Summertime means that most of your favorite TV shows are currently airing repeats or not at all. It's the time when networks try to shove reality shows down our gullet because they're cheap to produce and easy to fill time slots.
Believe it or not, there are some quality shows out there that are still airing and I'm here to tell you a few.
Let's start with USA Network's Burn Notice. It's currently on its third season and is only getting better. Burn Notice was a modest hit when it started and more and more people are getting into it now. I first started watching because I'm a Bruce Campbell fan and he plays a great supporting role in this show. The premise is that a spy is "burned" by the governement -- meaning he's dropped in Miami and left to fend for himself, cutoff from his bank account and without any government connections or any way to get back in the game. Michael, the spy, tries to find out why he was burned and get the burn notice lifted so he can do what he likes best -- spy stuff. To help him in this goal he hooks up with his old friend Sam, an old military intelligence contact (who also happens to be keeping tabs on Michael for the FBI), and his old flame Fiona (ex-IRA). Together they start helping people that are in dire straights all the while trying to gain intel on Michael's burn notice. Every episode is fresh and carries along at a good beat. One of my favorite things about this show are Michael's expositions (tips) on how to use common, ordinary items to create spy gear. I'd rate this show as a solid B+ and definitely something to bridge the summer tedium.
USA also has two other shows that are worth checking out. They really do their best work when it comes to summer programming. The first is In Plain Sight about a federal marshall who places people in witness protection. It's a lot less forumlaic than it sounds and the best aspect of the show is Mary's (the marshall) problems with her own screwed up family. It's less a typical "cop" show and more about someone who has to keep her Mother and Sister safe from themselves, witnesses safe from the criminals they're testifying against and herself safe from a nervous breakdown. It's shown to have distance when it comes to plot diversity and character development. Not as good as Burn Notice - it deserves a B.
The final USA Network show is the newly premiered Royal Pains. Aside from its horrible title (it sounds like a "Silver Spoons" spinoff) the show offers a pretty fun hour of TV. It follows Hank, a former inner-city ER surgeon who gets fired when the main trustee dies from a complication, and his lucking into being a "consierge" doctor for the rich and powerful in the Hamptons. It's a little rah-rah poor working types and pooh-pooh rich at some points, but it's a decent waste of time if for nothing else than the actor playing Hank is likeable.
True Blood is a series that a lot of people got into recently. It's by show creator Alan Ball (responsible for the dreary Six Feet Under) and is based on the novels by Charlotte Harris. It's on HBO so it's limited to those who can watch it (or download it), but it's really found its footing. With more people watching it this season than last, people can settle in for the long haul and stop worrying about cancellation. True Blood is set in a small town in Louisianna and revolves around Sookie Stackhouse (played by Anna Paquin of X-Men and The Piano fame) and her relationship with a vampire named Bill. Vampires have come out to the world and are fighting for equal rights -- think of it as a civil rights movement for the undead. Thanks to a new synthetic blood (called the titular True Blood) the vampires PR team is saying that vampires no longer pose any threats to humans. That, however, is quickly proved otherwise. The show displays humans and vampires on equal immoral ground -- some humans even take to hunting and torturing vampires for their blood (which has powerful effects when ingested by humans). I warmed up to the show as it starts slowly in the first season but gets interesting about half way through. I'd say it qualifies for an A-.
Finally let's talk about Rescue Me. It's my favorite summer time show and for good reason. Each week is consistently packed with quality television and the show takes risks that other shows would never dream to utter outside their writing rooms -- most of the times the risks pay off. The show is helmed by Dennis Leary and is comprised of a wonderful supporting cast. There is not one weak actor among them. Leary plays firefighter Tommy Gavin and the show revolves around his job at the firehouse (and the firemen there), his interactions with his family, relationship with his wife (separated), relationship dead cousin's wife (crazy) and his own faults including alcoholism and an obvious deathwish. Rescue Me always tells it how it is and it gives the actors plenty of room to tell their stories. Sometimes it's strange, sometimes you'll be nodding your head in disbelief or asking yourself where they're going with this, but this show is never dull or wasteful. An A+ if there was ever one.