I can remember back when the summer months meant we couldn’t find anything new to watch on television… maybe a reality program here, or a two-hour made-for-TV-special there, but no new series.
But not anymore.
As spring blows into our neighborhoods, so does a new television season…
Starting this week, the networks have a lineup of new programs to entertain us during the primetime hours this summer. Some of the series have promise, while others may flop—but, regardless, we’ll tune in to check them out!
Here are just a few of the upcoming premieres we can look forward to this summer…
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Save Me
We’ve heard the stories… someone suffers a near-death experience, prompting a change in his or her outlook on life. This change is not always a bad thing, sometimes it is absolutely necessary to save one’s soul, but it’s also not always an easy adjustment for those around us and accustomed to our old ways.
Save Me follows Beth Harper (Anne Heche, Hung), the matriarch of a run-of-the-mill Midwestern family…. or are they?
After Beth nearly chokes to death on a sandwich, she claims she now has a direct line of communication with God. She’s set on making right with all those she’s wronged and even begins to convince her worst critics that she has changed for the better.
The new sitcom also stars: Michael Landes (Final Destination 2) as Tom, Beth’s meandering husband; Alexandra Breckenridge (American Horror Story) as Carly, one of Tom’s “side projects”; Heather Burns (Miss Congeniality) as Jenna, one of Beth’s neighbors; and Madison Davenport (Shameless) as Emily, Beth’s daughter.
Save Me premieres Thursday, May 23rd on NBC.
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Motive
Anytime a crime occurs, whether in real life or on TV, everyone wants to know why the crime was committed in the first place—the motive.
Television is full of crime dramas and police procedurals today, but most of these shows focus on the investigation and capture of the suspects rather than the motive behind the act. Some TV programs might answer the why in a brief one or two lines of dialogue after they’ve interrogated the suspect for a few minutes, but they don’t really spend a lot of time on the motive.
Motive, a new ABC crime drama, hopes to change all of that.
The new series follows Detective Angie Flynn (Kristin Lehman, Judging Amy and The Killing) as she works homicide cases.
Wait a minute… that sounds just like every other police procedural on TV today. Right?
Wrong. Motive will identify the killer and victim at the beginning of each episode. Viewers will then get to watch as Angie and her partner (Louis Ferreira, SGU Stargate Universe) work the case, while experiencing a series of flashbacks revealing clues at the same time.
Motive kind of reminds me of a combination of Cold Case (because of the series of flashbacks) and the short-lived series The Whole Truth, where viewers experienced the crime through both the prosecutor’s and the defense attorney’s point of view and they had to decide which one was the truth… fun show, but it didn’t last long. Let’s hope Motive doesn’t suffer the same fate.
The new crime drama also stars: Lauren Holly (NCIS) as Betty Rogers, the medical examiner; Roger Cross (24) as Supervisor Boyd Bloom; Brendan Penny (Stargate: Atlantis) as rookie detective Brian Lucas; and Cameron Bright (The Twilight Saga) as Manny Flynn, Angela’s son.
Motive actually aired last night on ABC following Dancing with the Stars… but don’t worry, that was just a sneak peek. The series officially premieres Thursday, May 23rd on ABC.
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Mistresses
Based on the popular British television series of the same name, Mistresses is a sexy new drama following the lives of four girlfriends as they discover who they really are via their friendships, relationships, and sex.
Sound familiar? I’m thinking of one of my favorites here… Sex and the City.
The series stars: Alyssa Milano (Charmed) as Savannah “Savi” Davis, a successful lawyer, hoping to make partner—still sounding familiar here….; Jes Macallan as Josslyn Carver, Savi’s single and carefree younger sister who is not really looking to settle down; Rochelle Aytes (Detroit 1-8-7 and The Forgotten) as April Malloy, a recent widow and single mother who owns her own linen shop; and Junjin Kim (Lost) as Karen Rhodes, a successful therapist who has a history of having affairs with her patients.
