Addictive Summer TV Shows
What to Watch When It's Raining on a Hot Summer Night
Some entertaining summer tv shows for the family
Addictive Summer T.V. Shows
Alas, it is the season of the non-season in TV. American Idol, Scrubs, Law and Order and other favorites are in repeat mode, and bored summer TV viewers are forced to try to find something new to watch. Cable helps! Check out these fun shows.
America’s Got Talent
If for no other reason than to see how drunk David Hasselhoff is or watch Sharon Osborne flirt with the teenage dancers (she uses the word ‘squeeze’ a lot), the show is down to the finals. There’s a unique girl who beatboxes while she sings, some wacky lip-synching ethnic Napoleon Dynamite-type dancer dude, the usual array of singers and dancers, and even a lassoing cowboy. Oft called “America’s Got No Talent,” it’s fun to watch if there’s nothing else on.
Cash Cab
If you haven’t checked out this fun game show on the Discovery Channel, definitely tune in. The host, Ben Bailey, who can be funny but at times sinister with his villanesque eyebrows, drives a taxi cab in New York and unsuspecting passengers become contestants. Bailey asks them trivia questions, they can ‘shout out’ via cell or cab window for help. When they reach their destination, they can keep the cash or go double or nothing on a video challenge. It’s a really fun show.
Don’t Forget the Lyrics
This seems to be the summer for Name That Tune-style shows. NBC launched “The Singing Bee” with boy band veteran Joey Fatone the same week Fox premiered “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” with funnier and more talented host Wayne Brady. What’s the difference? Not much. Buzzing bee dancers and more contestants participate on the cornier “The Singing Bee,” while “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” is more Who-Wants-To-Be-a-Millionaire in style. Neither show is spectacular, but both have you singing along to 80’s tunes. They should have just brought back Name That Tune!
Man Vs. Wild
While not as wildly popular as its Discovery Channel counterpart “Deadliest Catch” about the dangers of fishing for Alaskan King Crab, “Man vs. Wild” is equally addictive for everyone in the family. English military survivor trainee Bear Grylls is completely entertaining. He is dropped from a helicopter at some remote location such as a frozen mountaintop or barren desert and it’s difficult not to wonder where his camera crew is sleeping while he is in a cave. He eats maggots, sheep eyeballs, raw zebra and much more to stay alive. He says he eats it for the protein, but it’s probably for the ratings!
September and its new batch of shows will be here soon, but for now there are a few fascinating shows to check out on a stormy summer evening.
