I’ve already complained about how T.V. is a virtual wasteland in the summertime. It doesn’t make any sense – we have less to do in the summer, and more time to waste in front of the tube. Except for those of us who have jobs, of course. But the future belongs to the young, and so does entertainment. The networks haven’t caught on to that, though. For the most part, summertime premieres are reserved for shows that are guaranteed to flop.
But sometimes, every once in a while, a show breaks free and defies those odds. Here, we shall salute them.
Monk
The show that put the USA network on the proverbial map, Monk starred some familiar faces and promised to bring in a small but devoted audience. Luckily for USA, the whole thing snowballed, and the small, devoted audience became a large and reliable fanbase. It has just been renewed for a seventh season.
The show that needs no introduction, Seinfeld was tossed on the airwaves in July with low expectations. Needless to say, it surprised everyone. The “show about nothing” is now at the top of almost every “great T.V. shows of all time” list – and even I, who’ve never understood the appeal, have to maintain objectivity for my fiancé’s sake. (All nine seasons on DVD. All nine.)
The O.C.
Starring a bunch of unknowns and the fascinatingly ugly Peter Gallagher, this sultry teen drama became the focal point of everyone’s life for about four years. People would forgo work and school obligations to catch the latest episode. And by “people,” I mean “almost exclusively teenaged girls.” I caught about five minutes of an episode once, and it sounded a lot like Gilmore Girls and I changed the channel. But everyone else loved it.
The Dead Zone
Attaching Stephen King’s name to something might seem like a sure-fire road to success, until you remember Carrie 2, Firestarter, and Sleepwalkers. (I’m not mentioning The Lawnmower Man, because King sued the filmmakers for using his name on the project and won.) But The Dead Zone, another one of USA’s summer debuts, did quite well indeed.
We salute you, summer shows, for walking against the wind and straight into success. You rock.
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