Now that the season finales of our favorite spring shows have aired, it’s time to focus on what’s ahead of us: the new shows of summer 2011! Beyond the insane amount of programming that has titles similar to “Fat People Losing Weight,” there are actually some hidden gems among the usual piles of mediocrity that networks like to throw at us in the summer.
The award for the most interesting title goes to “The Nine Lives of Chloe King,” a show from which one would expect some sort of a feline theme. Oddly enough, it doesn’t have anything to do with cats but instead is loaded with superpowers. Chloe King (Skyler Samuels) is your average teenage girl with super abilities: speed, hearing and agility. Oh wait, here’s the cat reference: She also has the ability to climb trees with her claws. Of course, life cannot be normal for our feline-esque protagonist, which brings in the premise of the show. Chloe realizes that she is being hunted by a mysterious group of people. She then discovers that she is part of a race of super-humans that has been hunted down by this organization of assassins for thousands of years. You’ll have to tune in to ABC Family (I know, this station reeks of campiness) to check out this “Wizards of Waverly Place” star as she figures out how to live with a whole new set of superpowers.
On a completely different note and station, Robert Rodat and Steven Spielberg bring an intense new science fiction show to TNT. “Falling Skies” tells the story of the aftermath of an alien invasion of Earth. A group of survivors, known as the “Second Mass,” has to band together for survival. Tom Mason (Noah Wyle), the military-savvy history professor, leads this group on its search for his missing son. “Falling Skies” seems like it will have a very similar feel to War of the Worlds (2005), perhaps because they have the same producer, Steven Spielberg.
The good people at ABC present the next new thing: “Expedition Impossible.” Produced by the guy behind “Survivor,” Mark Burnett, this show follows three teams who compete against each other by racing through deserts, across rivers and over mountains. If “The Amazing Race” and “Survivor” could procreate, “Expedition Impossible” would be their child. The other show that ABC hopes will take off this summer is “The Hot Zone,” which is actually a Canadian-British production that will air on ABC in the United States. Contrary to what the title suggests, this show has nothing to do with Richard Preston’s non-fiction bestseller about the Ebola virus. “The Hot Zone” takes place in a military hospital in a warzone of Afghanistan in the year 2006.
To end on a lighter note, ABC Family brings us the last potentially promising show of the summer, “State of Georgia.” Have you ever wondered where Raven Symone went? Well, we found her. She’s now the star of a show about an aspiring actress named Georgia, who moves from the great state of Georgia to New York City with her best friend, Jo (Majandra Delfino). Watch out, Raven, your ex-boyfriend followed you to New York to win your heart back!
Yes, this sitcom will most likely be a feel-good show containing the usual (and welcomed) sassiness of Raven Symone. If you need just one reason to tune into ABC Family to watch “State of Georgia,” look at it this way: Whenever you see something ridiculous, you will have the full right to say, “That’s so Raven.”
