A look at summer's new TV shows

Think you're doomed to a summer of reruns? Sure, you can probably drown your sorrows over Law & Order's demise by watching repeats of the series' eleventy-billion previous episodes, and the networks might pop a used sitcom or procedural or two onto their nightly schedules.

But for those of us who like first-run stuff, this is the summer of our contentment -- new shows, new episodes of returning shows, returning shows we forgot existed (welcome back, Last Comic Standing). We crammed as much into this summer preview as we could. And even then, this is just TV series (and we left some out!); there'll also be new specials, movies and miniseries to keep you busy.

10 THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO

In order of appearance:

The Good Guys : Matt Nix's whacked-out, Dallas-filmed action comedy -- starring Bradley Whitford, left, as a loose-cannon cop and Colin Hanks, right, as his uptight partner -- begins its regular run. 8 p.m. June 7, KDFW/Channel 4

Drop Dead Diva : The show itself is a little soapy, even for a Lifetime comedy-drama, but Brooke Elliott is fabulous as full-figured lawyer Jane, whose body actually houses the soul of Deb, a wannabe model who died in an accident. In the second season, we find out the repercussions after Deb learns that Jane had a secret husband. 8 p.m. June 6, Lifetime

True Blood: The lurid, sweaty and addictive human-vampire romantic-horror-comedy-drama returns with psychic Sookie (Anna Paquin) searching for missing vampire love Bill (Stephen Moyer), with the help of a benevolent werewolf (Joe Manganiello). Which means, of course, malevolent werewolves will also be around. Alfre Woodard and James Frain are among familiar faces on board for Season 3. 8 p.m. June 13, HBO

Hot in Cleveland: It's always iffy to look forward to a sitcom these days, but with the resurgent Betty White in the cast, we're cautiously optimistic. She plays the property manager to three middle-age women (Valerie Bertinelli, Wendie Malick and Jane Leeves) who move from Los Angeles to Cleveland, where they're more, um, in demand than they were in sunny Southern California. 9 p.m. June 16, TV Land

Memphis Beat : Jason Lee, sans his My Name Is Earl mustache, plays a Memphis police detective -- who also happens to be an Elvis impersonator. The combination of the affable Lee and Memphis music gives us high hopes for this one. 9 p.m. June 22, TNT

Rescue Me : Denis Leary's firefighters-behaving-badly series (heck, everyone behaves badly) begins Season 6 with Leary's Tommy Gavin, shot at the end of Season 5, having a vision of his afterlife, and it ain't pretty. Think that'll be a wake-up call to Tommy and he'll start treating people, including himself, better? Don't count on it. Not with the people he has to deal with. 9 p.m. June 29, FX

The Choir : Glee goes real-life, sorta, in this British reality series following choirmaster Gareth Malone as he travels Britain's schools, trying to assemble a choir good enough to compete in the World Choir Games, aka the Choir Olympics. This was a big, award-winning hit in Britain, and it makes its U.S. premiere this summer. 9 p.m. July 7, BBC America

Mad Men: Season 3 of Matthew Weiner's elegant, twisted take on the 1960s ended with ad man Don Draper and his former Sterling-Cooper cronies getting ready to start their own advertising firm. We'll have to wait till this fourth-season premiere to see where it goes from there. 9 p.m. July 25, AMC

Rubicon: James Badge Dale (The Pacific) plays -- shades of Three Days of the Condor -- an intelligence-agency analyst who stumbles onto a sinister conspiracy. If this is as good as Mad Men and Breaking Bad, AMC's other originals, we're going to be hooked quickly. 7 p.m. Aug. 1, AMC; moves to regular 8 p.m. time slot Aug. 8.

