My 2010 Summer Show Five

I'm looking forward to the Summer, to having more time to catch up on my movies and maybe put some more time in the gym as I prepare for a race in early August. This is a week of season and series finales. Summer is also a good time to catch up on shows I didn't get to watch during the regular season, as well as quite a few shows that play during the Summer normally. Here are My Five shows I'll be watching this Summer:

1) Psych:
I've been catching up on this show over the last few months, and I'm a little more than halfway through the fourth season. It's episodic enough that it's probably not necessary to see every episode in order, but there are some references and subplots that run through the standalone tales, so I would like to catch up before season five premieres on July 21st.




2) Spartacus: Blood and Sand:
While I've been careful to avoid Psych spoilers, I've been less fortunate with the first season of Spartacus, having only caught about 5 or 6 out of 13 episodes. I made it very clear at a barbecue this past weekend that I didn't want to know what happened in the finale, but the punch-drunk kickboxer talking to my friend kept talking, and by the time he mentioned the death of a main character, I shouted “COME ON!”, forgetting for a moment that he was a seven-foot kickboxer. So I let it slide. But I really need to see those other 7 episodes soon...


3) True Blood:
The Southern drama about a psychic waitress, her vampire boyfriend, and all the other vampires, shapeshifters, maenads, and other weird creatures in their world returns on June 13. I'm all caught up on the first two seasons, so I'm ready for the latest in this quirky and steamy dramedy based on a series of novels.


4) Eureka:
A generally fun and lighthearted series about a sheriff of normal intelligence policing a small town full of super geniuses, Eureka took a few dark and gamechanging turns over the course of season 3. July 9th marks the start of the fourth season, and I'm looking forward to see how they'll keep it fun and fresh, and hoping we haven't seen the last of a few of the characters who said goodbye in different ways last year.


5) Happy Town:
Alas, Happy Town, I barely knew ye. It took three episodes for this gothic tale about a small town once plagued by mysterious disappearances to hit its stride, and precisely three episodes for it to get canceled. The remaining episodes are supposed to be burned off over the Summer, and I just hope enough was filmed to solve some of the larger mysteries. Amy Acker can't catch a break with series, and she was one of many cast members I always enjoy watching, along with Abraham “Kubiak” Benrubi, Steven “Wings” Weber, and freaking Sam Neill. How do you have Sam Neill on a television show and pull it? Perhaps the show's (possibly) unseen “Magic Man” claimed the show as another one of his victims....


And what will you be watching?