Network television in the United States, once rigidly restricted to a September-to-May schedule, has been forced to reconsider its programme planning as cable and online competitors increasingly show a brazen disregard for tradition.
So just as the Middle East saves some of its best programming for Ramadan, summer in North America has evolved from a rerun-filled graveyard to a creatively fertile breeding ground for an assortment of lively offerings, many of which will be making their way to our screens here in the UAE in the weeks and months ahead.
That includes a number of returning shows that got under way last month, including: season two of AMC's computer-industry drama Halt and Catch Fire, the third (and, alas, final) season of NBC's stylish serial-killer psychological thriller Hannibal; Netflix's hit prison drama Orange is the New Black, which is back for its third season; season two of TNT's post-apocalyptic military drama The Last Ship; the second season of HBO's crime anthology True Detective; and the increasingly bonkers, Stephen King-created sci-fi drama Under the Dome which has just begun its third season. Masters of Sex and Ray Donovan both return for season 3 this month.
They are joined by a selection of newcomers, including a mix of scripted series, documentaries and a few reality curveballs, such as CBS's The Briefcase, which tests families' charitable instincts.
One of the higher-profile dramas is sci-fi drama Sense8, which was released on Netflix last month. It's the first venture into TV production from sibling filmmakers Andy and Lana Wachowski, of The Matrix fame, and was created in partnership with Babylon 5's J Michael Straczynski. The story: eight people realise they're mysteriously connected and must engage in a life-and-death fight that plays out, travelogue-style, in locations worldwide.
The international ensemble includes Daryl Hannah, former Lost star Naveen Andrews and former Doctor Who companion Freema Agyeman. The stars found the project, and the chance to work with the Wachowskis, irresistible.
“I have enormous respect and admiration for their insane, intense, creative brains. Plus, I like to work with great directors,” Hannah said.
“They’re artists, and there are precious few of them,” Andrews added.
Here are a few other new shows to consider tuning in to.
Another Period
Oh, those annoying celeb-clans and the media attention that makes them possible. But what's a family seeking instant fame and fortune to do when it predates TV and blogs? That's the plight of the Bellacourts of swanky Newport, Rhode Island, circa the early 1900s, in the Comedy Central satire Another Period. Created by and starring Natasha Leggero and Riki Lindhome as misbehaving sisters, the comedy also features Mad Men star Christina Hendricks, Lauren Ash, Michael Ian Black and Paget Brewster.
ABC's answer to your post-Mad Men 1960s withdrawal is The Astronaut Wives Club, which began a couple of weeks ago. The glossy, stylish series is based on Lily Koppel's non-fiction book about Annie Glenn, Rene Carpenter and the other women whose close ties helped them cope with their astronaut husbands' hero status and the inevitable fallout. For the women, there was unimagined glamour – tea with the first lady – but hardship and sacrifice as well in a time when women were still battling for liberation.
Life Story
An armchair travel experience of a different kind than that of Sense8 is offered by Discovery's six-part natural-history series that began last month in the US. Narrated by the inimitable David Attenborough, Life Story tracks animals as they go about their daily, often perilous routines in locations scattered across 29 countries. Want to see the mating dance of the astoundingly colourful Australian peacock jumping spider? Of course you do, and here's your chance – shot in ultra-high definition.
Show Me a Hero
This HBO mini-series from top-tier writer David Simon (Treme, The Wire) and director Paul Haggis (Crash), dramatises Lisa Belkin's nonfiction book of the same name. Set in Yonkers, New York, it examines how residents and the mayor (Oscar Isaac) react to a federal order to build low-income housing in white neighbourhoods. The impressive cast includes Catherine Keener, Alfred Molina, Winona Ryder and LaTanya Richardson-Jackson in a sharp-edged examination of race relations and community attitudes. It begins on August 16.
Serial Thriller
If you'd like to cast a chill over your summer, the Investigation Discovery network obliged last month with the three-episode mini-series Serial Thriller, its first scripted series and one it promises will "propel viewers" into a community "terrorised" by a serial murderer. The narrative approach is based on accounts from those involved in the true-life case it is based upon. True-crime buffs may crack the case early on, the channel said, but others will have to stay tuned to figure it out.
Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll
Comedian-turned-serious actor Denis Leary, who played a deeply flawed fireman in FX's acclaimed Rescue Me, returns to the channel as a deeply flawed musician in Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, which he also created. He plays Johnny Rock, frontman of 1990s New York band The Heathens, who broke up the same day their eagerly awaited debut album was released (Johnny's high jinks were to blame). The hard-luck rocker dreams of a comeback but, for now, is lurking in the shadows as a songwriter for young singer Gigi (Elizabeth Gillies). The series, which begins on July 16, also features Sex and the City star John Corbett as Flash, Johnny's former bandmate.
• Check www.osn.com for the latest details of UAE broadcast times