The Big C : One of the best actresses currently working, Laura Linney, stars in this new dark comedy about a teacher and mom who learns she has terminal cancer. Oliver Platt plays her husband and Precious' Gabourey Sidibe plays a precocious student. 9:30 p.m. Aug. 16, Showtime

10 NEW SHOWS WE'RE KINDA CURIOUS ABOUT

Are We There Yet? Everybody Hates Chris' Terry Crews and Half and Half's Essence Atkins play a newly married couple with a blended family in this new comedy based on the movie of the same name and executive-produced by Ice Cube, the movie's star. 8 p.m. June 2, TBS

Persons Unknown: Seven strangers wind up in a deserted town with no idea how they got there, and they have to figure out what's going on in what sounds like a mash-up of Lost, The Prisoner and Big Brother. Alan Ruck, Jason Wiles, Kandyse McClure and Lola Glaudini are among the stars. 9 p.m. June 7, KXAS/Channel 5

Neighbors From Hell : In this new animated series, MADtv's Will Sasso does the voice of a good-natured demon who's sent to Earth so that he can stop a giant drill from exposing hell. While he and his family try to fit in, they discover that Earth can be pretty ... hellish. 9 p.m. June 7, TBS

Scoundrels: Virginia Madsen headlines this comedy-drama about a mom trying to get her family of small-time criminals to go straight after Dad (JAG's David James Elliott) is sent to prison. 8 p.m. June 20, WFAA/Channel 8

The Gates : Yet another dark-side-of-the-suburbs series, it stars Frank Grillo and Marisol Nichols as a Chicago couple who move their family to an exclusive mountain community where weird and supernatural things happen. 9 p.m. June 20, WFAA/Channel 8

Rookie Blue: Reaper's Missy Peregrym stars in this ensemble drama about five fresh-from-the-academy cops. Everwood's Gregory Smith co-stars. 8 p.m. June 24, WFAA/Channel 8

Louie : Comedian Louis C.K.'s last attempt at a TV comedy, HBO's Lucky Louie, didn't go over so well. Perhaps this series, an autobiographical sitcom about his life as a single father to two daughters, will try harder. Doesn't hurt that it's after the rambunctious Rescue Me. 10 p.m. June 29, FX

Haven: In this new series based on Stephen King's novella The Colorado Kid, Emily Rose plays an FBI agent who comes to Haven, Maine, on a routine case and stumbles on a refuge for people with supernatural abilities. 9 p.m. July 9, Syfy

Rizzoli and Isles: Dallas' Angie Harmon plays a tough Boston detective; Sasha Alexander plays her best friend, a medical examiner. Based on a series of Tess Gerritsen novels, this should pair well with The Closer, which will be its lead-in. 9 p.m. July 12, TNT

Work of Art: The Next Great Artist : Or, Project Canvas, as this new competition series from the Project Runway folks searches for -- well, you can probably guess from the subtitle. Sarah Jessica Parker is also an executive producer, and art enthusiast China is the host. Could be the next big thing for Bravo. But also could be like watching paint dry. 9 p.m. June 9, Bravo

10 RETURNING SCRIPTED HITS (OR AT LEAST FAN FAVES)

Saving Grace: After a basketball-playoff-induced hiatus, the series about a misbehaving cop (Holly Hunter) and the angel who tries to save her soul (Leon Rippy) returns to air its final episodes. 9 p.m. Monday, TNT

Burn Notice : The Miami-set spy drama, featuring Jeffrey Donovan as a "burned" (i.e. fired) spy trying to get his rep back while helping out ordinary folks, begins Season 4 with Third Watch's Coby Bell coming aboard as a counterintelligence agent. Because, apparently, there aren't enough hot people on this show already. 8 p.m. June 3, USA

Royal Pains : Summer series don't get much more breezy than this light medical drama starring Mark Feuerstein as a doctor-for-hire among the well-to-do in the Hamptons. Henry Winkler joins the cast in Season 2 as Feuerstein's father. 9 p.m. June 3, USA

Lie to Me : Recently renewed for the fall after a long hiatus had its future in doubt, this drama featuring Tim Roth as a "deception detection" expert airs new episodes during the summer. 7 p.m. June 7, KDFW/Channel 4

Leverage: Timothy Hutton returns for a third season of leading a motley crew of con artists as they bring down fat cats who've given the shaft to the little guy. And TNT takes a risk by getting into the Sunday-night scripted-show game. 8 p.m. June 20, TNT

Hawthorne : Jada Pinkett Smith returns for a second season as a tough-but-compassionate nurse in this series that's not as good as Nurse Jackie but is more successful than Mercy . 8 p.m. June 22, TNT

