Seniors, once you move back into your parents' basements, you're going to have a lot of free time on your hands. Instead of wasting it on applying for jobs (futile) or researching grad schools (why?), do something productive and check out this handful of television shows premiering over the summer:
Falling Skies: Robert Rodat and Steven Spielberg have teamed up to create a series so high-budget it will almost inevitably fall short of viewer expectations. "Falling Skies" documents the struggle for human survival after a vicious alien attack on the planet. Mixing state-of-the-art computer graphics with Spielberg's longstanding sci-fi instincts, this show has enormous potential but even bigger shoes to fill — after all, he did direct "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" (1982). (Premieres June 19 on TNT.)
Switched at Birth: ABC Family continues its obsession with teenage familial drama with this upcoming series that follows the lives of two 16-year-old girls who were — you guessed it — accidentally switched at birth and taken home by the wrong families. One of the girls, the ineptly named Bay Kennish (Vanessa Marano), consequently grew up quite wealthy in a nuclear family, while the other girl, Daphne Vasquez (Katie Leclerc), struggled through her adolescence in a single-parent home. When the two families find out and are forced to converge and conflict happens, or something. To top it off, poor Daphne went deaf as a child from an untreated case of meningitis (this touches my heart?). Let the squabbles and subsequent cheesy bonding sessions begin; this one's a winner for all you viewers out there who curl up in your Hannah Montana PJs and watch marathons of this garbage while eating peanut butter from the jar. (Premieres June 6 on ABC Family.)
The Hot Zone: Set in Afghanistan in 2006, this hospital drama will delve into the professional and (obviously) personal lives of war zone doctors from Canada, Great Britain, the United States and other allied countries. No trailer has been released yet, but the show could prove refreshing compared to the current TV drivel, with plots that fixate more on sexual matters than medical ones. If the writers and producers are brave enough to explore the gritty, terrifying day-to-day turmoil of an Afghanistan war hospital, then "The Hot Zone" could turn out quite hot indeed. (Premieres June 21 on ABC.)
Happily Divorced: Here's to getting with the times: Peter Marc Jacobson, who co-created "The Nanny" (1993-99) with then-spouse Fran Drescher, is now teaming up with his ex-wife once more. "Happily Divorced" will closely mirror the couple's real-life divorce, shortly after which Jacobson came out of the closet. The two (in true Hollywood fashion) remain close friends, and apparently feel that it's necessary to retell their wacky story in sitcom format. Drescher will star as the suspiciously named Fran, opposite John Michael Higgins playing the male lead of Peter. This is either a desperate re-creation of the past (both "The Nanny" and their past life together), or a witty homage to their lifelong relationship. (Premieres June 15 on TV Land.)
Wilfred: Probably the most winning of the shows previewed in this article, "Wilfred" stars Elijah Wood as Ryan, a struggling young man who freaks out further when his neighbor's dog, Wilfred, starts appearing to him as a human in a dog suit (played by series co-creator Jason Gann). Together they conquer delightfully surrealist territory — to Ryan's dismay, Wilfred looks and acts like a plain old dog to everyone else. Since Gann also starred in the previous Australian version of this series, it will be interesting to see how he adapts himself to an American audience. My bet is that Wood will be great; arbitrary joke about hobbits. (Premieres June 23 on FX.)
