What Shows Are Worth Watching in the Summer?

Let's face it, summer television sucks. For a long time this was the season when people at the networks just bombarded everyone with reruns of everything. It was, in some respects, a good way to catch up on shows you maybe didn't get a chance to watch during the regular season. For the most part, summer television still sucks. These days the networks dump reality show after reality show in the summer season. For the most part, reality shows suck, so it stands to reason that summer television sucks.

However, there are a few gems out there. The surprising thing is that some of these shows are reality shows are reality shows. If you take a look at my other content, you will know I am an avowed hater of all things reality show. I despise "American Idol" more than I think it is humanly possible to hate a television show. However, in the summer there are some unique reality shows that manage to be entertaining.

"Hell's Kitchen" has slowly become one of the few reality shows I can still watch. But wait, you say, didn't you write, not long ago, about how cruel Simon Cowell is and how he mistreats people? Isn't Gordon Ramsay, the curse-word-spewing head chef of this show even worse? The answer to both of those questions is yes. Yet, for some reason, I like Gordon and hate Simon.

I think it has to do with the nature of the shows. You see, if someone cannot sing, they can go take lessons and try to get better. If they have talent writing songs they can become a songwriter. The world does not need another pop music star to clutter up the airwaves with mediocre love songs. However, everyone in the world still needs to eat. If the chef doing the preparing of that food doesn't do it to amazingly high standards, not only is it a waste of money, it can be downright dangerous. If you are like me and have food allergies galore, you would appreciate a maniacal head chef covering your back and ensuring the food going out is up to his or her high standards. Therefore, I find myself willing to give Gordon a pass when it comes to being mean. Someone needs to tell Simon that it's just pop music.

"Last Comic Standing" is a show that did nothing for me the first two seasons it was on. For some reason this season the show has really grown on me. Maybe it just has to do with the three judges this season. I have been a big fan of Kathleen Madigan for a long time and seeing her as a judge this year really helps me like the show that much more. Yes, the same cringe-inducing first shows make me want to change the channels when one bad comedian after another comes on stage. However, once you get past it, some of those people really are very, very funny. Often, even the ones who don't move on to the next round have me laughing. I really liked the guy who talked about how oil in the ocean isn't a bad thing because that's what we cook fish in anyway. He suggested what was really needed was a lemon wedge spill. He didn't move on to the next round, but I would pay to see him perform here in Chicago.

"Kyle XY" is a show that has been banished to a relatively obscure cable network. Namely, it plays every Monday night on ABC Family. Now, who the hell watches ABC Family? Yeah, I thought so. I ignored this show until I got the entire first season on DVD and had to watch it in order to review it. It ended up completely hooking me. It is the story of a young man who wakes up in the forest with no clothes, memories or understanding of the world and yet has amazing mental and physical abilities. It manages to be intriguing, exciting, sweet, funny and intense and balance all of them quite well. The second season has just started and I strongly suggest you check it out.

"Mythbusters" is just a great show on the Discovery Channel. If you haven't watched this show, now is your chance. I promise you will not be disappointed. You have Adam, Jamie, Toryt, Grant and the hottest smart woman on television, Kari Byron testing myths of all kinds every week. My god is this show great. There is nothing better than watching these guys blow stuff up. I still think the greatest show they have ever done was when they ended up completely destroying and blowing up a cement truck in a quarry. It was just the coolest thing ever without anyone actually getting hurt which just adds to the coolness. It must be a blast just to hang out with these guys. In the summer they start showing new shows, but they also rerun the older ones.

"Deadliest Catch" is a show that teaches you that the deadliest job on the planet may be catching crab off of the Alaskan coast in the Bering Sea. Every year this show follows the crab fishermen as they head out into horrific conditions. High seas hit them every year followed by snow and ice. When you realize they are risking life and limb just so you can walk into a restaurant and order crab, it's even more amazing. It seems mundane, but trust me, you end up caring about these people. Every year Sig Hansen and his brothers have been on this show and every year I tune in and find myself glad they're back for another year. Seriously, people do die and you sometimes get to see it on this show.

"Man vs. Wild" and "Survivorman" are almost the same show, but both are fantastic. In fact, I am not even sure if, during the summer, they have new "Survivorman" shows, but I know they keep showing older ones. In both a man ends up in the most inhospitable climates and areas and try to survive. Watching a man named "Bear" on "Man vs. Wild" squeeze water out of fresh elephant dung into his mouth is a sight I am not likely to ever forget. At the same time watching the guy on "Survivorman" cut the stinger off of a scorpion in order to eat it is another sight I am not likely to forget anytime soon.

There are other shows out there and I know that some swear by them. However, I have never been enough of a fan of Kyra Sedgwick to watch "The Closer" and I have tried watching "Rescue Me" but it just never quite grabbed me. Still, those are out there and enough people seem to think they're great and you may want to check them out.

As for me, I will continue to root for Chef Ramsay, while worrying about a bunch of crab fishermen and waiting for the Mythbusters to blow something else up. Lord knows there won't be any baseball to get in the way of my TV-watching this season here in Chicago. However, if you like baseball, there is that to watch during the summer too.

Finally, if nothing here appeals to you, then dammit, get outside. It's summer after all!