It’s not really a secret that the summer isn’t exactly known for being the time of year to catch widely popular television shows. If you’re looking for something with viewing figures in the tens of millions then you’re in the wrong place. That being said, there has to be something on TV over summer – I mean it doesn’t just close up shop and hope everyone has enough to do in their lives to occupy them until the fall premieres of the heavyweights, right? With that burning question in mind, I took it upon myself to take a look around at what exactly is going to be on this summer and what might be worth laying your eyes upon.
Entourage - Season 8
Entourage is a pretty great show. If you ask any fan, the likely response as to why it is that way would undoubtedly involve the words "Jeremy Piven" and "Ari Gold." After six seasons of the movie life ups and downs of Vincent Chase and his crew, the seventh season of the show took a somewhat different direction than its predecessors. Rather than focusing on what the next big film was going to be, or what the gang was going to do to get Vince in it, it revolved heavily around the personal problems of the main cast. For some people – myself included – that was a problem. It’s not that I don’t like developing characters – in fact I eat that up – but it really didn’t work for the show. Hopefully, the guys over at Entourage will have ironed out the creases for the eighth and final season, returning one of HBO’s longer running shows to form. The show returns July 24th on HBO.
True Blood - Season 4
I will have to admit that I don’t actually watch True Blood, but by all accounts, it's not exactly terrible. HBO is probably the strongest cable network out there and the show’s creator, Alan Ball, was the mastermind behind a little known and not at all critically acclaimed show by the name of Six Feet Under. That’s more than enough to get me interested. If I was really going to invest in the show then I’d almost certainly go back to the beginning, but after taking a look at the trailers for this summer’s season, it appears that I may need to get around to this show sooner rather than later. For those of you that already watch it, or those that feel so inclined, the show returns June 26th on HBO.
Breaking Bad - Season 4
Breaking Bad has just about the coolest premise that any show has had in recent years: a dying man takes on meth-dealing to provide for his family when he’s gone. Admittedly, it’s taken on slightly more than that to the plot over the years, but the world of drug dealing remains at the heart. The three seasons of the show thus far have developed into one of the best things on TV, and certainly a contender for the number one spot during the summer months, so the fourth season is going to be pretty much essential viewing. Bryan Cranston’s performance as Walter White has landed him a whole host of awards over the show’s run so far and that shows no sign of letting up. So if you’ve got some spare time over the summer (which if you are on this website I’m guessing you have), then Breaking Bad wouldn’t be the worst use of it. The fourth season premieres July 11th on AMC.
Falling Skies
Alien invasions aren’t exactly what one might call an original story idea, but Steven Spielberg seems to not have given up on them yet. Falling Skies is set to chronicle the story of a group of survivors who must band together in order to fight back against the invading aliens. The group, known as the 2nd Mass, is led by history professor Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) who, in search of his son, must put his extensive knowledge of military history to the test as one of the leaders of the resistance movement. The trailer for the show is a little hit and miss; on the one hand it really does look like the show might be onto something as far as character and all-around awesomeness goes, but on the other, the CGI might not be quite up to scratch. Whilst it's not exactly realistic to expect top of the line aliens on a TV budget, the show runs the risk of becoming a touch stupid if you can’t believe the threat. If it takes on the right tone – something along the lines of The Walking Dead, alien style – then Falling Skies has got a definite chance at being a show to watch this summer. The show begins with a two-hour premiere June 19th on TNT.
These are just a few of the shows that will be coming to your screens over the summer. Is there anything in particular that you will be watching, or, intentionally avoiding?