Summer TV Tryouts

Hi, my name is Natalie, and I'm a TV addict.

Okay, not really. I only watch TV at night, after all my work is done, although I don't always make sure it's ALL done before I watch TV. If I were an addict, I would never care about getting my work done.

But I admit I really, really hate when there's a long lull in new programming. It makes me happy that summers now have their own seasons, mainly via cable, and there are always new shows to try out. Here are the ones I've tried so far, and my thoughts on them:

Love Bites
This show is short stories containing overlapping characters. I liked it better than I expected. I think I watched it mainly for Becki Newton (Amanda from Ugly Betty), but have so far enjoyed all the vignettes, especially the ones featuring Greg Grunberg. (Between him and Bradley Cooper being all over the movies, I'm really wanting Alias back.) I wouldn't miss the show if it was gone, but it's a nice diversion for an hour a week.

The Nine Lives of Chloe King
Meh. I'm intrigued enough to give the pilot a pass and watch episode 2. Chloe is adopted, her father left them 10 years ago, and she just turned 16 and died. She's a descendant of an ancient race and has partial shapeshifter powers. (If she fully shifts into an animal, I'm done with the show. I haven't read the book(s) so I don't know if she does or not.) Since she was pushed off Coit Tower and "survived," she's apparently marked as some special version of her race, which makes her a target and stuff.

The acting was a little too much of the wide-eyed, exaggerated teenager variety. A little too much Disney Channel, not enough Kyle XY. The best friend is super-annoying, the dialogue was often weak. But I like the other characters, and the father thing is intriguing, so like I said, I'll give it another try.

Franklin & Bash
I am quite shocked to say I love this show. It belongs on the USA Network, with its quirky characters and irreverent storylines. I usually don't go for courtroom dramas, but this is far more comedy than drama, and it has tons of chemistry. Kind of reminds me of Eyes without the edginess. Of course, the best part is the very close friendship between the two main characters. I'm really into those guy relationships for some reason. (Ref. Prison Break and Numb3rs and...oh, yeah, Supernatural! :) )

Falling Skies
We watched the "two-hour premiere" on Sunday. (I hate when they call it a two-hour premiere or finale or special episode, when it's really just two stand-alone episodes aired back to back. That's NOT the same thing as a longer, cohesive storyline.) I really, really liked it. Lots of action, an intriguing overarching storyline, complex characters—some you can only like, some you hate but understand, some you are supposed to hate but are probably going to really like. Of course, I love the father/son relationship already. Tom has a 17-year-old son who's a scout for the military, an 8-year-old son, and one in the middle who's been taken by the aliens as a slave. They're often in three different places, making decisions ultra-hard. This one is already on my "favorites" list, too.

Future tryouts will feature Unnecessary Roughness, Wilfred, and Alphas. UN because it has football, though I'm not convinced I'll like it. W because my husband thinks it will be funny. A because I'm very into the whole super-powered thing. :) We'll see who makes the cut!

Tell me what you think about these or other shows! What else should I be watching?