It's almost laughable that September still is considered the start of the TV season -- because if you think of seasons in terms of a bountiful harvest, now is the season of our contentment. This month, in particular, brings back fresh episodes of more great shows than we have a reason to expect at any one time.
Put it this way: How many series you're watching each week right now are likely to end up on your end-of-year Top 10 TV list? For me, it's a lot...
HBO's True Blood is three episodes in for the season right now, and continuing to enchant me with each episode. (Was there a funnier moment of TV recently than Eric's goofy, bloody expression as Sookie yelled at him, "You killed my fairy godmother!" ? No. There wasn't.)
The same network's Curb Your Enthusiasm started for the season Sunday with a not-screened-for-critics opener built around, among other things, Larry David's other-side-of-a-closed-door coaching of a young Girl Scout's first use of feminine hygiene products. (Out there? Yes. It was.)
Wednesday night, we have season premieres of FX's Rescue Me and the former FX series Damages, now exclusively on DirecTV's Audience network. This Sunday, we have the return of AMC's Breaking Bad, with a brilliant fourth-season opener.
That's five shows -- each serving up new episodes all summer -- that are quite likely to occupy half of my year's-end Top 10. That's not spreading the wealth. That's gorging on greatness.
And look at how many other shows are around right now, presenting new episodes: On Monday, TNT's The Closer and Syfy's Eureka and Warehouse 13, and the new series Alphas. USA's Burn Notice just started again on Thursdays, and NBC's Friday Night Lights, though already seen on DirecTV, concludes its brilliant run on Friday.
Add to that everything from Starz's Torchwood: Miracle Day to PBS's P.O.V. series and HBO's weekly documentaries -- and my list is missing other shows that could well be on yours, so feel free to enumerate some.
Clearly, summer TV is no time to take a vacation.