The last few days have not been kind to entertaining dramedies. First basic-cable network TNT canceled its sophomore original series Men of a Certain Age on July 15, and then NBC did the same to rookie series Love Bites on July 19.

The usual culprit in both cases was underwhelming ratings, of course. In fact, not even a prestigious Peabody Award and yet another Emmy nomination for star Andre Braugher could sway TNT to keep Men of a Certain Age around for another season, apparently. What a shame, too, because the series was all about quality, intelligent, fun, and realistic storytelling, as was Love Bites.

Although Men of a Certain Age‘s second and last season wrapped up on July 6, viewers can catch the final episode of Love Bites‘ lone season tomorrow, July 21, at 10pm ET. I will miss both shows.

Get ready. Rizzoli & Isles — the highest-rated new 2011 series on basic-cable network TNT — kicks off its 13-episode second season on July 11 in its original blessed 10pm ET, post-The Closer time slot.

“We Don’t Need Another Hero,” the first episode of the summer run, gives viewers their first update on Boston-based detective Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) and her patrol cop brother Frankie Jr. (Jordan Bridges), both of whom suffered gunshot wounds during a police station shootout at the end of the first season. While attempting to recover from that gunfight with her typical attitude, sarcasm, and nonstop interference from immediate family and close friends — such as her brash mother Angela (Lorraine Bracco) and her super-smart partner-in-crime, medical examiner Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander) — Jane is tapped to receive recognition for her heroism at a public ceremony.

Sounds swell, until the event literally turns explosive, forcing Jane and Maura to team back up in order to weed out the person responsible for the senseless destruction. An already difficult case then becomes even more urgent as the duo and their colleagues realize the guilty party is more volatile than imaginable.

Thankfully, the show provides Jane and Maura with a few new playthings this season to help reduce the pressure of all that crime fighting. Jane’s first new stressbuster comes in the form of military man Casey Jones (Chris Vance, Dexter), a sergeant major whom Jane knew — and hooked up with — back in high school.

There’s no need to worry about Jane and Maura’s rapport getting sidetracked by men and personal issues, however. Although the two leading ladies continue their quest for romance and happiness while investigating disturbing crimes, the strong friendship and frequent interaction between Jane and Maura remains the strength of Rizzoli & Isles. Their banter is as constant and fun as ever.

A few new faces will also add some spice and complexity to Season Two. They include Jacqueline Bisset (Nip/Tuck) as Maura’s adoptive mother Constance Isles; Colin Egglesfield (All My Children) as the oldest Rizzoli sibling, ex-con Tommy; and Ernie Hudson (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) as the father of Jane’s partner Barry Frost (Lee Thompson Young). Nice casting means nice episodes in store this season.

The beginning of the end starts for another popular TV staple tonight, July 11. The show in question is signature TNT crime drama The Closer, which kicks off its seventh and final season at 9pm ET.

As fans already know, The Closer is ending not due to a lack of inspiration or interesting cases to investigate, but because star Kyra Sedgwick is understandably prepared to move on. The Season Seven opener “Unknown Trouble” gets the ball rolling in the same direction for her character Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson when the ace interrogator learns she is the subject of a lawsuit brought against the Los Angeles Police Department.

If that’s not enough annoying heat on her plate, Brenda also has to deal with the arrival of the new police chief, Tommy Delk (Courtney B. Vance, Law & Order: Criminal Intent), following his promotion to the position over Brenda and other contenders at the end of Season Six. Chief Delk has his own way of doing things, of course, and some of his early changes will have an immediate — and, needless to say, mostly unwanted — impact on Team Brenda, his still-smarting predecessor Will Pope (J.K. Simmons), and prickly internal investigator Captain Sharon Raydor (Mary McDonnell of Battlestar Galactica, who’s now a series regular). Oh, well — at least Commander Russell Taylor (Robert Gossett) has a reason to be happy, though.

