TBS and TNT Plan a Cool Line-Up For Hot Summer Nights

Before long, we'll be into the lazy hazy and hot days of summer. Sure, there will be fun in the summer sun, but there will also be evenings spent in air-conditioning watching television, too! At least, that's my plan.

Keeping up with providing new and original programming, both TNT and TBS have new and returning original series slated for us. If you have basic cable, you've got both of these networks. And, if you haven't been checking them out lately, you really should do so. They're not just running repeats, y'know!

TBS, the Very Funny Network, has a new series, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, scheduled to premiere on Wednesday, June 6, at 9 PM ET/PT. Tyler Perry is best known for Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Madea's Family Reunion. I got a bit of a sneak peek at this show and I admit I identify with the lead character's take on children. Just based on that, I'll be giving the show a shot. Anything which can make me smile is a good thing, right?

On Tuesday, July 17, at 9 PM ET/PT, another original series will premiere -- The Bill Engvall Show. Again, I got a sneak peek. It's of the dysfunctional family genre but with the twist of the husband being a family counselor for a living. Once again, the sneak peek made me smile, so I'll be checking this show out, too. Although, looking at the day and time, it may be up against Big Brother. Uh-oh. It's a good thing I can record shows, eh?

My Boys, my favorite current sitcom outside of How I Met Your Mother, returns with new shows on Monday, July 30, at 10 PM ET/PT. The show is current, cute, witty, and has a great cast. What? You have never seen it? Sheesh... watch it. If you liked Sex in the City and Friends, this one is a shoe-in although it's not quite like either show.

Over at TNT where they know drama, I admit to being a Law and Order rerun addict. But, like TBS, they're in the original show game, albeit drama rather than sitcoms.

On Monday, June 18, at 9 PM ET/PT, The Closer returns for its third season. This heart-pounding, yet not without a sense of humor, crime drama is a must see for me. It's well-written, keeps the pace, and boasts an excellent cast. Watch it and you just might get hooked on it!

Following The Closer season premiere on June 18, a new series makes its debut. Heartland is a medical drama starring Treat Williams as a surgeon who will take any risks to save his patients in the organ donor world. I'm not always too keen on medical dramas, but I enjoy Treat Williams, so I'll have to give this show a look-see at the very least.

On Wednesday, July 18, at 10 PM ET/PT, another new original drama premieres on TNT. Saving Grace stars Holly Hunter as a "cynical police detective facing a personal crisis of divine proportions." Hmmm... the sneak peek I had of this one is definitely intriguing. The series looks quirky, fast-paced, and exciting.

On Sunday, August 5, the limited series The Company makes has its premiere. It will be aired two hours a night, three Sundays in a row. Starring Michael Keaton, Alfred Molina, and Chris O'Donnell, it portrays the events of the Cold War from both the CIA and KGB perspectives. This show looks like an intelligent, well-produced event rather than mere television fodder. Again, I'm sure to check it out.