Coming up on TV this Summer...

[WoodysGirl]

Some of this stuff is awful. There's a reason why I'd rather watch Law & Order repeats...all 80 million of them.
--------
Summer TV offers some hot prospects

By MIKE MCDANIEL
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Bobby Brown, Tommy Lee, Jerry Hall, Tommy Hilfiger and (oh, brother) more Big Brother — television's going gonzo over reality this summer. But scripted programming will also be served in substantial proportions.

And this year, cable's not the only summer player.

The broadcast networks previously ceded summer to cable, content to count their money as reruns ruled. But with cable drawing viewers from the broadcast channels, and with reruns proving to be ratings losers, the Big Boys are playing summer ball. There will still be more reruns than you can count, but new shows are coming, too.

It's all part of that "year-round scheduling" talk you've been hearing about from network execs. Summer is too important to ignore anymore.

We count 76 new shows — series, movies, documentaries — airing between now and September. A third of them are broadcast.

Broadcasters will also return summer helpings of series that aired during the regular season. These range from NBC's The Biggest Loser to Fox's Renovate My Family to ABC's Wife Swap.

Here's a quick-hit list of some summer offerings:



Miniseries

Empire. Well-acted, well-produced six-hour drama about the fall of Julius Caesar and the fight between two men to succeed him. From the makers of Chicago. June 28, ABC


Into the West. Six two-hour films track the settling of the West from white and American Indian perspectives. Sounds dry, but it isn't. Steven Spielberg is executive producer. June 12, TNT



Reality

Beauty & the Geek. Geeks are paired with beauties and tested on academic and social topics. Producers are Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg. Wednesday, WB


Dancing With the Stars. Celebrities try ballroom dancing with professionals. Wednesday, ABC

Hit Me Baby One More Time. Former music stars — Vanilla Ice, Wang Chung, etc. — check their appeal by performing in front of an audience. Thursday, NBC

Kept. Twelve hunks vie to be kept by Jerry Hall. Thursday, VH1

Strip Search. Guys are recruited to form a dancing troupe. Thursday, VH1

Hell's Kitchen. Chef Gordon Ramsay treats wannabe chefs like tripe as they compete for a restaurant they can call their own. Premiered this week and airs Mondays, Fox

The Scholar. High schoolers take oral exams and answer lightning-round questions to win scholarship money. Monday, ABC

Blow Out. Returns June 7, Bravo

Fire Me, Please. Two people compete to see who can get fired first. June 7, CBS

The Real Gilligan's Island. Returns June 8, TBS
The Cut. Aspiring designers compete for a job with Tommy Hilfiger. June 9, CBS

The Real World. Austin plays home this time. June 20, MTV

I Want to Be a Hilton. Contest on how to handle the rich life. June 21, NBC

Average Joe: The Joes Strike Back. Returns June 28, NBC

Being Bobby Brown. In which the troubled singer shows his softer side. June 30, Bravo

Big Brother. Returns July 7, CBS

Rock Star: INXS. Contest to find a new lead singer for the Australian pop band. Airs three times a week. From Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice). July 11, CBS

Brat Camp. Six out-of-control teens are sent to a boot camp in the Oregon wilderness. July 13, ABC

So You Think You Can Dance. Think American Idol for dancers. July 20, Fox

The Law Firm. Lawyers compete against each other while trying actual cases. From David E. Kelley (Boston Legal, The Practice). July 28, NBC

Meet Mister Mom. Dads get the housework while moms take vacation. Aug, 3, NBC

The Biggest Loser. Returns Aug. 9, NBC

Tommy Lee Goes to College. The title says it all. Aug. 9, NBC



Comedy

P. Diddy Presents the Bad Boys of Comedy. Rising comics perform in this weekly series. June 10, HBO


Stella. Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter and David Wain adapt their popular stage show for the small screen. June 29, Comedy Central

Mind of Mencia. Funnyman Carlos Mencia stars. July 7, Comedy Central

Reno 911. Returns June 13, Comedy Central

Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List. Six-episode series in which Griffin recounts surreal celebrity encounters. July 27, Bravo

Weekends at the DL. Talker with D.L. Hughley. July 29, Comedy Central



Drama

Entourage. Returns Sunday, HBO


Six Feet Under. Returns Monday for its final season, HBO

The Inside. Freaky series about a rookie FBI agent with a frightening ability to read criminal minds. June 8, Fox

