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Why Watch That

The television saga continues with even more of our discussion about what’s happening right now in TV land. Just when you thought it was over, the Critic and the Referee are back with yet another dynamic episode about summer television. While you’re enjoying your last few days at the beach, in your basement, or somewhere far away, there will be no shortage of television that you can add to the mix.

Featured TV Shows

Masters of Sex – (drama)
Premiered September 29, 2013 on Showtime.
Created by Michelle Ashford

Plot: Set in the late 1950s, Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan star as the lead characters, Dr. William Masters and Virginia Johnson, two pioneering researchers of human sexuality at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Ray Donovan – (crime drama)
Created by Ann Biderman
Premiered on June 30, 2013 on Showtime

Plot: The show takes place in Los Angeles, California, where Ray Donovan (Liev Schreiber), originally from South Boston, is a “fixer” for the powerful law firm Goldman & Drexler, representing the rich and famous. Ray experiences his own problems when his father, Mickey Donovan (Jon Voight), is unexpectedly released from prison, and FBI agents try bringing down Ray and his associates.

Crossbones – (Adventure, Drama)
created by Neil Cross, James V. Hart and Amanda Welles
Premiered on the NBC network from May 30 to August 2, 2014.

Plot: During the War of the Spanish Succession, the island of New Providence in the Bahamas is home to pirates, thieves and cutthroats all ruled by the feared pirate captain Edward “Blackbeard” Teach (John Malkovich), who is believed to be dead by the British Empire; however, he is merely in hiding. Calling himself “Commodore”, he now uses this island as his base of operations.

The Killing – (crime drama)
Created by Veena Sud
Premiered on April 3, 2011 on AMC
Netflix announced in November 2013 that it had ordered a fourth season consisting of six episodes to conclude the series.
The complete fourth season was released on Netflix in all territories on August 1, 2014.

Plot: (based on the first season) A police investigation, the saga of a grieving family, and a Seattle mayoral campaign all interlock after the body of 17-year-old Rosie Larsen is found in the trunk of a submerged car.

Partners – (comedy)
Created by Robert L. Boyett and Robert Horn
Premiered on FX on August 4, 2014

Plot: Partner is an American sitcom, starring Kelsey Grammer and Martin Lawrence as Chicago lawyers from different backgrounds who develop a partnership after they unexpectedly meet in court on the worst day of each of their lives.

The Knick – (medical drama)
Created by Steven Katz, Michael Begler, Jack Amiel
Premiered August 8, 2014 on Cinemax

Plot: In 1900, New York City’s Knickerbocker Hospital operates with innovative surgeons, nurses, and other staff who have to overcome medicinal limitations to prevent staggeringly high mortality rates. Dr. John Thackery (Clive Owen), the newly appointed chief of surgery, battles a cocaine and opium addiction. Despite that battle, he maintains a high reputation among his peers and has an ambition for medical discoveries. Harvard graduate Dr. Algernon Edwards (partially based on historical figure, Marshall Taylor) must fight for respect within the all-white-populated hospital, as well as the racially charged city. While literally struggling to keep the lights on, the hospital attempts to attract a wealthy clientele without sacrificing quality care.

Outlander – (Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi)
Created by Ronald D. Moore
Premiered on August 9, 2014 on the Starz network

Plot: In 1945, married World War II nurse Claire Randall (Caitriona Balfe) finds herself transported back to 1743 Scotland, where she finds civil war and the dashing Scottish warrior Jamie Fraser.

Legends – ( crime drama )
Developed by Howard Gordon, Jeffrey Nachmanoff, and Mark Bomback
Premieres on August 13, 2014 on TNT

Plot: Martin Odum (Sean Bean) is an undercover FBI agent who changes himself into a different person for each case. A “mysterious stranger” causes him to question his sanity.

Intruders – (drama)
Created by Glen Morgan
Premieres on BBC America August 23, 2014

Plot: Jack Whelan (John Simm) is an former LAPD officer who is asked to investigate a strange occurance. He tries to find answers, but runs from one stonewall to another. Baffled by the ongoings, he eventually starts to concentrate his search around a secret society that, in spite of saying little about what it is, devotes its efforts to chasing immortality by seeking refuge in the bodies of others.

Breathless – (medical drama)
Premieres August 24, 2014 on PBS
Created by Paul Unwin, Peter Grimsdale

Plot: Breathless focuses on the lives of a group of doctors and nurses working in a London hospital in the 1960s. The series is set in a busy gynecology unit in 1961, during a time when abortion was still illegal, the contraceptive pill was available only to married women, and moral codes were shifting.