This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Once upon a time, summer was a time to, if not quit TV cold turkey, at least cut back. Or, maybe, catch reruns of episodes you missed during the regular season.
But no more. Broadcast channels, cable channels and streaming services are all giving us plenty of new programming in June, July and August. And it's a TV smorgasbord. Including the following:
• Politics and alien bugs ("BrainDead")
• Demons on the loose ("Outcast")
• A comedy version of "Lost" ("Wrecked")
• A surfer crime family ("Animal Kingdom")
• A fictionalized Amanda Knox ("Guilt")
• A soap opera set in a megachurch. ("Greenleaf")
• Ex-ESPN gadfly Bill Simmons' new platform ("Any Given Wednesday")
• 1980s stars singing their standards ("Greatest Hits")
• A family dealing with autism ("The A-Word")
• Battle school administrators ("Vice Principals")
• A drama about Navy SEALS ("Six")
• Celebrities traversing Asia ("Better Late Than Never")
Just to name a few.
Here's a rundown of the new shows on TV this summer:
Already airing
"Feed the Beast" (Tuesdays, 11 p.m., AMC): Two men battle the odds and the mob to open a restaurant.
"Ladylike" (11 p.m., MTV): Prank show that skewers sexual norms.
"Outcast" (8 p.m., Cinemax): A young man (Utahn Patrick Fugit) and a preacher battle demons in this violent horror series.
"The American West" (11 p.m., AMC): Eight-part docudrama with fact-based Western tales from the latter half of the 19th century.
"Ride With Norman Reedus" (11 p.m., AMC): The "Walking Dead" star motorcycles around America in this reality/travel series.
"BrainDead" (9 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2): Inside-Washington politics drama in which alien bugs are crawling in people's heads and taking them over.
"Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge" (9 p.m., NBC/Ch. 5): Crazy-hard obstacle-course competition.
"Guilt" (10 p.m., FreeForm): A young American woman is accused of killing her roommate in London.
"Animal Kingdom" (7 p.m., TNT): Ellen Barkin stars as the matriarch of a crime family.
"Uncle Buck" ( 8 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4): Sitcom based on the 1989 John Candy movie.
"Wrecked" (Tuesdays, 8 p.m., TBS): In this comedy version of "Lost," a group of plane-crash survivors are stranded on an island.
Monday, June 20
"EJNYC" (2 a.m., E!): Reality show about spoiled rich kids — a spinoff of "RichKids of Beverly Hills."
Tuesday, June 21
"Greenleaf" (Tuesdays, 8 p.m., OWN): Family soap opera set behind the scenes of a Memphis megachurch run by and for mostly African Americans.
"This Is Mike Stud" (Tuesdays, 8 p.m., Esquire): Reality show about a former baseball player-turned-rapper.
Wednesday, June 22
"American Gothic" (9 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2): A prominent Boston family is rocked when it appears that one of their own may be an infamous serial killer.
"Any Given Wednesday With Bill Simmons" (11 p.m., HBO): The ex-ESPN personality hosts this weekly talk show.
Thursday, June 23
"Queen of the South" (10 p.m., USA): A woman is forced to seek refuge in America after her drug-dealing boyfriend is murdered in Mexico.
"Thirteen" (11 p.m., BBC America): Drama about a woman freed after being held captive in a basement for 13 years.
Friday, June 24
Bizaardvark (9:30 p.m., Disney): Comedy about two friends who write funny songs and post them online.
Sunday, June 26
"Roadies" (10 p.m., Showtime): Writer/director/producer Cameron Crowe's new musical series about a group of rock-band roadies. Luke Wilson stars.
Tuesday, June 28
"Gold Medal Families" (7 p.m., Lifetime): Docuseries about six Olympic hopefuls and their families.
"Dead of Summer" (10 p.m., FreeForm): A summer camp reopens — but something evil (and murderous) is lurking.
Thursday, June 30
"Greatest Hits" (8 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4): Six-week "music event" features chart-toppers from 1980-85 sung by the original artists.
Friday, July 1
"All or Nothing: A Season with the Arizona Cardinals" (Amazon): Sports reality series.
"Marcella" (Netflix): British crime drama about a female police detective.
Sunday, July 3
"The Hunt" (10 p.m., BBC America): Nature documentary series.
Tuesday, July 5
"Greatest Ever" (8 p.m., truTV): Pop-culture comedy countdown.
Sunday, July 10
"Brad Neely's Harg Nallin' Sclopio Peepio" (1:15 a.m., Cartoon Network): Animated sketch-comedy show.
"The Night Of" (10 p.m., HBO): Eight-part limited series about a complex New York City murder case with cultural and political overtones.
Wednesday, July 13
"The A-Word" (11 p.m., SundanceTV): Six-part British series about a family whose young son is autistic.
"Black and White" (11:30 p.m., A&E): Comedians Christian Finnegan and Sherrod Small host this talk show centered on issues of race.
Friday, July 15
"Stranger Things" (Netflix): Set in the 1980s, this drama is about what happens when a young boy vanishes into thin air.
Sunday, July 17
"Vice Principals" (11:30 p.m., HBO): Danny McBride ("Eastbound & Down") returns to HBO in this new comedy as one of two high-school vice principals — the other is played by Walton Goggins ("Justified") — who are battling to become the next principal.
Monday, July 18
"Six" (11 p.m., History): Fictionalized action series about SEAL Team 6, carrying out missions in Afghanistan.
Tuesday, July 19
"Shooter" (11 p.m., USA): Ryan Phillipe stars as a former Marine sniper who gets caught up trying to prevent the assassination of the U.S. president.
Wednesday, July 27
"Ozzy & Jack's World Detour" (11 p.m., History): Ozzy and Jack Osborne travel the world.
Friday, July 29
"Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh" (Netflix): Animated series about a young Earth girl and a friendly alien.
"Last Chance U" (Netflix): Six-part documentary series about junior college football players.
Friday, Aug. 12
"The Get Down" (Netflix): Musical drama about how New York, at the brink of bankruptcy, gave birth to hip-hop, punk and disco.
Sunday, Aug. 14
"Chesapeake Shores" (10 p.m., Hallmark): A woman returns to her hometown to bail out her sister's struggling inn in this new drama.
Monday, Aug. 22
"Cheer Squad" (11 p.m., FreeForm): Reality show that follows a champion cheerleading squad.
Tuesday, Aug. 23
"Better Late Than Never" (9 p.m., NBC/Ch. 5): Four celebrities — Terry Bradshaw, George Foreman, William Shatner and Henry Winkler — travel across Asia with no itinerary and no help.
Wednesday, Aug. 24
"Gomorrah" (11 p.m., SundanceTV): Italian crime drama set inside the mob.
Wednesday, Aug. 31
"Shut Eye" (Hulu): Dark drama set inside the shady world of storefront "psychics" in Los Angeles.
spierce@sltrib.com
Twitter: @ScottDPierce