Premieres and Notables: June 25-July 1, 2012

Monday, 6/25

Extreme Couponing (TLC; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.


Tuesday, 6/26

Craft Wars; 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Tori Spelling hosts this crafting competition.

Retired at 35; TV Land. 9 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Wednesday, 6/27

Final Witness; ABC. 9 pm CST.  Series Premiere.


Thursday, 6/28

Twenty Twelve; BBC America. 8 pm CST. Mini-series Premiere.
A mockumentary that follows the London Olympic organizers as they prepare for the event.

Anger Management; FX. 8 pm CST.  Series Premiere.
Apparently based on the film from a few years back-- but seems to bear a more-than-passing resemblance to lead actor Charlie Sheen's life and his anger issues with his old bosses.

Wilfred; FX. 9 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiered last week.
There must have been some scheduling changes as none of my usual means of knowing what's debuting didn't catch this one.  So try to catch the repeat of the premiere from last week OnDemand or online.
This was one of my favorite shows from last season because of it's unpredictability and Jason Gann's total commitment to acting as much like a dog as possible (see his scene chasing a laser pointer light across a garage door). I don't care much if Ryan is imagining it all or not; I just think it's hilarious to watch what he gets into.

Louie; FX. 9:30 pm CST. 3rd Season Premiere.
I don't think it's as genius as many others do, but I fully appreciate  the effort Louis C.K. puts into it by writing, directing, editing, and lead acting (plus other tasks) in each episode.  This is probably one of the most singularly-visioned series out there, and that alone makes it it an amazing success.  Don't expect much in the way of continuity (actors are reused, family/friends come and go and maybe don't even exist from one episode to the next), but the focus is on the story, and Louis usually finds the best way to tell the story.

Brand X With Russel Brand; FX. 10 pm CST. Series Premiere.

Friday, 6/29

XIII; Reelz. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
A secret agent (Stuart Townsend) has his memories erased, and he breaks into the White House to get some answers. Don't know if he finds any before he's busted by a Secret Service agent played by Aisha Tyler (sweet!).


Saturday, 6/30

My Cat From Hell; Animal Planet. 7 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Sunday, 7/1

Weeds; Showtime. 9 pm CST. 8th Season Premiere.
The final season begins here, and it's about time. I hope it can continue on the upswing it had last season after some pretty terrible ones before it. 

Episodes; Showtime. 9:30 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.
This one started a little slow last season, but it became one of my favorites by the end. 
And as a fan of many BBC shows that U.S. networks thought they could replicate, this show (about a British show a U.S. network revamps and launches in the States) hits really close to home.  If you want to see how these revamps get fucked up, just watch this show.
And Matt LeBlanc (playing "Matt LeBlanc") is a riot.
Highly recommended.