What's worth watching this summer?
It's too early to pin that down yet. Most debuting series have yet to be seen by critics. (However, we
can report that
TNT's Dallas update more than upholds the mantle of the classic soap it now continues with cast members both old and new.)
But if you'd like to start forming your own judgments, most summer-starting series have posted online teasers, sneak-peek scenes and/or behind-the-scenes footage to promote what's on the way, and TVWW has collected it all for you to browse in one handy place. We're rolling it out in three parts, to give you plenty of time to peruse all of the offerings.
These samplings don't account for all of the summer series already announced, just the ones we'd at least give a look. (Why waste your time on ABC's George Lopez dating show
Take Me Out? Arriving June 8, if you care.)
So mark your calendars, set your DVRs, and check back here closer to airdate for reviews based on actual episodes. In the meantime, you be the judge…
May 24
DUETS
ABC competition; Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET Mentoring young music wannabes are established stars Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles and Robin Thicke.
TBS sitcom; Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET"That time between guy and man" is the focus of this "wingman" laffer with Danny Masterson (
That '70s Show), James Lesure (
Las Vegas), Michael Cassidy (
The OC) and Adam Busch (
Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
June 3
LONGMIRE
A&E drama; Sundays at 10 p.m. ETWyoming crime thriller based on Craig Johnson's mystery novels stars Aussie actor Robert Taylor (
The Matrix) as a haunted but unflappable lawman, aided by deputy Katee Sackhoff and native confidant Lou Diamond Phillips.
June 4
PUSH GIRLS
Sundance docuseries; Mondays at 10 p.m. ET No need to feel sorry for a woman in a wheelchair. See why with this preview sequence showcasing the reality show's "fearless" and "edgy" subjects.
June 7
SAVING HOPE
NBC drama; Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET "Somewhere between life and death" is a doctor in a coma (Michael Shanks,
Stargate Atlantis), oddly able to roam the halls of his hospital as a not-quite-ghost. Also in this Canadian-made series: Erica Durance (
Smallville) and Daniel Gillies (
The Vampire Diaries).
June 8
COMEDY BANG! BANG!
IFC sketch/variety/talk; Fridays at 10 p.m. ETPopular podcast goes televisual with creator Scott Aukerman and comics Reggie Watts and Paul F. Tompkins, plus guests like Adam Scott (
Parks and Recreation).
BUNK
IFC comedy game show; Fridays at 10:30 p.m. ET Kurt Braunohler asks contestants to complete absurd challenges, such as make puppies feel guilty.
June 9
THE RUNAWAY
Ovation limited series; Saturdays at 10 p.m. ET Alan Cumming channels his inner drag performer to underscore this gritty tale of young love in the East End criminal underworld.
June 11
BUNHEADS
ABC Family dramedy; Mondays at 9 p.m. ET Broadway's Sutton Foster plays a showgirl turned dance teacher in this hour from the creator of
Gilmore Girls.
June 13
TNT drama; Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET Shot entirely on location: Texas' sprawling Southfork ranch hosts warfare among new/old cast members — warring siblings Bobby (Patrick Duffy) and J.R. (Larry Hagman), plus their rivalrous progeny, Christopher (Jesse Metcalfe) and John Ross (Josh Henderson), assorted women, Hispanic wheeler-dealers, et al.