The Best of Summer TV 2012

Now that the summer's almost over, which shows distinguished themselves as la creme de la creme of tv's off-season season?




5.  Pretty Little Liars
From its high points of suspense and revelation - the investigation into Maya's death; Mona's crazed, rhyming clues; the mysterious agenda (?) of Paige; et al - to the exciting romantic fluxuations of Haleb, Spoby, and Ezria, and even cute new relationships for moms Ashley and Ella respectively, there's been plenty of soapy thriller goodness on hand, as per usual.  

It's definitely time to end the long-drawn-out assumption that Garrett killed Alison, and it would be terrific to see some of the more jaw-dropping twists of the novels come to light, particularly when it comes to the truth behind Ali's murder and her wide-ranging family tree.  Here's hoping that the much-hyped summer finale, Halloween special, and subsequent season 3 episodes continue to bring the crazy awesomeness.



4.  Dallas
Achieving the near impossible with hardly a glitch in sight, this confident, breezy, and true-to-the-original continuation of the classic series lit up TNT this summer.  While it was no surprise to see J.R.'s one-liners and smirks stealing every scene, and his interactions with Bobby drawing the most emotional relevance, it was also a pleasant surprise to see the machinations of the new characters - especially "Rebecca" (Julie Gonzalo) - bringing so much enticing intrigue to the proceedings.

Dallas returns with more new episodes this Winter, proving that the demand for more of the Ewings is as strong in 2012 as it was in the mid-80's.  I knew this decade had to be good for something...


3.  Covert Affairs
From the very beginning of Season 3, it was obvious that the makers of Covert Affairs had decided to streamline and intensify the show in exciting new ways.  They simultaneously got rid of extraneous characters while mercilessly stripping Annie of her comfort zones as an agent and a family member.  The angst between Annie and the clueless-of-her-feelings Auggie continues to ramp up, and she's also plunging deeper into a complex affair with apparent baddie Simon, as both Annie and Auggie find their personal and professional struggles spiraling them into unfamiliar and out of control new places.  The clash between Joan and Annie's new boss Lena makes for delectable cattiness and flat-out hilarity.  The characters are even swearing more, which is how cable TV shows that they are serious!  As this is head and shoulders the best season of Covert Affairs to date, it will be fascinating to see where these multifarious plot threads converge and complicate further down the road.

2.  The L.A. Complex
Despite its sad ratings (the CW bought the episodes on the cheap from Canadian network Much Music, and have done very little to promote the series), this unusual little show has picked up steam in its cult following and internet fanbase.  Within a few episodes, I defy anyone not to be hooked by this seeming-cheesy soap's arresting depth of characters and emotion, from the standouts (tortured rapper Kaldrick King [Andra Fuller] and sassy, impatient former teen star Raquel [Jewel Staite] are remarkable) to the more subtle players (comedian Nick [Joe Dinicol] and actress Abby [Cassie Steele] bring the comic relief with their propensity to land in hot water whenever the least little career opportunity arises).

If you have not already done so, which you probably have not, check out this industry-savvy and often heartrending series.

1.  Saving Hope
Another Canadian show much more popular back home (where it has already garnered a second season renewal) than here in the US, Saving Hope is a stunningly moving medical drama which is sort of like if JJ Abrams filmed a whole show expanding on the Denny plotline from Grey's Anatomy, only a thousand times awesomer than that sounds (but you have to admit, that does not sound un-awesome).

Erica Durance and Michael Shanks are just distractingly excellent (and distractingly attractive) in their roles of the chief resident and her comatose surgeon husband, respectively.  Every episode is an exercise in finding the tiniest sliver of hope in a dreadful situation, both in terms of the patients attended to by Durance's Dr. Alex Reid and her fellow doctors (who of course range from charming to obnoxious), and when it comes to Alex's continuing struggle to keep Charlie (Shanks) alive while unbeknownst to her, his spirit wanders the hospital, talking to other souls in limbo.  That last part is reminiscent of the reaper plotline from Supernatural, and entertainingly so.  These comparisons are not made to suggest that Saving Hope is derivative, though maybe it is a little bit, but to give a hint of how disparate themes come together so beautifully in this show.