The summer may be over, but before we jump into our fall TV reviews, we thought we’d revisit the TV shows which rounded out our 2017 summer.  In this first part of a two-part discussion, the Critic and the Referee talk about summer shows that were well worth watching and others that fell just short of the mark. Sit back, relax and revisit the best of summer TV right here with Why Watch That!

Game of Thrones (penultimate season; Season 7, HBO)

Game of Thrones is the depiction of two powerful families — kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars and honest men — playing a deadly game for control of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, and to sit atop the Iron Throne. The penultimate season focuses primarily on the convergence of the show’s main plotlines, featuring major events such as Daenerys Targaryen arriving in Westeros with her army and three dragons and waging war against the Lannisters, Jon Snow forging an alliance with Daenerys in an attempt to unite their forces against the White Walker army, Arya and Bran returning to Winterfell and reuniting with their sister Sansa, and the army of the dead breaching the Wall (with the help of a reanimated wight dragon) and entering the Seven Kingdoms.

Shooter (Season 2, USA)

Former Marine sniper Bob Lee Swagger has entered a new phase of his life, living in exile after leaving the military. His civilian life doesn’t last as long as he expects, though, with the discovery of a plot to kill the president. Former commanding officer Isaac Johnson, now a Secret Service agent, draws Swagger into the investigation by seeking his expertise for a clandestine operation to keep the commander in chief safe. The series is based on the 2007 film of the same name, which was an adaptation of Stephen Hunter’s novel “Point of Impact.”

Queen of the South (Season 2, USA)

While living in the barrio of Jalisco, Mexico, poor Teresa Mendoza falls in love with a member of a successful drug cartel, hoping the love will help her rise above the hopelessness she feels in her life. When it doesn’t happen, she is forced to flee the country after her boyfriend is murdered. She seeks refuge in America, where she teams up with an unlikely person from her past to take down the leader of the drug ring that is after her. Teresa ends up starting her own drug empire, becoming one of the world’s wealthiest women in the process. With her success, she discovers that money doesn’t fix all of her problems, and she can only depend on herself if she wants to stay one step ahead of others and stay alive.

Younger (Season 4, TV Land)

Trying to start a new career gets more difficult as you age, which suddenly single-mom Liza realizes when she tries to re-enter the working world at 40. After a young tattoo artist convinces her she looks younger, Liza decides to do something about it. Her solution revolves around trying to pass herself off as 26, courtesy of a makeover by her best friend, Maggie. The newfound confidence helps get her a job assisting temperamental Diana. Teaming with 20-something co-worker Kelsey, Liza hopes to make it a dream career — while no one discovers her secret. She later has to deal with the fallout of the truth after revealing her secret to Kelsey.

Suits (Season 7, USA)

In need of an associate, big-time Manhattan corporate lawyer Harvey Specter hires the only guy who impresses him — college dropout Mike Ross. The fact that Ross isn’t actually a lawyer isn’t lost on Specter, who believes his new right-hand man is a legal prodigy with the book smarts of a Harvard law grad and the street smarts of a hustler. However, in order to keep their jobs, the charade must remain strictly between these two unconventional thinkers.

Insecure (Season 2, HBO)

Modern-day black women might be described as strong and confident; in other words, just the opposite of Issa and Molly. As the best friends deal with their own real-life flaws, their insecurities come to the fore as together they cope with an endless series of uncomfortable everyday experiences. Created by co-star Issa Rae and writer/comic Larry Wilmore (“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart”), the comedy series looks at the friendship of two black women in a unique, authentic way. It features the music of both indie and established artists of color, and touches on a variety of social and racial issues that relate to the contemporary black experience.

Ballers (Season 3, HBO)

A superstar during his football playing days, Spencer Strasmore tries to find the same success as a financial manager for current players in sun-splashed Miami. Heeding his boss Joe’s instruction to “monetize his friendships,” Spencer builds a client base of young phenoms and veteran stars alike, but his role in their lives far exceeds money management as he struggles to help them navigate the many traps that come with life as big-time “ballers.” The series is created by Stephen Levinson (“Entourage,” “Boardwalk Empire”) and stars Dwayne Johnson as Spencer.

The Strain (Season 4, FX)

Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, the head of the CDC’s New York-based Canary Project, is called upon to investigate when an airplane lands with everybody on board dead. What his team discovers is a viral outbreak that has similarities to an ancient strain of vampirism. As the virus begins to spread, Goodweather works with his team and a group of the city’s residents to wage a war that could hold humanity’s fate in its hand.