Like most things of the season, television aired during the summer is generally of a lighter nature; it is meant to captivate and allow us sit motionless, so as not to sweat any more than we already have. While summer shows don't necessarily have to tug on our heartstrings to grab your attention, that does not mean that they should be crappy. Unfortunately, most of what was on this summer was pretty bad. The great returning shows have painfully come undone, and some shows were aired that no person should have been forced to watch. (Rock of Love!? Are you serious?) Yet, at the same time, there was promise. A couple of shows had rookie seasons that, while not spectacular, showed excellent promise. Below are the summer highlights; those that delivered and those that should have, but didn't.Entourage: (HBO) - For the last three years, Entourage had been my favorite show on television. It has great characters, great drama and great laughs. The show is lifted by it'sits frequent and clever use of cameos and references to the movie industry. As Entourage goes into it's its fourth season, it seems like the show has lost its edge. Though the show broke the bank with last summer's mid-season finale, it's slow to rebound. Until very recently, the storyline has avoided addressing the issues that needed addressing, in favor of putting together marginal episodic stories. Basically it seems like the writing staff is playing it safe in order to avoid doing anything that could change the show. Unfortunately, that type of strategy rarely leads to good television. Yet n the last two weeks, the show has snapped back into the main storyline, giving us hope that the show will finally get back toregain it'sits former glory.

Psych: (USA, 35)- Originally meant to be a knock-off of the Emmy winning detective show, Monk, aimed at younger audiences, Psych has surpassed it's predecessor with nerd-chic humor and lovable characters. Yet, while Psych continues to develop in its sophomore season, the show has begun to fall into a pattern and is walking the very fine line between relying on a tried and true formula and growing stale. The writing staff has clearly recognized that show's primary source of humor comes from the principal character Shawn (James Roday) and his sidekick Gus (Dul Hill); there has definitely been a push to make the two of them a pair instead of a protagonist/sidekick relationship. The problem is that Gus, my favorite character, is much more amusing as a sidekick: In most episodes of season one, Gus somehow has a geek-fetish for whatever culture or scene that the duo have to investigate; Gus knows everything there is to know about comic, the civil war, the national spelling bee and safes, to name a few. However, in season two, Gus is less awkward and more involved in the cases; he has gone from a know-it-all tag-along with his cool, gifted friend to an inferior partner who occasionally has something to say. Also, focusing most of the screen time on Shawn and Gus has taken away from the rest of the supporting cast, making the humor somewhat monotonous. In short; USA should have remembered the age-old saying; "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Last Comic Standing: (NBC, 7)- I will preface this with a warning; I hate reality shows. I hate American Idol. I hate Survivor. But I love(d) Last Comic Standing. I loved the show, not because it was any different from any other reality show, but because I like stand-up; in the past, LCS has taken relatively unknown stand-up comics and given them national exposure. This year the show has "gone international" taking comics from Australia and England in an attempt to widen the scope of the show. All this has done is increase the number of "blooper" episodes, twenty-minute montages of the worst comics who tried out. Worse still is the fact that, even after enduring the extra-long series of humorless jerks, the show time and time again failed to choose the best comics, instead opting for those who seem like they might make for good reality fodder. Yet over time, with this season being worse than everwith the season rapidly deteriorating, LCS has become what I always feared it would, a comedy-themed reality show.

So You Think You Can Dance: (Fox, 13)- So You Think You Can Dance is the epitome of summer television; it's light, yet dramatic. You laugh a lot and cry a little, but most importantly, you watch it religiously. The differences between Dance and Idol are very subtle; so subtle in fact that I'm not entirely positive I understand them myself. Somehow, Dance manages to keep people invested in the show, without attaching them to individual contestants. If I had to guess, and mine is as good as yours, I would say that the reason there is less drama regarding who is voted off of Dance is because, as a whole, the contestants are much more talented than those on Idol. People get attached to specific singers on Idol because some of them are clearly better than others; it can be gauged by the tone and power of their voice. On Dance, because every contestant is excellent, at least in their specialty; if one of them performs badly, we simply assume they had a bad night. Subtleties aside, every week, there are enough amazing moves to keep to people interested. Regardless, one thing is clear; So you think you can Dance will definitely advance to next summer.

John from Cincinnati: (HBO) John from Cincinnati has big cement shoes to fill, possibly made of cement because it's , sitting in the Sopranos' old time slot. The show follows the trials and tribulations of a very dysfunctional family of pro-surfers in California who meet a mysteriously ignorant man named John who is hinted to be the messiah himself. The show is very cryptic; you have to watch very closely to figure out what's going on. It also moves very slowly, giving you just enough to remain somewhat intrigued. This is most definitely not for those with a weak attention span. If you can stay focused, though, the show is an example great storytelling and features a large and emotionally diverse cast. Personally, I think that John is a good show, but shouldn't have been released in summer, when people are generally looking for lighter fare.

Burn Notice (USA, 35) Continuing its trend of quirky, upbeat version classic TV sub-genres (Monk and Psych are funny detective shows while other newcomer The Starter Wife is plays as a "down to earth" version of The O.C.) Burn Notice takes the business of being spy and breaks it down into easy to digest pieces. The show follows Michael Weston (Jeffrey Donovan), a government spy who is "burned" (forcibly retired) and placed in Miami on a kind of international house arrest. He is forced to re-unite with an ex-girlfriend (Gabrielle Anwar), a retired spy (Bruce Campbell), and, of course, his mother (Sharon Gless). While in Miami, Weston spends his time doing odd jobs that require his type of expertise, while trying to find out why he was burned. The show has flaws, but if you can look past them it is a gem. First of all, the acting is terrible. Donovan is stiff as a board, and everyone is clearly reciting written dialogue, and poory written dialogue at that. What saves this show, it's greatness, is it's accessibility. The characters may not be deep, but they are easy to understand and they are very likable. Most notable is Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar); a trigger happy ex-IRA agent whose love for Weston is made all the more sweet by the fact that she's a complete psychopath. If you like predictable, entertaining television, then Burn Notice is right up your alley.

Not having great shows wasn't that bad, though. Even if you didn't take it as a sign that you should go outside, there were other things on to hold your interest. Watching Barry Bonds break the Home Run record, Michael Vick's dog-fighting scandal are prime examples of how real life is often better than anything we can up with in our heads. Plus, even as we speak better shows (Like Showtime's Weeds and Californication) have already started running. After long summer of barbeques and fun in the sun, the world of television is ready to help you get reacquainted with the great indoors.