Warehouse 13: The entertaining sci-fi comedy-drama about two bantering Secret Service agents (Eddie McClintock, Joanne Kelly), who track down weird artifacts with links to the paranormal, begins a second season. 8 p.m. July 6, Syfy

Eureka: The future of Eureka is in doubt as a new season of this quirky sci-fi comedy-drama begins, but since Eureka is a town full of geniuses -- well, geniuses and the merely ordinarily resourceful Sheriff Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson) -- we're comfortably certain that someone will come up with a solution that will save the town. 8 p.m. July 9, Syfy

The Closer : Kyra Sedgwick returns for a sixth season as Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, known for her intense interrogation techniques, junk-food addiction and often messed-up personal life. 8 p.m. July 12, TNT

Weeds: Drug-dealing mom Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) and her family are back and still attracting trouble, especially after one of Nancy's sons killed someone. 9 p.m. Aug. 16, Showtime

10 SHOWS WE'RE A LITTLE DUBIOUS ABOUT

Jersey Couture : Hmm, wonder where they got this idea: a reality series about Diane & Co., a family-run fashion store described as the playground for store-runners Kimberly and Christina, daughters of store owner Diana Scali. 9 p.m. June 1, Oxygen

Downtown Girls : MTV's latest dip into the shallow end of the reality pool follows the exploits of Shallon Lester, a blogger for Glamour.com, and her equally glamorous friends as they take Manhattan. 10 p.m. June 1, MTV

The Hard Times of RJ Berger : Paul Iacono plays the lead in this scripted comedy, which is about an unpopular 15-year-old whose life changes when his "anatomical gift is accidentally exposed to the entire school." So he's ambidextrous, right? 10 p.m. June 6, MTV; moves to 9 p.m. Mondays beginning June 14

Warren the Ape : In this bizarre mash-up of aspirational reality TV and crude sitcom, Warren the Ape is the latest patient of the ever-earnest Dr. Drew Pinsky, who may have met his match in this ready-for-rehab puppet. 9:30 p.m. June 14, MTV

Long Island Princesses Unleashed : This reality series follows four young women who all sound like good candidates for VH1's You're Cut Off, listed below. But they're not cut off. They're rich! Oh, they have their problems, but -- they're rich! 9:30 p.m. May 30, E!

You're Cut Off: No, this isn't about limiting alcohol consumption -- it's about limiting conspicuous consumption. Nine young women enter "spoiled rotten rehab," where they have to learn to live without money and become productive members of society. 8 p.m. June 9, VH1

Late Night Liars : Comedian Larry Miller hosts this surreal-sounding game show, in which two human contestants face off against four celebrity puppets "who are half-sauced and telling half-truths." The puppets come from Henson Alternative, an adult arm of the Jim Henson Co., so don't expect any of them to be as sweet as Elmo. 10 p.m. June 10, GSN

Bethenny Getting Married?: The tentacles of the Real Housewives franchise stretch to this spinoff, in which New York "housewife"/author/chef Bethenny Frankel prepares to wed fiance Jason Hoppy and become a mom. 9 p.m. June 10, Bravo

Downfall : In this new game show, contestants answer trivia questions on top of a tall building. If they win, they get money. If they lose -- no, they don't get thrown off, the money does. We're not to the point where they get thrown off. Yet. 8 p.m. June 29, WFAA/Channel 8

Bachelor Pad: Yes, it's what you think it is: Twenty former contestants of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette living together, looking for love and playing games to avoid being evicted before winning the big prize. Big Brother, they've been watching you. 7 p.m. Aug. 9, WFAA/Channel 8

SIX SHOWS THAT MAKE US HUNGRY

The Next Food Network Star: Former Keller resident Melissa d'Arabian won the last season of this show and now has her own Food Network show, Ten Dollar Dinners. This combines the cooking-competition elements of Top Chef with TV-demo challenges that make you realize just how good people like Rachael Ray really are at their jobs. 8 p.m. June 6, FOOD

