Summer is typically a quiet time for TV watchers, but thanks to the proliferation of cable shows and broadcast networks burning off episodes, this summer was not without entertainment and some surprises. Below are the moments, actors, shows and realizations that surprised me this summer.

The supporting cast of NURSE JACKIE: Yes, Edie Falco is fabulous, but for me, it’s the people surrounding Jackie who make the series, especially Merritt Wever, Eve Best and Peter Facinelli. Each one adds something unique and unexpected to the show. Wever is absolutely hilarious. Best, who has the most amazing laugh, is the perfect juxtaposition to Jackie. Facinelli takes what could have been a jackass character and makes him a lovable doofus. I’m surprised and delighted that NURSE JACKIE has introduced me to Wever and Best. In a way, it feels like I’m also discovering Facinelli for the first time. I’ve seen and enjoyed him before in different movies and TV shows, but I’m pretty sure his shirtless chest did most of the acting in Fox’s short-lived FASTLANE.

Sebastian Stan on KINGS: Thanks to NBC banishing KINGS to summer burn-off theater on Saturdays, not too many viewers watched this epic and imaginative series. That’s too bad because as reliably magnificent as Ian McShane and Susanna Thompson were, the real surprise was Sebastian Stan. I’d seen the actor before on GOSSIP GIRL as Carter Baizen, a role he’ll be reprising this fall, but I had no idea he was capable of this. His Jack was complicated, tormented, selfish, lonely and desperately seeking love and acceptance. Watching him come to accept who he is as he stood up to his mother, was like watching Stan show us who he really is as an actor.

Bonus KINGS surprise: No show got a bigger gasp out of me this summer than when Silas yelled at Jack, “And you’re no prince, you faggot!”

TRUE BLOOD: I’m just not that into you. Earlier this summer, I made my way through the first season of the HBO series and it wasn’t love at first sight. I’m not even sure it was like. Everyone around me seems to be crazy for these vamps, but maybe I’ve had my fill of bloodsuckers because I just can’t get into TRUE BLOOD. I haven’t even attempted to watch season two yet and am in no rush to do so. Maybe my feelings will change if I ever getting around to it, but I’m having a hard time imagining myself getting over my annoyance with almost every character on the show.

DROP DEAD DIVA: The charming, funny Lifetime series and its extremely talented leading lady have captured my heart. Brooke Elliott is simply fabulous at balancing the duality of playing two characters. Congrats, Diva, on becoming the first original Lifetime series to land on my DVR record list. Thanks to you and SoapNet’s BEING ERICA, I’m starting to believe that all hope is not lost for shows about real women. Despite the fantastical premises of both series, they’re more relatable and grounded than the ladies of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES.

MAKE IT OR BREAK IT, my new guilty pleasure: I thought it would be 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, which I enjoy and is more well-written, but no… At first, I found this series meh, and I still have my issues with Emily — do all her love interests keep disappearing because they’ve realized she’s really not that special? — but its soapy, teen drama storylines and pileup of secrets have quietly gotten me hooked. I have to give the show props for trying to make the adult characters interesting and integral. Susan Ward has taken what could have been a cartoonish character and given her real dignity and heart. Plus, I enjoy playing “Who will Sasha inappropriately flirt with this week?”

Uli doesn’t make the final four on PROJECT RUNWAY: ALL-STAR CHALLENGE: Yes, Daniel’s red carpet dress was fabulous and would look great on Nicole Kidman, although I’m still unclear about who exactly will be wearing the dress at the Nine premiere. The rest of his collection? Bizarre and boring. I loved Daniel and his designs in season 2 of PROJECT RUNWAY, so I can’t help wondering if the judges crowned him the winner because he was the fan favorite that year who didn’t win. And for that matter, did the judges punish Korto because she’s a sulky, sore loser? Has this women ever smiled during her time on the show? Still, I’d keep her in the top 4 and replace Sweet P’s overly twee collection with Uli’s sophisticated and impeccably crafted designs. But as PROJECT RUNWAY reminds me every season, what do I know about fashion?

What surprised you this summer?

Vlada resides in Los Angeles, where there are stars in the sky and on the ground. She has worked for TVWeek, Starpulse.com, SignOnSanDiego.com and The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, CA. She runs the TV blog Staying In and can be found on Twitter: @stayingin.

