Ah, summer. Hot weather, a monotonous job, and more hot weather. Luckily, TV's there to save you — with reruns. Ugh.
But this summer TV season could be slightly more interesting than usual. Why? New series and new episodes of old shows are on their way to keep us glued to the boob tube. Because the summer is about a lot more than blockbuster movies, and the beach is way overrated.
The season's most anticipated show? The Real World: New Orleans, of course. What happens when you take seven 18 to 25-year olds and put them in the nation's biggest party town? We can only hope to find out. Here's what we know so far: The cast consists of David, Matt, Danny, Julie, Melissa, Jamie and Kelley. While they're not busy hanging out in their colonial-style house, rumors have it they're working at both the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center and on a cable access show. Whatever the case, you can be sure they'll take enough days off to leave plenty of time for drama.
Speaking of "The Real World," be sure to look for "Real World: Hawaii" castmember Colin on NBC's "M.Y.O.B." That stands for "mind your own business," and that's exactly what we think you'll be doing after a couple episodes, although the show comes from Don Roos, the man behind the incredible film, "The Opposite of Sex." The most interesting part is that "M.Y.O.B." will be shot in "single camera" fashion, which isn't the norm for sit-coms. It's worth a shot for Roos, but as far as NBC sitcoms go, we imagine we'll still be "Will & Grace" devotees.
The 'reality TV' craze continues with CBS's "Survivor" and "Big Brother." On "Big Brother," a diverse group lives in a house that's watched 24/7 by cameras. If it sounds like "The Real World," think again: it's not. "Big Brother"'s 10
participants cannot leave the house for three months. Period. And the house? It's back-to-basics, with rationed hot water and even a flock of chickens. CBS is still casting this show, so if you want on, apply. The incentive: The "winner," selected by the audience via phone votes, wins $500,000. "Big Brother" will broadcast five nights a week beginning in late June.
On "Survivor," a group of 20 strangers is also limited to a place with few modern conveniences. But this time, it's an island. The participants compete for $1 million in an interesting voting scheme: Each week, the cast votes one person off the island. Once the cast is whittled down to two contestants, the last eight castmembers to be booted will vote to determine which of the two prevails. In other words, pissing each other off isn't a good idea. And it's rumored that the nice ones sometimes get kicked off early, maybe because the others feel threatened. The contestants have to find their own food (save for a ration of rice), plus compete for things like pillows. "Survivor" starts May 31.
