What To Watch in the Summer? Here's What!

Cheryl always does a fall TV preview email to all her friends, which I look forward to every September, not only because she knows all things about new shows through her multitude of research and her love affair with Entertainment Weekly, but also because, as a general rule, we tend to have the same taste in shows (minus my occasional love of sappy, cheesy, and over the top stuff she doesn't care for, ie: the bachelorette).

Anyway, I was thinking about her Fall TV preview the other day and started thinking about how I tend to always look forward to the summer shows. Not only are they limited to a two or three month time span, which works well for people who get tired of things easily, but they are also, as a general rule, total trash. And I'll be honest, I LOVE bad TV. There's just something about watching it that's like watching a bad car wreck. You know you're better off not looking, but you can't seem to turn away.

So here it is: my list of Summer 2009's Must Watch Trash:

Jon & Kate +8 on TLC: I know it's not a new show, but a new season just started last week, a very sad season, I might add. It's a great show, but right now it really is like not being able to turn away from a car crash. Should these two, who seem destined for divorce, just throw in the towel and call it a day on their reality show? Absolutely. But will they? It's doubtful, which is why watching it makes it all the more painfully entertaining.

The Bachelorette on ABC: This season just started two weeks ago, and Jillian, the quirky bachelorette from Canada likes to come off as this sassy little tomboy, when really so far, I've been a little bored with her. But it's totally worth watching the Bachelorette series in order to see what lengths these cheesy dudes go to for a girl's heart. There's already a guy with a foot fetish and one they just swear is on there to "promote his music," whatever that means. I just need her to infuse a few Robin-like Canadian sayings into the mix, like "Aboot" and "Hooose" etc. There's a reason why How I Met Your Mother is great, and it's because making fun of Canadians is just plain fun.

The Goode Family on ABC: We watched the first episode of this last night, and it was pretty entertaining! It's a cartoon (think King of the Hill) with a family OBSESSED with doing everything socially right and Green. They drive a hybrid, the mom worries that people will judge her if she doesn't bring a reusable bag to the grocery store, and they named their white South African adopted son Ubutu since he is "African-American." He walks around wearing the colors of the African Flags. If you like making fun of people, you will like this show.

The Closer on TNT: If you're not watching The Closer, you should be, and you should be ashamed you're not. One of the best shows on TV. It started its season in January, but has been on a break for the past couple of months, so now is a great time to catch back up. The second half of the season starts Monday, June 8th. Nothing like watching a show with an awesome lead woman.

Here Come The Newleyweds on ABC: This is a game-show type of reality show where newleyweds compete for an ultimate cash prize. Each week, another set of newleyweds gets voted off by the group. Is it original? Absolutely not. Is it even that funny? Not really. But is it fun to watch couples bicker and fight? Sure.

Hell's Kitchen on FOX: They like to air new seasons of this show more than any other, and if you watch it on a regular basis like we do, you're thinking, "wait, didn't they JUST finish a season of Hell's Kitchen?" Yes they did! And guess what? Another is gearing up to start July 21st! Sometimes I wonder if that's enough time for me to detox from the last season of the show, but I think I'll be fine. I love watching trashy folks talk trash, and Gordon 'Potty Mouth' Ramsey lose his temper every three minutes. There's just something about this show that makes your blood pressure rise significantly, but in a good way.

WIPEOUT on ABC: This show is not good for watching every week, because it is quite repetitive. But every now and then you just might get the itch to see someone get pummelled in face with an electric punching fist, or watch someone practically have their crotch fall off and scream in agony through the slippery slope, or someone almost stroke out at the end of a course when they swore at the beginning they were going to "rock it." It's just fun. Makes you feel good about yourself. Sort of like going to Wal-Mart.

Enjoy!