They’re all beautiful; they’re all successful; they’re all single. Will Mistresses be the next Sex and the City? Or will it flop trying, just like Lipstick Jungle?
Mistresses premieres Monday, June 3rd on ABC.
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And remember, Graceland premieres Thursday, June 6th on USA and King & Maxwell premieres Monday, June 10th on TNT.
Which of these new programs are you most looking forward to and why? I’d love to hear from you!
Tiffany A White's Ooo Factor 
Save Me sounds like one of those sitcoms I would just have to check out and see. You know I don’t normally like sitcoms (except Big Bang), so it will have to be REALLY good. The premise actually sounds interesting. I hope they can keep it fairly clean.
I’m kind of burned out on police shows. I still have several Criminals Minds (used to be my favorite show) episodes on the DVR, and I just can’t make myself sit down and watch them. But I think I might give Motive a chance because it sounds different.
I have absolutely NO desire to watch Mistresses. Not my thing.
My DVR has picked up two episodes of Save Me to record tomorrow night, Lauralynn. I think after two episodes, we’ll have a good feel as to whether or not the sitcom will be a keeper or not. I don’t usually give comedies as large a window as dramas to hook me, so we’ll see.
Oh, and you should definitely catch up on Criminal Minds this year… tonight’s season finale is a two-parter (two hours of Criminal Minds!!) and I think it’s going to be a BIG one.
I’m really looking forward to Motive. It does sound different and hopefully it’ll be a good police procedural to keep me entertained this summer. I can’t help but think though that if it was sooooo good, why not air it during the Sept-May scheduling? That alone makes me nervous…
Anyway, I’ll be sure and let you know what I think. Like always. LOL
I haven’t seen the British version of Mistresses either, but I’ll give the US one a go.
I’ll give it a go too, Emma. I LOVED SATC and enjoyed Lipstick Jungle before it was yanked off the air. I guess we’ll just have to see if the Mistresses can hang with Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte. 🙂
I’m curious about Mistresses, but it sounds like a hard sell. If it’s too similar, that’s all they’ll ever be compared to. I’d watch it, but I’m skeptical. Let me know what you think.
You know I will, Jess! 🙂
I have been looking forward to both Motive and Mistresses since I started seeing commercials for the summer season. I love cop shows! And another SATC sounds perfect to me. 🙂
I’d have to say Motive and Mistresses are two of the shows I’m most looking forward to from this list… actually, this summer has a few good ones that I can’t wait to check out (I will publish Part Two in a few weeks because those shows don’t premiere until later in June). I just can’t help but think that these two shoes (M & M) may be a hard sell. For one, if Motive was soooo great, why not air it during the September – May scheduling? Why did the network hang on to it for the summer? It does make me wonder… And two, Lipstick Jungle was good but just didn’t last on network TV… I can’t help but think Mistresses might suffer the same fate. I’m looking forward to checking them out though. Here’s hoping!
Thanks for stopping by, Emma!
I’ll be checking out Motive for sure, along with King & Maxwell, which you recently introduced to us.
Mistresses was fantastic. Speaking as a bloke it was worth watching. A good insight to the female mind. Also to see how they feel and in there groups. Motive sounds good and save me makes me curious. If they make a second season i will buy dvds over here
If you get a chance checkout The Wright Way a british comedy based on health and safety departments of local authorities, especially when the main character abreviates the next job. Or Miranda extremely halarious
Xx
I’m looking forward to Graceland. Love all the pretty people in one house and the working under cover angle.
Motive sounds fabulous. I’m so glad I read this today and didn’t miss the premiere! I’ll set the DVR right away. I’m always interested in the why, so I’m looking forward to this new one. Mistresses sounds intriguing. I hope they can set it apart from SATC, which I liked, but was happy to have the series end. I think it will hinge on the relationship between the women. If there isn’t chemistry with them, then it won’t work at all.