The Dead Zone. Returns June 12, USA

The Closer. Kyra Sedgwick in a role tailored for her. June 13, TNT

The Missing. Returns June 19, Lifetime

Over There. Ensemble cast showcases the lives of soldiers in Iraq and their families back home. From Steven Bochco (NYPD Blue). July 27, FX

Wanted. Gary Cole heads a specialized L.A. police force in this procedural series. July 31, TNT

[font=verdana,arial,helvetica,ms sans-serif]10 PICKS FOR SUMMER[/font]
​

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• Empire
Jonathan Cake mesmerizes in ABC's epic six-parter. June 28. [/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• Into the West
We've seen half of TNT's 12-hour opus and eagerly await more. June 12.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• Over There
Fictional series promises to bring Iraq war into U.S. living rooms. July 27. [/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• Beauty and the Geek
Heartfelt reality from the punk who brought us Punk'd. June 1.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• The Law Firm
David E. Kelley (Boston Legal) gives reality a try. July 28.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• The Closer
Kyra Sedgwick dazzles in role of a dynamic case solver. June 13. [/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• Hell's Kitchen
Gordon Ramsay scares the bordelaise out of aspiring chefs. On the air. [/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• Entourage
More inside the Hollywood mind-set from HBO. June 5. [/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• Kathy Griffin
Her stand-up special My Life on the D-List becomes a series. July 27. [/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• Big Brother
TV's most infuriatingly addictive reality show returns. July 7. [/font]


mike.mcdaniel@chron.com

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/features/3204026

 

[zorg222]

Some of this stuff is awful. There's a reason why I'd rather watch Law & Order repeats...all 80 million of them.
--------
Summer TV offers some hot prospects

By MIKE MCDANIEL
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Bobby Brown, Tommy Lee, Jerry Hall, Tommy Hilfiger and (oh, brother) more Big Brother — television's going gonzo over reality this summer. But scripted programming will also be served in substantial proportions.

And this year, cable's not the only summer player.

The broadcast networks previously ceded summer to cable, content to count their money as reruns ruled. But with cable drawing viewers from the broadcast channels, and with reruns proving to be ratings losers, the Big Boys are playing summer ball. There will still be more reruns than you can count, but new shows are coming, too.

It's all part of that "year-round scheduling" talk you've been hearing about from network execs. Summer is too important to ignore anymore.

We count 76 new shows — series, movies, documentaries — airing between now and September. A third of them are broadcast.

Broadcasters will also return summer helpings of series that aired during the regular season. These range from NBC's The Biggest Loser to Fox's Renovate My Family to ABC's Wife Swap.

Here's a quick-hit list of some summer offerings:



Miniseries

Empire. Well-acted, well-produced six-hour drama about the fall of Julius Caesar and the fight between two men to succeed him. From the makers of Chicago. June 28, ABC


Into the West. Six two-hour films track the settling of the West from white and American Indian perspectives. Sounds dry, but it isn't. Steven Spielberg is executive producer. June 12, TNT



Reality

Beauty & the Geek. Geeks are paired with beauties and tested on academic and social topics. Producers are Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg. Wednesday, WB


Dancing With the Stars. Celebrities try ballroom dancing with professionals. Wednesday, ABC

Hit Me Baby One More Time. Former music stars — Vanilla Ice, Wang Chung, etc. — check their appeal by performing in front of an audience. Thursday, NBC

Kept. Twelve hunks vie to be kept by Jerry Hall. Thursday, VH1

Strip Search. Guys are recruited to form a dancing troupe. Thursday, VH1

Hell's Kitchen. Chef Gordon Ramsay treats wannabe chefs like tripe as they compete for a restaurant they can call their own. Premiered this week and airs Mondays, Fox

The Scholar. High schoolers take oral exams and answer lightning-round questions to win scholarship money. Monday, ABC

Blow Out. Returns June 7, Bravo

Fire Me, Please. Two people compete to see who can get fired first. June 7, CBS

The Real Gilligan's Island. Returns June 8, TBS
The Cut. Aspiring designers compete for a job with Tommy Hilfiger. June 9, CBS

