Summertime TV: What to Watch

Now that summer is here and the network TV shows have mostly ended for the year, Scott wonders: what will he watch now? Here's a quick list of my own plans and recommendations for filling those lonely months during which the networks air re-runs.

1. TV on DVD. DVD is the perfect way to catch up on shows that didn't intrigue me initially, but became popular -- or at least critically acclaimed -- afterwards. Not wanting to jump in mid-season, I wait for these shows to come out on DVD so I can watch them in order and in quick succession.

» Huff is a great example - as a channel, Showtime has precious little to offer me for an extra twelve bucks a month, but some of their original programming is well worth the rental. This show features Hank Azaria in a long-overdue leading man role as a psychiatrist named Craig Huffstodt who needs a bit of therapy himself. More entertaining than Huff is the cast of characters who orbit him, including Blythe Danner as his spoiled, neurotic mother and the endlessly amusing Oliver Platt as Huff's childhood friend-turned-attorney with an addictive personality. Huff, the first season of which is available on disc, was created by some of the same minds behind Dead Like Me.

» Alias is another show on the rental queue; as a science-fictiony spy genre series I probably should have been on it sooner, but nothing I ever heard about it inspired me to watch an episode. Now that I know JJ Abrams (one of the creators of Lost) was behind the series, I'm glad it's available on disc. My only exposure to Jennifer Garner thus far has been through Elektra and 13 Going on 30 -- of the two, I definitely preferred the latter, so I'm a bit apprehensive that I won't like her in serious girl-spy mode. My wife will also take a bit of convincing since there are several seasons involved -- if Christina gives it the thumbs-down, it's unlikely I'll find time to watch the series without her.

» Other shows I'll probably add to the queue: House M.D., Numbers, Weeds (once it's released), and 24. (No, I've never seen an episode of 24 either. Quit gasping.)

2. Summer TV: it's not a complete wasteland. In the nooks and crannies between noxious reality shows and re-runs are a few gems such as...

» Weeds, the second season of which starts up on Showtime this summer. I haven't actually seen the first season (see the previous list), but my spies tell me it's pretty good. Something about a pot-dealing suburban housewife?

» Deadwood. Season 3 (apparently the last, except for a pair of TV movies that have been scheduled for later) begins next week. I dropped out in the middle of the second season, but there are legions of Western fans just waiting for their next does of cowboy profanity. I wish them well; I probably won't catch up until the series comes out on DVD in full. Hopefully the creators will take the opportunities afforded by the knowledge that this season is their last to really make some bold moves in story and character development. There are few things more pitiful than a series that limps along uncertainly long after it should have been cancelled. (I'm looking at you, X-Files.)

» Eureka, a new series from the Sci-Fi Channel, looks promising. Here's the official synopsis.

For years, the government has been relocating the world's geniuses (and their families) to the picturesque Pacific Northwest town of Eureka, where daily life straddles the line between unprecedented innovation and total chaos. U.S. Marshal Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson) finds this out firsthand when he wrecks his car and becomes stranded there. After the town's eccentric inhabitants unleash a scientific creation still unknown to the outside world, Carter steps in to restore order and consequently is let in on one of our country's best-kept secrets.

If the writing can keep up with the premise (it's difficult to consistently write believable dialogue for geniuses), Eureka could be a really good ride.

» The 4400, season 3. This last season was so consistently enjoyable that I honestly didn't expect the USA Network to renew it (good things never last, right?), but here comes Season 3. The series deals with 4400 people who are abducted by time-travelers from the future over a series of decades and then returned, un-aged but not unchanged, to the year 2004. Season one is out on DVD. Such shrewd and entertaining programming moves by USA makes me want to check out Psych, their new paranormal detective series which starts July 7. (I have no interest, however, in Spike TV's series based on the Marvel Comics vampire book Blade. Go figure.)

3. Submissions to the Austin Film Festival, for which I'm a screener. It's in October, and if you're an independent filmmaker, I honestly think it's one of the better festivals to which you could submit. Too many filmmakers hang their hopes on huge festivals like Sundance and Tribeca, when a medium-large festival like AFF is much more likely to provide both exposure and opportunity. Austin is a great town, and AFF is a laid-back event that really focuses on the best independent movies out there with lots of film fans, filmmakers, and industry types in attendance. Late submission deadline is July 15th. (End of shill.) Last year I watched between 100 and 200 submissions, plus a good number of the 100 features and shorts that actually made it into the competition. If I don't watch half the things I listed above, it will be because the stack of unwatched festival screeners is making me feel guilty. Sorry, I can't write about the movies I watch for AFF until the festival begins.

4. Summer movies -- duh. I mean, what else are summers for? If you want to know what I'm looking forward to (besides Superman Returns and Cars), listen to the Cult Movies Podcast Summer Movie Preview episode. The Alamo Drafthouse will also be offering a variety of weird and wacky things to see over the summer, and the Paramount's summer series always presents more classic movies than I can realistically attend. Austin is a good town for a film geek. I'm also going to try to make it out to some of the vintage theaters in the small Texas towns outside of Austin -- like the Lynn in Gonzalez, pictured above. Last year Christina and I spent a leisurely evening watching a double-feature of War of the Worlds and The Wedding Crashers at the Crossroads Drive-In in Shiner, TX; I'm pretty sure we'll make it down there at some point this summer as well.

5. Visit the outside world. I know that I'm likely to be met with a blank stare from some folks on this one, but it is summer, and for those in climes more hospitable than 100-plus degree Texas it's time to unplug and go outside. Try bungee jumping. I hear that's popular with the kids these days.