There was a time when summer TV meant tons of reruns, holiday specials and movies. These days, a lot of new shows are premiering, while a few others have come back for another new season. If you don’t already spend your time glued to the television, you probably haven’t/won’t see the commercials for some of this season’s best new (and returning) shows. I’m a TV-purist, so I believe all shows are best viewed on a screen, but there’s always the option of finding and watching these shows online.
Whatever your preference, you can reap the benefits of finding the good without forcing yourself to sit through the bad (i.e., the painful moments I spent watching Bristol Palin’s foray into reality television). You may already be an episode or two (or four) behind, since most of these shows have already started, but it’s worth the few hours it’ll take for you to catch up. This is when my refusal to leave the house before the sun sets because I don’t feel like it it’s too hot and uncomfortable to do so comes in handy. You’re welcome.
Episodes (Sundays) – Matt LeBlanc more than makes up for Joey and being on Showtime means the lines are a little bit raunchier than anything that ever happened on Friends.
Comedy Bang! Bang! (Fridays) – It’s based on a podcast, so watching this show will automatically boost your hipster street cred. Reggie Watts as the Andy Richter to Scott Aukerman’s Conan O’Brien is weird and hilarious, as good comedy should be.
Weeds (Sundays) – This is the show’s eighth and final season, which means there’s potential for things to get really bad (in a good way) or really bad (in a “they really should have cancelled this years ago” way). Regardless, they went back to the original “Little Boxes” theme song and you have to appreciate a show that remembers its earlier years.
The Newsroom (Sundays) – Aaron Sorkin’s Sunday night drama has the potential to be really good, like The West Wing good.
Awkward (Tuesdays) – Teen angst is best enjoyed when you’ve long since left those years behind and you can watch as an impartial observer. The fact that this show comes on MTV should in no way deter you from watching.
Web Therapy (Mondays) – Lisa Kudrow plays a therapist who sees her patients over the video sessions, hence the show’s title. The guest stars (Jane Lynch, for example) are hilarious and the format is pretty unique. You’d benefit from watching all the episodes in order, but it’s not required, which is a bonus.
*Based on a very small and potentially biased sample of people who answered, “What the heck is that?” or “Oh, that’s back on already?”, when asked about the shows included on this list.
Nicole is a TV junkie and TVDM helps her feed a lifelong addiction. She can be found here, providing biased commentary (sprinkled with a few Pop Up Video-esque insights) on her favorite shows, every week.
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