Aliens, dude in a dog suit populate new summer TV series

If there is, in fact, intelligent life somewhere else in the universe -- and at this point, I'd hate to think we're all there is -- here's hoping whatever's out there bases its view of Earthlings on something other than this summer's network TV lineup.

Otherwise, we'd come off as a bunch of clumsy ("Wipeout") narcissists ("Big Brother") incapable of simply asking someone out ("The Bachelorette," "Bachelor Pad," "Love in the Wild") or keeping our hands out of puppets ("America's Got Talent").

Luckily, there's always the scripted realm of cable, which would leave extraterrestrials cowering in fear of a planet overrun by cops ("The Glades," "The Closer," "Memphis Beat," "Rizzoli & Isles," "The Protector"), drug dealers ("Weeds," "Breaking Bad"), the supernatural ("True Blood," "Haven") and Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"). Not to mention a scrappy alien-fighting resistance movement ("Falling Skies").

Here's a look at some of this summer's highlights. And, as always, dates and times are subject to change.

NEW SERIES

USA sticks to its sunny formula with two dramas: "Suits" (10 p.m. June 23) follows a top New York attorney and his new associate, a street-smart college dropout, while "Necessary Roughness" (10 p.m. June 29) focuses on a newly single mom who becomes a pro football team's therapist.

TNT's newcomers, though, couldn't be more different. "Franklin & Bash" (9 p.m. Wednesday), stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer as juvenile lawyers, while "Falling Skies" (9 p.m. June 19) is set in the aftermath of an alien invasion.

Elsewhere, Ally Walker stars as a divorced homicide detective raising two boys in "The Protector" (10 p.m. June 12, Lifetime); MTV puts a decidedly more serious spin on the '80s cult classic "Teen Wolf" (11 p.m. June 5); and people with extraordinary abilities fight crime in "Alphas" (10 p.m. July 11, Syfy).

In comedy news, "Love Bites" (10 p.m. June 29, KSNV-TV, Channel 3), the romantic anthology series that was supposed to debut last fall, gets dusted off. Lisa Kudrow's dark comedy "Web Therapy" (11 p.m. July 19, Showtime) moves from the Internet to your TV. Fran Drescher stars as a florist who learns her husband of 18 years is gay in "Happily Divorced" (10:30 p.m. June 15, TV Land). And Elijah Wood strikes up a friendship with a neighborhood dog, who appears to him (and only him) as an Australian man wearing a scruffy dog suit, in "Wilfred" (10 p.m. June 23, FX).

And on the reality front:

■ ABC offers the self-explanatory "Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition" (10 p.m. Monday, KTNV-TV, Channel 13); "101 Ways to Leave a Game Show" (9 p.m. June 21, Channel 13), a trivia game in which losers are ejected by such methods as being pushed off a moving big rig; "Expedition Impossible" (9 p.m. June 23, Channel 13), which seems to be "The Amazing Race" with three-person teams and a much smaller prize; and "Take the Money and Run" (9 p.m. Aug. 2, Channel 13), which pits civilians against professional investigators.

■ NBC's "Love in the Wild" (10 p.m. Wednesday, Channel 3) sends 20 singles on a romantic adventure into the Costa Rican jungle.

■ and CBS has "Same Name" (9 p.m. July 24, KLAS-TV, Channel 8), which features celebrities trading lives for a week with people who share their name.

RETURNING SERIES

"The Bachelorette," 8 p.m. Mondays, Channel 13 (already airing)

"So You Think You Can Dance," 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, KVVU-TV, Channel 5 (already airing)

"The Marriage Ref," 10 p.m. today, Channel 3

"America's Got Talent," 8 p.m. Tuesday, Channel 3

"Men of a Certain Age," 10 p.m. Wednesday, TNT

"The Glades," 10 p.m. June 5, A&E

"The Real L Word," 10 p.m. June 5, Showtime

"MasterChef," 8 p.m. June 6, Channel 5

"White Collar," 9 p.m. June 7, USA

"Covert Affairs," 10 p.m. June 7, USA

"Memphis Beat," 9 p.m. June 14, TNT

"HawthoRNe," 10 p.m. June 14, TNT

"Drop Dead Diva," 9 p.m. June 19, Lifetime

"Wipeout," 8 p.m. June 23, Channel 13

"Burn Notice," 9 p.m. June 23, USA

"Rookie Blue," 9 p.m. June 23, Channel 13

"Louie," 10:30 p.m. June 23, FX

"Leverage," 9 p.m. June 26, TNT

"True Blood," 9 p.m. June 26, HBO

"Weeds," 10 p.m. June 27, Showtime

"The Big C," 10:30 p.m. June 27, Showtime

"Royal Pains," 9 p.m. June 29, USA

"Big Brother," 9 p.m. July 7, Channel 8

"Curb Your Enthusiasm," 10 p.m. July 10, HBO

"Eureka," 8 p.m. July 11, Syfy

"The Closer," 9 p.m. July 11, TNT

"Warehouse 13," 9 p.m. July 11, Syfy

"Rizzoli & Isles," 10 p.m. July 11, TNT

"Rescue Me," 10 p.m. July 12, FX

"Damages," 10 p.m. July 13, DirecTV

"Haven," 10 p.m. July 15, Syfy

"Breaking Bad," 10 p.m. July 17, AMC

"Hell's Kitchen," 9 p.m. July 19, Channel 5

"Entourage," 10:30 p.m. July 24, HBO

"Bachelor Pad," 8 p.m. Aug. 8, Channel 13

Christopher Lawrence's Life on the Couch column appears on Sundays. Contact him at clawrence@ reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @OnTheCouchLVRJ.