Rueben's Ramblings

Rookie Blue

Summer TV for the most part has come to an end with only a handful of shows waiting for their season finales to air. And when you think of summer TV programming you think of the top shows such as The Closer, Psych and Burn Notice or the fan favorites such as Eureka, Drop Dead Diva and Leverage.

Covert Affairs

But, there are also the new shows that debut each summer – now that summer programming is more the norm than the exception – and while some of them fried and sizzled in the summer sun there were several that did really well, garnering not only great ratings but a fan following to boot.

Rizzoli & Isles

So, the following, in no particular order, are the shows that took summer by storm (in a good way):

The Glades

Rookie Blue – The ABC police drama – an import from Canadian TV – hit off with the viewers strong and remained that way all summer, hitting nearly 7 million viewers each week, garnering a quick second season renewal after only a few episodes.

Pretty Little Liars

Covert Affairs – This entertaining USA Network spy drama with a heart started off strong with the viewers and got off to a great start in the ratings as well, making it one of the more popular shows this summer.

Rizzoli & Isles – With the combination of wit, charm and a little bit of grit, this TNT cop drama had the trifecta: a great cast, interesting stories and a ready-made audience (thanks to the books for which the series is based on).

The Glades – This A&E cop series may not be the top success of the summer, but it certainly got folks to see Florida in a whole different light and made folks want to stop by for a visit – as long as their lives didn’t end up like the victims depicted in any of the episodes, that is.

Unnatural History

Pretty Little Liars – What do over pampered suburbanite teens and mysteries bring about? A hot little show based on a series of teen novels that made viewers of more than just teen-aged years tune in to the ABC Family Channel.

All of these shows are coming back for more adventures (eventually) so check back here often for updates on their returns.

Haven

SIDEBAR: A couple other shows that may not have broken ratings records, but certainly got a fair amount of attention over the summer, generating some buzz included the Cartoon Network’s first foray into live action in the guise of the series Unnatural History and the new Syfy series Haven based on the Stephen King novel “The Colorado Kid”.

Which new summer shows did you like best? Please feel free to share as I would love to hear what you have to say.