Summertime is the right time to check out missed shows
A information rerun is hard to find this summer, but people who count on summer repeats as a way to catch up on shows they missed aren't lock out of luck.</p><p>After years of watching their viewers drift away to cable in the summer months, the telecast networks are fighting back with everything new - new reality shows, new games and, this summer, even new dramas. All of these new shows encourage reruns off the schedule.</p><p>The theory is that in this day of DVRs, on-demand viewing, streaming video and downloads, anybody who wants to see a show has already seen it; thus, no impecuniousness for reruns.</p><p>But the truth is that many things, including life, can keep you from watching everything on TV you might want to watch.</p><p>Some people lately don't have enough time, until summer. Others, burned by past experience, are understandably reluctant to latch onto a new show until they're convinced it will survive. Others might think a show isn't for them, only to discover that it might be but they've missed a lot of episodes.</p><p>Catching up can be challenging, but it isn't impossible. Here's a look at some shows to demand out this summer, and how to find them. All have been renewed for fall, and some are even airing in reruns.</p><p>-"The Good Wife," CBS</p><p>What it's about: Alicia Florek (Julianna Margulies) goes back to labour as a lawyer after her politician husband (Chris Noth) is sent to jail.</p><p>Why you'll like it" "The Capable Wife" skillfully blends legal procedurals with the juicy personal stories of Alicia and her household and colleagues, including Christine Baranski, Josh Charles, Archie Panjabi and (as Alicia's equal at her new firm) Matt Czuchry. Excellent performances and good writing lift the screenplay far above the ordinary.</p><p>Where to watch: CBS still likes summer reruns, and "The Good Wife" is nothing but the kind of show that will draw solid audiences the second time around. So look for repeats at 10 p.m. Tuesdays this summer. The full mellow is also available online for streaming or download on iTunes, Amazon, Netflix and other sites.</p><p>In reruns on CBS this summer: Freshman hit "NCIS: Los Angeles" (9 p.m. Tuesdays).</p><p>-"The Vampire Diaries," CW</p><p>What it's about: Teenage Elena (Nina Dobrev) falls in inamorata with classmate Stefan (Paul Wesley), who's actually a vampire - problem enough even before Stefan's bad-vampire fellow-man Damon (Ian Somerhalder) arrives.</p><p>Why you'll like it: In the hands of Kevin Williamson ("Dawson's Stream"), "Diaries" combines the aching romance of the "Slump" series with a multilayered, soapy story of small town secrets.</p><p>Where to wary of: The CW is cleverly pairing reruns of "Vampire Diaries" with repeats of the canceled CBS vampire stage production "Moonlight" at 9 and 10 p.m. Thursdays.</p><p>In reruns on the CW this summer: "Spirit Unexpected" (10 p.m. Tuesdays), a sweet - and renewed - drama about a foster boy reunited with her birth parents.</p><p>-"Glee," Fox</p><p>What it's about: A high school satisfaction club uses music to cope with bullies, boy-and-girlfriend problems and even serious stuff.</p><p>Why you'll like it: Dialect mayhap you've heard a little something about "Glee," which ends its season this week with deafening high and soaring ratings. Plus, it's already been renewed for two more seasons.</p><p>Where to watch: Wisely, Fox will air repeats at 8 p.m. Thursdays birth next week, because even people who couldn't be bothered with "Glee" during the regular spice, or just never got into the "Glee" groove, may find that its mixture of silliness and poignancy is fair perfect for summer.</p><p>In reruns on the Fox this summer: Fox isn't running anything else yet, but stay tuned.</p><p>-"V," ABC</p><p>What it's about: Aliens earth on Earth promising great things but hiding an evil agenda.</p><p>Why you'll like it: "V" offers lavishness of eye candy, from the dazzling beauty of alien leader Anna (Morena Baccarin) to the pongy chief-tech gloss of the Visitors' ships. The complicated story should also be more appealing now that ABC has given viewers a pretext to invest by picking "V" up for fall.</p><p>Where to watch: Except for comedy repeats, ABC's dedicate is 100 percent new this summer. But Season 1 of "V" is available for purchased download or streaming at Amazon, iTunes and Netflix, as well as for preorder on DVD (no delivering date yet). Or catch up free online with the last five episodes at ABC.go.com/V and Hulu.com.</p><p>In reruns on ABC this summer: Comedies repeats "Fresh Family" and "The Middle" (both highly recommended) and "Cougar Village" (which hasn't won me over) air from 8-10 p.m. Wednesdays.</p><p>-"Parenthood," NBC</p><p>What it's about: A multigenerational blood calls on humor to cope with challenges.</p><p>Why you'll like it: "Parenthood" tells many stories at once and tells them well, with the approach switching from lighthearted to downbeat without missing a note. The casting (especially Peter Krause and Lauren Graham as siblings and Craig T. Nelson as the crusty patriarch) is also super.</p><p>Where to watch: NBC isn't airing "Parenthood" reruns at the moment but could schedule them before the summer is over. Meanwhile, episodes are at free on demand on Charter and will stream until September on NBC.com and other online sites.</p><p>In reruns on NBC this summer: The Thursday non-stop comedies, including "30 Rock," which always deserves a second look, will get multiple airings.</p><p>Gail Pennington: gpennington@leg-dispatch.com