In the classic flick The Big Chill, Jeff Goldblum’s character, who labored for People magazine, worked under an edict to not write any article longer than the average American could read during the average crap. Apparenty, NBC is now going to be operating under orders to not try and sell the average American on anything that can’t be easily summed up in 30 seconds or less. So says, basically, Angela Bromstad, NBC’s president of primetime entertainment.

Yesterday, she told the Television Critics of America that KINGS basically failed because it was “a little too high brow and too difficult to sell in a 30-second slot.” She went on to say “It doesn’t mean we’re not looking for big ideas. They have to be big ideas that the audience can grab on to.” 

For the record, let us fill Mr. Bromstad in on the real reason KINGS failed. While the big problem was marketing, it wasn’t the concept of the show or the inability of the audience to understand so big a concept so much as NBC’s apparent inability to actually figure out what they had and how to sell it. In the weeks before KINGS debuted, the network’s advertising campaign was scattershot at best. Despite having a potentially iconic image in the orange butterfly flag — which could easily have become the next Dharma Initiative logo — NBC failed to capitalize on the symbol. By simply plastering the symbol everywhere with a catchy tagline (”You will obey!”, or perhaps “Submit or die!”) they could have generated a word-of-mouth buzz that would have gotten people talking.

It also wouldn’t have hurt for the show’s promos to focus less on the epic nature of the story being told and more on the simple elements. Sorry, but sometimes, you need to take a divide-and-conquer approach to advertising by hitting people not with one commercial that sums up all the different angles of a series, but rather a series of spots, each of which highlights a different element.

Look at FOX’s upcoming, much-buzzed about GLEE, which seems to have hit viewers with new ads almost every week. Some focus on the production numbers. Others focus on the budding romance of the teen leads. Still others play up Jane Lynch’s withering cheerleading coach. It’s as if FOX is saying, “Hey, whatever you want… we’re gonna give it to you.”

Instead, in even the 60-second spots (twice the time Blomstad believes should be necessary to sell the audience on a premise), NBC’s ads for KINGS tried to sell romance, good vs. evil, too many characters we have no connection to, war… and all against a backdrop that looks familiar and yet is somehow slightly off. Throw in a rock tune that’s not particularly catchy and what do you have?

A hot mess.

Without the hot.

Most of those who found their way to KINGS did so not because of NBC’s ads, but in spite of them. And many who did became caught up in what was one of the most literate, complex television shows to grace network TV in years.

But don’t look to NBC for shows such as that in the future. They need ideas they can sell to the masses. Even the promising and (against all odds) returning SOUTHLAND will, we’re told, become less “serialized” (read: complicated).

In the years to come, when executives at the major networks complain about their ever-dwindling audience and wonder why all the best writers, directors and actors — not to mention Emmy nods and awards — are going to outlets such as FX (home of DAMAGES) or Showtime (home of NURSE JACKIE), I’ve no doubt they’ll blame everyone but themselves. But you and I? We’ll know that the smart money was on us all along.

If there’s one show that I’m extremely distressed about the cancellation of, it has to be KINGS. While the first episode left me somewhat cold, it quickly found its footing and became a fascinating blend of almost lyrical dialogue, operatic storytelling and dynamic acting, particularly on the parts of Ian McShane and and Susanna Thompson as King Silas Benjamin and his queen, Rose. If you want to see television at its finest, go to NBC.com or Hulu.com and watch the episode titled “The Sabbath Queen”, in which secrets come to light during a blackout in the kingdom. It saddens me to no end that this show will soon conclude it’s run — although I’m glad to know that it will, reportedly, have a satisfying conclusion — so as to make room for yet more reality television. One recent twist in the story that came out of left field was the off-screen death of socialite-turned-Minister Of Information Katrina Ghent (played by the gorgeous Leslie Bibb, who seems to be popping up all over the place recently). The rivalry between Katrina and the queen was one of the highlights of recent episodes, so I was saddened by the character’s departure.

This weekend brings the two-hour finale of HARPER’S ISLAND, and friends who have seen the episode — which has already aired in Canada — say it is phenomenal. I won’t lie: the previous episode’s final moments, in which good-guy Cal was dispatched and his gorgeous girlfriend, Chloe, killed herself rather than allowing the psychotic murderer to do her in (”You can’t have me,” she said before taking a fatal plunge) actually left me crying. Kudos to CBS for not only launching the daring, limited-run series but, more importantly, for continuing to air it even after ratings proved disappointing. Other networks (cough*FOX*cough) could learn a thing or two from CBS’s example.

