Summer Shows- What to Watch

The primary TV season is over, the DVRs are empty, and summer blockbusters are teasing us to spend our money at the theater. But summer doesn't mean we have to shut off our TVs altogether- there are plenty of summer-only series worthy of our attention, even if they're not on network TV. Stay inside this summer and check out these original shows.

1. Two words: My Boys. The show follows tomboyish sports writer PJ and all her boys- including her brother, her poker buddies, and all her rocky relationships. Jim Gaffigan supplies great comic relief as PJ's suburbian brother, and her best friend Stephanie, PJ's complete opposite, provides insight to the female view of a boys world. The third season of My Boys begins on June 12 and full episodes can be watched online at tbs.com

2. Summer reality. Mind you, I'll choose a well-scripted series any day of the week, but summer reality is different. So You Think You Can Dance, from the producers of American Idol but with more exciting talent and a much better host, is back for it's 4th season and the top 20 are announced this Thursday. This summer we are also treated to the return of The Mole, albeit without original host Anderson Cooper. But after watching the first episode, I'm inclined to stay with it.

3. ABCFamily. This summer we see the loss of Greek(the season finale airs next Monday), but we gain two new series: The Middleman, kind of a twenty-something female Men in Black and The Secret Life of the American Teenager, from the creator of 7th Heaven and starring Molly Ringwald. In addition, the ABCFamily original movie The Circuit, starring Michelle Trachtenberg and Drew Fuller as racecar drivers, premieres on June 8.

4. USA. Veteran shows Monk and Psych anchor the network, but budding show Burn Notice is the show with the most interesting premise, an ex-spy helping others while trying to figure out why he was "burned" by the US government. New show In Plain Sight got off to a rocky start with Sunday's premiere, but promises to improve, especially when Dave Foley guest stars on June 22.