Not long ago summer was considered a TV wasteland by many viewers with little to watch and an eternity to wait before premieres in the fall. But in the last five years summer has become prime real estate for cable, both basic and premium.
Networks like SyFy, USA and HBO have developed their own original programming (or imported Canadian and British shows).
‘Continuum’
A Canadian production set in modern-day Vancouver, Continuum follows futuristic cop Kiera Cameron and a group of terrorists thrown back in time. Kiera is trying to get home and the terrorists are trying to change the future to their liking. Season 2 currently airs on SyFy. The creators use flash forwards to show the world as it has become in 2077 and to provide back story for the future characters, all while establishing firm connections in the present.
I binge watched the first season just as it ended on SyFy a few months back and got hooked. The characters are all intriguing and the way Kiera interacts with certain members of the terrorist organization make the fangirl in her squeal. The world is extremely well fleshed out and while there is time travel and some cool tech it is not out of the realm of possibility that in 60 years’ time, the world could resemble the time which Kiera left. Plus the mystery they are slowly unraveling speaks to the lover of the slow burn in both of us.
‘Perception’
Perception was another surprise find I made last summer on TNT. Among the plethora of quirky procedural shows, this one has a rather unique aspect to it. The lead, Dr. Daniel Peirce, is a paranoid schizophrenic who is also a neuroscientist. He uses his own way of thinking to assist the FBI in solving strange cases. At the end of season 1, we saw Daniel suffer a severe break with reality.
One of the interesting things I picked up on during the first season was the way most of the episodes were framed by discussions in Dr. Pierce’s classes, contemplating various functions of the human brain. The mixing of procedural and science is reminiscent of the early days of CSI (minus the actual lab work). It’s a fun show that gives its viewers a little something meaty to chew on each week for those who like a little more substance to their summer fare.
‘Futurama’
Futurama was the first show I owned on DVD and it was a staple of college life. It follows the adventures of a misfit interplanetary delivery crew in the 31st Century through the point of view of Fry, who was frozen at a cryogenics lab on New Year’s Eve 1999 and woke up on New Year’s Eve 2999. From The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, Futurama is full of funny and smart geeky pop culture and science references.
Even if you’re not a science aficionado (I’m not), there’s plenty to enjoy in Futurama, which in its best episodes achieves that perfect mix of humor and heart that is essential to all good comedies. Futurama, was cancelled by FOX in 2003, and due to the strength of reruns on Cartoon Network, eventually made a comeback through a series of DVD movies and a run on Comedy Central. Earlier this year, Comedy Central announced that this summer’s run of episodes, which began last week, will be the last on that channel. Here’s hoping the little show that could finds yet another home.
‘The Newsroom’
The Newsroom which begins its second season on HBO this July, is the latest creation of Aaron Sorkin. Best known for The West Wing and The Social Network, Sorkin’s work always features weighty dialogue delivered in a “walk and talk.” The Newsroom is the story of a cable news show called News Night led by anchor Will McAvoy and executive producer MacKenzie McHale.
The show follows both, how the team covers recent past news events (the Osama Bin Laden assassination and Congresswoman Giffords shooting were touchstones in season 1), and the personal drama among the staff. While The Newsroom has been mostly critically panned, that spark of Sorkin dialogue patter that crops up now and then still makes it worth a watch. The past year has certainly provided plenty of news story fodder for the News Night team to cover.
So, we hope this gives you some ideas for shows to check out this summer while you’re waiting for your regular season favorites to return in the fall. We hope you’re spending some time outside enjoying the summer weather too, but hey, on some days, it rains! For more opinions and analysis on shows like Continuum and Newsroom, check out our blog, more-tv-please.com.
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