When it comes to summer, I know TV isn’t the first priority on your list — it may not even be on the list, and that’s OK. We New Englanders need to soak up as much sun as we can before it disappears on us. And with cookouts and camping and kayaking taking up the summer hours, why waste it with TV, right? Well, in case of a dreary day (as was yesterday) or if you’ve been fried to a crisp and just need some relaxation, here’s my top four choices for what’s coming to TV this summer. “Franklin and Bash” (TNT — Wednesday — 9 p.m.)
TNT has done well with their original series so far — medical drama “Hawthorne” starring Jada Pinkett Smith, police fare “Memphis Beat” starring Jason Lee and the midlife-crisis dramedy “Men of a Certain Age” with Ray Romano, among others. And they continue their consistency for solid drama with their newest show “Franklin and Bash,” which premiered this Wednesday.
Peter Bash (Mark-Paul Gosselaar of “Saved By the Bell” fame) and Jared Franklin (Breckin Meyer, you’ll recognize him, I promise) are the goofballs of the attorney world — not always playing by the rules and in most cases, making a scene in the courtroom. But it works for them. They’ve got a pretty good track record and they’ll do anything for their clients to guarantee a win.
When asked to join a bigger firm, led by Malcolm McDowell, the two cave-in and bring their offbeat way of practicing law to the big leagues. Now it’s just a matter of whether they can continue to stay best buds while their new place of work takes them each in different directions.
“Franklin and Bash” is slightly reminiscent of “The Defenders” starring Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Connell, but Gosselaar and Meyer make the buddy thing more believable, the dialogue is better and the laughs aren’t as forced.
“Love Bites” (NBC — Thursday — 10 p.m.)
It has taken a long time for “Love Bites” to hit the screen (it has been in development for what seems like forever) but it premiered last night, with eight more episodes to come. It may already be set for cancellation, as all the main players have moved on to other projects and series that debut in the fall, but it’s still something to check out while it’s here.
“Love Bites” centers around Annie (the fabulous Becki Newton from “Ugly Betty”), a single girl looking for “Mr. Right,” and Coleen and Judd (Constance Zimmer and Greg Grunberg), a happily married couple, whose stories connect with each other.
With an array of guest stars, including Jennifer Love Hewitt, Craig Robinson, Lindsay Price, Krysten Ritter and Charlyne Yi, it’s sure to be a fun show.
“Wilfred” (FX — Thursday — June 23 — 10 p.m.)
“Wilfred” has quite a bizarre premise but it stars Elijah Wood, whom I’ve always liked as an actor, even before his “Lord of the Rings” stardom. Plus FX’s has a solid track record when it comes to producing original material, so I’m more than willing to give “Wilfred” a shot.
Based off an Australian series of the same name, “Wilfred” centers around Ryan, who struggles with everyday life, until he forms a friendship with Wilfred, his neighbor’s dog. To him Wilfred (Jason Gann — who co-created and starred in the original Australian version) is a talking man in dog suit who gives Ryan honest advice; to everyone else Wilfred is just a regular dog. Wilfred ends up leading Ryan on a series of adventures to help turn his life around.
“Wilfred” is intriguingly odd, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it pans out. 
“101 Ways to Leave a Gameshow” (ABC — Tuesday —June 21 — 9 p.m.)
“101 Ways to Leave a Gameshow” is exactly what it sounds like. And it sounds quite fun. In a chance to win $50,000, contestants answer multiple choice questions, with one contestant eliminated each round. The catch is: Rather than simply being dismissed off the show, eliminated contestants are, for example, shot out of a cannon, dragged underwater by an anchor or pushed off the top of a moving semi-truck. How could you not watch this show?
No comments:
Post a Comment