-
MY FAVORITE NEW SUMMER SHOW!
It’s hard to believe that it’s August and the summer series are wrapping up as we get ready for the new fall offerings and returning favorites. It’s really been a great TV summer! There were so many wonderful shows especially on Monday night that both of my DVRs were working overtime to keep up with all the goodies. And like every summer there is a show that becomes my favorite new series of them all.
Last year that honor went to A&E’s Longmire. It’s a fantastic show with tremendous acting and writing. I’m totally digging the second season immensely. If you haven’t watch this show before then go to A&E online and catch up. The books by Craig Johnson are equally fantastic, so check them out as well. You won’t regret doing either!
This summer, however, there were two outstanding shows that became my favorites out of all of the new tasty treats. Before I get to them, however, listed below are the other new series I’ve been enjoying during these dog days:
The Fosters & Twisted – ABC Family, Mistresses – ABC, The Bridge – A&E, Graceland – USA Network, Devious Maids – Lifetime, Primeval: New World – SyFy and my embarrassing guilty pleasure VH1’s Hit The Floor.
I was also enjoying CBS’s Under The Dome until the network decided to renew it. I thought the show would conclude this summer and that would be that. Seriously, I just don’t care enough to return to Chester’s Mill for another summer. It was fine when I thought it was a one then done deal and we would get the 5Ws about the dome, but it’s become too over-the-top and silly for me to continue on especially since it will have to get even more outlandish in order to sustain a second season. I for one am escaping the dome now.
Finally, out of all of the new offerings I watched this summer two shows stood out head & shoulders above the rest – TNT’s King & Maxwell and NBC’s Crossing Lines. I love them both, but I suspect that only one will be back next summer, so I’ll start with it.
King & Maxwell on TNT reminds me of Burn Notice. Unfortunately, K&M don’t blow up things as they do on the actual Burn Notice, but what I find similar is the camaraderie between the characters. And it has a similar underlying tone of fun even when dealing with serious topics or situations. In addition, Rebecca Romijn’s as Michelle Maxwell is kick-ass and can kick-ass like Fi on Burn Notice. Since this will be the last season of Burn, I’m happy to have King & Maxwell to help ease the pain of losing it.
Another noteworthy element is that Jon Tenney is so hot on this show! I found him to be okay looking when he was on The Closer, but for whatever reason as Sean King he is just smoking!
And I do find it interesting that his character on this show is also an alcoholic like on The Closer. It makes me wonder if Jon Tenney himself or someone close to him deals with addiction in real life. If so, I think it’s admirable to make it a part of the characters he portrays. As we’ve seen from Cory Monteith’s recent death and other actors in the past, addiction is a serious issue and any awareness of the struggles people have with it can hopefully help others. Big props to Jon and TNT for bringing attention to this issue in a subtle yet truthful manner!
I look forward to spending more summers with this duo and their band of misfit friends. Of course, it depends on if TNT renews King & Maxwell, but I think they would be stupid not to since it’s the best series they have as far as I’m concerned!
That leads me to the other show tied for first as my favorite new summer series – NBC’s Crossing Lines. I’m sure many of you are scratching your heads since you’ve never even heard of it. It’s truly sad that so many people dismiss anything on NBC because this show is fantastic! I know I’m probably the only one watching it, but I love it!
The show is set in Europe, which has a special appeal to me since I lived in Germany for several years and spent a year in England at University. I’ve also traveled throughout most of Europe, so it’s fun for me to see and hear about places I know. The series is a crime drama about a team of international police, each a specialist in their field, who work under the ICC out of The Hague to solve crimes that cross European boarders. So, a crime can happen in Germany, but might led them to France or Italy etc. to catch the criminals. The acting is terrific with great performances by all the main characters lead by Donald Sutherland and William Fichtner. It’s a really good show and I’m just sorry that more people aren’t watching it. This Sunday is the two-hour season finale, but I doubt it will be back next summer, so I’m enjoying it while I can! You might be able to find it online at NBC.com or perhaps On Demand if you’re interested in seeing what you’ve missed.
Well, that’s my summer wrap-up and these two shows are my picks for this summer’s best new series. If you haven’t watched them yet then check out an episode or two as I would love to hear your thoughts.
As we drift into the last few weeks of the summer daze, what shows have been sending your DVR into overtime? What is your favorite new summer series?