Summer TV preview

By Casey Gillis

Published: June 10, 2008

If you thought “The Surreal Life,” “Breaking Bonaduce” and others like it were digging the bottom of the reality TV barrel, let us introduce you to “Hurl,” which premieres at 9 p.m. July 15 on the G4 network.

This new reality competition series has contestants gorge on heavy meals — like macaroni and cheese or chili dogs — during a short period of time. Whoever eats the most food without, well, hurling, moves on to the next round, where they have to compete in some sort of physical challenge to see who can last the longest while keeping their food down.

Come on now, does anybody really want to watch this?

Then there’s NBC’s “Wipeout” (premieres at 8 p.m. June 24), in which players compete in what the network is touting as “the world’s largest extreme obstacle course, designed to provide the most spills, face plants and wipeouts ever see on television.” The winner is named “Wipeout Champion” and takes home $50,000.

It’s official, folks. Summer — and all the mind-bogglingly stupid and often trashy reality TV series that come with it — is here.

Luckily, “Hurl” and “Wipeout” aren’t our only options. There are plenty of scripted series, both old and new, that will relieve us of the reality rush (though there are a few reality offerings that don’t sound all that bad).

Several summer series have already hit the airwaves, including Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance (8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays), NBC’s Last Comic Standing (8 p.m. Thursdays) and The Next Food Network Star (10 p.m., Sundays).

ABC’s The Mole (10 p.m. Mondays) began last week, as did TV Land’s She’s Got the Look (10 p.m. Wednesdays), which is basically “America’s Next Top Model” for an older generation: women aged 35 and older compete for a contract with Wilhelmina Modeling Agency and a spread in Self magazine.

On the new drama front, there’s In Plain Sight (10 p.m. Sundays, USA), a quirky dramedy about a U.S. Marshal who works with the Witness Protection Program; the horror anthology series Fear Itself (10 p.m. Thursdays, NBC) and Swingtown (10 p.m. Thursdays, CBS), about a neighborhood of swingers in the 1970s.

Here’s what else is coming up over the next couple of months (remember, all premiere dates are subject to change):

Tonight
—USA is giving the long-running Law & Order: Criminal Intent (9 p.m.) a summer stint, while Lifetime’s hugely popular series Army Wives (10 p.m.) returns for its second season and will be introducing a new love interest for the prim-and-proper — and very married — Denise. Juicy!

Monday, June 9
—Nashville Star (9 p.m., NBC)
NBC has picked up this popular “American Idol”-goes-country competition series, now in its sixth season, from USA. The winner lands a recording contract with Warner Bros. Nashville and will perform at the Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Wednesday, June 11
—Celebrity Circus (9 p.m., NBC) follows a group of stars — which includes former “General Hospital” hottie Antonio Sabato Jr., “Brady Bunch’s” Christopher Knight and model Rachel Hunter — as they try to master big top acts, like the flying trapeze, high wire and wheel of death.

Thursday, June 12
—Two TBS comedies are back: The Bill Engvall Show (9 p.m.) and the charming My Boys (9:30 p.m.), in which we’ll find out which love interest sportswriter P.J. took on her Italian getaway.

Monday, June 16
—The Middleman (8 p.m., ABC Family)
Based on a series of graphic novels, this comedy is about a covert hero who battles comic book-esque criminals with his new, wide-eyed assistant. Think more along the lines of the quirky fun of “Men In Black” than the darkness of, say, “Batman.”
—Weeds (10 p.m. on Showtime)
As the fourth season begins, suburban mom and pot dealer Nancy relocates her family to Mexico, where they move in with her late husband’s father (Albert Brooks).
Secret Diary of a Call Girl (10:30 p.m., Showtime)
—“Weeds’” time-slot companion is about a 27-year-old London grad student who works as a high-class escort.

Tuesday, June 17
—America’s Got Talent (9 p.m., NBC)
Jerry Springer hosts the third season, which introduces us to a new group of hopeful singers, comedians, contortionists, magicians and impressionists. David Hasselhoff, Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne return as judges.

Tuesday, June 24
—I Survived a Japanese Game Show (9 p.m., ABC)
Ten Americans are taken to Japan to compete in what ABC is calling “the ultimate Japanese game show.” Challenges include “Chicken Butt Scramble,” in which players don chicken suits and have to smash oversize eggs by sitting on them, and “Why Is This Food So Hard To Eat?” in which players have to eat food attached to the head of a teammate running in place on a treadmill.

