Summer Shows So-Far

So all my good TV shows are over for the season. I keep watching my empty TV tracker widget just to see if there are any fall start dates yet. So how am I spending my time lately? Checking out the summer fare.

It's always hit or miss. Sometimes it's the complete dregs of the entertainment barrel. Sometimes it's just too fluffy to compete with your Losts or Grey's Anatomy's, but just right for Summer Reality.

Here are the four new (and oddly medically-related) shows that I've been watching:


Mental (FOX)

Apply named Mental is about a psychiatric facility that gets turned upside down when the new head of the department chosen from outside the staff. Jack Gallagher played by the very handsome and very British Chris Vance, is billed as House in a mental ward…

If House had no underlying emotional problems, good social skills, and seemed to be an all around fun guy.

When will people learn that unorthodox medical practices does not a House make?

Regardless, Vance is doing the best he can under the circumstances. There’s no cast charisma at all. I can’t even tell two of the female characters apart and I know one of them was on the 4400.
The most interesting thing about the show so far was what’s up with Gallagher’s possibily crazy, runaway wife, which they promptly killed by having her show up at the hospital with a mysterious note and have Jack run after a trenchcoat-clad figure, who SHOCKER! Wasn’t her.

Oh, and one of the two women I can’t tell apart is having an affair with a hot blonde doctor, which is really only good if you like hot people doing it against a locker. If you want emotional bagage, I’ll show you where to get it in a minute.

All in all, if you want a better House knock-off, watch the three episodes of 3 lbs. Stanley Tucci makes anything worth watching.


Royal Pains (USA)

Speaking of 3lbs, another alum of that show, Mark Feuerstein has a new show on USA, Royal Pains, about a recently fired ER doctor, Hank, who accidently gets himself hired as a “consegiere doctor” with the rich and powerful in the Hamptons.

You might remember Mark from Good Morning, Miami or a short role on West Wing, but I gotta say, I like him the best in this. If not for his straightman routine with Paulo Costanzo (who played Joey’s nephew on, well, Joey).

Christine Ebersole also takes a hilarious turn as a plastic surgery crazed patient, and when you watch the pilot, pay close attention to the kid who calls Hank in the morning about his girlfriend. Erza Miller, he’s on Californication or something. The kid’s hilarious. For that reason, alone watch the pilot.

All in all, I think USA has another good one on it’s hands.



The Listener (NBC)

And on NBC, via Canada, is The Listener, starring Craig Olejnik (and I checked, I can’t find any relation to Larisa, of mid-90s nickelodeon fame) as a EMT with a mysterious past who can read minds.

Sounds cool right?

Great, but there’s very little cast charisma, maybe between Olejnik’s character, Toby, and his sidekick partner, Oz, but any scene with his doctor ex-girlfriend, ugh, fast-forward. She’s super whiny.

You know I’m a sucker for “supernatural” drama with cute boys, so I’m probably gonna keep watching. But if you like high-brow stuff, with an emotional center that isn’t "where do I come from and I can’t let everyone know who I am," you shouldn’t waste your time.

(It's also aired already in Canada, so if you "look around" you might be able to find the rest of the season)



Nurse Jackie (SHO)

Speaking of high-brow, Nurse Jackie’s been all over the streaming sites. Edie Falco plays an actually House-esque nurse, who’s addicted to pain-pills, gets no respect, works with quirky doctors, including Mr. Jenny Garth, Peter Facinelli.

It’s dark. It’s funny. It’s uncomfortably honest. And remember I talked about sex with co-workers earlier, leave that to Showtime, Fox. They’re professionals.

Give it a watch. You’ll either love it or hate it.






One last suggestion for all you UK TV fans, check out Merlin on NBC this summer. It’s a pretty phenomenal retelling of Aruthian legends and Anthony Stewart Head’s soul melting voice.