We have a little more daylight in the evenings, traffic is slightly better, and for us fortunate ones, our work environment is a little more relaxed and flexible. For some people it is also the time of year to sleep in until 11 AM, eat big bowls of cereal for lunch, and do absolutely nothing for hours on end. Usually we are given the options of mowing the lawn, picking up that "boring" book assigned to read for the fall, or plopping down on the couch and watch TV. The third choice usually wins the contest.
These days, however, there is a lot of variety on the boob tube and we are not relegated to the depths of perennial summer rerun hell. Gone are the days when every network re-aired entire seasons of television shows during the summer hiatus. We don't have to check the TV Guide every week to see if that one episode we missed in the fall will air this coming Tuesday.
We now rely on streaming outlets such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and even network websites to catch up on missed shows and episodes. Don't get me wrong, the networks still air repeats of shows that need a little boost in viewership, in preparation for the fall season. But now they mix a little bit of the old with the new.
In the past, new shows that premiered in the summer were already considered DOA and used just for filler. They rarely saw a full season in the next production season. What has remained the same is the "burning off" of episodes from already canceled TV series. Currently, ABC is burning off unaired episodes of Zero Hour and 666 Park Avenue for filler on its Saturday night schedule, as well as Family Tools on its Wednesday night comedy block. Sitcom episodes were also casualties of the summer "burn off" when they were produced within the normal production season but considered too weak to win its time slot. Today, networks have to hedge bets and take risks on introducing new TV shows during this time of year. Why? Could be for revenue. Could be for ratings. Could be for survival. Mostly likely, all of the above.
CBS' Under the Dome and ABC's Mistresses are examples of bets the networks are counting on.
The summer television landscape has also changed in the past few years with the increase of original programming on cable networks. HBO's True Blood and Showtime's Dexter have been strategically placed to retain its Sunday night viewership from the spring. TNT continues its stronghold with new seasons of Falling Skies, Major Crimes, Perception, Rizzoli & Isles, and Franklin & Bash. Even TV Land has stepped up its game in appealing beyond its regular audience of cats and cat people with new seasons of its sitcoms Hot in Cleveland, The Exes, and The Soul Man.
On the Reality TV front, let's be honest, there are too many shows currently being aired to list and frankly Stay Tuned has little to no interest in reporting that type of programming. Some of those shows are creative, others are not, and most are on the brink of just plain absurd. But to each his/her own.
The one thing that is no longer standard, and that clearly defined summer television, was the Made-for-TV Movie of the Week. I used to love those movies, at least the campy cheesy ones. There was some cheese factor to made-for-TV movies, but it was low cheese. Most of these movies were re-airings since TV movies and mini-series were originally shown during the fall. A lot of them were dramas featuring then-taboo topics and forbidden romances. And almost all of them featured television stars from popular network TV shows.
Check out the link for the 1987 made-for-TV movie Shattered Vows starring Valerie Bertinelli and David Morse. Both actors were popular among viewers, Bertinelli was still on the post-One Day at a Time high while Morse was enjoying his long stint on St. Elsewhere. The movie's subject matter was deep stuff at the time. Basically a nun (Bertinelli) falls in love with a priest (Morse).
Shattered Vows - 1987
Crash Course was originally aired in the winter but repeated during the summer and is an example of the campy cheesy made-for-TV films. The movie basically was a vehicle to promote the TV shows of its stars Alyssa Milano (Who's the Boss), Rob Stone (Mr. Belvedere), Olivia d'Abo (The Wonder Years), Tina Yothers (Family Ties), and Jackee (227). Considered to be a low-budget version of The Breakfast Club, the movie centers around a group of high school students re-taking a Driver's Education class where unlikely friendships and relationships form in the confines of the classroom.
Well we all know that you cannot relive the past, and for some of us, who would want to? But we can enjoy the memories associated with summer and sitting in front of the tube.
What are your memories watching TV in the summertime? Please feel free to share and rant...share and rant and share...rant rant rant...share share share, right here and remember to Stay Tuned.
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