Top Chef : Washington, D.C.: The D.C. area provided Season 6 with some formidable contestants, so why not just set Season 7 there? Eric Ripert, who's been a guest judge on some pretty tough challenges, becomes part of the regular judging panel. Tiffany Derry, who's originally from Beaumont but is now executive chef at Dallas' Go Fish Ocean Club, is one of the contestants. 8 p.m. June 16, Bravo

Inedible to Incredible : Chef John Besh, who just missed being a Food Network "Iron Chef," hosts this series that turns clumsy cooks into people who make things you actually want to eat. 9 p.m. June 21, TLC

Cupcake Dreams: The cupcake craze inspires a six-episode series about Georgetown Cupcake in Washington, D.C., and its owners, sisters Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Kallinis. 9 p.m. July 16, TLC

Masterchef: Fox becomes the next food network to star top chefs in a masters competition -- ah, you get the idea. Culinary competition. Gordon Ramsay is one of the judges, along with Graham Elliott Bowles and Joe Bastianich, but at this point it's hard to tell just what makes this different from Top Chef other than one head judge's being known to be ruder than Tom Colicchio and this being a noncable show. 8 p.m. July 27, KDFW/Channel 4

Food Trucks : Tyler Florence hosts this competition series, in which seven teams of the country's best food-truck cooks make their way across America, battling to see who can sell the most wares in each city they stop in -- including Fort Worth, where this series popped in recently. 9 p.m. Aug. 15, FOOD

Note to Hell's Kitchen fans: We'd include it in this category, but Gordon Ramsay's yelling upsets our stomach. Yes, we know he's in Masterchef. We hope he doesn't yell as much there.

THREE SHOWS THAT MAKE US WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT

Huge : Hairspray's Nikki Blonsky stars in this scripted series that follows the lives of seven teens at a weight-loss camp, as well as the camp's staff. 8 p.m. June 28, ABC Family

Losing It With Jillian : Jillian Michaels, by far the more strident of The Biggest Loser's two trainers, works to stamp out obesity, spending each episode with a different family and trying to get its members to change their eating and fitness habits. Expect much berating. 9 p.m. June 1, KXAS/Channel 5

Bridal Bootcamp : Fitness expert Cynthia Conde tries to whip 10 flabby brides-to-be into shape in this reality-competition show. 9 p.m. June 9, VH1

It is probably not a good sign that six shows make us hungry, but only three make us want to lose weight.

OTHER NEW SCRIPTED SHOWS

100 Questions : Sophie Winkleman stars in this comedy about a woman who joins a dating service and has to answer a 100-question compatibility test, which leads to stories about her past attempts at love. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, KXAS/Channel 5

Pretty Little Liars : Lucy Hale, Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Shay Mitchell and Sasha Pieterse star in this drama about four estranged friends who reunite when a fifth friend, the former leader of their group, goes missing. And someone knows all their secrets. 7 p.m. June 8, ABC Family

Unnatural History: In this live-action Cartoon Network show, the son of globe-trotting anthropologists takes what he has learned from his and his parents' travels and uses it to navigate a real test of survival: high school. That it's a mystery-ridden school in Washington, D.C., makes things a little more difficult. 7 p.m. June 13, TOON

The Glades : Here's an original idea: Let's set a police procedural in South Florida! Unlike CSI: Miami, however, this one won't make just occasional trips to the Everglades. Australian actor Matt Passmore plays a Chicago cop who gets transferred to a seemingly sleepy Everglades-area community, which turns out to have a lot of crime going on. 9 p.m. July 13, A&E

GET REAL

Mall Cops: Mall of America : More talented than Paul Blart, these real-life security workers at Bloomington, Minn.'s ginormous Mall of America have to deal with everyday problems -- and with some not-so-everyday events, such as an appearance by Sarah Palin. 9 p.m. Thursday, TLC

The OCD Project : In VH1's latest be-lurid-while-helping-people reality series, six people with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder move into a house for 21 days, where they undergo Dr. David Tolin's immersive "Exposure Therapy" and no doubt have plenty of TV-worthy freakouts. 9 p.m. Thursday, VH1

Dad Camp : Relationship expert Dr. Jeff Gardere teaches young fathers-to-be how to be responsible dads in this tough-love series that tries to get across the point that being a parent is a man's job as well as a woman's. 9 p.m. May 31, VH1