The things I do for you people. A few days ago, I checked out the premiere of NBC’s GREAT AMERICAN ROAD TRIP, which should probably be filed under “When Good Ideas Go Bad.” The concept is actually pretty fantastic: Seven families, each in a gigantic RV, traversing the famous Route 66 and taking part in competitions along the way. So far, so good… right? And then you meet the families. Unfortunately, the current trend in reality casting is to go for stereotypes. So of course, the Pollard family from Alabama is the most gun-lovin’, hickish clan they could find. And the DiSalvatore family of Yonkers, New York is loud, brash and headed by a guy who comes off as the love child of Brett Michaels and Joe Pesci, having inherited the worst traits of each. And I’m not sure what to make of host Reno Collier. I’m sure he’s a wonderful comedian, but I spent the entire hour wanting to tie the man’s hands to his side as he seemed completely incapable of speaking without holding them out as if he was Eva Peron appealing to the citizens of Argentina.

If there was a silver-lining to last night’s curious decision by HBO to withhold new episodes of TRUE BLOOD and HUNG from the schedule in lieu of the July 4 holiday weekend, it was that it gave this TV Addict some much needed time to catch up on four episodes of KINGS.

And catch up we did. Which is why we find ourselves taking a page from King Silas Benjamin (A man, who we’re fairly certain has yet to let an episode go by without some kind of pronouncement, press conference or proclamation) this morning by making an announcement of our very own: If you’re not watching KINGS — and judging form the show’s abysmal ratings, that’s 98% of you reading this — you’re missing out on the most intriguing, complex, and scandalous series of the summer.

Not only is Ian McShane’s morally ambiguous portrayal of King Silas Benjamin absolutely captivating (and, we should probably mention to all those Academy members who still have yet to send in their ballot, most certainly Emmy-worthy). Like all the greats, he has an uncanny ability to raise the game of everyone around him. Resulting in some fantastic performances from the younger denizens of the fictional city of Shiloh, including: Our would-be-hero (and if we had to guess, soon-to-be-future king) David Shepard (Christopher Egan) and his royal offspring Prince Jack (Sebastian Stan) and Princess Michelle (Allison Miller), whose lives seem to get increasingly more complex (Sex scandals! Forbidden romances! Sham marriages!) as the series wears on. Thanks in no small part to their duplicitous Uncle William Cross (Dylan Baker), recently returned from exile nephew Andrew (Macaulay Culkin) and Queen Rose (Susanna Thompson) whose very own personal mantra for solving problems these days seems to be, “Off with their head!” (Or quiet assassination, which while less glamorous, certainly gets results.)

So if you’re tired of reruns and reality TV, why not give royalty a try? (With a side of murder, betrayal and romance). There are only three episodes to go, but you can catch up for free online at NBC or iTunes.

1. ELI STONE makes its long awaited return to ABC this Saturday with a road trip (10PM, ABC)

2. A blackout gives David and Michele some much needed alone time on KINGS (8PM, NBC)

3. Unlike Twilight, TRUE BLOOD it’s a vampire love story adults don’t have to be embarrassed too about (9PM, HBO)

4. A younger, better looking version of MERLIN welcomes viewers to The OC Camelot B*tch! (8PM, NBC)

5. The premiere of KILLER HAIR, a TV-movie based on the bestselling books by Ellen Byerrum, on the Lifetime Movie Network. Think MURDER, SHE STYLED. (8PM, LMN)

Remember way back in March when NBC unveiled KINGS amidst much fanfare… only to quickly shuffle it off the schedule to make room for such high quality fair like reruns of HOWIE DO IT, the Heidi/Spencer national embarrassment that is I’M A CELEBRITY… GET ME OUT OF HERE and of course more DATELINE, the newsmag that’s never met a story it couldn’t turn into a terrifying ‘IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU!’

Well, this Saturday at 8PM, KINGS returns and here with a personal message to those who’ve been waiting patiently for the return of the king is the creator himself, Michael Green, who emailed theTVaddict.com just moments ago:

We are excited to announce that the critically acclaimed drama KINGS will finally return to NBC this Saturday, June 13th at 8pm.

