Showtime's Summer schedule (2010)

Richard Dower

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/04/30/summer-on-showtime-premierefinale-dates-summaries-spoilers/50224


+ TBS and TNT upfront news: http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/05/01/tbs-and-tnt-ready-to-upstage-broadcast-nets/





NEW ORIGINAL SERIES

THE GREEN ROOM WITH PAUL PROVENZA
Premiere: Thursday, June 10th at 10:30 PM ET/PT
30 Minutes, 6 Episodes

From the director of the behind-the-scenes comedy documentary “The Aristocrats,” comes the debut of an unprecedented new comedy series featuring comedian/actor/producer Paul Provenza and the world’s greatest comedians in a roundtable setting, speaking off-the-cuff and uncensored before a studio audience. They share personal anecdotes, intimate thoughts and tackle a wide variety of hot topics, ranging from the state of comedy today to politics to racism to personal life lessons – all with the fearless honesty and lightning-quick, outrageous humor that – until now – only happens when comedians get together in private and the rules don’t apply. Panelists include Roseanne Barr, Sandra Bernhard, Eddie Izzard, Paul Mooney, Bob Saget, and Jonathan Winters, among other notable and legendary talents.

THE REAL L WORD
Premiere: Sunday, June 20th at 10 PM ET/PT
1 Hour, 9 Episodes

THE REAL L WORD is a new reality show inspired by the famed, long-running SHOWTIME® series. Produced by one of the original executive producers of THE L WORD®, Ilene Chaiken, and Magical Elves (Project Runway, Top Chef), this series will follow a group of real-life, hot and happening lesbians in their daily lives, at work and play in Los Angeles. Sometimes real life is even more compelling than fiction.

THE BIG C
Premiere: Monday, August 16th at 10:30 PM ET/PT
30 Minutes, 13 Episodes

The new SHOWTIME dark comedy series THE BIG C stars three-time Emmy® winner Laura Linney as a reserved, suburban wife/mother/teacher whose terminal cancer diagnosis forces her to shake up her life and find hope, humor and the light side of a dark situation. Oliver Platt (Huff, Frost/Nixon) stars as her immature but well-meaning husband, and recurring guest star Gabourey Sidibe (Oscar® nominee for Precious) is a precocious student. It’s all about living everyday as if it might be your last.

RETURNING ORIGINAL SERIES

NURSE JACKIE (Season 2 Finale)
Finale: June 7th at 10 PM ET/PT
30 Minutes

After a disastrous family vacation, Jackie returns to work for a day of reckoning and the mounting pressures and conflicts in her personal and professional life reach a boiling point. Unexpected alliances lead to revelations that even Jackie can’t avoid. Between O’Hara, Eddie, Kevin and a drug dealer whom she stole from when he was having a seizure, the wagons are circling around Jackie Peyton.

UNITED STATES OF TARA (Season 2 Finale)
Monday, June 7th at 10:30 PM ET/PT
30 Minutes

It’s Charmaine and Nick’s wedding day and the Gregson family is on board to make it perfect. Tara is close to figuring out the past and gets even closer when her father absentmindedly reveals a family secret. When she confronts both parents, the truth is finally revealed.

PENN & TELLER: BULL****! (Season 8 )
Premiere: Thursday, June 10th at 10 PM ET/PT
30 Minutes, 10 Episodes

America’s favorite muckrakers are back on track for an amazing 8th season of skewering beloved topics, including “Cheerleaders,” “Vaccinations,” and “Teen Sex.”

WEEDS (Season 6)
Premiere: Monday, August 16th at 10 PM ET/PT
30 Minutes, 13 Episodes

Pack your bags because the SHOWTIME critically acclaimed comedy series WEEDS is hitting the road for season six. Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker in her Golden Globe® Award-winning performance) and family are now on the lam after Shane (Alexander Gould) bopped Mexican VIP Pilar (Kate del Castillo) to death with a croquet mallet. To elude the Mexican FBI, police and mafia, they grab what they can, toss their cell phones and IDs and get rolling. With endless road and possibilities before them, this new adventure is sure to bring new dangers, new identities, new hilarity and maybe even a brand new business.