Expedition Great White : This new series follows the crew of the Ocean and its efforts to help Dr. Michael Domeier study great white sharks, which we don't have to tell you is a little risky. OK, maybe more than a little. 8 p.m. June 6, NGC; airs regularly at 9 p.m. Sundays

Last American Cowboy : You could probably find a few people 'round here who would take issue with this series' title or its premise: that the last American cowboys come from three families working in Montana. 9 p.m. June 7, APL

The Real L Word : The L Word may be gone, but that doesn't mean it can't inspire a reality series about hot and happening lesbians in Los Angeles. 9 p.m. June 20, Showtime

GET SERIOUS

Boston Med : Following in the sensible shoes of the critically respected Hopkins, this documentary series follows four months in the lives of the medical staffs of Massachusetts General, Brigham and Women's, and Children's Hospital Boston. 9 p.m. June 24, WFAA/Channel 8

ABC News Primetime: Mind Games : The five-part series gets mental with real-life stories about the darkest corners of the human mind, although the examples listed in the synopsis don't say anything about TV executives. 9 p.m. July 20, WFAA/Channel 8

ABC News' Head Cases : Martin Bashir anchors this series about how science and technology are used to look inside people's heads and affect the processes of the brain. I guess I already used the line about TV executives, didn't I? 9 p.m. Aug. 19, WFAA/Channel 8

OTHER RETURNS

The Bachelorette, 8 p.m. Monday, WFAA/Channel 8; moves to regular 7 p.m. time slot May 31

So You Think You Can Dance, 7 p.m. Thursday, KDFW/Channel 4

Cake Boss, 8 p.m. May 31, TLC

True Beauty: Fort Worth's Julia Anderson won the first season of this reality show, which seeks a winner with inner as well as outer beauty. The catch: The contestants don't know that they're playing to show off their inner beauty. 9:02 p.m. May 31, WFAA/Channel 8

Hell's Kitchen, 7 p.m. June 1, KDFW/Channel 4

Wipeout: Sneak peek (a special "blind date" episode): 7 p.m. June 1, WFAA/Channel 8. Begins regular run 7 p.m. June 22

America's Got Talent, 7 p.m. June 1, 8 p.m. June 2, KXAS/Channel 5

Toddlers and Tiaras, 9 p.m. June 2, TLC

Tosh.0, 9:30 p.m. June 2, COM

Whale Wars, 8 p.m. June 4, APL

Bridezillas, 8 p.m. June 6, WE

My Fair Wedding With David Tutera, 9 p.m. June 6, WE

Last Comic Standing: This stand-up competition returns for the first time since Dallas' Iliza Shlesinger won it in summer 2008, and it has a new host: Craig Robinson of The Office and Hot Tub Time Machine, ensuring that at least one funny person will be on the show. 7 p.m. June 7, KXAS/Channel 5; airs regularly 8 p.m. Mondays

The Secret Life of the American Teenager, 7 p.m. June 7, ABC Family

Dance Your A-- Off, 10 p.m. June 7, Oxygen; moves to regular 9 p.m. time slot June 14

Glenn Martin, DDS, 9:30 p.m. June 11, NICK

HGTV Design Star, 9 p.m. June 13, HGTV

Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, 8 p.m. June 15, Bravo

Jonas L.A. (formerly Jonas), 7:30 p.m. June 20, DIS

History Detectives, 9 p.m. June 21, KERA/Channel 13

Futurama (with new episodes!), 9 p.m. June 24, COM

Make it or Break It, 9 p.m. June 28, ABC Family

Raising Sextuplets, 9 p.m. June 30, TLC

Being Human, 9 p.m. July 24, BBC America (time approximate after Doctor Who season finale)

Dark Blue, 9 p.m. Aug. 4, TNT

Dating in the Dark, 9 p.m. Aug. 9, WFAA/Channel 8

Shaq vs., 8 p.m. Aug. 10, WFAA/Channel 8

She's Got the Look, 9 p.m. Aug. 25, TV Land

Robert Philpot, 817-390-7872