Summer used to be the season of re-runs. Didn’t it? I don’t know when TV stations started doing this… well, I kinda remember… but it seems like summer has become the season of experiments. And like all things, some experiments succeed and some fail.
Here’s my take on what’s currently making A’s and what’s currently in the toilet. (Mixed metaphors, anyone? Really.)
MISSES
America’s Got Talent – While I really do love Mel B (and think she’s a great judge), and I adore Heidi Klum (even though I prefer her on Runway), they skew like the same person when they’re judging too often, which leaves me yawning. There really should only be one woman on that panel. That, and Howard Stern needs to go. Make those changes, and I think I would probably be back.
The Glades – #commencetostarteyeroll I sort of feel like the writers of the Glades came up with a really great idea and then started doing crack. Or meth. Or some drug that completely made their brains into jelly. So maybe they just watched the first season of their show all over again. I really thought this show would get better, but I realized, finally, what I hate so much about it. The main character isn’t a real guy. No one can afford to act like that and not get killed. Especially in the police force. He’s an idiot. And also not funny. So if you’re not going to be funny, you’d better be memorable. But I’ve been watching the thing for two seasons and I can’t remember a single character name. That’s sad.
Mistresses – First of all, this show was a million times better when the Brits did it. Second of all, when will we learn not to try to remake shows that the Brits did better? I have yet to see a remake of a BBC show that makes me proud to be an American. This certainly didn’t help anyone. And it’s not worth watching.
Under the Dome – Seriously? This is a real show? Really? #eyeroll I’ve tried to get through two episodes of this show now and I cannot force myself to like it. I really hope it goes away. Quickly.
The Bachelorette – Oh, Lordy. My friends know I’m a huge Bachelor fan. Not because I think it’s real, but because I think it’s good entertainment. But the Bachelorette? It’s typically bad, and this year, worse than ever. Desiree, whom I adored when she was on the Bachelor, actually makes me yawn. Heavens to mergatroid. Pass.
HITS
Hollywood Game Night – First of all, anything that Jane Lynch does is genius. The woman is hilarious. Second, she makes a FANTASTIC game show host. Third, this concept is absolutely fabulous and I think they should make it a prime-time show during the year. I would continue to watch it because it’s funny and because I like to play along. In fact, I wish they’d do some audience-participation stuff like Wheel & Jeopardy. Great show. For those of you who are 30-Rock fans, it totally beats GoldCase. 🙂
The Winner Is – I did not expect to like this show. First, it’s on after America’s Got Talent, which has disappointed me this year, but it’s also a show about singers competing. I expected to be bored out of my mind when I watched the first episode’s first three minutes. But I kept watching, and now I’m on the edge of my seat for the finale. I love the layout of the show. I love that the losers can still win, but I really love the opportunity for a singer to win a million dollars. It’s totally worth watching the finale next week. Seriously.
Longmire – Oh. Mah. Gah. Wow. The first season blew me away. I didn’t think I could like a summer show this much. But I could watch a new episode of Longmire every week for the rest of my natural born life. Can someone make that happen? Seriously. Go watch it today.
The Next Food Network Star –Â Of course, if you’re not a food television fan, you might not be watching this show, but I really love the concept of this competition. They’re trying to find the next Bobby Flay. And given that Paula Deen is no longer working for the FN, I can totally see them picking one of the two Southern-style people left in the running. The contestants this year have been really fun to watch, even though the show concepts they have are less strong than in other years. But there are two people on this show whose programs I would stop working to watch. Really strong candidates this year.
Sorry, I’m watching Hollywood Game Night…. I’ll have to get back to you…
What about you? What are your favorite and least-favorite summer TV shows?
