Your Summer T.V. Guide

by Neethi Srinivasan – University of Michigan

Summer. It’s the time of year when you trade in your books for the beach and snow for some sunshine. Though most of you are busy with internships, jobs, and other extra-curricular activities, there are hundreds of people whose jobs (for our purposes) come to a standstill during the summer. They inhabit a place that I like to call TV land (no relation to the TV channel) and during the summer season most networks rely on reruns for their programming schedules. While this can be great for those of us who weren’t able to catch the original airings of our favorite shows, it can be a huge bummer for those of us who are die-hard fans. So, what’s a TV addict to do? Well, fortunately (or unfortunately in some cases) there are several new shows airing this summer to fill the void. However, since summer shows are notorious for being less than amazing I have done the arduous task of reviewing four of this summer’s “hottest” shows. Here is what I found:

Boston Med (Thursdays 10 pm EST/ABC): Take every medical drama that you know and add a little bit of reality into the mix and you have the storyline of Boston Med. A follow up to ABC’s Hopkins, Boston Med delves deep into the lives of real doctors and residents who work at three major Boston area hospitals- Massachusetts General, Children’s Hospital, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. What I love about this show is that it doesn’t romanticize any part of medicine and gives the audience an honest perspective. After watching, I truly gained a newfound respect and appreciation for both doctors and nurses. Favorite moment from the Pilot: Hearing resident Pina Patel imitate her very Indian parents while explaining their wish for a son-in-law. I guess parents are never satisfied!

The Gates (Sundays 10 pm EST/ABC): Let me preface this entry with the following- I hate the Twilight movies (that means Eclipse, Full Moon, and every other lunar phase) and I am utterly perplexed by the recent abundance of vampire themed movies/tv shows. However, I did find ABC’s The Gates to be mildly entertaining. The Gates is about a normal family who moves into a (drumroll please) gated community without realizing that the community harbors a disturbing secret – it’s residents are vampires and werewolves. Though the show has elements of The Stepford Wives and Desperate Houseives, it unfortunately lacks the intelligence and quality of actors that these two productions had/have. Verdict: Instead of watching Khloe and Kourtney Take Miami, watch this. It’s far less trashy than your average reality show, but requires the same amount of brainpower to watch.

Rookie Blue (Thursdays 9 pm EST/ABC): What initially drew me to this show (besides this assignment) was the fact that Gregory Smith (of Everwood fame, which if you haven’t seen you should!) was in it. Unfortunately for me, not even the hotness that is Mr. Smith could save this show from sinking within its first ten minutes. The best way to describe Rookie Blue is that it’s part NYPD Blue and part Grey’s Anatomy, but without the grit of the former show and the clever script of the later (at least during GA’s earlier seasons). Cheesiest moment from the Pilot: The slow motion shot of all of the rookies enjoying an ice-cold beer at their local bar while celebrating the moments of their lives.

100 Questions (Thursdays 8:30 pm EST/NBC): This is one of those shows that are so predictable and cheesy that you can’t stop watching it. 100 Questions is about Charlotte (cute and British), who along with the help of her friends, tries to find Mr. Right by going to a dating agency. There, she is asked to answer a questionnaire containing 100 questions and each subsequent show is dedicated to one question. Sounds kind of interesting right? Well, it is except for the fact that by the end of the first episode viewers already know who Charlotte’s Mr. Right is (Wayne, one of her best friends) and that the script/acting are horrendous. Verdict: Skip it. Just watch a rerun of Friends. 

Hopefully you guys will find this mini guide helpful while navigating the treacherous waters of summertime programming. Feel free to post comments on which shows were/were not your favorites and to suggest other shows that I missed. Happy watching!

Popularity: 1% [?]