Vacation Robo-Post: Who Won the Summer?

the 4400 and Eureka!!! the only non-dvd television i've watched all summer in fact.

All I have watched this summer is: Eureka, The Closer, Kyle XY (AWESOME); Greek (really funny new show), and Psych. I have fervently followed postings here and at TWP for Big Love, since I don't have HBO. I most looked forward to Eureka, but then got really sucked into Kyle XY when friends recommended it a couple months ago.

James,

No web access on the road? Geez, enjoy the world's largest ball of twine and the house made from mud. Have a good time!!!

Shara,

What is Kyle XY about and where does it appear? I caught only a couple of minutes a month or so ago and it appears to be a Pretender or John Doe rip-off with a more youthful frame of reference. He seemed to be "special" and "different" and bad people want him.

I thought Burn Notice was a really nice addition this summer.

We're trying to figure out why we love The Closer so much - every season seems to take that show to a new level. Whether it's the actors, or the writing, or the small bits in each episode (last week, the psychologist writing one word about Brenda - "Daddy"; the non-cliche SWAT team).

Didn't like: Traveler

Mad Men and Top Chef are the only shows I've been watching with any real loyalty this summer. Otherwise, I've been catching up on Season 2 of Weeds on DVD - and really wishing I had Showtime so I could be watching the new season.

Keith - Kyle XY is on ABC Family. I don't know when or the exact premise because I've never watched it, but I see the commercials when I watch Gilmore Girls reruns (and I agree, it does look Pretender-ish).

Keith,

Kyle XY is an "ABC Family" show that comes on at 8pm on Mondays. I believe that they replay them on the regular ABC network, but I am not sure when. Yes, I have been reading a few comments on various sites from folks who say that Kyle is a Pretender or John Doe ripoff. However, I have never seen either of those shows so I can't speak to that. I went to Wikipedia and looked up those shows, and they sound like they went in pretty different directions than Kyle XY. Some friends recommended it, and I avoided it because I thought, hey, its on a network called ABCFamily, so it must be lame-o. After much insistence, i ordered a couple off ITunes and wound up watching the whole thing in a marathon.

The basic premise is that a boy (who is supposed to be about 16, but in grand entertainment tradition is played by a 25-year-old) wakes up, presumably with amnesia, in the middle of nowhere. He wanders to town and ultimately gets adopted by his therapist and her (somewhat) non-traditional family. The thing is, he is like a newborn baby who can't even do simple things like eat or use a toilet, but as his new family works with him to recover his memory, amazing abilities gradually appear.

The show does have weekly obstacles for the characters to overcome but it is the ongoing storylines (both with the family and with the mystery of who Kyle is and where he came from) that are really compelling. A big draw of this show, for me, is that we DO get major answers throughout the story, and those answers shift the paradigm of the show. By now, we do know where Kyle came from, and why he is special - those mysteries are basically solved. I read somewhere that now that once those mysteries are wrapped up the show will shift its focus from the mystery to Kyle's ability to affect the people around him.

I really like the slightly anthropological view that the show takes - through Kyle's status as "newborn", he makes really interesting observations on culture and society. Also, Kyle XY is a "family" show that the Family Values Folks hate! For one thing, I really like that it shows the consequences of risky teenage behavior in a realistic, un-preachy way. For example, the teenage daughter in the family decides to lose her virginity early on, and deals with the repercussions of that action on her life, her emotions, her friendships, etc. People are all like "I don't want my kids thinking that its OK for them to drink and have sex", but they (as usual) have completely missed the point. My husband, on the other hand, likes the show but thinks it is a little cheezy (his exact words were "its a little too after-school-special for me"). I am just pleased that a show that is so sweet and wholesome is also really entertaining. Another thing that angered the conservatives - there was a recent episode where our intrepid heroes protest their school's decision to not allow gay or lesbian couples to purchase couple's tickets to a school dance - they wind up throwing an alternative dance where everyone is welcome. And I read some blog or comment somewhere afterwards that was talking about how this show is going to ruin the nation's youth by teaching them to accept gay people. Again, I love it. I think its a great message.

Sorry to go on like that, I just realized that this is probably more info than you wanted! This show has just totally gotten me through this summer and given me something to look forward to on Monday nights.