Despite all of the intriguing and occasionally funny office drama, let’s not forget the first case of the new season for the Major Crimes unit. The investigation involves the bloody killing of a hip-hop artist and numerous acquaintances in an affluent California neighborhood. After a surprising discovery in the opulent residence where the multiple murders occur, Brenda’s squad follows a trail that leads to a person who played a major role in the rapper’s career.

The seventh season of The Closer includes a first-ever 21 episodes. Ten will air this summer, and the remaining installments are set to premiere next winter, concluding with the series finale in 2012. The Major Crimes saga will not end with the show that started it all, however. As TNT announced in May, McDonnell and Captain Raydor already have top billing in the Closer spinoff appropriately titled Major Crimes, which debuts with a 10-episode first season after The Closer retires.

If viewers are lucky, the new show might even treat us to a visit or two from the woman capable of closing almost any case (remember, she has only failed to outsmart and nab one culprit thus far — Billy Burke‘s shady defense lawyer character Phillip Stroh from the Season 4 episode “Power of Attorney”). Fingers crossed.

The summer is finally here, and so is the exciting fourth-season of hit TNT crime dramedy Leverage on June 26 at 9pm ET.

Titled “The Long Way Down Job,” the summer premiere features guest star Eric Stoltz (of the recently departed Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica) as a missing millionaire. Our favorite team of clever cons head to the frigid and treacherous mountains of Alaska to track him down when they learn of his predicament.

Of course, once on-site of his last known whereabouts, they quickly realize there’s much more to his disappearance than they initially thought. The episode features the familiar banter and teamwork between the group of regulars, as well as an unexpected turn of events that mark a first for the series. Fans will not want to miss the latest adventure in the Leverage files, and newcomers will have no problems enjoying the action and fast-paced plot.

Take a behind-the scenes peek at the summer opener below before tuning in to the real thing.

Eager fans will finally get to enjoy the two-hour premiere of new TNT science-fiction drama Falling Skies at 9pm ET tonight, June 19.

The series stars ER veteran Noah Wyle as savvy and determined history professor Tom Mason. The father of three sons becomes an unwitting top dog in a small group of resistance fighters attempting to thwart the unknown plans of a mysterious and scary-looking bunch of invading aliens. His fellow fighters include Moon Bloodgood (Day Break) as compassionate pediatrician Anne Glass and Will Patton (The Agency) as intense resistance leader Weaver.

The first episode takes place some six months after the alien forces — thus far consisting of freaky spider-like creatures dubbed “skitters” and huge robot-like creatures known as “mechs” — have already destroyed much of Earth’s population. Their ruthless, out-of-nowhere takeover forces the few surviving people into a depressing existence dominated by a desolate physical environment, the stress of always impending doom, and perpetual fear of the invaders’ superior battle power, which includes the ability to control the unfortunate humans they capture. Yet, all is not completely lost, thanks to the spirit of the survivors and the bravery and resolve of the resistance fighters devoted to turning the situation around.

Viewers get to tag along as the resistance members do whatever they can and must to figure out exactly why the aliens have arrived and what they intend to do with the planet now that they are seemingly in command. We’ll gradually discover the ultimate goal of the intruders over the course of the ten episodes in the first season, learning new pieces of vital information as the resistance forces do.

Although the two-episode series premiere “Live and Learn” and “The Armory” may move a bit slowly as it relates essential details about the characters and their predicament, the plot picks up quite a bit during the June 26 third episode “Prisoner of War,” at which point the pieces of the story are clearer. Each episode of Falling Skies delivers numerous gripping alien-encounter scenes, however, in addition to lots of drama to help viewers understand the characters and care about their plight. As a result, it should appeal to both science-fiction fans and individuals who simply like TV shows with an intriguing narrative.

Falling Skies airs Sundays on TNT from June 19 to August 7. The series opens and closes its first season with two-hour episodes starting at 9pm, and the remaining six installments premiere at 10pm. Sneak a peek at what’s coming up in the preview below.

