Your Summer Watching List

It's summertime, y'all! Maybe not officially, but it's sunny and warm here more days than most and the kids I work with are starting to go ca-razzy (thanks, Tom Haverford), so that means that summer is upon us. Ron Swanson gets what I'm talking about. And you know what they say, April showers bring May season finales, so as all of the great and terrible shows from this year start to end my mind looks ahead to the wasteland of nights with nothing new to watch. Oh, sure, you could do something silly like go outside in the summer, but once you're tired of that or the fog starts rolling in or if you live in a place where it actually gets too hot to go outside, well...that's what this list is for. It's a reminder of shows you may have forgotten about or put off watching until you had the time, and of the shows that will be airing new episodes this summer that are worth checking out. And, IMO, summer is a time for shows that are silly, lighthearted, and not too thinky (unless you're Mad Men, but there's no new Mad Men until NEXT YEAR. *SOB* Blame the effing bureaucrats.). That's why you'll find Wipeout on the list, but not Breaking Bad (which is too dark, depressing, and gruesome for me any time of year, thankyouverymuch), along with some of my favorite shows that I haven't gotten a chance to talk about on here yet.

Away we go!

My Love For Fringe...

...is like a red, red, rose? Or perhaps it's more like an aquamarine rose that only exists in an alternate universe.

Fringe is a tough show to write about. Yes, part of that is because of the mystery aspect of the show, and my reticence to not give anything away to those who may not have discovered its greatness yet. But it's also because, the way the show is structured, events don't unfold the way they did with, say, Lost. And as the show has matured (and improved), the structure itself has changed.

Fringe started off a little weak. Most of the first season is basically just a paranormal crime procedural, with each episode centering around a different "fringe" event that may or may not have anything to do with the larger story of the season. I know it lost some people around the middle there, but the end of season 1 is definitely worth watching, if only to see the superb Jared Harris (Lane Pryce on Mad Men) being superbly creepy. So, if you're new to Fringe and don't feel like slogging through some of the weaker episodes, my advice is this: watch the first two and the last two episodes of the season. That's all you really need. I do think any show is better if you watch all of it, but here, it's not completely necessary.

The second season of Fringe took the awesomeness of the end of season 1 and ran with it. The strength of the show really lies with the characters at the heart of it and the myriad relationships between Olivia, Peter, and Walter. Given material with more depth and an expectation of growth, Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, and John Noble consistently deliver performances that are strong, endearing, realistic, and often funny. Humor was another concept that season 2 embraced whole-heartedly, going as far as naming an episode "Brown Betty" after a particularly potent strain of Walter's marijuana. I really love the embracing of weed and hallucinogenics as part of the mythology of Fringe; it's awesome to be able to say, "We're going to pump this character - and ourselves - full of acid and then take a journey through her brain", and have that be a normal day on Fringe.

"I'm fine! Just staying at home...chillaxing."

Now for the dramatic equivalent of a rundown.

Fringe

If you're not watching Fringe, and you like SciFi...why are you not watching Fringe? It's really developed into a great, compelling show after the first part of the first season started off a little weak and slow. Now in its third season, Fringe has found an audience and a pacing and a story that works quite well, in addition to some truly unexpected twists and turns. I'm not going to say anything else here in fear of ruining it for you, but suffice to say it's awesome, entertaining, and sexy. You should really be watching it.

Bonus: Hot Joshua Jackson is Hot.

there's something about Pacey

i mean, that's the thing. there really is just something about Pacey. and bless Joshua Jackson for (a) realizing that and (b) not taking himself too seriously. oh, Josh. didn't you know that this would simply make me fall deeper in love with you? or perhaps that was your intention all along?

Pacey-Con with Joshua Jackson from Joshua Jackson

i really wish i could have been there to let him know that i've devoted my life to Pacey - that my adulthood has been shaped by his amazing character. i could have made Team Pacey tees! i would have stayed to listen to his fan fiction. and OMG the shirts! if you're going to Pacey-Con you gotta have the right shirts (i actually thought that guy who yells, "you're great on Fringe!" was saying "you're great on Friends!" because his shirt is SO early Chandler.).

i could probably write Pacey For Dummies.

for realsies though, Pacey is legitimately one of my favorite characters of all time. (if you want to read more about my thoughts/love for Pacey & The Creek, go here) i certainly think he's one of the best and most nuanced romantic leads on television. i definitely think he could kick Dawson's ass. and as for Joshua Jackson, like my friend said after watching this: +10 cool points to him. i think Funny or Die provides a great forum for celebrities to make fun of themselves while celebrating the people who love their work...but Josh, did you have to do it so well that you just made me fall in love so hard all over again? i can't compete with Helen of Troy, man.

in the meantime, Fringe is crazy awesome, and JJ does a stellar job (acting, as well as being sexy) on it. it's summertime...go catch up before the new season starts!

Image via Gawker