Mad Men has definitly been the biggest surprise. I liked the first couple of episodes but now I am really beginning to love the show. Hopefully, it will come back earlier next summer so I don't have to depend too much on HBO. I am going to stick with Damages but it has kind of let me down since the first episode.

Big Love, Weeds, and Californication.

As good as summer tv has been I am still looking forward to fall shows like Dexter, NBC Thursday, and all the other new shows that will be premiering over the next couple of months.

Hits:
The Closer
Damages
Burn Notice
So You Think You Can Dance
Hotel Babylon

Misses:
Saving Grace
John From Cincinatti
Army Wives

Burn Notice & Psych are great fun - nothing
earth shattering, but I'm very entertained.
Like and watch The 4400 and The Dead Zone.
Have been watching, but could let go of
Damages and Saving Grace. Never gave Mad Men
a try, but probably should - not enough time
for them all!

Shara,

Thanks for the info. While I have never watched Kyle, XY, I can tell you from your description that it is a teen version of a combination of Pretender and John Doe. I enjoyed both shows and was sorry to see them cancelled.

Believe it or not, John Doe woke up alone with amnesia and spends the series trying to find out who he is. While child like in many ways, he has amazing abilities to recall any kind of information needed to do just about anything.

Was Flight of the Conchords the best series of the summer? Affirmative.

Mad Men is up there too -- good with the potential to be great.

Big Love has been consistently excellent. John from Cincinnati was fascinating, but I doubt I'll really get it until at least the 53rd viewing. At this point I'd rather hear David Milch talk about the show than watch it.

I've been watching Jekyll on BBC America. It's a fun miniseries and the Bionic Woman is in it. And my guilty pleasure is TBS' My Boys, which I started watching because I have to watch any show where a character went to Northwestern. The gang is good for a few laughs and I'm developing a huge crush on PJ. Just wish they would ditch the "If Carrie Bradshaw liked sports" voice overs.

Man, I remember a few years ago I couldn't wait for the fall shows to start. Now I'm sad to see the summer season end.

Big Love, Mad Men, The Closer, Top Chef (guilty pleasure), saving Damages for later, Conchords mostly, cannot wait for Dexter, The Company dry, but pretty good try, Weeds YES, Californication not so much, Saving Grace if I am still awake, Heartland is soapy, but like Dabney Coleman (spelling?), and finally caught up with all The Riches, love me some Eddie! And is anyone watching Design Star on HGTV? Almost as "good" as Top Chef!!!!

BeerBaron - you're a Wildcat too? Awesome! What do you think about Fitzgerald and the football team this season? I'm thinking 7-5 and perhaps 8-4, with a bowl berth....then again, I see everything in purple.

As for TV this summer, I'm going with the 4400 (sci-fi light, and perfect for the summer) and Flight of the Concords (last night's episode seemed to recharge the show, at least in my opinion, from the occasional doldrums it experienced for awhile there...and why? Because MEL was in it prominently!)

I've heard good things about Mad Men and My Boys, although trying to enjoy the outdoors and catch up on work this summer has taken its toll on my TV viewing.

I think 8-4 is probably their ceiling, the whole Big Ten looks tough this year. Fitzgerald was born for this job but he was kind of thrown to the wolves last season. I'm an optimist, too, every year I convince myself the basketball team is finally going to the tournament. Still waiting.

(OK, back to relevent TV discussion)

I wonder if Mel was absent from FoTC because Kristen Schaal was busy filming Mad Men? Her switchboard operator has been in only two or three scenes, but maybe we'll see more of her later.

Oh yeah, I forgot about My Boys - I've definitely gotten sucked into that one (although my husband can't stand it).

For me, the biggest disappointment this summer has been "Saving Grace." Here we have a very accomplished actress, one who won an Oscar without ever uttering a word, and she's in a hokey angel show and third-rate procedural. "Grace" is neither a serious examination of faith nor a gripping character study even though it has Holly Hunter, who should be in something worthy of her immense talent.

@ BeerBaron - not so sure that 8-4 is the "ceiling" this year, given the favorable schedule. I mean, you can basically chalk up two losses now to Michigan and OSU....but after that, who on NU's schedule really scares you? I'd say only Purdue and Iowa (hence my 8-4 prediction), but even those two games are potentially eminently winnable. And NU doesn't have Wisconsin or Penn State on the schedule this year....They'd have to play basically their best ball every week, but there could be a 10-2 season in all of our wildest dreams if the team maximizes all its potential and rallies behind Fitzgerald (who, I agree with you, was born for this job, and I predict will be at NU a VERY long time).

