should make out under the dock and get friendly down in the sand with.

Returning Shows

There's USA's stable of quirky detectives: Monk, Psych, Burn Notice and Law and Order: Criminal Intent.
At this stage of the game, Monk is what it is. Most of the plots have a "been there, done that" feel to them, and the real reason to tune in is for the chemistry of the characters, which thankfully, still amuse and entertain me. I will be curious to see how the show handles the sad passing of noted character actor Stanley Kamel, who played Monk's long suffering shrink Dr. Kroger. Plus, Traylor Howard is cute as a button.

Psych seems for some to be a love or hate proposition. Personally, I think it's good frothy fun and the relationship between the two two main characters, Shawn and Gus, keeps me watching. I like the supporting characters, too, and now that they've dialed down the "fake psychic" histrionics, I no longer roll my eyes once an episode. And with the passing of Gilmore Girls last year, few shows have the obscure pop-culture reference/minute ratio that Psych does.

Burn Notice was a pleasant surprise last year. I had enjoyed Jeffrey Donovan's take on a fucked up detective in the US remake of Touching Evil (also on USA, but canceled after a year), and think he brings the right amount of wry bemusement, secret agent cool and general bad-assery to the role. Fi's accent was all over the place for the first few eps (until the former IRAer decide to "go natural" with an American accent), but any show with Bruce Campbell as a shifty "sidekick" is okay in my book. Plus, Six (Tricia Helfer, from BSG) will be joining the show for an extended arc this year as a connection to Michael's Burn Notice.

And finally, L&O: CI gears up for another season. This has always been the stepchild of the L&O machine, as more people would rather watch the ham-fisted, Emmy reel scenery chewing over on SVU, but I like the brilliant-but-damaged scenery chewing of D'Onofrio on this version of the show better. Plus, Mr. Big's red headed partners are hot.

Eureka. Occasionally, the wrap ups can be a bit too tidy, but the show doesn't take itself too seriously that often, and Colin Ferguson as the "normal" sheriff is a terrific comic actor. It's a fun premise and the rest of the show is filled out with a likable ensemble.

Mad Men. Off the top of my head, if I had to name the best shows on television, I would say Dexter, Lost, Battlestar Galactica and Mad Men (with a few others, including House and Big Love, right behind). This show came out of nowhere last year to quickly establish a presence as one of the best written, best acted, best directed hours on TV, on any channel. An unflinching and dramatic look at the life of an advertising agency in the late 60s, Man Men is essentially the story of lead character Don Draper, a mysterious and smooth operator with a portfolio of personal problems and a knack for reinvention. The show was created by Matthew Weiner, a former writer and producer for The Sopranos, and the pedigree is readily apparent. There are twists and turns in the plot to be sure, but the real joy in this show is peeling back the layers of the characters, all of whom are superbly portrayed. Besides, where else can you find chain-smoking on TV?

Due to the big move and the problems getting Showtime, I missed out on Dexter, Weeds and Californication last summer. However, thanks the power fo the almighty TiVo, I'm currently getting up to speed. I think Dex won't be back until the fall, but I believe everyone's favorite pot-peddling MILF will be back this summer. Not much to tease here from me, as I'm only a couple of eps into the previous season. Same with Mulder's new show about an oversexed and narcissistic writer.

One of the better procedurals on TV is Kyra Sedgwick's The Closer (unless you've watched any of the NBA playoffs on TNT, and refuse to watch the show because of the incessant and annoying commercials and screen hogging snipes). Yes, as a native Georgian, her accent is over the top and not entirely accurate nor consistent, but the power of the performance the subtle depths she brings to the character give you more than enough reason to appreciate this strong, female lead character. The rest of the cast is great, too, including the perpetually entertaining J.K. Simmons as her boss (and one time lover).

I can't say too much about the other chick detective show on TNT, Saving Grace. I adore Holly Hunter (who I should note, in comparison to Sedgwick, has a perfect Georgia accent. Since she is from Georgia. However, I don't think she's actually playing one here). If the spirituality was played differently, I might be intrigued. But it's all a bit heavy handed, despite the presence of Deadwood's Leon Rippy as an actual angel. I'll tune in occasionally, if nothing else is on, but it's not one I'll actively make time for. If anyone else is passionate about this show, let me know. I tuned out after 4 or 5 eps last year, so it might have found a suitable tone and become more entertaining.

Stargate Atlantis also resumes this summer, with a couple of interesting cast changes for geeks. Star Trek: Voyager's best actor, Robert Picardo, comes aboard as the new head of the Atlantis expedition, replacing the sexy, humble and awesomely appealing Amanda Tapping (who will be heading up another supernatural show on Skiffy later in the year). Everyone's favorite dirty mechanic from Firefly, Jewel Staite, will become a series regular as Dr. Keller. I look at the Stargate franchise like comfort food. It's entertaining and winningly acted sci-fi, much like many episodes of the Trek franchise, without the achingly good ambition and emotional wallop of BSG or Farscape. There are worse ways to spend an hour.

And if you're eagerly anticipating the next season of MTV's The Hills, I hope you're wearing bangs to cover the lobotomy scars.

A few summer staples, like Big Love and Entourage, were put off schedule by the writers' strike, and will return in the fall.

There you have it. Command your TiVos accordinly. I'll be back later this weekend, with Part Deux, looking at summer's new television offerings.