By Andrea MacLean
Believe it or not, we’re almost halfway through 2012 already and summer is just around the corner. But if you’re stressing over a lack of summer plans on your horizon, don’t worry, there are plenty of options available: host a barbecue, attend a free summer concert or two, take a day trip to the beach or catch up on this season’s TV shows – there were some REAL goodies this past fall.
The Vampire Diaries: It’s Twilight meets True Blood meets Beverly Hills 90210 (the original, not the new lame version) and it’s to die for. “The Vampire Diaries” is the story of two vampire brothers who are obsessed with the same girl. In season one, Stefan (Paul Wesley, “Fallen”) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder from “Lost” and lovingly referred to by many of his devoted fans as “Ian Smolderhotter”) returned to their hometown of Mystic Falls, Virginia, for very different reasons. Stefan was determined to get to know Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev, the upcoming film, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”), who bears a striking resemblance to Katherine Pierce (also played by Dobrev), the beautiful but ruthless vampire the brothers knew and loved – in 1864. Damon, on the other hand, was intent on releasing Katherine from the tomb where he believed she was trapped by a witch’s spell all those years ago (from cwtv.com). Check out seasons 1 through 3 ASAP.
Ringer: The destined-to-be-a-hit show debuted this fall and started very slowly, but it gets better finally finding its groove about 1/3 of the way through. The show stars Sarah Michelle Gellar (there’s an homage to “Buffy” from Joss Whedon’s hit series: “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” in the season finale, but you have to be on the watch for it) and Ioan Gruffudd (the only crew member that turned his boat around to find survivors in the icy North Atlantic waters in Steven Spielberg’s “Titanic”), need I say more? Here’s the premise: after witnessing a murder, Bridget Kelly (Gellar) goes on the run, hiding out by assuming the life of her wealthy identical twin sister (from cwtv.com). Check out season 1 and pray there’s a season 2 in the pipeline.
SMASH: OMG I love this show and though it’s more of a drama than a comedy, I think it’s a bagillion times better than “Glee.” “Smash” is a musical drama that celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater as it follows a cross section of dreamers and schemers who all have one common desire – to be a smash (from nbc.com). The core cast includes Hollywood and Broadway heavy-hitters like Anjelica Huston, Uma Thurman and Debra Messing, and Megan Hilty (one of the first to play “Glinda” in the hit musical, “Wicked”) and Katherine McPhee (who should have won “American Idol” Season 5 instead of Taylor Hicks!). Check out season 1 of NBC’s AMAZING hit show and enjoy some incredible singing, dancing, back-stabbing and sexual tension.
Game of Thrones: I haven’t tuned into this much-buzzed series from HBO because, let’s be honest, a person can only juggle so many TV shows at once, but my work colleagues can’t seem to stop raving about it and they’re pretty tough critics, so it must be fabulous. “Game of Thrones” is an HBO original series based on George R.R. Martin’s best-selling ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series where seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. The show has an amazingly rich cast of veteran and award-winning actors as well as some new comers and seems to be a clever mélange of adult drama and fantasy. I say “yes please!” and will dive into seasons 1 and 2 to find out what everyone’s been talking about.
Downton Abbey: This critically acclaimed drama from Masterpiece Classic begins in the years leading up to World War I and centers on the wealthy Crawley family, their servants, their huge manor house and a vanishing way of life. The series kicks off with the death of the Crawley family and estate’s heir in the sinking of the Titanic and takes us through the delectable crises of a family on the cusp of reduced circumstances in a time when only men could inherit, having a job was disgraceful, women had no freedom and appearance and propriety were everything. Check out seasons 1 through 3 and be prepared to stay up until 4 a.m. while locked inside your apartment on the weekends because you can’t stop watching.
So, before you head out for a lazy day at the park this summer, sign up for Netflix Instant Streaming, Hulu Plus, Amazon Video on Demand or any of the many streaming options you like best, grab your tablet of choice and sink your teeth into some of these TV treats.
A little bit about me: I begrudgingly love my iPhone. I’m having an on-again off-again fling with technology – it’s on when it’s actually useful and off when it’s just the latest way to waste time. Admittedly, I have a mobile shopping addiction problem, but am getting help. It hurts my feelings when reporters don’t respond to my amazing pitch emails, but I’m secretly envious of them, since they get to spend their days writing about cool stuff. I like piña coladas, have two kitties and am a new mom-to-be.
