Top 4: New Summer TV Series

With the 2006-07 network television just about wrapped up (the House finale tonight marks the end for me), it's time to look forward to the summer schedule. Back in the day, you could look forward to a steady diet of reruns, reruns, and more reruns all summer, making you actually consider going outside. Fortunately, we've been rescued from fresh air, exercise, and active social lives by a lot of interesting programming all summer. So let's take a look at the top four new series debuting this summer:

#4. Hidden Palms - If you saw any weird ads on the CW this spring that didn't make sense and ended with a plug for 08nova.com, it was actually for this show. It was also originally scheduled to premiere at midseason, but got bumped to the summer. Two really bad signs, but the word is that the show isn't bad at all. The premise, from Kevin Williamson (Scream, Dawson's Creek), is The OC meets Desperate Housewives: kid from the wrong side of the tracks moves to an upscale community and starts to uncover the dark secrets of the town. At the very least, the show should provide plenty of eye candy (above), but if the buzz is true, it might hook you in. Hidden Palms premieres Wednesday, May 30th, on the CW.

#3. Damages - FX is becoming one of the top networks for original programming. The Shield, The Riches, Nip/Tuck, Rescue Me, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia are all can't miss shows for me. So along comes a new series starring Glenn Close, but it's about lawyers, as if we need more of those on TV. But by all accounts, it's riveting. It sounds like something between the early years of The Practice and The Shield with lawyers. Those that have seen the pilot are so high on it, I should probably have it ranked higher, but I just worry about it being one more lawyer show. Damages premieres on Tuesday, July 24th, on FX.

#2. Flight of the Conchords - A rather odd looking comedy music duo getting a half hour comedy series on HBO will bring up memories of the short-lived Tenacious D series, but while it shares some of that show's format, it's actually closer to Extras but about a band. Flight of the Conchords already has a cult following for their live shows, and if the pilot is any indication, they will certainly add to their fan base. Flight of the Conchords premieres Sunday, June 10th, on HBO, and the pilot can be seen online here.


#1. John From Cincinnati - I've only half paid attention to the ads for this one, because I know I'm going to watch it. As far as I can tell, it's a supernatural family drama about surfers, which sounds incredibly weird. But David Milch brought us Deadwood, which was one of the most original and engaging shows ever, so he's earned a free pass from me. Unless he starts churning out stinkers, I'm on board for whatever he puts his name behind. John From Cincinnati premieres Sunday, June 10th, on HBO.


Honorable Mentions: Californication, David Duchovny brings the comedy skills he showed off on The Larry Sanders Show to a new dark comedy (8/13 on Showtime). Creature Comforts, a claymation documentary series, as far as I can tell, which sounds weird enough to draw my attention (6/4 on CBS).