See-worthy? Summer TV sets its sights on adventure
Though it hasn't become the revolutionary season that industry watchers once predicted, summertime TV is still a good place to tinker with formulas: A network like NBC can try a subtle comedy about living in Europe, for example, and ABC can order up a drama based on a nonfiction book about the wives of America's early astronauts.
Here's a look at new shows this season.
Thursday, June 19
“Dominion” (SyFy): Building on the movie “Legion,” this drama is set 25 years after a holy armageddon waged in God's absence.
Friday, June 20
“Funniest Wins” (TBS): Host Marlon Wayans and his pals and family members put 10 comedians through challenges to find the funniest.
Saturday, June 21
“Almost Royal” (BBC America): A “Borat”-esque antidote to the cruel Fox reality show “I Wanna Marry Harry.” In this mockumentary, aristocrat siblings George and Poppy (Ed Gamble and Amy Hoggart) travel to the United States because their late father wanted them to experience life across the pond.
Sunday, June 22
“The Last Ship” (TNT): “Grey's Anatomy” alum Eric Dane stars in this Michael Bay thriller as the captain of the USS Nathan James, the only known ship that hasn't been affected by a global virus that has killed just about everybody on the planet.
“Rising Star” (ABC): This singing competition hopes to subvert the genre by letting viewers vote (via an app) in real time.
“The Musketeers” (BBC America): Updated drama series about the 17th-century bodyguards of Louis XIII.
Monday, June 23
“CeeLo Green's The Good Life” (TBS): The singer and “Voice” judge's quasi-reality show, in which he gets back together with his friends in Goodie Mob.
Tuesday, June 24
“Tyrant” (FX): A new 10-episode drama from Howard Gordon (“24,” “Homeland”) about the son of a Middle Eastern dictator who returns to his war-torn nation, accompanied by his American wife and children, and gets wrapped up in events.
“Motor City Masters” (TruTV): Ten auto designers compete for a new Camaro and $100,000.
Wednesday, June 25
“Kate Plus 8: Sextuplets Turn 10” (TLC): The six younger Gosselin children are turning 10 and their mother is determined to keep them on TV.
“Taxi Brooklyn” (NBC): Humorous procedural about the fractious working relationship between an immigrant taxi driver (Jacky Ido) and a tough detective (Chyler Leigh).
“Young & Hungry” (ABC Family): A tech entrepreneur hires a food blogger to be his personal chef.
“Mystery Girls” (ABC Family): Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth star as two former stars of a detective show who are brought back together to solve a real-life mystery.
“Best Bars in America” (Esquire): Comedians Jay Larson and Sean Patton visit Esquire magazine's favorite bars.
Friday, June 27
“Girl Meets World” (Disney): Cory from “Boy Meets World” (Ben Savage) is all grown up, married to Topanga (Danielle Fishel) and their daughter is now a teenager. Time for a new sitcom!
Saturday, June 28
“Buying Naked” (TLC): Nudists shop for houses. With all the naked shows, it's a great time be one of those people who specialize in postproduction blurring.
Sunday, June 29
“The Leftovers” (HBO): Drama based on Tom Perrotta's 2011 novel about a small town's reaction to the startling news that 2 percent of the world's population has suddenly vanished.
“Reckless” (CBS): Cam Gigandet and Anna Wood star as lawyers in Charleston, S.C., who are attracted to one another but can't act on it — not with a big police scandal brewing.
“Vicious” (PBS): Comedy starring Ian McKellan and Derek Jacobi as partners who have lived together for almost 50 years and are now at a point of nonstop nagging.
Tuesday, July 1
“History Detectives Special Investigations” (PBS): Looks into some very cold cases, including the sinking of SS Sultana in 1865.
Wednesday, July 2
“Man Finds Food” (Travel Channel): New series featuring Adam Richman, the former gorger of “Man vs. Food,” who now travels across America looking for dishes.
“American Grilled” (Travel Channel): More people trying to outgrill one another.
Tuesday, July 8
“Finding Carter” (MTV): Drama about a teenage girl named Carter who thinks she has a perfect life, until she discovers a shocking truth: The woman who raised her isn't her mother at all; Carter was kidnapped as a toddler. Now what?
“Married at First Sight” (FYI): American version of a Danish reality show in which six people agree to get married the first moment they meet, based on matches devised by four specialists.
“Restaurant Startup” (CNBC): Reality series in which would-be restaurant owners get 36 hours and $75,000 to put their ideas to the test in a pop-up setting.
Wednesday, July 9
“Extant” (CBS): A Steven Spielberg-produced limited series starring Halle Berry as an astronaut trying to reconnect with her family after a long trip to space. Surprises await.
“Rowhouse Showdown” (FYI): Home-improvement competition show hosted by Carter Oosterhouse.
“Tiny House Nation” (FYI): Two renovation experts travel the country to help design and build dream living spaces no bigger than 300 square feet.
Thursday, July 10
“Welcome to Sweden” (NBC): Greg Poehler (Amy's little bro) produces and stars in this loosely autobiographical comedy about an accountant-to-the-stars who moves to Stockholm to live with his Swedish girlfriend.
“Working the Engels” (NBC): Comedy about a family that faces a pile of debt after their father, an attorney, unexpectedly passes away. His daughter (Kacey Rohl) takes over his business, which means she has to work with her cuckoo family.
“Snack-Off” (MTV): Amateur cooks compete to turn everyday snack food into something memorable.
“Leah Remini: It's All Relative” (TLC): Another celeb-reality show, focusing on Remini's life at home.
“World Food Championships” (FYI): Another cook-off.
Saturday, July 12
“The Feed” (FYI): Roaming New York in search of food.
