Don’t be bummed that The Office, Modern Family and other network faves are on hiatus. Stellar shows are waiting in the wings — some new; some trusty old friends. The below shows help you regain your faith in TV (or find it if you've never had it).
Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings — American Dream The YouTube favorite hits cable TV, taking you cross-country with American Dream-weavers Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal. The duo helps boost local businesses by producing uniquely entertaining TV commercials, and their cable show premiered on June 24 on IFC. It's a 10-part docu-comedy based on the web series I Love Local Commercials. Fridays at 10 p.m., ifc.com; click here for YouTube stream..
Young, Broke and Beautiful This is the travel show I’ve always wanted to host. Writer/blogger Stuart Schuffman, known as Broke-Ass Stuart, is our offbeat guide through the cultural underground of American cities. He takes us to the out-of-the-way, cheap and on-the-DL locales you won’t find in a Frommer’s or Fodor’s travel guide. Stu’s itinerary includes spots in Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, Memphis, New Orleans and San Diego. Fridays at 11 p.m., IFC, ifc.com.
Weeds Season 6 catches us up with American mom-slash-dope dealer Nancy Botwin after a three-year prison stint. Last season had Nancy had her and her family (and Doug) living on the lam. The mother lioness had to protect her cubs by resorting to "Plan C," which involved confessing to the manslaughter committed by her quasi-sociopathic son, Shane. The jury is still out on the new over-the-top shenanigans of the new season; maybe it will all settle into a pleasing groove. Quirks notwithstanding, the characters on Weeds are flawlessly executed and lovably flawed, providing some of the most entertaining moments and quotable lines on TV. The third episode of the season is tonight at 10 p.m. Catch up on past episode on On Demand or download from iTunes. Mondays, 10 p.m., http://www.sho.com/site/weeds/home.sho
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Explore a new slew of settings with the nomadic chef known for his tasty wit. Bourdain serves up more sassy and (sometimes too) smarmy commentary. Note: I started to reach my threshold with Bourdain’s punk rock diva-ness last season, but all in all his travelogues are thoroughly entertaining and sometimes breathtaking. Tonight’s season premiere has Bourdain seeking out the vibrant soul and time-forgottenness of Cuba. travelchannel.com.
True Blood From CL intern Melissa Beck: "Turns out, a lot went down while Sookie was fraternizing with fairies — what seemed like only a few minutes of her time turned out to be a year of her life. Sookie's brother, Jason, a newly promoted police officer, sold her house during her absence assuming her to be dead. He learns that "no good deed goes unpunished" when someone at Hot Shot betrays him and locks him in a freezer. Sheriff Andy Bellefleur, now super-trim and hopped up on highly-addictive vampire blood is out of control. Arlene's "devil baby" is decapitating Barbie dolls. Lafayette finds out his boyfriend is a brujo (male witch) and attends a witch's coven meeting where the leader, Marnie (Aunt Petunia from Harry Potter) takes a particular interest in him."
Breaking Bad From Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor at metacritic.com: Bryan Cranston has won three consecutive Emmy Awards for his performance as chemistry teacher-turned-meth-manufacturer Walter White, but we can guarantee he won't win a fourth straight trophy … only because the fourth season of Breaking Bad doesn't begin until after the eligibility cutoff date. Though the beautifully shot drama series seems to enter darker territory with each successive season, it also somehow gets even better each year (with Metascores of 74, 85 and 89 for its three seasons), and has been heralded by many critics as one of the best shows on television. (We concur.) Season 4, which will likely be the penultimate season for Breaking Bad, picks up immediately after the events of the shocking third season finale and introduces a shocking new development of its own, while later in the year, Walt will face a new competitor in the form of Gus' biochemist brother, Max. Sundays at 10 p.m. on AMC, starting July 17, amctv.com
For more on other much-anticipated premieres, such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, as The In-Betweeners, Rescue Me and Jon Benjamin Has a Van, read the handy Metacritic.com summer TV preview.
This article appears in Jul 7-13, 2011.