True Blood': Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO
Not since "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" (1994) has campy been done quite as well as on "True Blood," the Alan Ball masterpiece which entered its second season this summer. In the hands of anyone but Ball, the show might have resorted to a cliched light-versus-dark duality, thanks to the abundance of creepy-sexy vampires and naive, moralistic human antagonists. Steering clear of these pitfalls, Ball decides to make everything in his show dark: disturbing creatures and mysterious deaths lay behind every ominous shadow, so there is never a clear villain. This summer promises more graphic sex and violence, as well as a mystifying succubus-like witch lady. Evan Lambert
Weeds': Mondays at 10 p.m. on Showtime
Now in its fifth season, Showtime's "Weeds" continues to follow widow-turned-marijuana-dealer Nancy Botwin (Marie-Louise Parker) as her life becomes even more outrageous and dangerous. After purposefully leaking information on last season's Mexican drug-and-human trafficking tunnel to a DEA agent, Nancy finds herself in hot water. Further complicating matters, she is pregnant with the baby of a drug lord who also happens to be the mayor of Tijuana. Understandably overwhelmed, Nancy sends her youngest son to stay with her sister (Jennifer Jason Leigh) while her eldest son goes off to start his own "family" business. Unfortunately for Nancy, this is just the tip of the iceberg, as "Weeds" continues to take the unbelievable and make it both believable and wildly entertaining. Kimberly Solomon
Nurse Jackie': Mondays at 10:30 p.m. on Showtime
Showtime extends its drug-friendly Monday night lineup with "Nurse Jackie," a new half-hour dramedy about a painkiller-addicted, tough-loving nurse (Edie Falco, formerly of "The Sopranos") with a skewed sense of morality. A secret tryst between Jackie and the hospital's pharmacist satisfies the sex component of "Must-See TV," and the wacky storylines (including one where Jackie flushes a severed ear down the toilet) keep the subject matter light that is, until Jackie returns home to her husband and two children, and we realize the extent of the lie that Jackie is living.Allison Levy
Rescue Me': Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on FX
Let's face it sex, profanity and action all make for good television. Back it up with dynamic characters, a talented eye for cinematography and sharp-tongued dialogue, and you're golden. It's a setup that has continually proved successful for FX's "Rescue Me," even in its fifth season. Although Tommy's (Dennis Leary) sexcapades with ex-wife Janet and his cousin's widow Sheila are getting a little old, his relapse into alcoholism and self-destruction and the unraveling of his mental state aided by guilt and memories of dead family members create gripping drama. The emphasis on innocent bystanders who get hurt in the wake of these dysfunctional relationships just adds another sorrowful dimension, but the blue-collar dialogue and often juvenile interactions among well-developed secondary characters provides an appropriate dose of comedic relief. Divya Gunasekaran
I Survived a Japanese Game Show': Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on ABCAmericans should probably stop consuming Japanese products. Their fuel-efficient cars have bankrupted American automakers, for one. "I Survived a Japanese Game Show," however, is a far more wholesome Japanese export.
Twelve Americans are flown to Tokyo to take part in the fake Japanese game show, "Majide." To win the grand prize of $250,000, the contestants must survive the most harebrained challenges ever concocted for television. Among these: last week's game, "Lotion, Lotion, What's the Commotion?" in which two contestants were drenched in baby oil and faced with an obstacle course that culminated in sliding across six sumo wrestlers.Fan Zhang
Greatest American Dog': Thursdays at 8 p.m. on CBS, Starting July 10
Every dog owner thinks his or her dog is the greatest, right? Well, now CBS plans to put those suspicions to the test in the July 10 premiere of the network's new reality show. The series will select pets from all across America and force them to live together (with their owners) for 12 weeks. Keeping with the time-tested reality TV format, one dog and its owner are eliminated each week until the last duo standing wins a hefty cash prize. This combination between the Westminster Dog Show and "Big Brother" seems bizarre but loads of fun, and I can't wait to see which crazy contestants will be voted out of the doghouse first. Alex Duckles