Sunday, July 13
“The Strain” (FX): New horror drama from filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, author Chuck Hogan and “Lost” producer Carlton Cuse, in which a government epidemiologist investigates a viral outbreak of vampirism.
“Lone Star Lady” (A&E): Reality series about Rochelle Carnes, a Texas woman trying to keep her family grounded after newfound wealth.
Tuesday, July 15
“Matador” (El Rey): Drama. Tony “Matador” Bravo (Gabriel Luna) is a popular soccer star and playboy, but his fans and family don't know that he's also a CIA agent.
“Underground BBQ Challenge” (Travel): More competitive barbecuing.
“B.O.R.N. to Style” (FYI): Lifestyle makeover series centered on a “fierce” team from a Harlem-based boutique.
“The Hotwives of Orlando” (Hulu): Spoofs of Bravo's “Real Housewives” oeuvre are in ample supply, but this one has a great cast.
Wednesday, July 16
“The Divide” (WEtv): Drama series centers on the case of a man convicted of a racial crime and the attorney working on his appeal.
“My Wild Affair” (PBS): A nature miniseries focusing on the extraordinary stories about humans and their animal companions.
“Sex in the Wild” (PBS): Life and death struggles of species who mate in hostile environments.
“Young Marvels” (Ovation): Docu-series follows the lives of eight talented prodigies in the arts.
“Virgin Territory” (MTV): The show crisscrosses the nation to acquaint us with young adults from different backgrounds who've never had sexual intercourse — some by choice, some not.
Thursday, July 17
“Satisfaction” (USA): After discovering his wife having sex with a male escort, an investment banker (Matt Passmore) decides to become an escort himself.
“Married” (FX): Comedy. A married couple (Nat Faxon and Judy Greer) endure the usual problems of harried suburbanites.
“You're the Worst” (FX): Despite their intention to have a sex-only relationship, two unlikable people (Ava Cash and Chris Geere) find they might have something more.
“#CandidlyNicole” (VH1): Nicole Richie is back in a new reality series, bringing along her 4.4 million (!) Twitter followers.
“LeAnn & Eddie” (VH1): LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian enter the celebrity reality-TV game.
Tuesday, July 22
“Food Fighters” (NBC): Amateur cooks test their signature dishes against the skills of professional chefs.
Wednesday, July 23
“BAPs” (Lifetime): Reality series follows a group of affluent African-American friends in St. Louis.
Thursday, July 24
“The Astronaut Wives Club” (ABC): Drama series based on the women married to America's first astronauts.
Saturday, July 26
“Epic Meal Empire” (FYI): A YouTube cooking show comes to TV, starring Harley Morenstein and his kitchen crew, who deliver recipes as wild as doughnut casseroles.
Sunday, July 27
“Manhattan” (WGN America): Drama based on the secret program to develop a nuclear bomb in the 1940s.
“Big Time RV” (Travel at 8): Hanging out at America's largest RV dealership, located in Tampa.
Thursday, July 31
“The Quest” (ABC): Reality-meets-fantasy. The producer of the “Lord of the Rings” movies joins the creators of “The Amazing Race” to conjure a world called Everealm, where 12 contestants must stay wary of mythical creatures.
“The Honorable Woman” (SundanceTV): This eight-episode thriller stars Maggie Gyllenhaal as Nessa Stein, the head of a British technology firm started by her late father, a weapons contractor for Israel. Nessa tries to promote peace, but dark events put her in danger.
Friday, Aug. 1
“Masters of Illusion” (CW): This show has been brought back from the mysterious realm of the canceled.
Sunday, Aug. 3
“Psychic Matchmaker” (TLC): Reality series features Florida psychic Deborah Graham, who helps clients find their soul mate.
Monday, Aug. 4
“Partners” (FX): Kelsey Grammer and Martin Lawrence star in this comedy about two very different Chicago lawyers who decide to open a practice together.
“Bachelor in Paradise” (ABC): Some of “The Bachelor”/“The Bachelorette's” biggest stars and villains are back, isolated in a luxurious location and on the prowl.
Thursday, Aug. 7
“Garfunkel and Oates” (IFC): About a goofy female folk/comedy duo.
“7 Deadly Sins” (Showtime): Half-hour, seven-episode docu-series hosted by Morgan Spurlock that explores each of the seven deadly sins.
Friday, Aug. 8
“Jonah From Tonga” (HBO): The latest six-episode series from Chris Lilley, featuring another “Summer Heights High” character.
“The Knick” (Cinemax): Steven Soderbergh directs this 10-episode drama starring Clive Owen as a drug-addicted doctor working at the Knickerbocker Hospital in the late 19th century.
“Human Resources” (Pivot): “Comedic real-life docu-series” about an idealistic New Jersey entrepreneur and his company.
Saturday, Aug. 9
“Outlander” (Starz): Drama based on the novels of Diana Gabaldon, in which a married combat nurse time-travels from 1945 to 1743, where she finds danger, mystery and another husband.
Monday, Aug. 11
“The Approval Matrix” (SundanceTV): Six-episode trend show based on the back-page feature in New York magazine.
Wednesday, Aug. 13
“Legends” (TNT): Sean Bean stars as a deep-undercover FBI agent who spends months infiltrating dangerous groups.
Sunday, Aug. 24
“Breathless” (PBS): A drama set in 1961 about doctors and nurses who work in a hospital's gynecology ward.
New summer shows already airing
• “Halt and Catch Fire” (AMC)
• “Siberian Cut” (Discovery)
• “Untying the Knot” (Bravo)
• “Jennifer Falls” (TV Land)
• “It Takes a Church” (GSN)
• “Power” (Starz)
• “Murder in the First” (TNT)
• “Chasing Life” (ABC Family)
• “Big Smo” (A&E)