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SKIP THE SUMMER RERUNS,
TRY THESE NEW SHOWS INSTEAD
June 10, 2005
Summertime has arrived, and you know what that means - TV withdrawal. With our favorite shows taking a warm-weather break, we seek other ways to be entertained. Maybe by tearing through our Netflix queues, or tuning in to rerun episodes of that series we meant to watch this year but never got around to it.
Of course, all is not lost without new "Lost." As usual, the networks as well as cable are offering a smattering of original programming this summer. Much of it is the usual glut of reality nonsense, but look closely, and you may find something that's worth spending a pleasant night inside for. Here's a short list of some of this summer's most promising new TV:
-- A few years back Steven Spielberg produced what is the definitive artistic word on World War II. No, I'm not talking about "Saving Private Ryan," I'm talking about its superior companion piece - the HBO miniseries, "Band of Brothers." Now, Spielberg hopes to bring that same level of quality to his epic six-part TNT western, "Into the West." The commercials look stunning, and the massive cast is exceptional. Trust me, an actor you love is in this miniseries. I would bet on it. Among those with parts are Sean Astin, Beau Bridges, Keith Carradine, Graham Greene, Lance Henriksen, Keri Russell, and Matthew Modine. Not to mention the promise of Gary Busey playing a character that the "Into the West" website describes as "a wealthy mountain man who can whip his weight in mountain cats." And for that alone, I am so there.
The coolest thing about "Into the West" is that TNT will air each new episode every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 8 and 10 p.m. So, if you miss the first showing, no worries - you've got five more chances to catch it over the weekend.
-- If cowboys and Indians aren't your thing, you can hook up with men in uniform over on FX. The second season of the quite good Denis Leary firefighter drama "Rescue Me" lights up on June 21. And "Over There," Steven Bochco's dramatic look at the War in Iraq, starts roughly a month later on July 27.
-- HBO brings back one great series on its way up ("Entourage") and one great series on its way down ("Six Feet Under"). The latter kicked off its fifth and final season this week with its usual batch of soapy plotlines - this week, we had a miscarriage, a marriage, and gay couple David and Keith deciding whether to adopt a child or have one themselves using a surrogate mother. (Turns out, they picked both.) The funeral-home drama was great in its first two seasons, but only serviceable in the last two, although there still comes the occasional stand-out episode. Maybe this last season will find "Six Feet Under" (Mondays at 9 p.m.) returning to its former glory.
"Entourage," the blisteringly funny story of four young guys living it up in Hollywood when one of them becomes a movie star, is back for its second season, and I see no signs of a sophomore slump. This week's season premiere was jam-packed with laughs, and if serious-actor Vince does decide to star in "Aquaman" just to recapture his "It Boy" status, only hilarity can ensue. The show is paired up on Sunday nights with Lisa Kudrow's new series "The Comeback." I haven't watched yet, so I can't comment, but reviews have not been kind. Still, if you're a fan of Kudrow, it may be worth checking out.
-- This last one I'll keep short because I already mentioned it a couple of weeks back. But the major networks' best hope for a cool summer show is FOX's "The Inside," an FBI thriller from Tim Minear, who used to exercise his considerable talents on "Angel" and
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