COMEDY SPECIALS

PRIDE: GAY AND LESBIAN COMEDY SLAM
Premiere: Wednesday, June 2nd at 9 PM ET/PT
1 Hour

Hosted by Bruce Villanch, comedy satirist and resident Oscar® script writer for the past 17 years, PRIDE: GAY AND LESBIAN COMEDY SLAM brings together four of today’s funniest gay and lesbian comedians. The outrageously entertaining comics include Alec Mapa (Ugly Betty), Sandra Valls (Latin Divas of Comedy), Poppy Champlin (Logo) and Scott Kennedy.

HAL SPARKS: CHARMAGEDDON
Premiere: Friday, June 4th at 10 PM ET/PT
1 Hour

Hal Sparks’ (Talk Soup, Dude, Where’s My Car, VH1) smart, straight-edge writing and razor-sharp wit are in full force in this jam-packed one-hour special. In this standing room only concert, Sparks dissects and dismantles some on America’s most sacred cows: the idea that men and women are “different,” country folks are more “real,” and that there is such a thing as a “non-smoker.” Sparks started his stand-up career at age 15 in Chicago and now, a 20-year comedy veteran, he thinks he might … just might … be onto something.

I AM COMIC
Premiere: Friday, June 11th at 11pm ET/PT
1 Hour, 30 Minutes

Through candid interviews with comic greats like Sarah Silverman, Louis CK, Lewis Black, Tim Allen, Jeff Foxworthy, Janeane Garofalo, Kathy Griffin, Carlos Mencia, and others, this documentary explores the world of working comedians through the eyes of retired comic Ritch Shydner. The journey inspires Shydner to get back on stage after a 13-year absence. Can he connect with today’s young crowds and still get the laughs? In the end, we learn what it takes to be a successful comic and why they simply must do it.

CHRIS SPENCER’S MINORITY REPORT

Premiere: July 2010
1 Hour
Former Vibe host, writer, producer, comedian and star of many films, Chris Spencer brings together and presents four ethnically diverse, rising comedy stars to the stage for one hilarious snapshot of America today, including Nema Williams, Eliot Chang and Flo Hernandez.

KEVIN POLLAK: THE LITTLEST SUSPECT
Premiere: August 2010
1 Hour

“The Littlest Suspect” is the third one-hour stand-up special by Kevin Pollak, best known for his award-winning work as an actor in more than 60 films (A Few Good Men, Casino, The Usual Suspects), Pollak started out as a stand-up comedian and was recently named one of the “Top 100 Comedians of All Time” by Comedy Central. Pollak is also the host of an award-winning talk show, Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show, which streams live every week.

DOCUMENTARY

The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights
Premiere: August 2010
1 Hour, 30 Minutes

In 2007, the legendary American duo White Stripes toured Canada. Besides playing the usual venues, they challenged themselves and played in buses, cafés and even to Indian tribal elders in remote parts of the country. Music video director, Emmett Malloy, followed the band and managed to capture both the special tour, extraordinary concert versions of the band’s minimalist, raw, blues-inspired rock songs, and the special relationship between the extroverted Jack White and the introspective Meg White – a formerly married couple who for a long time claimed to be siblings. The film makes striking use of the band’s concert colors: red, white and black

J-blk

Looking forward to Weeds returning, even though it gets crazier every season and is now a shadow of its' glory days... Not much else on that list I'd check out really...

chalkitdown1

Showtime don't seem to be interested in hourlong dramas anymore which is very disappointing. Is Dexter all they have now? I wish they hadn't cancelled Brotherhood. I absolutely loved it. It was far better than Dexter, although hardly anyone watched it, so I guess you can't blame them.

The dramedy's are getting a little bit out of control now, aren't they? This new one makes it 5 now, I think. Not that there's anything wrong with them, I think Nurse Jackie is brilliant, but it's a little overkill, isn't it?

Can't wait for Weeds, though.