There are plenty of people who don’t watch television because they don’t think there is anything good on television. They don’t like procedurals because they are tired of cop shows and they don’t like the dramas because you have to watch them from week to week; the storyline is so intertwined with each episode. When they do watch comedies, they watch The Big Bang Theory or Two and a Half Men, both of which are horrendous, but what they don’t know is that some shows are having their best season ever, or they are rebounding from a horrible previous season.

I’ve got nine shows that are worth watching this season, a few that have become a waste of DVR space, and a couple that are on the cusp of good and bad with some really good storylines and some really Titanic ones all in the same season. Today, we’ll look at 4 shows that have been or were amazingly good this season.

9. Castle – I’m not going to deny that I love Nathan Fillion. To do so would be egregious and seriously wrong. Ever since Firefly, I’ve been a big fan and I think that he walks that line of silly and serious with the stride of a genius. Although I didn’t take to Stana Katic  immediately, the writers and directors have done great things to make her character appear softer, more comedic, as well as large and in charge. Detective Beckett is a role model. Also, despite how unlikely it is that this character could actually exist as a real teenager, Castle’s daughter is one of the best parts of the show. She is so refreshing and I love seeing her on-screen. Don’t get me started on the dynamic duo that is Detectives Ryan and Esposito. While they started out as shallow characters, the writers are doing more to flesh out the type of cops they are. Their partner chemistry works really well together and as a duo, make excellent straight men. Castle’s mom, with tiny hints to who she was versus who she wants to be now, is a welcome relief on the show. I enjoy seeing her trying to conquer aging like she’s conquered every other thing in her life. Her character feels real and for that, I appreciate the way she’s written and the way Susan Sullivan acts her. Last but not least, my favourite Medical Examiner (other than Cam on Bones) on television is Lanie. Tamala Jones’ no nonsense approach to Lanie’s character helps me enjoy every visit to the dead body because it usually means visiting her. The sly way she flirts with Castle and the very open way she communicates with Detective Beckett makes me appreciate the dialogue written for her and does a better job of explaining the character than even a description could. In other words, this season of Castle rocks!

8. Leverage – Even without Sophie (and I missed the constant presence of Gina Bellman), the cons were grander, the jokes were funnier, the connecting moments were nearly flawless and I think I fell a little bit more in love with this cast. Watching Nathan disintegrate, going back to drinking, but still be frakkin awesome. It was also great to watch the team looking out for him while being the exceptional thieves they are. This show is VERY unrealistic and I love that about the show. It’s a weird thing to say, I know, but I love the hacker who can do anything with electronics and has tried to. I love the strong man who can control himself. I love the self conscious, daredevil, risk-taking thief with a heart of gold. I love the grifter, both of them, who can sell any unbelievable story. And I love the head guy, who comes up with the cons and makes them all work. The crew works unbelievably well together and the moments of comedy are laugh out loud funny. I love the hints of romance between Hardison and Parker, I love watching Eliot beat the shit out of someone, I love when you think the con has gone wrong only to find out they were prepared for it all along. I even like the perennial bad guy, Mark Sheppard as Sterling, Nathan’s arch nemesis. That’s right, if you do a show about getting even, you gotta have an arch nemesis. I love it. The writers who came up with this idea, the team that picked the cast, the direction the cast takes their characters in – it blows me away, it’s so fun! Thank you, creators and writers of Leverage!

7. Psych – I thoroughly enjoyed this season of Psych. The writers have finally found the right balance between the characters. While Shawn Spencer’s character is still over the top, James Roday plays him with a subtlety that is decidedly sweet. Also, making more use of Dule Hill’s Burton Guster was a wise decision. Dule imbues the role with just enough skepticism to make his character believable and just enough silliness to make him the perfect match for Shawn. The fallibility of Shawn’s deductions have been heartening. More things for him to try to get out of, more ways for him to be wrong and let the others around him help, mainly his father and the police. Also, the frequent mention of The Mentalist made me laugh, mainly because they realized that they were doing the same show in different ways. The writers definitely don’t take themselves too seriously and the actors followed suit, making this the best season yet.

The list continues tomorrow, but I want to know what have been your favourite shows this season that, based on the writing, are shows that should not be missed?

Agent Peter Burke has a particular sense of honour and an idea of how the world is supposed to work. Neal Caffrey also has an idea of how the world is supposed to work and it’s in his favour. Whether he’s escaping from jail by growing a beard for months before shaving it and walking out in a guard’s uniform, or donning a plastic yellow jacket and taking a nice car from the airport. Once his escape proves fruitless (his girlfriend decided to leave him, prompting his escape), he allows Agent Burke to take him back to prison. But he has a deal. Let him out and he will help him solve crimes. Thus begins a series where the guy in the grey hat helps the guy in the white hat catch the guys in the black hats.

As far as adding to USA’s characters, this seems to be a good fit. Matt Bomer’s Neal Caffrey is charming and likeable and Tim Dekay’s Agent Burke is just as enjoyable onscreen. Tiffani Thiessen maybe smiles a little too much (and no, I have nothing against smiling), but I think that I will like her a lot by the time the show is over. I’m really interested in how the search for Caffrey’s girlfriend is going to go and why she felt the need to disappear in the first place. I’m not sure that I have any expectations for Agent Burke. He may be a little too vanilla, though he is interesting on camera and in his role.

