Summer television used to be a programming wasteland, populated by the withered, stumbling revenants of shows that had seemed so fresh and alive just months before. We called them reruns.

Now things are different. Oh, summer’s still a wasteland, but at least the networks — primarily the cable networks — are investing in new programming. Some of which is even watchable.

This summer promises a bevy of series that may appeal to the supehero and science fiction fan. A couple have direct comic-book ties. A few may even qualify as “watchable.”

Hex

Thursdays at 10 p.m., BBC America

Thursday night’s premiere sneaked up on me, so I’ll have to catch Hex sometime this weekend.

But judging from the commercials and the trailer, Hex falls somewhere between Dark Shadows and Buffy the Vampire Slayer — with some ’70s horror films thrown in for good measure:

Shy outcast Cassie is off to a remote British boarding school, where she wants desperately to be part of the in crowd. Her feeble attempts to be accepted appall lesbian roommate Thelma, who only has eyes for Cassie.

When our heroine sneaks into an old campus building for a smoke, she discovers an ancient artifact that curses her with mystical abilities, which she quickly learns she can use to her advantage. But power comes with a price.

Let’s see, “shy outcast,” “remote British boarding school,” “lesbian roommate,” “ancient artifact” — this will either be trashy fun or absolutely terrible.

The 4400

Season premiere at 9 p.m. June 11, USA Network

When USA initially began promoting The 4400 in 2004, I pegged it as a rip-off of Steven Spielberg’s Taken miniseries. Was I ever wrong. Now heading into its third season, The 4400 has become must-watch television for me (although I’ve seen most every episode, I still happily sit through the occasional marathons).

If you’ve never seen it, here’s the show in a nutshell: A comet comes hurtling toward Earth, but instead of destroying everything in its path, it mysteriously touches down in a lake in the Pacific Northwest. It disappears in a blinding flash of light, leaving behind 4,400 people — all of whom have been presumed dead or missing since their disappearances weeks, months, decades ago. None of them have aged a day and, what’s more, they all display superhuman abiltities: strength, precognition, healing.

Season Two saw a government-created disease spread through The 4400, growing public suspicion and a couple of big cliffhangers that I won’t spoil here. Sunday’s two-hour season premiere picks up moments after the finale ended, with series executive producer Ira Steven Behr promising, “This season is going to be bigger and more mythic.”

You can watch a preview here. USA also has The 4400 Special: Unlocking the Secrets available online, to help you catch up with the story so far.

Entourage

Season premiere at 10 p.m. June 11, HBO

Okay, so nobody on Entourage has unusual powers (except maybe Ari), but after The CW’s surprise announcement last month, this is probably the closest Aquaman fans will come to seeing their hero on TV.

Although it apparently began as a one-off gag, the idea of up-and-coming actor Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) starring in a James Cameron-directed Aquaman movie has grown to become a key storyline. Season Three may actually see Vince in that (in)famous green-and-orange costume.

The Venture Bros.

Season premiere at 10:30 p.m. June 25, Adult Swim

To think Sopranos fans complain about the waits between seasons: Almost two years have passed since the Season One premiere. Two years. Ah, well. I’m sure it’ll have been worth the wait.

If during that hiatus you haven’t caught reruns on Adult Swim, The Venture Bros. is a hilarious sendup of Jonny Quest, with a healthy dose of the Hardy Boys. It centers on the eponymous twins, teen-agers Hank and Dean, their self-loathing scientist father, Dr. Thaddeus “Rusty” Venture, and their deadly bodyguard, Brock Samson.

The Venture Bros. is also full of comic-book allusions, from Hank’s Aquaman Underoos and Dean’s Spider-Man pajamas to the Dr. Strange-esque Dr. Orpheus to The Impossible family, a disturbing parody of the Fantastic Four.

When we left The Venture Bros., way back when, it appeared as if Hank and Dean had died. But if comic books have taught us anything, it’s that dead doesn’t necessarily mean dead.

Kyle XY

Series premiere at 8 p.m. June 26, ABC Family

“Who is Kyle XY?” the network’s website asks. That’s a good question, particularly since ABC Family doesn’t appear to have put much promotional muscle behind this new series. If I hadn’t picked up the June 5 TV Guide on a whim, I still probably wouldn’t know about the show.

The premise is intriguing, though (even if some have said it echoes Fox’s John Doe): A teen-age boy is found dazed and naked in the woods, missing basic human emotions, memories — and a belly button. He’s obviously not an ordinary kid, something that’s underscored by his unusual behavior and extraordinary abilities.

You can vew a trailer at the show’s information-bare minisite.

Blade: The Series

Series premiere at 10 p.m. June 28, Spike TV

The only show on the schedule with direct comic-book ties, Blade is an adaptation of the movies, which, in turn, were adaptations of the comic books. Got that?

You know the story at this point: Blade, the Daywalker, wages all-out war on the vampires, who are determined to rule and/or destroy mankind.

Kirk Jones, aka Sticky Fingaz of Onyx, stars as Blade. However, it’s the people behind the scenes who are most notable: the series’ writers include Geoff Johns and David S. Goyer.

There’s a trailer for the series on the minisite.

Who Wants To Be A Superhero?

Series premiere at 8 p.m. July 28, Sci Fi

The strangest entry on the list, by far, is Stan Lee’s reality series in which contestants compete for a chance at four-color immortality. Sort of.

In American Idol fashion, thousands (?) of hopefuls turn out, with the finalists moving together into a “secret lair” where they live their lives as the characters they’ve created for themselves. All under Lee’s “watchful eye,” apparently.

The winner of the six-week competition will have their character immortalized in a comic book written by Lee, and appear in a Sci Fi Channel Original movie.

Also worth noting:

Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King — eight hour-long episodes debut at 9 p.m. July 12 on TNT. The cast includes William H. Macy, Kim Delaney, William Hurt, Steven Weber and Henry Thomas.

Stargate SG-1 – the 10th season premieres at 9 p.m. July 14 on Sci Fi

Stargate Atlantis – returns at 10 p.m. July 14 on Sci Fi

Eureka – series premieres at 9 p.m. July 18 on Sci Fi

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 10th, 2006 at 8:00 am and is filed under Animation, Television. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.