The Real World. Austin plays home this time. June 20, MTV

I Want to Be a Hilton. Contest on how to handle the rich life. June 21, NBC

Average Joe: The Joes Strike Back. Returns June 28, NBC

Being Bobby Brown. In which the troubled singer shows his softer side. June 30, Bravo

Big Brother. Returns July 7, CBS

Rock Star: INXS. Contest to find a new lead singer for the Australian pop band. Airs three times a week. From Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice). July 11, CBS

Brat Camp. Six out-of-control teens are sent to a boot camp in the Oregon wilderness. July 13, ABC

So You Think You Can Dance. Think American Idol for dancers. July 20, Fox

The Law Firm. Lawyers compete against each other while trying actual cases. From David E. Kelley (Boston Legal, The Practice). July 28, NBC

Meet Mister Mom. Dads get the housework while moms take vacation. Aug, 3, NBC

The Biggest Loser. Returns Aug. 9, NBC

Tommy Lee Goes to College. The title says it all. Aug. 9, NBC



Comedy

P. Diddy Presents the Bad Boys of Comedy. Rising comics perform in this weekly series. June 10, HBO


Stella. Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter and David Wain adapt their popular stage show for the small screen. June 29, Comedy Central

Mind of Mencia. Funnyman Carlos Mencia stars. July 7, Comedy Central

Reno 911. Returns June 13, Comedy Central

Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List. Six-episode series in which Griffin recounts surreal celebrity encounters. July 27, Bravo

Weekends at the DL. Talker with D.L. Hughley. July 29, Comedy Central



Drama

Entourage. Returns Sunday, HBO


Six Feet Under. Returns Monday for its final season, HBO

The Inside. Freaky series about a rookie FBI agent with a frightening ability to read criminal minds. June 8, Fox

The Dead Zone. Returns June 12, USA

The Closer. Kyra Sedgwick in a role tailored for her. June 13, TNT

The Missing. Returns June 19, Lifetime

Over There. Ensemble cast showcases the lives of soldiers in Iraq and their families back home. From Steven Bochco (NYPD Blue). July 27, FX

Wanted. Gary Cole heads a specialized L.A. police force in this procedural series. July 31, TNT

[font=verdana,arial,helvetica,ms sans-serif]10 PICKS FOR SUMMER[/font]
​

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• Empire
Jonathan Cake mesmerizes in ABC's epic six-parter. June 28. [/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• Into the West
We've seen half of TNT's 12-hour opus and eagerly await more. June 12.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• Over There
Fictional series promises to bring Iraq war into U.S. living rooms. July 27. [/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• Beauty and the Geek
Heartfelt reality from the punk who brought us Punk'd. June 1.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• The Law Firm
David E. Kelley (Boston Legal) gives reality a try. July 28.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• The Closer
Kyra Sedgwick dazzles in role of a dynamic case solver. June 13. [/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• Hell's Kitchen
Gordon Ramsay scares the bordelaise out of aspiring chefs. On the air. [/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• Entourage
More inside the Hollywood mind-set from HBO. June 5. [/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• Kathy Griffin
Her stand-up special My Life on the D-List becomes a series. July 27. [/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]• Big Brother
TV's most infuriatingly addictive reality show returns. July 7. [/font]


mike.mcdaniel@chron.com

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/features/3204026

that is a lot of crap, but law & order is sad and disturbing, it makes me sad

 

[Yeagermeister]

I'll watch Entourage and Six Feet under but the rest you can keep.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

I'll watch Entourage and Six Feet under but the rest you can keep.

I guess Entourage and Big Brother for me...the wife likes big brother so I usually get hooked after a little while.

I just started watching entourage.

Deadwood is over, Battlestar Galatica is over, Lost is over, Biker Build-offs is over so there is nothing I normally watch on except for in re-runs.

SO...I was looking on the in-demand section on the cable box and seen Entourage.

I think I watched the entire first season in one sitting.....it's not bad, could be better, but it is funny...Dillon and the Agent make me laugh.

 

[Yeagermeister]

I guess Entourage and Big Brother for me...the wife likes big brother so I usually get hooked after a little while.

I just started watching entourage.

Deadwood is over, Battlestar Galatica is over, Lost is over, Biker Build-offs is over so there is nothing I normally watch on except for in re-runs.

SO...I was looking on the in-demand section on the cable box and seen Entourage.

