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Test Pattern: Readers' summer TV favorites

From ‘Big Brother’ to ‘The 4400,’ warm-weather watching

Sharing summer TV favorites

Many readers : Summer TV is a different animal. We cut down on watching to enjoy the weather, and seek out different shows when we do clock some couch time.

Here are some of your warm-weather favorites; plus, some thoughts on the changes coming to "Close to Home."

CLOSE TO HOME“"Close to Home" is one of the reasons I stay home on Friday nights. I love it. The finale was a total surprise and I am really looking forward to next season. I hope they don't change it too much - it's really great just the way it is.”    --Amy

“I totally agree with you on "Close to Home". I absolutely love the show but hated the ending this season. This will change everything and I'm not sure it's going to survive.”    --Suzanne

THE 4400“My favorite summer season show is "The 4400" on USA. I started watching it last summer and had to go out and buy the first season DVD, so I could catch up on its beginnings, but I am completely hooked now. The third season starts on June 11th and I can't wait!”    --Dani

BIG BROTHER“Every summer we look forward to "Big Brother". True, it can be a bit "cheesey", but watching these folks, form alliances, stab each other in the back, etc. makes for great TV escapism. This summer they are going to do an "All Stars" Big Brother. If they get the right mix of former houseguests, it could be a volatile and entertaining summer! I plan to vote for Will, Kaysar, Jennelle, Jayce and Holly! Can't wait for it to start!”    --Roger

RERUNS“I actually watch as little TV as possible. I just try and catch the reruns of my regular shows that I didn't catch during the regular season. I really don't like reality TV so the summer is very slow for me!”    --Danyiel

TO THE STARS“Stargate SG-1 & Stargate-Atlantis as great summer watches and when Battlestar Galactica use to also run on the same schedule as Stargate is was an unbeatable Sci-Fi Friday in the summer months.”    --Kat

HELL’S KITCHEN“You should also check out 'Hell's Kitchen' (starting 6/12 on Fox) and 'Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares' (on BBC America) because Ramsay is acerbic, nasty, and totally hilarious. (Actually, start with Kitchen Nightmares just so you can reassure yourself he isn't a TOTAL jerk ALL the time.)”    --CJ

RESOLVING CONFLICTS“During the regular season, I had a conflict on Monday nights at 10 between ‘CSI Miami’ and ‘Medium.’ I finally chose the former. In the summer, I'll catch up on ‘Medium.’ Recommend ‘Numb3rs’ on Friday night.”    --Bill

MORE CABLE
“When summer nears, I find myself watching more cable, and less of the basic network stations. Home improvement shows, fashion television, or even the "classic" reruns and older movies. If I happen to catch a show in syndication that I don’t know much about (Monk was last summer's show for me), I'll go out to the video store and rent a season or two of it. However, I think this summer I'll spend more time out on the back porch with a crochet needle than in front of the TV.”    --Brandy

CRIMINAL MINDS CRUSH
“This summer I plan on watching reruns of ‘Criminal Minds.’ That show is on opposite ‘Lost,’ so I never got to see the first-runs. I'm working on a serious crush on the geeky but adorable Dr. Reed.”    --Lauren

CLASSICS“I watch "classic" television shows, TCM and BBC. These are the only places out of all the channels where I find true entertainment. The sitcoms and so-called "reality" shows of now are nothing more than mind numbing and apparently intended for those whose IQ is smaller than their shoe size.”    --Norbert

Lazy days of summer TV

I'm still coming back from a refreshing Memorial Day getaway, and am marveling at how quickly summer has taken over my mindset. The calendar has slipped over to June, we've stowed sweaters and slipped into warm-weather wardrobes. And as a TV editor, fresh from covering the finales of "American Idol," "Lost," "Survivor," "Desperate Housewives" and other shows, the TV season seems to have turned...amazingly quiet.

There's no question, the summer TV season is livelier these days than it once was. It's no longer a morass of reruns and infomercials. Reality shows especially have seized upon summer as a second season, with shows such as "The Contender" and "Project Runway" rolling out new seasons in the warmer months. (See a here.)

I can't be the only person who relishes a slow time for TV. As TV editor, I feel I have to keep up on new shows, and really, in summer, my tolerance for sitting inside on a couch is very limited. Who doesn't want to be outside on those rare perfect summer days?

But when I do choose to watch TV, whether rain has driven me inside or I'm flipping through the channels while cooking, I like to select different shows in the summer than I do during the regular TV season.

  • I'm not a crime-show buff, but this summer, I'm planning to try to figure out why is the most popular show in the nation. Can 30 million weekly viewers be wrong? Wait, don't answer that.
  • I missed all the fuss over when it aired the first season, but now I'm planning to tune in to the boxing reality show when it returns, on ESPN in July. ("Contender" fans who only have broadcast channels are irked that the once-network show has moved to cable.)
  • I missed Jack Bauer's latest race against time on but FOX is airing two episodes every Friday beginning June 16, just so I can catch up.
  • And I'm still embarrassed to admit it, but I'm counting the days until the premiere of my ultimate guilty pleasure reality show, "Bridezillas," which launches its third season June 11 on WE. (Watch a , hoo boy, are those brides testy.)
  • I've got a show to recommend, too. It seems as if I was the only person watching Jennifer Finnigan in a crime and lawyer drama with a twist. Finnigan's prosecutor, Annabeth Chase, had a happy home life, with hunky husband and adorable baby, so her plots didn't revolve around lust in the office. The show was set in Indiana, with crimes echoing the title, involving suburban moms and squeaky-clean teens with secrets. I loved it, but without spoiling anything, it seems that CBS has decided to ruin that premise for the show's next season, so check out the reruns before the show becomes just another crime show.

Do you watch different shows in the summer than during the cooler months? Drop me a line and recommend a show.