Well it’s that time of year again, the summer fluff is mostly out. And what do I think so far?

• Alphas (Syfy) Stay Tuned – This is yet another spin on the Heroes theme, certain folks have unique abilities, this time they’re working with the government to stop the evil but good and evil just might not be all that clear, this isn’t as campy as some which may make it more watchable or may make it less engaging.
• Awkward (Mtv) Stay Tuned – The high school awkward phase has been done before but there’s just a dash enough of good writing to make the characters and situations interesting, will she make it work with her crush, or is there another guy out there for her, and how much humiliation in the interim.
• Combat Hospital (ABC) Tune Out – Grey’s Anatomy at war didn’t engage me enough to stick through the first episode which maybe isn’t fair or maybe watching at least part was more time than it was worth.
• Falling Skies (TNT) Tune Out – I was borderline on this, it’s not a bad show, about putting up the good fight after an alien invasion, but I just found I didn’t much care about the battles or the relationships.
• The Glee Project (Oxy) Tune In – This is my favorite new show, it has all the ingredients of a singing competition, but the combination of elements in each episode (initial challenge, music video, and final singing for save) and the reality of competing for a role in a specific show with really talented kids makes it a must see.
• Franklin & Bash (TNT) Stay Tuned – The cases and premise are pretty dumb but Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer are still somehow kind of endearing in their rebellious lawyer style.
• Happily Divorced (TVL) Tune Out – Unless you have really been missing The Nanny, this dated feeling sitcom about Fran living with her gay now ex husband is a pass.
• Love Bites (NBC) Stay Tuned – This show didn’t catch on but it was actually a pretty good take on the romcom, boiling every possible story down to three vignettes an episode.
• Necessary Roughness (USA) Stay Tuned – A newly separated shrink gets what seems like a windfall when she’s asked to help out professional football player, but athletes, the team’s staff, and her family may still all be too crazy, she’s pretty likable in the overarching football story but the weekly cases in other sports seem a little too pat.
• The Nine Lives of Chloe King (ABCFam) Tune Out – Always willing to give the weird a shot, in this version this girl finds she’s descended from some sort of cat people, she’s the hope of the race but unfortunately may kill anyone she gets kissy with, will she survive long enough to… whatever it is she’s supposed to do, just nothing really to grab onto.
• The Protector (Life) Tune Out – Not a terrible show but just nothing noteworthy about this police procedural where the title character is a woman trying to balance family and work.
• State of Georgia (ABCFam) Tune Out – Raven-Symoné and Majandra Delfino attempt to play this generation’s Lucy and Ethel and I just can’t get on board.
• Suits (USA) Stay Tuned – It’s unbelievable that a lawyer would risk it all to hire a non law school grad to his firm that only hires Harvard grads, but this all business ‘closer’ has a dynamic with his protege who reads and learns it all protege that is keeping me engaged.
• Switched at Birth (ABCFam) Tune Out – This show was actually sort of sweet in the look at the families and difficulties of two girls who learn they were the biological daughters of different families but it was a little too sappy too keep up with.
• Teen Wolf (MTV) Tune Out – I was intrigued by the new guy as wolf trying to balance that along with friends and romance but it just got too stupid.
• Web Therapy (Show) Stay Tuned – I wanted to like this Lisa Kudrow as internet shrink as her web series made the leap to broadcast, but couldn’t quite enjoy her terrible advice or uncomfortable relationship with her husband.
• Wilfred (Fx) Tune In – The US update to the wacky Australian concept where a guy sees a dog as a man in a dog suit is super odd but I can’t turn away as I wait for whatever unpredictable hijinks Wilfred will get them into.

What else is sticking around in the TiVo queue: Burn Notice, Celebrity Rehab, Closer, Drop Dead Diva, In Plain Sight, Leverage, Louie, Project Runway, White Collar and on occasion but tenuous Eureka, Glades, Rizzoli & Isles.

I do tend to take a pass on most new reality fare.