TNT dramas HawthoRNe and Memphis Beat don’t seem to generate as much “buzz” as the network’s higher profile series — such as its bread and butter The Closer and the upcoming sci-fi saga Falling Skies, for example — but I, for one, am very happy that both shows begin new seasons tonight, June 14.

Paired once again, just like during their last respective runs, HawthoRNe and Memphis Beat open their third and second season, respectively. The medical drama starring Jada Pinkett Smith as brash nurse Christina Hawthorne ends the night at 10pm ET with the extremely dramatic premiere “For Better or Worse.”

Writers are not supposed to reveal spoilery details, which leaves me reluctant to disclose anything at all given the far-reaching nature of the episode’s main plot. However, viewers who are familiar with the series will instantly recognize — and once again appreciate — HawthoRNe‘s tendency to stir drama by following lighthearted, emotionally uplifting segments with events designed to evoke the opposite reaction.

Viewers will also notice the absence or reduced screen time of key characters from previous seasons and the arrival of new faces to make up for the loss. The latter includes Marc Anthony (Man on Fire) returning as Detective Nick Renata, a romantic interest of Christina introduced near the end of Season Two, and Derek Luke (Trauma) and Lauren Vélez (Dexter) as doctors. Anthony appears throughout the season, providing the third point in a simmering love triangle involving Christina and surgeon Tom Wakefield (Michael Vartan, Alias), and, of course, the tension is on full display already during the third-season premiere.

Things are slightly less tense at 9pm during “At the River,” the Season Two premiere of charismatic crime series Memphis Beat, although the central investigation revolves around a murdered, well-liked cop. The death hits close to home for Jason Lee‘s character Dwight Hendricks, whose own police office father was murdered years ago.

The episode features Beau Garrett, a star of CBS’ quickly canceled Criminal Minds spinoff Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, making her first appearance as Internal Affairs staffer Claire Ryan. She teams up with Dwight while his regular partner Whitehead (Sam Hennings, CSI) is otherwise disposed and demonstrates some nice chemistry with the star of the show. Alfre Woodard fans will also enjoy spending more time with the boss Lieutenant Tanya Rice as she takes an active role in the case at hand.

Review what happened during the last season of both shows in the following video recaps, before they start new runs this summer. When TNT first presented the series together, I initially thought they weren’t well-matched thematically. Yet, watching them back-to-back gives me an entertaining “down home” night of TV with realistic and engaging characters, so I’m definitely looking forward to what unfolds next.

Former NBC crime procedural Southland starts its second season — and third all together — on basic cable network TNT tonight at 10pm ET with the unlikely sounding premiere “Let it Snow.”

When we last left our favorite Los Angeles-area crime-fighters, patrol officer John Cooper was struggling with his nearly debilitating back pain, his almost-rookie partner Ben Sherman was coming into his own as a cop, detective partners Nate Moretta and Sammy Bryant were wrapping up taking down a major crook from the ‘hood, Detective Lydia Adams was moving on following her partner Russell Clarke’s gunshot injury, and Officer Chickie Brown was beating the crap out of a cop-impersonating serial rapist.

Not much has changed as the third season gets underway with a trio of interesting and ultimately exciting cases, and that’s a good thing. While Lydia teams up with a new female partner to track down the person who murdered a cleaning woman, Nate and Sammy investigate a brutal gang killing, and John, Ben and Chickie stumble onto some heavy action while cruising the streets of California.

The third-season premiere is all fans have come to expect from Southland. As the realistic dialogue and interactions unfold, we get to see a more believable fictional version of what it must be like to make a living as a member of law enforcement in a dangerous environment.

Some fans may miss the prominence of central characters featured heavily in earlier seasons, such as Tom Everett Scott‘s Russell Clarke and Michael McGrady‘s Detective Sal Salinger. Their reduced roles don’t detract from the overall quality of the drama, however. Southland is an ensemble series, and the remaining integral players are talented enough to still do an excellent job telling the tale of L.A.’s finest.