I think I watched the entire first season in one sitting.....it's not bad, could be better, but it is funny...Dillon and the Agent make me laugh.

Entourage is ok but there is hope. The new season BSG is supposed to start soon.

In demand is way cool. So far it's the only thing I like about my switch to cable.

 

[Chief]

I'm looking forward to "Into the West."

A Spielberg Western?

Can't miss.

 

[Crown Royal]

I don't watch too much TV other than football. Shows I watch with some regularity:

Nip/Tuck
Good Eats

...wow - come to think of it, that's about it.

But don't let that fool you - I watch TONS of movies.

 

[Yeagermeister]

I don't watch too much TV other than football. Shows I watch with some regularity:

Nip/Tuck
Good Eats

...wow - come to think of it, that's about it.

But don't let that fool you - I watch TONS of movies.

Alton Brown is very good. He mixes the cooking and humor very well.

 

[Yeagermeister]

fyi The new season of Battlestar starts friday

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

fyi The new season of Battlestar starts friday

This Friday???

Serious?

 

[Crown Royal]

Alton Brown is very good. He mixes the cooking and humor very well.

The humor is cheesy (but effective). I like the show because he isn't just giving me recipes - he explains why these recipes work, explains food components, etc. If I watch a show like Molto Mario, I get a very good, though complicated, recipe for an Italian dish. But, without understanding what's going on, I can't very well alter it or expand it, etc.

Whereas Good Eats teaches me the basic process that goes into each topic. After you find out something, you can create your own recipes and such. It's like taking a culinary arts class free.

 

[zorg222]

I don't watch too much TV other than football. Shows I watch with some regularity:

Nip/Tuck
Good Eats

...wow - come to think of it, that's about it.

But don't let that fool you - I watch TONS of movies.

I've found lately that Nip/Tuck's™ main idea isn't really plastic surgery, if you know what I mean

 

[NYCowboy22]

Emeril Live
Good Eats
Iron Chef
Molto Mario
Are all good cooking shows. I can't stand when they have fat *** Al Roker on there. Look, its obvious he likes to eat, but I can't stomach the drivel that comes out of his mouth. He is salivating so much from the damn food he can hardly get a sentence out anyway.

 

[Hoov]

I don't watch too much TV other than football. Shows I watch with some regularity:

Nip/Tuck
Good Eats

...wow - come to think of it, that's about it.

But don't let that fool you - I watch TONS of movies.

Im the same way, the only time the tv is on is when someone else is watching it (except for football). when i moved a year and a half ago i left my tv in a box for weeks until someone came over and complained.

 

[Yeagermeister]

Emeril Live
Good Eats
Iron Chef
Molto Mario
Are all good cooking shows. I can't stand when they have fat *** Al Roker on there. Look, its obvious he likes to eat, but I can't stomach the drivel that comes out of his mouth. He is salivating so much from the damn food he can hardly get a sentence out anyway.

I don't care for Mario but the others I like. I could care less what they are cooking on IC. I watch it because the dubbing cracks me.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

I only liked the Iron Chefs because it was entertaining.

I really do not care for the other shows on the channel and have not watched iron chefs in quite some time.

I think that channel burns me out because the wife is always watching Rachel Ray and she annoys me with that beavis and butthead laugh....and before others start....she is not ugly, but she is FAR from being hot.

Same with that big headed chick.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

I don't care for Mario but the others I like. I could care less what they are cooking on IC. I watch it because the dubbing cracks me.

Yes that was part of the charm....and how serious they get.

That chairman guy cracks me up as well because he is so over dramatic.

I saw it on the channel guide the other night and flipped over to watch and it was american chefs....could only watch a few minutes because it just did not capture the magic of the original.

 

[Crown Royal]

I abhor Iron Chef. Too cheezy, and does nothing for me as a cook. I watch these shows because I enjoy cooking and culinary arts, not because I wanna see bad dubbing and a game show involving food.

And regarding Rachel Ray - her voice is annoying.

 

[Yeagermeister]

Yes that was part of the charm....and how serious they get.

That chairman guy cracks me up as well because he is so over dramatic.

I saw it on the channel guide the other night and flipped over to watch and it was american chefs....could only watch a few minutes because it just did not capture the magic of the original.

Yeah the new one is pretty bad but it's not as bad as their first attempt. It had Shatner as the chairman. It was very bad.