Monday, May 30, 2005

The Summer Season Part 2

So having gone through Monday and Tuesday's new shows for the 2005 summer season (and having completely missed a couple of Canadian shows - see below) we move on to the rest of the week. (At times like this I wonder if the pains of being an amateur TV critic are adequately compensated for by the fame and fortune. The I remember I don't have fame or fortune.)

Wednesday
Dancing With The Stars (ABC, starting June 1): Six "stars" (the biggest names are probably former heavyweight champ Evander Hollyfield and supermodel Rachel Hunter) participate in a live ballroom dance competition partnered with professional dancers. This international hit under the title Strictly Come Dancing is making it's North American debut and oddly enough looks like it could be fun.

Brat Camp (ABC, starting July 13): Six real life families with out of control teenagers send them to the Sagewalk Wilderness Therapy Camp in hopes of getting back the kids they knew and loved. Another show that originated in Britain.

The Inside (Fox, starting June 8): A drama concerning rookie profiler Rebecca Locke (Rachel Nichols) selected to join the FBI's Violent Crimes Unit in Los Angeles by its Supervisory Special Agent Virgil "Web" Webster (Peter Coyote). Each of the team's five agents has his or her own personal baggage which makes them ideal for their job.

Beauty And The Geek (The WB, starting June 1): Take seven beautiful but not particularly bright women, match them up with seven brilliant but socially inept guys and see them try to rub a little of their skills onto each other. The guys have to try to make their partners smarter while the women have to make their partners a bit more socially graceful. From Executive Producers Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg.

So You Think You Can Dance (Fox, starting July 20): The search for America's best dancer. What makes me think that neither the Waltz nor Ballet will qualify you for this American Idol style competition?

Thursday
The Cut (CBS, starting June 9): Tommy Hilfiger play Donald Trump to a group of 16 style-savy contestants in an effort to find America's next great designer who will get a contract to design for Hilfiger's label.

Hit Me Baby One More Time (NBC, starting June 2): A three episode series in which five "veteran hit-makers" perform one of their old songs and something new, with the winner decided by viewer votes. First week's artists are "Flock of Seagulls", "Arrested Development", CeCe Peniston, "Loverboy", and Tiffany. Based on a British series and hosted by the British host Vernon Kay.

The Law Firm (NBC, starting July 28): Produced by David E. Kelly this "alternative drama" features real lawyers trying real cases with the results binding on the parties involved.

Sunday
Welcome to the Neighborhood (ABC, starting July 10): Seven diverse families compete for one dream house on the perfect suburban cul de sac (called Wisteria Lane ... oops sorry, wrong show). The prospective neighbors get to judge each family and in turn have their own assumptions and prejudices challenged. But no one gets killed by being hit with a blender.

Princes of Malibu (Fox, starting July 10): Brandon and Brody Jenner, the lay-about sons of Bruce Jenner and Linda Thompson are driving their step-father (Canadian) music producer David Foster nuts by living in his house, spending his money and partying day and night. He wants them to take a little responsibility for their lives - like growing up and moving out.

In addition there are new seasons of Average Joe on Tuesday nights, and UPN will have R U The Girl with T-Boz & Chilli, in which the two remaining members of TLC try to find a young singer to join them on a new album and concert tour.

CTV will be debuting the third season of Canadian Idol tonight, and the Canadian sketch comedy series Comedy Inc.will be returning to the line-up on Tuesday. Canwest-Global has Scott Thompson's reality series My Fabulous Gay Wedding starting June 1.

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