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Summer Shows, Exclamation Point


I used to refer to summer as the "television wasteland." Not any more. Just take a look at what summer 2011 has in store for us.


Covert Affairs

Returns
Tuesday, June 7
on USA

This Alias wannabe hasn't quite caught me yet, but it has likable leads (particularly Chris Gorham as Augie) and doesn't put me to sleep. Season two might be when this show takes off. Or not. If only Piper Perabo didn't look and act so much like Jennifer Garner. It drives me nuts.

Are we covering it? Not yet.




Falling Skies

Premieres
Sunday, June 19
on TNT

Falling Skies is a new alien invasion/apocalypse-type show starring Noah Wyle, who should have made enough money off fifteen seasons of ER to never have to work again. (Maybe he lost a fortune in the stock market.) It certainly sounds intriguing and quite possibly my cup of tea, but I'm getting Jericho vibes. Let's hope I'm wrong.

Are we covering it? Actually, I think I just might review the premiere.





Wilfred

Premieres
Thursday, June 23
on FX

Wilfred is about a guy named Ryan (Elijah Wood) who sees his neighbor's dog as a man in a dog suit (Jason Gann). This feels like a one-joke show and I honestly don't have any idea whether it will work or not. But I do know that every time I see an ad for it, it makes me laugh out loud.

Are we covering it? It's a half-hour comedy, which just isn't us, so probably not. But you never can tell. We'll see how it goes.




True Blood

Returns
Sunday, June 26
on HBO

True Blood is about a mind-reading waitress named Sookie Stackhouse who lives in a world where vampires have come out of the coffin and are trying to integrate into society. It's sexy, obscene, violent and terribly funny, and I get a huge charge out of it. And Eric Northman is my favorite vampire since Spike.

Are we covering it? Absolutely. I reviewed the first three seasons and I'm certainly not planning to stop now.




Leverage

Returns
Sunday, June 26
on TNT

So it's not really a genre show. Leverage is just fun to watch. It's about five former outlaws who con criminals in order to help the hopeless. And it stars Christian Kane, who was one of my favorites on Angel.

Are we covering it? No. But it would be nice if we could.




Torchwood

Returns
Friday, July 8
on Starz and the BBC

Torchwood is the spinoff series of Doctor Who starring John Barrowman as 51st century time agent Captain Jack Harkness. We've been waiting two years for another season after the incredible miniseries Torchwood: Children of Earth, and we're finally getting it this summer.

Are we covering it? Absolutely. And since it will be airing on Starz and the BBC at the same time, I won't have to wait like I did with Children of Earth.





Warehouse 13

Returns
Monday, July 11
on SyFy

Warehouse 13 is about two secret service agents who locate mystical, supernatural and dangerous artifacts that (of course) wreak havoc until they are found and safely stored in a huge, secret storage facility.

Are we covering it? Yes, we are. Starting this summer, Jess Lynde will be reviewing Warehouse 13 for us. She'll also be covering....



Eureka

Returns
Monday, July 11
on SyFy

Eureka is a small town in the Pacific Northwest where America's greatest geniuses live, work, and make a lot of dangerous and exotic mistakes. It's a wonderful geekfest of a show, and we've recently added it to the site; Jess Lynde will be reviewing Eureka for us this summer, and may even catch up with retro reviews before the second half of the fourth season starts airing.




Alphas

Premieres
Monday, July 11
on SyFy

Okay, it's yet another X-Men/Heroes sort of show. But this is the SyFy channel, so maybe they'll do it right this time. They certainly pulled off a major casting coup with David Staithairn as the lead. Just that makes me want to give it a try.

Are we covering it? I'm certain we'll be covering the premiere. More than that? Only if one of us falls in love with it.



Haven

Returns
Friday, July 15
on SyFy

Haven is yet another series based on a work by Stephen King. It's about an FBI agent (Emily Rose) searching for clues to her past while working in a very strange town in Maine full of people with frightening supernatural afflictions.

I enjoyed Haven last summer -- especially the last few episodes, when the arc story started coming together -- and I'm happy to announce that we'll be covering the second season this summer. Dr. Nana Mom, who has reviewed an odd episode and movie for us in the past, will be taking on Haven.


Reality shows? What are they?

I confess. I like HGTV and the Food Channel. I particularly like the hot guys on Over Your Head and Income Property, because how can you not like a man who can successfully renovate a bathroom in twenty-two minutes? And Iron Chef America is always so much fun, and so true to life. (Yes, I can make five distinct and unusual dishes featuring squid, snails, or eggnog served on ice sculpture in only an hour. Why do you ask?)

So every summer, I enjoy my two favorite reality show competitions: The Next Food Network Star and HGTV Design Star. Summer fun for everyone.