Michael Green
Francis Lawrence
Erwin Stoff
Executive Producers, KINGS

Just in time for NBC to send KINGS to television’s exile equivalent (Saturday night at 8PM, starting April 18), Macaulay Culkin will make his very own return from a self-imposed career exile by playing Andrew Cross, nephew of the King Silas Benjamin.

Here with your first look is theTVaddict.com, more of which can be found after the jump.

[Shameless Twitter Plug] Follow theTVaddict.com at @thetvaddict and special thanks to @perezhilton for the twitter shout-out!

[Shameless Twitter Plug] Follow theTVaddict.com at @thetvaddict and special thanks to @perezhilton for the twitter shout-out!

[Shameless Twitter Plug] Follow theTVaddict.com at @thetvaddict and special thanks to @perezhilton for the twitter shout-out!

Good News: Yesterday, network president Dawn Ostroff announced that for the first time, the CW will launch original programming during the summer months. Bad News: Rather than take a page from the early days of FOX’s playbook that had the fledgling network make a name for themselves by airing original episodes of BEVERLY HILLS 90210 in the summer up against virtually zero competition, the CW will be offering up two pointless reality TV shows that nobody will watch. [Source]

Good News: In a valiant effort to differentiate his new 10PM talk show set to premiere this fall, Jay Leno has revealed that he’ll lose his trademark couch and desk. Bad News: Yet still keep the same old tired OJ jokes he’s been treading out for over a decade now. [Source]

THE NO. 1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY (8PM HBO)
Lady detectives, this we gotta see!

FAMILY GUY (9PM FOX, GlobalTV in Canada)
When he’s unable to get his question answered at Quahog’s STAR TREK Convention, Stewie does what so many of us Comic Con nerds attendees only wish we thought of first: Builds a transporter and beams the entire cast of “The Next Generation” into his bedroom.

AMERICAN DAD (9:30PM FOX, GlobalTV in Canada)
FYI: Seth Macfarlane’s far less popular animated series may not have the entire cast of “The Next Generation,” but Patrick Stewart does lend his voice, alongside Amy Sedaris, Meg Penner and Carolyn Gilbert-Lawson.

NEW & NOTABLE:
THE UNIT (10PM CBS)
When Jonas and Mac work undercover to locate the terrorist responsible for killing the US Vice President, the mission doesn’t go as planned. Here’s a question (having never seen a single episode of THE UNIT): Do the missions ever go as planned?

GOODFELLAS (8PM ION)
Good News: GOODFELLAS is one of those movies (alongside THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and MR. HOLLAND’S OPUS) that we cannot stop watching if we happen to come across while flipping. Bad News: There is very little chance we’ll ever flip to ION. Seriously. Does anyone get this channel?

JIM GAFFIGAN: KING BABY (9PM Comedy Central)
Jim Gaffigan performs in Austin. Topics include, waffles, bacon, bologna and bowling. Topics not included: An apology for starring in “The Love Guru”

KINGS (8PM NBC, CityTV in Canada)
Remember friends, if this show gets cancelled and replaced with a third hour of CELEBRITY APPRENTICE, you only have yourself to blame. We’re just sayin’

BIG LOVE (9PM HBO)
In what is sure to be a BIG season finale, expect BIG surprises (courtesy of an unexpected visitor for Nicki), BIG potential cast changes (when Sarah reveals her future plans *cough*cough*movie career*cough) and a BIG cliffhanger (which may-or-may-not have to do with Bill’s plot to vanquish Roman and the Greenes once and for all.)

AMERICAN DAD (9:30PM FOX, GlobalTV in Canada)
Steve and his friends sabotage a stuck-up kid’s bar mitzvah (as this TV Addict’s inner-thirteen-year-old Jewboy cheers!)

BROTHERS & SISTERS (10PM ABC, GlobalTV in Canada)
Justin is suspicious of Ryan’s interest in Rebecca. Ditto.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:
CRAIG FERGUSON: A WEE BIT O’ REVOLUTION (10PM Comedy Central)
Comic and LATE LATE SHOW host Craig Ferguson performs in Boston at the Wilbur Theater. Topics include rehab, hanging out with junkies and Bond… James Bond.

BORN WITHOUT A FACE (10PM Discovery Health)
Admit it, you’re kind of curious, aren’t you?