Wednesday, June 25
—The Baby Borrowers (8 p.m., NBC)
Originally scheduled for midseason, it puts five teenage couples — ranging in age from 18 to 20 — on the fast track to adulthood. Over a three-week period, they set up a home, get a job and become parents, first to babies, then toddlers, pre-teens, teenagers and senior citizens. To avert any potential disasters, nannies and the babies’ real parents are stationed next door, where they watch via monitors and can step in at any time. Thank goodness for that.
—Shear Genius (10 p.m., Bravo)
A new crop of high-end hairstylists compete for $100,000 in seed money, an apprenticeship with Nexxus Salon Hair Care and the chance to style hair for an Allure magazine feature. This season, challenges range from cutting hair blindfolded to styling with food products like caramel and mustard.

Friday, June 27
—Dance Machine (8 p.m., ABC)
Six everyday folks compete in a series of dance-offs set to popular tunes.

Saturday, June 29
—Factory (10 p.m., Spike)
A new comedy series about four small-town guys, who grew up together and now all work in the local
factory.

Tuesday, July 1
—Celebrity Family Feud (8 p.m., NBC)
Al Roker hosts a celebrity edition of the popular game show. Some episodes will feature a celeb and his or her real-life relatives, while others will feature nostalgic and current TV families.
—Secret Life of the American Teenager (8 p.m., ABC Family)
In what sounds like “Juno” on the small screen, this one-hour drama is about how a teen girl, her family and friends deal with an unplanned pregnancy. The series stars ’80s teen queen Molly Ringwald as the pregnant girl’s mom.

Thursday, July 10
—Greatest American Dog (8 p.m., CBS)
Twelve dogs and their owners compete for the title while living together and taking part in weekly competitions. The winning team walks away with $250,000.
—Burn Notice (10 p.m., USA)
Scorchingly hot spy Michael Weston is back for a second season of espionage and intrigue, and we couldn’t be happier.

Friday, July 11
—Flashpoint (10 p.m., CBS)
Enrico Colantoni — last seen playing one of the best dads on TV in “Veronica Mars” — stars as a member of a highly-skilled team of cops who handle everything from hostage situations to attempted suicides to bomb scares.

Sunday, July 13
—Big Brother 10 (8 p.m., CBS)
The reality series is back for its 10th installment.
—I Love Money (9 p.m., VH1)Memorable contestants from VH1 reality series return to compete against each other for a $250,000 grand prize. Among the group are “Rock of Love’s” Heather, “I Love New York’s” Chance, Mr. Boston and Midget Mac and “Flavor of Love” season one winner Hoopz.

Monday, July 14
—Two tough-as-nails heroines are back on TNT: Brenda Leigh Johnson on The Closer (9 p.m.) and Grace Hanadarko on Saving Grace (10 p.m.).

Tuesday, July 15
—The Cleaner (10 p.m., A&E)
Benjamin Bratt stars as an “extreme interventionist” who helps people in the throes of addiction.

Friday, July 18
—Monk (9 p.m., USA)
Hector Elizondo joins the cast as the obsessive-compulsive detective’s new therapist.
—Psych (10 p.m., USA)
Another popular USA series, another big-name guest star: Cybill Shepherd appears as Shawn’s long-lost mother when the show returns.

Sunday, July 20
—High School Musical: Get in the Picture (8 p.m., ABC)
A group of aspiring actors, singers and dancers go through a summer music program to hone their skills. ABC hasn’t revealed what the winner will get, only saying that they’ll be given “the opportunity of a lifetime.” Vague much?

Monday, July 21
—Wanna Bet? (9 p.m., ABC)
Celebrities wager on stunt-performing contestants, who attempt everything from skiing over 2,000 fresh eggs without breaking them to solving a Rubik’s Cube while blindfolded and under water.

Sunday, July 27
—Jingles (9 p.m., CBS)
After reading the title, I thought this would be a game show that has contestants guessing what product goes with what jingle. But it’s actually a weekly competition in which people write and perform their own jingles. My idea is better.
—Mad Men (10 p.m., AMC)
Last summer’s breakout hit, which follows the exploits of a group of ad-men in the 1960s, is back for its highly anticipated second season.