Fun in the Sun (In Front of the TV)

At one point in time in the television landscape, summer was a wasteland of repeats and less than stellar shows that the networks spent money on but were not confident enough to air them during the regular TV line-up.

Thankfully, those days are long gone because of all the programming that has been introduced by the cable channels as well as the major networks that have finally caught up with cable by providing year-round programming. In light of all the options that are out there now, a confirmed tv-ophile like myself can look forward to fantastic viewing all year long.

I am looking forward to “fun in the sun” in front of my television not only because of returning favorites but also a number of new series that are set to debut this summer. Here are the shows that I am most anticipating over the next couple months:

• Burn Notice and Royal Pains came back to the USA Network on June 3 at 9 and 10 PM respectively;

• Drop Dead Diva returned to Lifetime on June 6 at 9 PM;

Pretty Little Liars

• Pretty Little Liars, the new show on the ABC Family Channel, will debut tonight at 8 PM;

• Leverage will be back with a two-hour season premiere on TNT on June 20 at 9 PM;

• Rookie Blue is a new cop drama on ABC that will debut on June 24 at 9 PM;

• Warehouse 13 will be back for its second season on Syfy on July 6 at 9 PM;

Eureka

• Eureka is back for more adventures on Syfy and the new series Haven, based on the novella by Stephen King, will debut on July 9 at 9 PM and 10 PM respectively;

• The Closer will be back followed by the new series Rizzoli & Isles on TNT at 9 and 10 PM respectively;

• Covert Affairs will debut and White Collar will be back on the USA Network on July 13 at 9 and 10 PM respectively;

• Psych will return to the USA Network on July 14 at 10 PM; and,

Being Human

• Being Human will be back for its second season on BBCAmerica on July 24 after the finale of Doctor Who

You can learn more about these shows and others not only in our May 28 “What to Watch in June” article but also in upcoming articles by the NiceGirls that will focus on the July and August shows.

Reminder for Tonight: If you are a fan of the popular FOX series Glee, make sure you check out the show’s season finale, which will air tonight at 9 PM. Regionals will be the focus of the episode. The question is will New Directions triumph over Vocal Adrenaline?

Lifehouse

Musician Spotlight: The LA-based band Lifehouse, featuring original members Jason Wade and drummer Ricky Woolstenhulme Jr. and newer members Bryce Soderberg and Ben Carey, have an impressive 10-year career. Their smash debut album “No Name Face” was released in 2000 and featured the breakout single “Hanging by a Moment”. Their combined album sales are over 5 million copies with 3 million copies of their singles sold online. In addition to their debut album, they also have released the albums “Stanley Climbfall,” the self-titled album “Lifehouse,” and “Who We Are.” Their latest album “Smoke & Mirrors” was released in March of this year. You can learn more about the band at: http://www.lifehousemusic.com/splash/