I'm excited about the June ...
Question: I'm excited about the June return of
Kyle XY, which blends family drama, teen angst and sci-fi very well. I do, however, think that ABC Family made the right decision in keeping the second season for the summer. The show does address weighty issues, but it has a light touch that makes it perfect summer viewing. It would get lost during the regular season. In light of that, I'm wondering if Fox wouldn't have been better off holding
Drive till the summer. The show had narrative issues, but I think a summer viewing audience would have been more forgiving of those problems. A cross-country race just seems to fit an abbreviated summer season. Plus, launching a new show like this so late in the spring season seems awfully counterintuitive. On a related note, what summer shows do you consider to be the best?
Answer: As discussed earlier, I doubt
Drive would have worked in the long run in summer, spring, winter or fall. The networks aren't likely to air high-ticket items like this during the summer, when viewing levels are so much lower. (Believe me, if
Drive had aired this summer and failed, I'd be getting these same questions wondering why Fox didn't wait until fall or mid-season. Denial: not a pretty thing.) For the networks, summer is a laboratory in which to try lower-cost, lower-risk alternative (i.e., reality) projects in hopes of finding the next
American Idol,
Dancing with the Stars or even
Survivor. In the summer, the real action's on cable, and it is a perfect time for genre shows like
Kyle and
The 4400 to break out and find their audience. The choices this summer are going to be overwhelming, and it's starting earlier than ever, in some cases not even waiting for June. At the risk of leaving anything out, I'll just say that off the top of my head, I'm most excited about the return of TNT's
The Closer. I'm curious about Sci Fi's new
Flash Gordon and TNT's new Holly Hunter series (
Saving Grace), as well as David Milch's
John from Cincinnati. On the purely guilty-pleasure front, I'm hopeful that Sci-Fi's
Who Wants to Be a Superhero? is as charming the second time around. Overall, I expect there to be the usual mix of surprises, disappointments and duds this summer, just like any other time of what's now a nonstop TV year.
