Summer TV

It's a beautiful day out; why not stay inside with the rest of us geeks?

Blade: The Series (Spike, Wednesdays 10pm) - I know, I know... It should be lame. It should be awful. It should suck (and I don't mean that in a pun-y vampire way). But it doesn't. It's actually a surprisingly enjoyable and well done diversion. No, it's not up to the quality of the movies, but it's much better than you'd think. Seriously. Don't hate. While Kirk "Sticky Fingaz" Jones doesn't offer much sneering his way through every single bit of dialogue, he's no worse than Wesley Snipes was. Sometimes his longer bits of sneering can even be kinda funny. As his sidekick Shen, Nelson Lee isn't a whole lot better, although he does nail some decent lines from time to time. For me, the show is all about Neil Jackson as Marcus, Jill Wagner as Krista and Jessica Gower as Chase. Jackson gives us an evil bastard vampire that's more sympathetic than Blade. Instead of going over-the-top, he plays it more nuanced and charming, and he's a lot of fun. Wagner's Krista is a bit stiff, but she's a solid enough center for the show as a sort of vampire double-agent. And she provides some decent eye candy at times. And then there's Gower... She chews through almost every scene and seems to be having the most fun of anyone --and she looks great doing it.

Kyle XY (ABC Family, Monday 8pm) - On a much more family-friendly note, I'd also recommend Kyle XY. It's an odd blend of The X-Files and after-school specials that works surprisingly well. It follows the story of Kyle, a teenager that wakes up naked in the woods outside of Seattle with super-human abilities, no memory and no belly button. Each week, we learn a little more about Kyle while also learning an important life lesson (lying is bad, strangers shouldn't touch you in the bus station bathroon, etc.). Yes, it's overly saccharine at times, but it's still intriguing sci-fi conspiracy.

The 4400 (USA, Sunday 9pm) - While I've only seen the first season, I'm eager to catch up. TiVo is currently backlogged with this summer's episodes while I work way through the rest. I've heard it just gets better and better. From what I've watched so far, it's a perfect fit for fans of The X-Files and Lost. Decent production values, a solid cast and some very smart writing provide a consistently enjoyable and compelling show. Maybe I should watch it.

Dog Bites Man continues to crack me up. This season's Deadwood seems like an improvement over last season's overly complicated and ridiculously dense Shakespearian tapestry. The Dudesons provides an amusing distraction after a few beers, no more upsetting than the Nathan's Nathan's 2006 Fourth-of-July Hot Dog Eating Contest (viewable online at YouTube). Ugh, my humanity hurts.