TNT
Tuesdays @ 9pm / Premieres tonight

TNT is definitely the smarty-pants network of the summer. While most channels have paltry offerings for new material, TNT is all new, and all good. They have a stock pile of returning shows like ‘The Closer,’ ‘Saving Grace,’ ‘Raising the Bar’ and ‘Leverage’ plus new shows, ‘Dark Blue’ and ‘ Jada Pinket Smith in ‘Hawthorne.’ The latter centers on a Chief Nursing Officer (Pinkett Smith) at a very busy Richmond, Virginia hospital. She has plenty on her plate trying to run the place, and while she has a tough life (recently widowed, a single mom), she handles it with more verisimilitude than Nurse Jackie over on Showtime. The casting also brings Michael Vartan back to the tube, which we’re most excited about. Plus there’s a nice little gaggle of supporting players whose lives we can effortlessly jump into. Amazingly enough, it feels as if this show has been on for years. There’s a certain worn-in feeling about it, as if we’re returning to the halls of ‘ER.’ I almost expected to see John Stamos come around the corner. ‘Hawthorne’ is another great show to add to TNT’s slate and Ms. Pinkett Smith carries it remarkably well.