The Next Food Network Star returns Sunday, June 5 on the Food network.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/the-next-food-network-star/index.html

HGTV Design Star returns... actually, when does it return? Shouldn't the date be listed prominently on their site? What sort of fly by night outfit are they?
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv-design-star/show/index.html

So I hope you all will be watching some great summer shows with us here at douxreviews.com. Do stop by.

23 comments:

  1. The Income Property guy is so hot.

    (That comments feels like it belongs on some other site, doesn't it?)

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  2. HGTV is full of hot hosts.

    Looking forward to Eureka, Haven, True Blood and Torchwood! I have wanted to catch Leverage because I have always been a Timothy Hutton fan...but just haven't gotten to it.

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  3. Syfy doing something right?. Yeah, sure.

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  5. Do we know for sure that Joanne Kelly is out? I thought they'd been pretty cagey about her status. I was thinking her character's status would be questionable for a few weeks (understandable given where S2 left off) until they lured her back in. If she's really out for good, I'm not going to be thrilled.

    Also, I'm pretty sure Breaking Bad will also be returning this summer with Season 4. The AMC website doesn't say exactly when, but I've heard July. And it looks like they'll be finishing up the second run through of Seasons 1 to 3 about that time.

    I caught up with this series recently, and it quickly became one of my absolute favorites. Like Deadwood and The Wire levels of awesome for me. It is insanely dark, but also unbelievably compelling with incredible actors. It often makes me almost sick with dread, but I cannot wait for this series to return!!!

    And, yes, the Income Property guy is a hottie.

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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. Thanks for the link, zob. But I'm not buying it. Seems like a bit of smoke and misdirection to me. What I can't imagine is SyFy being able to keep a lid on definitive news re: her permanent departure for almost a year. I guess we'll find out for sure in a few more months. I'm going to be optimistic until then.

    Also, during The Killing tonight I saw an ad that confirms Breaking Bad will be back in July. Sometime.

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  8. My bad. I should have included Breaking Bad but I deleted it from the list at some point. Breaking Bad returns July 17th on AMC, and we'll definitely be watching it.

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  9. Yes, I agree the Summer has changed, and has some great shows. I Personally I think True Blood is the best summer show, but I also have come to like Louie on FX (Which starts it's second season this June), and Burn Notice on USA (Which starts it's fifth season on June 23.)

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  10. So You Think You Can Dance!!!

    What? I'm alone on this? Really? Am I banned again?

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  11. I can't believe it's only a month and 10 days til Eric and Sookie and Bill are back in our lives, I have been looking forward to Season 4 SO much. Book four was the best in the series - for reasons which are completely obvious to anyone who has read it ;-)

    Wilfred sounds so excrutiating that it must be quite funny in order to get made. Torchwood Children of Earth was also damn fine TV and I hope the new series is more like that than previous full length Torchwood series'.

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  12. I find it quite amusing that Jason Gann is playing the same character in the US remake of Wilfred. Why not just broadcast the original.

    Just watched the preview for True Blood Season 4, and oh my, looks exciting.

    I have high hopes for the return of Torchwood, but I'm doubtful it can match the brilliance that was Children of Earth.

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  13. You forgot the new season of Futurama!

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  14. Dimitri - No, you are not the only one. I too watch SYTYCD...on the sly when no one else is watching...

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  15. The return of True Blood will be bittersweet for me bacause it mean the end of Game of Thrones for almost a year! How will we survive without it.

    But on the other hand Breaking Bad! and Torchwood! And i guess Sherlock was supposed to come back this summer? Any news on that?

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  16. Patryk, they just started filming season 2 of Sherlock this week. So far there's been no official word on a air date but it looks like it's going to be sometime in the autumn rather than summer.

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  17. Is Torchwood going to be on BBCA, or just Starz in the States?

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  18. Hi, Adam:

    It is my understanding that Torchwood is going to be on BBC and on Starz, not BBCAmerica. And it will be available to stream on Netflix, but not right away. I don't remember how long the delay will be, but I bet it'll run on Netflix after the entire run is over.

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  19. Any thoughts about the "Nine Lives" show premiering on ABC Family this summer? It looks kind of like a sci-fi show.

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  20. I hadn't heard about "Nine Lives." ABC Family sort of floats under the radar for me. Thanks for the heads up, Charles.

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  21. Thanks, Billie. No Starz, so it looks like Netflix for me!

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  22. I'm so happy you will be reviewing Haven and Warehouse 13! I've been watching these since the beginning (along with Eureka) and find them to be great summer fun!

    Dimitri you are definitely not alone! SYTYCD is a summer MUST!

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  23. I love Leverage! It's such a fun show to watch and it has that sneaky tongue-in-cheek essence without being silly/ridiculous.

    The latest ep was just brilliant with all the actors playing dual roles back in the 40s.

    And I love Parker...she is my fave character nowadays in the whole TV-universe.

    The only thing I missed after this last episode was that I wanted to know what the BD reviews would be like!

    Please...start reviewing this little gem of a show...

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