My Summer TV Diet

If you think this is going to be about how I plan to watch less TV in the summer, you might want to clutch your pearls and read something else. I, queen of reality competitions, love me some summer television. Here’s what’s on my radar:

UnREAL

This scripted drama follows the production of a Bachelorette-type reality series, created by actual reality TV veteran, Sarah Gertrude Shapiro (who previously produced The Bachelor; you see where this is going). It only just premiered last night, but I’m anticipating getting lots of satire-but-almost-too-real glimpses at the craft of reality field production. (Lifetime, June 1)

So You Think You Can Dance

Twelve seasons for this “American Idol, but they’re dancers” competition, and I still really love it. With the departure of scream queen Mary Murphy and American Idol having just said its last goodbye, I suspect this might be my last summer to settle in with SYTYCD. I’ll be cherishing every moment. (Fox, June 1)

Orange is the New Black

Season three of OITNB starts up in 10 days, and in exactly 12 days, I will have finished it. Gotta love the Netflix binge-watching model. (Netflix, June 12)

True Detective

The cast is totally different for round two of this… show. I don’t even know how to describe it. Is it the same show anymore? I’m guessing there will still be detectives? And something will be true? Maybe I should watch the trailer. (HBO, June 21)

Big Brother

I’m getting the greatest gift for my birthday this year: The Big Brother 17 premiere. This is another reality competition I’ve been watching since its debut. For most of my life, actually, in this case (quite literally). It’s part MTV’s Real World, part Survivor, and part 1984 (the Orwell novel), but it’s 100% addicting. (CBS, June 24)

The untitled Caitlyn Jenner project

Caitlyn Jenner broke the internet yesterday with her Vanity Fair cover, which just makes me even more excited for the “untitled Bruce Jenner” docu-series project we’ve been promised from E!, which might as well be the Kardashians! channel now. (E!, July 26)

Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp

The hilarious 2001 summer camp movie is coming back as a miniseries, with the entire original cast, including Bradley Cooper, Amy Poeler, Kristin Wiig, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Rudd, Jon Hamm, Paul Scheer… seriously, just look up the cast list and get psyched with me. (Netflix, July 31)

What are you watching this summer?

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In case you missed it: Together with the team at Martha Stewart, I’m giving away a summer entertaining essentials prize package (worth more then $250), with everything you need to outfit your pool deck, patio or little corner of the beach this summer. Click here for five ways to enter.

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