What does my family living room have that my dorm certainly didn’t? My DVR and family television. I used to have more than enough time to sit down and watch my favorite television dramas (before textbooks, exams and papers came along). My free time in college, however, was virtually non-existent. I was lucky to catch an episode of my regular shows on Hulu™ and I suddenly found myself losing track of all my favorite characters.

Now, with summer vacation in full swing, I am ready to relax and enjoy a few new shows. It’s finally time to get emotionally attached to the characters and invest my energy in analyzing dramatic plot lines, all without feeling the least bit lazy. That’s what summer’s all about anyway, right? That being said, here are a few new summer shows you should add to your DVR recording schedule.


On ABC Family, keep an eye out for Switched at Birth (Mondays 9/8c), The Nine Lives of Chloe King (June 14 9/8c), and State of Georgia (June 29 8:30/7:30c). All three shows promise lots of laughs, drama and heart-stopping action.



Can’t get enough of Secret Life of the American Teenager? Tune in for Switched at Birth, a scripted drama about two teenage girls who discover that they were accidentally switched as newborns in the hospital. Things come to a dramatic head when both families meet and struggle to learn how to live together.



If you’re interested in science fiction but still crave action and drama, check out The Nine Lives of Chloe King—a story of a girl who learns she’s part of an ancient race that has been hunted by human assassins for millennia. She may be their only hope for survival.




It’s all about laughs in the new comedy State of Georgia, where Raven-Symoné stars as an aspiring actress with a larger than life personality. She teams up with a science geek best friend to make her way through New York City.




Looking for physical empowerment? Tune in for ABC’s new inspiring reality shows: Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition (Mondays 10/9c) and Expedition Impossible (June 23 9/8c).

If you’re a Biggest Loser fan, Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition will certainly not disappoint. The show documents the amazing makeover of eight courageous, obese individuals who set out to safely lose half of their body weight over the course of a year. The transformations will astound you.


A new twist on The Amazing Race, Expedition Impossible features thirteen three-person teams racing across vast desserts, over snow-capped mountains and through raging rivers in Morocco. Inspired by the $150,00 grand prize, the team members must learn how to work together to cross the finish line.


And finally, if you want to get your fill of summer romance and relationship drama, check out NBC’s new shows: Love Bites (Thursdays 10/9c) and Love in the Wild (June 29 10/9c).

Craving a show that you can pick up any week, but still enjoy? The show Love Bites features three loosely connected modern stories of love, sex, marriage, and dating. Each of the stories involves an array of talented guest stars and illuminates the theme of love with a new, fresh spin.

If you can’t get enough of Survivor or The Bachelorette, tune in to Love in the Wild, an exciting, adventurous dating series that puts relationships to the test. Ten single men and ten single women travel through a romantic adventure in the remote jungles of Costa Rica, all on a quest to find true love.


Whether you are looking for laughs, drama, romance, or action, this summer’s television lineup promises you shows that will deliver on all accounts. Take advantage of your time to indulge in television while you can. Happiness and solitude are just one remote away.

Meaghan O’Connor | Photos: abcfamily.go.com, abc.go.com, nbc.com