A preview for “Let it Snow” follows. If you weren’t looking forward to Southland‘s Season Three premiere before, you should be now.

It’s time to say farewell — for now — to a basic-cable standout. TNT’s Emmy-winning, most-watched series The Closer completes its sixth season tonight January 3, at 9pm ET.

The finale entitled “An Ugly Game” marks the end of the show’s next-to-last season ever now that star Kyra Sedgwick has decided to move on after the seventh season. At least the current run will close with the crime drama’s signature intensity, on both the personal and professional fronts.

Team Brenda’s latest case involves a drug addict, a missing woman, and a possibly shady rehab facility. As the detectives investigate, Sergeant David Gabriel develops a few issues with his boss’ approach, and Brenda also learns some interesting things about her husband Fritz’s background. Perhaps we’ll even get a cliffhanger or two to ponder between seasons.

Sneak a peek at two scenes from the finale in the following preview. The fresh “And Then The Bill Comes” episode of excellent TNT dramedy Men of a Certain Age premieres after The Closer at 10pm.

The holiday season is upon us, and so is the first-ever Christmas-themed episode of hit TNT dramedy Leverage on Sunday, December 12, at 9pm ET.

Appropriately titled “The Ho Ho Ho Job,” the installment finds Team Nate attempting to do good by Santa and holiday shoppers on Christmas Eve in order to keep the season full of year-end cheer. Achieving that goal requires thwarting a no-good mall owner and his partner in crime, who are determined to take advantage of customers through a devious, spirit-killing scheme.

NewsRadio and Kids in the Hall vet Dave Foley plays the corrupt retail businessman, and Star Trek: The Next Generation fan favorite Wil Wheaton returns to reprise his role as daring hacker Colin “Chaos” Mason, who perturbed Team Nate previously during last season’s fun “The Two Live Crew Job” episode.

Sneak a two-minute peek at “The Ho Ho Ho Job” in the preview clip below. The episode is the first of three installments in Leverage‘s brief winter run, which ends next Sunday, December 19, with the two-part, back-to-back Season Three finale “The Big Bang Job” and “The San Lorenzo Job.” Good stuff.

Right on time! Just one week after my must-see show of the fall — NBC’s twisted The Event — ended it’s fall run comes the return of my must-see basic-cable show The Closer. The Emmy-winning TNT staple is back on the tube tonight, December 6, at 9pm ET with the brand-new installment “Old Money.”

And, let me tell ya, fans do not want to miss this one, especially if you have lots of love for Lieutenant Andy Flynn, played by series regular Tony Denison. Also back for the first of five fresh episodes is Battlestar Galactica veteran Mary McDonnell, who plays prickly-but-likable Captain Sharon Raydor, head of the LAPD’s Force Investigation Division.

Captain Raydor’s appearance is courtesy of a case that hits too close to home for Team Brenda’s Major Crimes Unit. The latest crime on the division’s plate begins with a chance meeting and brutal encounter one night at a self-help group, which leads to a bag full of money, a cocky inmate with a big beef, and claims that an LAPD detective was up to no good with a witness. Brenda and her colleagues must get to the bottom of things before the detective’s career implodes, and they do eventually, as always.

Engaging male-centric dramedy Men of a Certain Age follows the return of The Closer at 10pm with its second-season premiere “If I Could, I Surely Would.” Best friends Joe, Owen, and Terry continue on their journey through middle age with a fresh set of challenges now that they’ve mostly overcome those presented during the first season.

While Joe slowly realizes that starting a new career as a professional golfer may be more demanding than he originally thought, Owen must cope with his new position as a manager at his difficult — to say the least — father’s dealership. Owen’s work life is further complicated by the fact that hiring underperforming Owen as a salesman at the business may not have been a wise decision. Yet, no matter what happens in each situation, viewers can rest assured that the guys will remain close, which is a refreshing angle for a TV show about men in this day and age.

Catch up on the earlier part of The Closer‘s current sixth season and sneak a quick peek at Men of a Certain Age‘s second-season premiere below.