Lovin' summer

For decades now, summer has been the time for cable networks to shine and the broadcast networks to retreat to the shadows to rest up for fall. For a while, the major broadcast networks succeeded in fighting that trend with cheap, but effective, summer reality shows that created sensations, such as "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," "Survivor," "American Idol" and "Dancing With the Stars," all of which graduated to the more competitive fall-to-spring TV season.

But this summer the reality well ran dry for the broadcast networks, and cable channels clobbered them with a bevy of fine, challenging new scripted series. The difference was stunning.

While cable produced excellent shows such as HBO's "Flight of the Conchords," AMC's "Mad Men" and even "The Kill Point" on previously derided Spike -- just to name my three favorites -- the major networks wallowed in talent shows, lyrics trivia and wastes of time including "Anchorwoman," "Pirate Master," the overblown "On the Lot," the trashy, sexist "Age of Love" and the increasingly threadbare "Big Brother."

Viewers responded in a way to revive a TV critic's shriveled heart. Where just a decade ago it was big news when the major networks dipped below a combined 50 percent share of the overall viewing audience during the summer months, this summer basic, ad-supported cable trounced the broadcast networks by a combined 62.8 percent to 27.7 percent of the audience. In the 18-49 age demographic the networks cherish, they dropped below a quarter of the overall audience, losing to cable 52.4 percent to 24.2 percent.

With the major networks preparing to launch a fairly lame slate of new programs in the fall, it makes one wonder whether the audience will ever return to broadcast in the same numbers, especially with the digital transition slated to take effect in 2009.

Yet today I come not to bury the broadcast networks, but to praise cable. As we enter the Labor Day weekend, Your Friendly Neighborhood TV Critic hereby declares this the best TV summer ever, and the networks had little to do with it.

It used to be a viewer could count on the major networks to release a quirky show or two each summer, programs network executives weren't sure about, but which nevertheless struck a chord with viewers, such as "Twin Peaks" and "Northern Exposure," both of which aired over the banner summer of 1990. Yet with the rise of reality TV the networks got away from that practice, and this summer cable made them pay. CBS had a chance with the whimsical animated series "Creature Comforts," but flinched when it wasn't an instant sensation. That left all the buzz shows on cable.

In addition to "Conchords," which proved itself the drollest new comedy of the year -- fall, winter, spring or summer -- the stylish "Mad Men" and the edgy "Kill Point," cable produced … well, get comfortable, because this is going to go on for a while.

There was Holly Hunter's "Saving Grace" on TNT, David Duchovny's "Californication" on Showtime, Glenn Close's "Damages" on FX and even Lili Taylor's "State of Mind" on Lifetime. All these shows were flawed, to varying degrees, but they were nonetheless bold and challenging series, not your usual star vehicles (which could be grudgingly granted of Denis Leary's "Rescue Me" on FX as well). TNT appealed to spy-movie aficionados with the miniseries "The Company," ESPN dramatized the 1977 baseball season with "The Bronx is Burning" and Lifetime offered up some implicit war commentary with the popular prime-time soap "Army Wives."

Debra Messing endeared herself as "The Starter Wife" on TBS, which also brought back the comedy "My Boys" while launching "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" and "The Bill Engvall Show." (The worst thing I could say about them was they were no worse than the average broadcast sitcom.) The playful "Burn Notice" moved in next to "Monk" and "Psych" on USA, and "Doctor Who" rejoined the Sci Fi Channel. "The Closer" with Kyra Sedgwick came back on TNT to post ratings that would have routinely placed it in the broadcast top 20, while HBO's "Big Love" and Showtime's "Weeds" returned to reward premium-cable subscribers.

And while HBO was running Kenneth Branagh's lovely, lush, supremely self-possessed new version of "As You Like It," the Disney Channel -- yes, the Disney Channel -- was offering up the boffo hit of the summer, "High School Musical 2," which left the broadcast networks in the dust by attracting a cable-record 17.2 million viewers in its debut alone. (The first three reruns pulled in more than 20 million more.)

Usually, at this point of the year, I can't wait for the new fall series to come along and pull me out of the doldrums, but this year I'm sorry to see the summer go. Ah, put your hand to the cable or satellite box and glory in the warmth of the sun.