How Has Summer TV Performed in 2013

There used to be a time in TV history where there was nothing to watch on TV during the summer. Thankfully those years have been gone for quite some time, making avid TV viewers, like myself (and those of us here at NiceGirlsTV), very very happy.

And, since the summer will be over in a few weeks (where has the year gone, right?) and school will also be starting in a few short weeks, now seemed like an appropriate time to go over how summer TV performed this year.

First, let’s take a look at all the dramas that either debuted or returned during the summer (and the little over a dozen dramas that came to a conclusion just at the start of summer).

First, let’s start with the early summer dramas that came to a conclusion either in May or June:

Mad Men (AMC)
Doctor Who (BBC America)
Orphan Black (BBC America) [NEW]
Rogue (DirecTV) [NEW]
Bates Motel (FX) [NEW]
The Americans (FX) [NEW]
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Awkward. (MTV)
Hannibal (NBC) [NEW]
Army Wives (Lifetime)
The Client List (Lifetime)
The Borgias (Showtime)
Da Vinci’s Demons (Starz) [NEW]
Merlin (Syfy)
Psych (USA Network)

Out of all of these dramas, Orphan Black probably made the most waves – all for the good. This little BBC America drama about clones was one of the most talked about TV shows so far this year and lead actress Tatiana Maslany amazed viewers all over the globe with her multi-layered performances of seven very different characters.

The other show that got a lot of attention was the new FX drama Bates Motel that is a prequel of sorts to the classic film Psycho, focusing on young Norman Bates (British actor Freddie Highmore) and his mother Norma (actress Vera Farmiga). Out of the handful of shows on FX, Bates Motel is the most successful in terms of ratings, earning an average of 2.7 million viewers weekly.

From that list, two shows came to an end, Merlin and The Borgias, airing their series finales in May and mid-June. Army Wives also came to an end on June 9 despite its home network – Lifetime – not making an official announcement that the show has been cancelled.

Lastly, the NBC thriller Hannibal, from the mind of Bryan Fuller (the man behind Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies), may not have overwhelmed in the ratings – averaging 2.9 million viewers a week – certainly turned viewers on their heads with its profound and grizzly storylines.

Then there were all of the summer dramas on both the cable networks as well as the handful of new or returning dramas from the major networks. First, let’s look at the cable dramas:

The Glades (A&E)
Longmire (A&E)
The Fosters (ABC Family) [NEW]
Switched at Birth (ABC Family)
Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family)
Twisted (ABC Family) [NEW]
The Killing (AMC)
Copper (BBC America)
The Bridge (FX) [NEW]
Cedar Cove (Hallmark Channel) [NEW]
True Blood (HBO)
The Newsroom (HBO)
Drop Dead Diva (Lifetime)
Devious Maids (Lifetime) [NEW]
Teen Wolf (MTV)
The Haves and Have Nots (OWN) [NEW]
Dexter (Showtime)
Ray Donovan (Showtime) [NEW]
Magic City (Starz)
Defiance (Syfy) [NEW]
Warehouse 13 (Syfy)
Continuum (Syfy)
Sinbad (Syfy) [NEW]
Primeval: New World (Syfy) [NEW]
Falling Skies (TNT)
Major Crimes (TNT)
King & Maxwell (TNT) [NEW]
Franklin & Bash (TNT)
Rizzoli & Isles (TNT)
Perception (TNT)
Royal Pains (USA Network)
Necessary Roughness (USA Network)
Burn Notice (USA Network)
Graceland (USA Network) [NEW]
Covert Affairs (USA Network)
Suits (USA Network)
Hit the Floor (VH1) [NEW]

The top five cable series out of the above list in terms of ratings includes Rizzoli & Isles, averaging 5.7 million viewers a week; Major Crimes with 4.8 million; True Blood at 4.3 million; a three-way tie between Royal Pains, Longmire and Burn Notice with 3.6 million and Falling Skies at 3.5 million.

The stand-outs for the summer dramas on the cable networks have actually been the new Jennifer Lopez executive produced ABC Family drama The Fosters; and the Eva Longoria executive produced Lifetime drama Devious Maids. Both shows have only been on the air for about a month and a half, but both shows have made strides in the ratings – continually improving week after week – and garnering a strong fan base.

Two shows that were resurrected after being cancelled – Drop Dead Diva and The Killing – both held on with fairly decent ratings. In fact, The Killing – which just aired its two-hour season finale this past Sunday – saw its number ticked up ever so slightly. The summer finale of Drop Dead Diva will air next week, but the show has averaged 2.2 million viewers over the summer.

Now, here are the major network summer series:

Motive (ABC) [NEW]
Rookie Blue (ABC)
Mistresses (ABC) [NEW]
Under the Dome (CBS) [NEW]
Crossing Lines (NBC) [NEW]
Camp (NBC) [NEW]

Obviously, the major networks are slowly building up their roster of summer programming in comparison to the cable networks, but CBS has clearly cornered the market on the top rated summer series overall: Under the Dome. The Stephen King novel turned TV series has only been on the air for six weeks, but has averaged 11.4 million viewers.

The other new dramas at ABC, CBS and NBC have not fared as well despite continued efforts by each network to promote their shows.

Lastly, there are the still-to-be-determined late summer arrivals that will be airing on cable over the course of the next few weeks, including the following:

The White Queen (Starz) [NEW]
Broadchurch (BBC America) [NEW]
Hell on Wheels (AMC)
Low Winter Sun (AMC) [NEW]
Breaking Bad (AMC)
Strike Back (Cinemax)

It is, obviously, too soon to tell how any of these new series will fare in the ratings, but there is a great deal of acclaim for Broadchurch and Low Winter Sun as well as The White Queen.

Which summer shows have you enjoyed the most? Which show is your new guilty pleasure? Or, which show are you happy to see back on your TV? Please share your thoughts in our comments section below.