Beautiful Women from Summer Television

Beautiful women acting in original television in the summer? Yes!

Television is becoming a year round viewing pleasure. More and more cable channels are presenting original programming and at non-traditional times of the year. The old fall intro with thirteen weeks of shows and then reruns is no longer the scheduling paradigm.

Viewers have been treated to a number of good actresses who happen to be beautiful this summer. Shows such as Covert Affairs, Leverage and Royal Pains are providing both stimulation for our brains and for our eyes.

Covert Affairs allows Piper Perabo to shine in her first starring role in a television series. At 34, she looks a decade younger as she dashes across the screen in her role as a novice CIA operative. Piper wowed us in Coyote Ugly and has worked steadily in film and on television. She sings and dances, and just completed a stint on Broadway in Reasons to Be Pretty.

Working with Perabo is Kari Matchett. This 40 year old beauty plays her CIA boss in Covert Affairs. Matchett has had many recurring roles on top television series such as ER, 24, Nero Wolfe Mysteries, and Earth: Final Conflict.

A native of Canada, Matchett graduated from the National Theatre School and has college work and summer stock to her credit. She has also played Timothy Hutton's ex in the summer hit, Leverage.

Speaking of Leverage, two of its stars qualify for our beautiful women of summer television list.

Gina Bellman, at age 44, brings an elegance and grace to Sunday night at the grifter member of the Leverage team. She's worked most of her career in England so her brunette beauty is new and refreshing to American audiences. She has an Audrey Hepburn-like quality on screen.

The other beautiful Leverage team member is the acrobatic thief played by Beth Riesgraf. At 32, her career dates back only a decade and the role of Parker is her breakout role. This former prom queen has paid her dues in a succession of small parts until now. Riesgraf's slim and shapely physique are perfect for the role of the wall climbing, elevator shaft rappelling Parker. Recent episodes have allowed the actress to spread her acting wings with story lines about her mentor and coaching in grifting from Sophie, Gina Bellman's character.

Royal Pains may be meandering a bit in plot lines this season but it continues to feature the beautiful Reshma Shetty. This is Shetty's big break, having just a handful of bit parts to her credit before the sidekick role of Divya Kidare on Royal Pains. She has a Masters degree in Music and a diploma in opera. She's 33 and we hope to see a lot more of this West Asian beauty in the future.

New to Royal Pains, and sadly a part of the meandering plot lines, is Anastasia Griffith. Her role as love interest and competitor for Pains' star Mark Feuerstein is one of three big roles in her short, 6 year career. She also starred in Trauma as a paramedic and on Damages as a lawyer. This 32 year old was born in France and raised in England. She has a degree in Art History and has attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

That makes six beautiful and talented women from summer television. We will be seeing more from these actresses and watching them in any season.