Back to TV:
Big news for people like me who love Kristen Bell - she's signed on to do an arc on Heroes....sure, it's no Lost, but I'll take all of her on screen as I can get!

Another question - what do people think about the Kid Nation controversies, with kids getting splattered with cooking grease and (apparently accidentally) drinking bleach? Any reaction from the parents in the crowd? Will you be watching?

Highly enjoyable:

Mad Men
Damages
Burn Notice
Psych

Moderately enjoyable:

Entourage
Rescue Me
Top Chef
Flipping Out
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List

Not particularly enjoyable:

Flight of the Conchords
John from Cincinatti

I'm busy on Monday nights and usually don't get home before the last 15 to 30 minutes of Saving Grace. My wife and I were both interested in this show since it takes place in our home town of Oklahoma City......which I've discussed on here before. As it was going off, I looked at my wife and asked her what she thought. She scrunched her nose and said, "I don't know, I can't make up my mind". So, it is on the edge for her. For me (and I'm a big Holly Hunter fan), I simply don't like her character. She is just a little too flawed for me. Most people with her problems and habits only live about half as long as her. Plus, I'm getting a little tired of the dusty, dingy scenery and all of the cattle references. They are making it just a little too redneck and hick for reality.

Chaddog and Beerbaron,
Don't forget that Ron Zook teams usually start to get good in his 3rd year plus he had a "suspiciously" good recruiting class this year. Watch out for the orange and blue is all i'm saying.

as for Tv since i don't have HBO and refuse to watch anything specifically made for a Turner network, i can olny really weigh in on Mad Man to which i will say: more advertising, less miserable bastards.

My tv hit of the summer: Finally netflixed Freaks and Geeks. I don't know how i ever lived with out it. Only about half way thru but i may be one of my favorite tv shows of all time.

blackirishpride

Agreed that Freaks and Geeks is one of the best shows ever. And you can look forward to the last episode - even though it ends prematurely, and should have had many more seasons, the conclusion of the first and only season was perfectly done.

I absolutely fell in love with Mad Men. Jon Hamm is the "Where has this actor been hiding?" discovery of the summer. He's as good as Gandolfini and Laurie. I just hope the show gets picked up for a 2nd season.

I also finally started watching the new version of Doctor Who this summer. I netflixed the first two seasons while following the third one on Sci-Fi. Sometimes the plots are baffling (and I say this as a hardcore watcher of Lost) but David Tennant is wonderful. I still miss Billie Piper as Rose though. She had fantastic chemistry with Tennant and that's lacking a bit with his current companion.

The third thing I've really enjoyed this summer is the Jekyll mini series on BBC America. I watched this mostly on OnDemand but so far the series has been a real kick. James Nesbitt seems to be having a ball with the role and he's dynamic in it.

As for the rest, I liked the pilot of Damages but wasn't interested enough to stick with the show. I also liked Burn Notice but stopped watching it after Mad Men started (really why did they both have to be on at the same time?).

Overall it's been the best summer for programming in awhile.

Have to agree with my fellow Wildcat BeerBaron on My Boys--lose the voiceover! I haven't enjoyed voiceovers since The Wonder Years (at the risk of dating myself). As a female sports-loving Chicago native (now living in CA), I find everyone expects me to love that show, but the narration--particularly the really, really strained sports metaphors--kill me. That and the idea that such a young woman would have such a plum beat (what can I say? I'm a Medill grad).

That said, favorite shows of the summer were Kathy Griffin and Big Love, to my surprise on the latter. I don't think of FOTC as a favorite, but it never fails to make me laugh.

For a summer, tho, my DVR has been bulging, but I guess I'm not too discriminating. I know Army Wives and State of Mind and similar shows are not good, but I can read the paper to them, so I record them (same for My Boys). I don't look forward to them, though. Of all the shows I watch, there are few that I would care if they were canceled. Am I alone in this?

Really looking forward to the return of Real Time on Friday. And where's Dexter?

Interesting no one has mentioned The Sopranos--or was that considered the spring TV season?