The Clicker Gets Caught Up Over The Summer

Summer time is a strange time for TV. Once all of the big shows go on hiatus, the networks roll out a slew of reality TV shows mixed in with a few dramas (some worth watching, some not) to take their place. In general I find that with the exception of a select few summer shows (eg. ‘Rescue Me,’ ‘Big Brother,’ ‘Entourage’) my TV-watching schedule is pretty bare around this time of year. This frees up my recreational time for normal summer activities but eventually, I get tired of outside and just want to curl up on the couch with the A/C cranked and a good TV show to watch. The summer is the perfect time to get caught up on shows I’ve heard great things about but haven’t had the time to watch.

Between iTunes and network websites, we no longer have to wait for reruns to get caught up on a TV series. So I thought I’d put together a list of shows that just wrapped up their first seasons and are definitely worth watching if you haven’t been already.

Jericho - CBS – Episodes available at CBS.com and for purchase on Itunes
‘Jericho’ is actually on my list of shows to get caught up on. I watched the first half of the first season but after it went on hiatus, I was too busy watching ‘American Idol’ to stay up to date with ‘Jericho.’ Recently, after CBS tried to cancel the series, the fans went nuts (literally) and the network had a change of heart so the show will go on (for a little while, anyway).

What’s ‘Jericho’ about? - the US falls under nuclear attack and most of the major cities are destroyed. The show centers on a small town (Jericho) just outside of Denver and how the residents deal with the fallout. The drama is sort of a worst-case scenario of how things might be if this country were to be nearly destroyed by terrorists.

The only flaw I found based on the first half of the season is that happiness is minimal in this show. As the town deals with having no power, a hard winter, looting, a totally screwed up political system and the threat of invasion from desperate people outside of Jericho, they don’t have all that much time to smile. So if you’re looking for a sugarcoated version of a post-terrorist-attack society, you wont find it in ‘Jericho.’ That aside, it’s actually a pretty great show.

Ugly Betty - ABC – Episodes available on ABC.com and for purchase on Itunes – season 1 will be available on DVD on 8/21
Too busy watching ‘Earl’ and ‘The Office’ to get into ‘Ugly Betty’? I was too but with my trusted TiVo I was able to stay caught up on ‘Betty’ all season. This dramedy is similar to ‘Desperate Housewives’ in that there’s a sort of dark humor to it that makes the show so much fun plus there’s also a decent story which keeps you looking forward to the next episode.

What’s ‘Ugly Betty’ about? - Betty Suarez is a geeky sort of girl with poofy hair and braces. She wears what she wants (which often includes hideous sweaters) and says what she thinks. She’s a perky, optimistic girl who sees the good in people even if they don’t see it in themselves. She stands out in any normal crowd but even more so at her job. Betty works at Mode Magazine, one of the most sheik fashion magazines in the industry. She knows people look down on her for her poor fashion sense, dorky attitude and the fact that she’s not stick-skinny but she doesn’t let it get to her. That’s the basic premise of the show. There’s also murder mysteries and mega-drama in the first season which is what really makes the show truly worth watching.

Heroes - NBC Episodes are available on NBC.com and for purchase on Itunes – season 1 will be available on DVD on 8/28
Maybe you were too busy watching ‘24’ or perhaps you were so turned off by the hype surrounding the show that you just couldn’t get yourself to watch but honestly, ‘Heroes’ is a great show.

What’s ‘Heroes’ about? - well the title of the show pretty much explains it all. The story centers on a group of people who have special abilities. Most of them don’t know each other but as the season goes on, their lives cross paths. The main story arc in season one involved the heroes running from/fighting against a bad hero named Sylar. Some of the heroes’ special abilities include: flying, mind-reading, the ability to heal quickly, the ability to stop time, teleporting, invisibility and just about anything else you’ve seen in most comic books. Aside from doing super powers, there’s an element of drama within the show that keeps the story moving. The characters are all dealing with their abilities and how it affects their everyday lives and families.

