Summer flings
Summer television is no longer a vast rerun wasteland. Although most of your favorite network shows have, indeed, gone off into hibernation, there’s plenty of fresh fare coming your way, including new scripted programs and reality series. Here’s a look at this summer’s 10 best TV bets:
“”Hidden Palms” (premiered Wednesday, 8 p.m., The CW): Kevin Williamson (“Dawson’s Creek”) is still doing the teen soap thing with this freaky drama that follows a troubled youngster (Taylor Handley, formerly the much-despised Oliver on “The O.C.”) who moves to Palm Springs after seeing his father commit suicide. Once there, he meets all sorts of quirky people, some of whom are hiding dark secrets. .
“”Pirate Master” (premiered Thursday, 8 p.m., CBS): It’s days of plunder as Jack Sparrow meets “Survivor” in this latest offering from reality czar Mark Burnett. The show has 16 contestants going on a high-seas adventure aboard a vintage square-rigger, where they live as buccaneers and travel around a Caribbean island in search of hidden treasure worth $1 million.
“”Army Wives” (premieres tonight at 10, Lifetime): Kim Delaney (“NYPD Blue”) stars in this ensemble drama about the struggles, dreams and friendships of a diverse group of women – and one man – who form an unlikely bond based on one common theme: They all love a soldier who could be gone at any moment. Filmed on location in Charleston, S.C., the show also features Sally Pressman, Brigid Brannagh and Brian McNamara.
“”Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” (Wednesday, 9 p.m., TBS): This new comedy dabbles in the lives of a multigenerational working-class family forced by circumstances to live under one roof. Life gets a whole lot more complicated when it’s discovered that one family member – a mother to two children – is addicted to crack. Created by Perry (“Diary of a Mad Black Woman”), the show stars Allen Payne, LaVan Davis and Cassie Davis.
“”John From Cincinnati” (June 10, 10 p.m., HBO): There’s just no replacing “Deadwood,” but fans of that remarkable series may want to follow its creator, David Milch, to this offbeat drama. It focuses on a family of dysfunctional pro surfers whose reputation has been eroded by years of “bad luck, addiction and hubris.” Just when things look like they can’t get any worse, a mysterious stranger arrives in town to give new meaning to their existence.
“”Meadowlands” (June 17, 10 p.m., Showtime): Dark dramas set in the suburbs are old hat, but we’ll give this one a chance. It follows the Brogan family members, who, as part of a witness protection program, move into a bucolic neighborhood to begin a new life. Picturesque and crime-free, Meadowlands appears to be a suburban paradise, but the Brogans soon realize that it’s not so easy to escape their past. David Morrissey and Lucy Cohu star.
“”Age of Love” (June 18, 9 p.m., NBC): This new dating reality series attempts to answer the question: Does age really matter when it comes to matters of the heart? Australian tennis pro Mark Philippoussis, 31, is given a full house of women to choose from. But what separates this show from “The Bachelor” is that the women are divided into two groups: those in their 20s and those in their 40s. Mark Consuelos hosts this intriguing social experiment.
“”Heartland” (June 18, 10 p.m., TNT): Fans of the dearly departed “Everwood” will be pleased to learn that there is still a place in prime time for Treat Williams – and that he’s still in the medical field. Williams plays a pioneering organ-transplant surgeon who tends to take risks other doctors wouldn’t in order to save lives. He also has a volatile relationship with his ex-wife (Kari Matchett), who happens to be an organ-donor coordinator.
“”Saving Grace” (July 18, 10 p.m., TNT): Holly Hunter makes her television series debut in this unconventional crime drama. She plays a fast-living, self-destructive Oklahoma City detective who, while driving drunk one night, hits a man on the side of the road. It’s then that she meets an angel named Earl (Leon Rippy), who attempts to help get her life back in order.
“”Damages” (July 24, 10 p.m., FX): Glenn Close, who dazzled during a guest run on “The Shield,” returns to television in this legal thriller. Close plays Patty Hewes, one of the nation’s most revered and reviled attorneys – a woman who has a ruthless, win-at-all-costs attitude that doesn’t sit well with the bright young protege (Rose Byrne) she hand-picked to be her first-year associate.