What were your first impressions of the new USA Series?

Now that Michael knows who burned him (or does he? I’m still sticking with my theory that his mom had him burned) and they are no longer trying to help him to recruit him, thereby removing their protection and allowing every agency and enemy access to his existence. Michael handles it with aplomb. This week’s episode brings in an old friend and an assignment bringing down a Venezuelan crime boss.

Of course, any idiot could see where this is going and when the finale gets here, it feels like something that should have taken 10 minutes of the episode before he begins the first stages of trying to get his job back. Everything we know, we can ascertain by the time we see Michael in jail. He has to watch his ass, he can’t trust anyone except Fiona, Sam and his mom (maybe), and he needs to get back to what he was doing before he got burned. Yeah.

Except they took the whole episode to do it. And it was slow. It dragged. I didn’t like anyone in it. No one got to do what they do. And maybe that is what the writers wanted, the slow, dragging, MYGODGETITOVERWITH! moments so that we can feel Michael’s frustration.

Newsflash Burn Notice. I don’t need to feel Michael’s frustration. I already do. For god’s sake, he wears a suit in Miami every day. By refusing to dress like the “natives”, he’s so far removed from the general populace, all you want is for him to get his old spy job back. If he can take you down with a can of chips and a cell phone, what can he do with real weapons?

Also, Fiona was just a little too girly. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind girly and I can deal with petulantly angry. But Fi is no fun unless she is blowing stuff up or having bigger balls than the guys around her. No, Fi can have depth, but if she starts talking about babies, I’m out.

Not really. I love this show and even slow shows that seem to have no point are worth watching if I get to see Jeffery Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, and Bruce Campbell on a weekly basis. For that, I thank you, Burn Notice.

But for the first episode of season 3, that was a Fail.

Dr. Hank Lawson is dedicated, resourceful, and fired after leaving a rich, stable, patient to save a younger patient in cardiac arrest. Well, that rich patient did die and hospitals need money and apparently, rich families who lose loved ones are very vengeful to the tune of blacklisting Hank from every hospital job that he could have. No job, no money, lawsuits, and depression cause him to lose his fiance as well, who didn’t expect that the man who “nailed the downpayment” for her (in the tune of a large rock on her left hand, third digit) would suddenly be broke and without prestige.

Thus begins Royal Pains, the story of a doctor who becomes a “concierge” doctor for the rich – that is, a doctor for hire. The extended season premiere introduces us to Hank Lawson, played by Mark Feuerstein, his brother Evan, played by Paulo Costanza. After hying himself to the Hamptons, he tries to get away, but finds himself going back to his one true love. On the way to doing that, we discover the “stuff” Hank is made of.

That “stuff” is not so great. Well, maybe Hank will turn out to be better than I expect, and maybe the writers will get more comfortable in the skin of their characters. In this episode, the lines the characters said were sometimes laughable, sometimes painful. How the characters were moved from scene to scene, beat to beat, seemed more like “let’s do whatever it takes to get us to this point” not “let’s make this storyline work”. It’s not a total wash though.

There are good points on the acting front. Divya (Reshma Shetty) the woman insistent on becoming Hank’s physician assistant (“every concierge doctor has one”) is a treat. She makes the stocky lines seem natural. Maybe it’s her delightful accent. Maybe she has great comedic timing, but when she says, “Don’t objectify me, sidekick” the line seems right. Paulo Costanza’s Evan makes horndog a little cute. Normally, the character would come off as obnoxious, but the slouchy way Costanza plays him ends up making him a harmless puppy. However, Mark Feuerstein brings just a little too much earnestness to the character. He tries too hard, and not in a good way. As he breaks down what he’s doing to help his patients get better, it’s just a little dull and clinical. If that’s what the show is going for, I think they took the wrong tactic. Jill Flint’s Jill Casey has a great smile and seems to have a nice personality, but her character comes off a little… well, I almost don’t know she’s there.

The music sounds like the more upbeat side of Burn Notice, which is funny, considering how similar in tone this show is to Burn Notice. The McGyver-esque-capades of Hank Lawson are reminiscent, but don’t rival, Burn Notice’s Michael Westen. Hank was basically “burned” by the hospital where he worked and it wasn’t as dramatic or as detrimental as the moment Michael finds out he was burned (remember Africa?). Although both end up in idyllic places (Miami/the Hamptons), they are both fish out of water (although Michael is more so than Hank). The similarities are evident, but Royal Pains just doesn’t flush it out as well at Burn Notice. Royal Pains’ first episode was also directed by the same guy who directed Burn Notice’s first episode.

So, why will I be watching future episodes of Royal Pains? Because I promised myself I would watch at least 3 episodes. Because it is possible that the show will get better. Because what else can I watch to make the summer months feel like tv watchin’ time?

Royal Pains may not be the best show on the block, but it had very watchable moments and, with some work, it could easily be my new favourite show.