Men In Trees - ABC - not available anywhere from what I can tell
ABC – Where is season 1 of ‘Men In Trees’??? Its not available on ABC’s website or iTunes. The network isn’t even airing reruns of the first season right now. ABC renewed this series for a full season (though they moved it back to Fridays which isn’t usually a good sign) and they’ve done nothing to offer potential new-viewers the opportunity to get caught up. I didn’t want to leave it off this list though because it really is a great show. Why does ABC still have ‘Six Degrees’ available for viewing on their site but ‘Men In Trees’ is nowhere to be found?

What’s ‘Men In Trees’ about? - Marin Frist is your typical city-girl. She was about to embark on a book tour to promote a book she wrote on relationships when she found out her fiancé was cheating on her. She was on her way to Alaska when she found out and decides to leave New York behind and stay in Alaska to try and figure out where she went wrong and what real men are all about. It’s a quirky show with good humor and mild drama.

Friday Night Lights - NBC - Episodes are available on NBC.com and for purchase on Itunes
This is another show I let fall from my regular TV watching schedule due to other obligations but since its been picked up for another season, I’m going to have to get caught up.

What’s ‘Friday Night Lights’ about? - Dillon, Texas is a small town that reveres their high school football team. The show centers on the coach, the players and their families and friends. Football might be the thing that ties all of the characters together but ‘Friday Night Lights’ is really a story about people. As someone who cares very little for football, I thought the show was excellent.

So there you go. You’ve got all summer to check out the above listed shows and when fall arrives, you’ll be able to dive into the season premieres with the rest of the fans.

Are there any shows I left off the list that you think are worth watching? Leave a comment below and tell me which show I should get caught up on this summer!


What to Watch (6/10 to 6/16)



The Sopranos (HBO) 9:00 pm
Made In America - (Series Finale!) – This is the final episode of ‘The Sopranos.’ The episode was written and directed by the show’s creator, David Chase. I tend to think ‘The Sopranos’ is a bit overrated but I can’t help but be curious to see how it all ends.

John From Cincinnati (HBO) 10:05 pm
His Visit: Day One - (Series Premiere!) – A mysterious guy shows up in California and is taken in by a surfing legend and his dysfunctional family.



’Creature Comforts’ (CBS) 8:00 pm
Self Image; Winging it; Art (New!) – Saw the first episode and loved it. The stop-animated series is about a bunch of animals being interviewed about everyday things. As the episode title suggests, in this episode the animals talk about art, flying and self-image.

’Hell’s Kitchen’ (Fox) 9:00 pm
(New!) – The group gets narrowed down to ten chefs at the end of this episode. The winning team gets a chance to hang out with Ramsey outside of the kitchen.



’America’s Got Talent’ (NBC) 8:00 pm
Los Angeles Auditions - (New!) – I love Sharon Osbourne as a judge! The auditions continue as they head to the west coast. Last week we saw violinists, singers and an Elvis impersonator. What will L.A. have to offer?

’Bad Girls Road Trip’ (Oh!) 10:00 pm
Bad Wheels Keep On Turning - (Series Premiere!) – Zara, Aimee and Leslie of ‘The Bad Girls Club’ hit the road visit their families and on the look-out for a new crop of bad-girls to fill next season’s house.



’So You Think You Can Dance’ (FOX) 8:00 pm
(New!) – The top 10 females and top 10 males perform and this week America can vote for their favorites to see who makes it into the finals.

’American Inventor’ (ABC) 9:00 pm
(New!) – The audition process continues as the show heads to L.A. and San Francisco to see what crazy stuff the people out there have come up with.

’Traveler’ (ABC) 10:00 pm
The Out - (New!) – Anyone else watching this show? I recommend you check it out. The episodes are available on ABC.com. In this episode, Jay and Tyler head to Maine to Will’s hometown in the hopes of finding some more information about him.



’So You Think You Can Dance’ (FOX) 9:00 pm
Two of the top twenty dancers are eliminated.



Kyle XY (ABC) 8:00 pm
The Prophet (Season Premiere!) – The second season premieres with Kyle learning more about his past from Adam Baylin. Meanwhile, the Tragers try to get used to Kyle being gone.

Painkiller Jane (Scifi) 10:00 pm
Trial By Fire (new!) – The group tries to track down a neuro that they believe is starting house fires.



Rocky Marathon (Spike) 4:30 pm
Just the first four movies. Spike was merciful enough to leave the fifth Rocky off the line-up.




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