My Tent on The Beach

As I sit here with my Goose Island Harvest Ale, wearing my sweatpants, and fully aware that the lows tonight might dip into the 40s (What?!), I feel that it’s time…(drumroll please)…to say a hearty thank you to the television series that got me through the summer tv doldrums.  After finishing Lost in April, I felt alone and a little cold.  What would ever see me through those lukewarm dog days of summer?  These shows did the trick.  If you haven’t watchen them yet, clear out some room on your schedule and get a-watchin’…

5. Real Housewives of New Jersey (BRAVO)
What pleasure this show provided at a time of the year when Scrubs reruns on Comedy Central look like the golden pathway to happiness.  Such drama.  And oh those accents.  And the hair.  And the boobs. And the shiny lame (say Lah-MAY, not LAYME).  This show made me long for Aqua Net.  And yet, these women have more heart than the New Yorkers or OC’ers. (I don’t even count Atlanta as credible).  Thank you Dina and Theresa and Jacqueline and Caroline.  And to Danielle…”go away.”

4. Battlestar Galactica (SCI-FI)
Jacob bought me the first season of this show on DVD, oh I don’t know, about 3 years ago. I’ve always passed on it because I never felt ready to 1) invest in a long-running show that’s 2) sci-fi. Well, Jacob, I’m an ass, because this show is awesome.  A re-working of the classic 70s tv show, it’s the perfect mix of All My Children and Star Trek.  And I’m sorry but it doesn’t get any better than Mary McDonnell and Edward James Olmos.  Brilliant.

3. Weeds (Showtime)
This is a repeat savior. I don’t get Showtime, so I have to completely cram in the DVDs and then…wait. This is exactly what I did last summer. Now I’ve picked up Season 3 and it’s like eating pixie stix: slightly disorienting, delightful, and thirst-inducing. Oh Nancy Botwin and your crazy crew.  While the show has lost a lot of the snap in the plots it used to have, it’s taken on this magical realism vibe that is just as delightful.

2. Big Love (HBO)
I have nothing but Big Love for this show. I find this VERY compelling tv packed with stars, some already legitimate (Jeanne Triplehorn, Chloe Sevigny, Bill Paxton) and some in the making (Ginnifer Goodwin, Amanda Seifried).  If you need a case study for character development, this is it.  You will get sucked into the secret world of polygamy and then feel guilty that they struggle with similar problems to yours…and you’ve been judging them all these years.  So, so interesting.

1. Burn Notice (USA)
THE scoop of the summer.  I can’t even believe I’m saying this, especially because it’s on USA for god’s sake.  But this is the snappiest, funnest show to come on tv in a long time.  Capturing the attitude of The Rockford Files and Miami Vice (yes, I said it) with the quirky characters of Get Smart and the “how’s he going to make it work?” of MacGyver, this show is sleek, clever, well-written, and funny.  It’s a slam-dunk of television formula.  Then add in the great character actors I like to call Bruce Campbell and Sharon Gless and there’s virtually nothing wrong with this show!  Except that it’s only been a summer replacement up until now.  Thankfully, they’re adding a winter season so I only have to wait a couple months.  Thank you USA.  You’ve made my summer.

And next on the Netflix cue: Dexter.  I’ve been waiting months for season 3 on DVD…now, it’s merely hours away.  Thank you. Thank you.

Oh my god…my latest look at the calendar immediately caused a minor panic.  August is very nearly over and I’m sitting here scratching my head and wondering what happened to it.  Of course, there are details that lead to it slipping so quietly into the night like, oh, the complete lack of summer here (no complaints from me) or the fact that the Cleveland Indians suck so bad this year that it’s as though baseball never even happened.  Usually I’m keenly aware of August’s presence because I’m sitting in a pool of my own sweat and talking about magic numbers.

But also, I just finished my 1-year fellowship yesterday and now I’m standing squarely in front of one year of my own making.  Yes, I have deadlines and things that I have to shoot for…but I also have nothing forcing me to do it, which is the space that little impish voice in my head needs to say things like, “I wonder what New Zealand looks like,” or “The Lost marathon is on today.”  I’ve worked hard learning how to cage that voice and I think it’ll be okay this time around…but seriously.  I hope it’ll be okay this time.

I just relish those times when I get the commentary that sounds something like, “Oh, Katie, what I wouldn’t give to have your schedule.”  Hmmm.  Yep.  For one week it’s incredible.  After that…I imagine it’s what a black hole looks like from the inside.