2009 Summer TV: Returning Series
'Grey's Anatomy,' 'The Office' and 'American Idol' may be over, but the 2009 TV season is just heating up.
We're giving you the lowdown on all of this summer's hottest returning shows -- 'Mad Men,' 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and 'The Closer,' just to name a few -- to keep TV fans cooking over the next three months.
Check out all the big returning shows in our 2009 Summer TV gallery.
AMC / HBO
'So You Think You Can Dance'
Premieres: Thu., May 21, 8PM (Fox)
Premise: 'Idol' whatsit? Fox's other (and, some might argue, better) performance reality show will attempt to ease America's post-Lambert pain by bringing us not just one but two seasons of ultra-competitive dancing, the second to follow in the fall. Cat Deeley returns as host for both seasons, so let the waltzing, tango-ing, Bollywooding and hip-hopping begin. Na-na-na-na-na!
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Fox
'Burn Notice'
Starring: Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell,Sharon Gless
Premieres: Thu., June 4, 9PM (USA)
Premise: Michael Weston (Donovan) may have unraveled the mystery of who burned him at the end of last season -- we take his diving off the helicopter into the ocean as a sound rejection of the offer to bring him back into the fold. Expect more of Michael as an independent agent ... but don't think the agency is through with him yet.
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USA Network
'The Next Food Network Star'
Premieres: Sun., June 7, 9PM (Food Network)
Premise: Boasting one of the coolest prizes in all of reality TV, season 5 gets cooking with 10 new Food Network star wannabes, all vying to win their own cooking show. Sometimes dubbed the other reality cooking competition, we prefer to think of it as 'Top Chef' Plus, since the dramatic challenges aren't just about skills in the kitchen -- they're also looking for new personalities for the network.
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Food Network
'Raising the Bar'
Starring: Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben, Jane Kaczmarek
Premieres: Mon., June 8, 10PM (TNT)
Premise: In its second season, the legal eagles of 'Bar' continue to battle in the courtroom. Jerry (Gosselaar) defends a barber who's prosecuted after his nephew sells crack out of the shop, while Marcus is ordered to take a hard line on the case. And finally, the show addresses the really big issue: Jerry's hair.
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TNT
'America's Got Talent'
Premieres: Tue., June 23, 9PM (NBC)
Premise: Last season, opera singer Neal E. Boyd walked away with a million-dollar prize, a gig in Vegas and accolades from stars like Il Divo and Placido Domingo. This season, there's sure to be more hilarious auditions and amazing acts. Plus, there's a new host: Nick Cannon.
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NBC
'Big Brother'
Premieres: Day TK, July, Time TK (CBS)
Premise: Dan was crowned the winner of season 10 with a 7-0 jury vote, nabbing a $500,000 cash prize. For season 11, host Julie Chen returns to oversee the mayhem as a new batch of houseguests try to avoid eviction -- expect more alliances, backstabbing and hookups.
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CBS
'Army Wives'
Starring: Kim Delaney, Catherine Bell, Terry Serpico, Sterling K. Brown, Brigid Brannagh
Premieres: Mon., June 8, 10PM (TNT)
Premise: When the show left off, Frank (Serpico) was overseas while Denise (Bell) stayed home questioning their marriage and Pamela (Brannagh) was on the fence about wedding an army man. Coming up, expect to see more of Claudia Joy's (Delaney) daughter Emmalin, and Roland (Brown) will struggle with being a stay-at-home dad.
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Lifetime
'Denise Richards: It's Complicated'
Premieres: Sun., June 7, 11PM (E!)
Premise: The inaugural season gave us a peek into Denise's personal life as she struggled with juggling her career and being a single mom. This time around we can probably expect to see some behind-the-scenes footage from her 'Dancing With the Stars' days, and she'll supposedly be making some life-changing decisions.
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E!
'The Closer'
Starring: Kyra Sedgwick, Jon Tenney, J.K. Simmons, G.W. Bailey
Premieres: Wed., July 15, 9PM (TNT)
Premise: In its second season, the legal eagles of 'Bar' continue to battle in the courtroom. Jerry (Gosselaar) defends a barber who's prosecuted after his nephew sells crack out of the shop, while Marcus is ordered to take a hard line on the case. And finally, the show addresses the really big issue: Jerry's hair.
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Reader Comments (40)
air jordan shoes at 2:41AM on May 22nd 2009
At this moment is listening respectfully to the sound which outside the window spends, is serene and is tranquil, fragrance everywhere, I thought that the kite thin pale appearance must start to wave, they dropped gently in the memory atrium, was soft and is warm, is similar to that wild rose which on the paper traced, inundated my pit of the stomach! in March the kite took off, the spring scenery as always beautiful, will fill the thin pale warm fragrance!
Texas River Rat at 9:28AM on May 26th 2009
I love The Closer! I began watching it because I go for Kiera Sedgewick ... I may have misspelled both those names. In any case, I began watching the program because of her but I've continued it bexause of the support cast. It's the best ensemble group on network TV.
Patty at 8:59AM on May 25th 2009
That picture of Kyra Sedgwick is certainly brushed and glamorized. She doesn't look like that in real life. She is one ugly, funny-looking woman.
JoJo at 9:20AM on May 25th 2009
I wonder if there are any proofreaders working anymore. The main headline was about "The Closer" and Brenda not being the only one in love. You get to the description of the series and it's a repeat of "Raising the Bar". Even if the proofreader had NO CLUE about the series, the words "Raising the Bar" was in the description...I guess it's too difficult to match the pictures with an accurate description these days.
Ruth at 10:04AM on May 25th 2009
Guess I'll have to wait until "The Closer" airs to learn what the new season brings since whoever proofed this article didn't notice that the MAIN STORY was linked improperly to another show. Just another technical problem? Naw, just part of the AOL trend.
Jeff Fleming at 10:13AM on May 25th 2009
Denise Richards? WHO wants to see more of this block of wood? ENOUGH ALREADY!
Jeff Fleming at 10:14AM on May 25th 2009
Denise Richards!!! She should have been on "CAST AWAYS". NO talent..NO personality!...ZIP ...ZERO..NADDA..NO WAY!
sue at 10:45AM on May 25th 2009
So I click on this article because I want to know about the closer and nothing....who ever wrote or posted this screwed up
miramorgan at 10:46AM on May 25th 2009
Is the Closer really premiering on Wed. July 15 (accoring to AOL) along with Raising the Bar storyline, or is it going to be on its regular time Mon at 10 on June 8. I was stunned to see that I was going to have to wait until July
Linda Carol at 10:54AM on May 25th 2009
I'll be reading a lot this summer. I cannot believe the crap their putting on television and cancelling the good shows like, Prison Break and ?With Out a Trace. I know both these shows had good ratings. Even Steven King said Prison Break was the best thing he'd ever seen on TV.
Rediculous!!!