Mad Men, The Bill Engvall Show, State of Mind, Side Order of Life and The Kill Point
Not so many summers ago, you'd have been lucky to find five new series to watch during the entire off-season. This summer, you can find at least that many premiering nearly every week. (Shameless plug alert: As part of next week's new wave of shows, I make my debut as a reality-TV judge Wednesday, July 18, on TV Guide Network's
America's Next Producer.) For cable networks, it's all about finding new signature shows to redefine the brand. (Think Lifetime's
Army Wives.) Here are some first impressions of five new scripted contenders.
Mad Men
Thursdays, 10 pm/ET, AMC
The pitch: Ad men in 1960, oozing ego and raw sexism.
First impression: Wow. The period look is dazzling: the women's tight skirts, the men's slicked hair. If iconic director Douglas Sirk (Written on the Wind) had made TV, it would look like this. But this sleek, sexy, smartly cynical drama about selling everything from cigarettes to Nixon also nails the era's attitudes of casual prejudice and sexual manipulation.
My score (0-9): 9
The Bill Engvall Show
Tuesdays, 9 pm/ET, TBS
The pitch: Blue Collar Comedy star becomes a sitcom dad.
First impression: Are we sure these aren't repeats? This feels like the kind of show ABC used to churn out in its sleep. Still, Engvall takes to this comfort-food format with ease, Nancy Travis is a strong fit as his patient wife, and his riffs on modern parenting woes like body piercing ("When did shrapnel become a fashion accessory?") will find their advocates.
My score: 4
State of Mind
Sundays, 9 pm/ET, LIFETIME
The pitch: A shrink (Lili Taylor, Six Feet Under) whose personal life is a mess.
First impression: Lifetime ambitiously attempts an adult FX edge (cursing, dark subject matter) with mixed, self-conscious results. Taylor gives a forceful performance as a wronged wife who lapses into hallucinations during therapy sessions, but a bitter tone pervades most of the rest of the show. It's more unpleasant than intriguing.
My score: 5
Side Order of Life
Sundays, 8 pm/ET, LIFETIME
The pitch: Self-absorbed Jenny (Marisa Coughlan) learns "it's OK to veer off the path once in a while," a wake-up call that could affect her marriage plans (to Jason Priestley).
First impression: Another Ally McBeal wannabe, mixing whimsical touches — Jenny finds a soul mate in a wrong number — with poignance: A dying friend urges the likable heroine to "want all of it and ask for it." This warm and fuzzy show could grow on you.
My score: 7
The Kill Point
Premieres Sunday, July 22, 9 pm/ET, SPIKE TV
The pitch: Classic bank-robbery hostage thriller, pitting a disgraced soldier (John Leguizamo) against a negotiator (Donnie Wahlberg) with a grammar fetish.
First impression: With echoes of Tarantino and Dog Day Afternoon, this tough, unusually well-cast eight-hour "event" series is an instantly gripping winner. Terrific cat-and-mouse ploys, with solid hostage subplots. This makes up for The Nine.
My score: 9
