Let's face it: Summer isn't the best season for TV. Networks have tried to step it up in the last few years by putting The Closer, Saving Grace, Rescue Me, Burn Notice, Weeds and Californication in the heat of the summer to take our minds off 100 degree weather and 100 percent humidity.

This Monday, The Closer and Saving Grace, both huge hits for TNT, are starting up their summer runs and it couldn't be soon enough for us scripted TV-starved fans. I've had the chance to screen both episodes — they are starting off with a bang.

The Closer, actually, is starting off with a "Controlled Burn," which tells its crime story with the backdrop of last year's intense wildfires in the Griffith Park area of Los Angeles. It's a stunning metaphor for the season's theme of "power." Brenda Leigh will be dealing with issues of her own power within the force, the power of her suspects over her, feeling like she's lost power when a reporter is given permission to tag along during her investigations as well as how her job holds so much power over her personal life with FBI Agent Fritz Howard.

Saving Grace begins the season in a very dark yet powerful spot: Detective Grace Hanadarko discovered that the priest that abused her as a child is in fact alive, and has been unpunished for his crimes. The season opener shows Grace as a hero, after gunning down a serious bad guy on her day off, only to go home to her dog, Gus, and the kidnapped priest who she's holding hostage. What is she looking for? Apologies? Revenge? Justice? And when the priest reveals that he too knows about Earl, Grace's "last chance" angel, she must struggle with the universal question: "Why would God let things like this happen in the world?"

Both shows will make you wake up from your summer TV slumbers and rejoice that there's something worth programming on that dusty TiVo!

Are you excited for their returns? Will you be tuning in to see how Brenda Leigh and Grace fare this season?

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• Use Our Online Video Guide to Catch up on Saving Grace
• Use Our Online Video Guide to Watch Episodes of The Closer

OMG!!! Have you seen them dance? Have you seen them Krump? Waltz? Flail each other across a mattress while tossing rose petals to a John Mayer song? Well, if you haven't, what the hell are you waiting for? My favorite dancers on So You Think You Can Dance, Kherington Payne and Twitch, have lit the stage on fire since they were first partnered together several weeks ago.

He's goofy and wears big old glasses with no lenses, and she's a 1000-watt smiling, luminous soccer player-turned amazing dancer. During rehearsal they mess around and have fun, which I think gives them an edge. And, underneath the goofiness is Twitch's insane body (abs o' steel!) and Kherington's amazing performance ability — it's more like acting than dancing. Thus, a hot, dynamic, powerful couple was born — and we shall call them, "Twitchington."

Don't let the silly name fool you; besides Katee and Joshua, they will most likely make it to the finals. And to think, Twitch didn't make it past Vegas last year! Silly producers, when will you learn?

And if these two have an off night, all is forgiven because of the commitment they bring to each dance. When Mia criticized their Waltz routine, I threw my shoe at the TV and booed along with the crowd. These two have got magic on their sides, so STEP OFF, Mia! What do you think about this season of SYTYCD?

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• Check Out the Top 12 dancers on SYTYCD
• Use Our Online Video Guide to Watch SYTYCD

I completely love this show. The dancers are so amazing, they work so hard, they wear their hearts and moves on their sleeves and what do they get? Three crazy-ass judges who are more wrapped up in their own nonsense than they are the dancers performing in front of them. It's practically an art form to rip on the American Idol judges, but I actually prefer them to the crazies on SYTYCD. Cases in point:

Mia "Spiky-haired" Michaels: The woman is ego personified! Granted, if you like her style of choreography, she's completely brilliant. But, she really started bugging me this year during the auditions — she actually said to one of the dancers, "I really want to see you doing my work, so I'll put you through." Never mind everyone else, Mia, as long as that dancer is your puppet. Even when she likes a routine, her voice oozes condescension and disappointment... like she could have done so much better. She's definitely that dance teacher I would have hated!

When she's not judging, and the dancers perform one of her routines, she's all smiles and cheers and thumbs up! But when Courtney and Gev did a Mandy Moore (not the pop star) contemporary routine, she ripped it apart. I watched it three times and thought, like Mary and Nigel, that it was amazing. Then, she had the nerve to tell Kherington to smile less in the beautifully touching waltz choreographed by Jean-Marc in honor of his daughter. The other judges disagreed and told Mia she was nuts, but she got all snippy on their asses and told them she "has the right to her opinion." She does… she's a judge, but clearly, she sounded like a petulant mean girl and the audience "Boo-ed" accordingly.

Mary "Screamin' Banshee" Murphy: Good God, this woman can get on my last nerve. However, unlike Mia, I don't feel any mean-spiritedness in her commentary. It's more Paula-like (positive with an added dose of hideous fake tanning and wardrobe choices) but she never shies away from criticism when necessary. But, seriously, could she stop the screaming? I can only imagine how deaf the other judges are by the end of each episode. Oh yeah, and stop the WOO-HOO! And "two tickets on the hot tamale train!" Is this kindergarten? Sometimes I think she actually breaks the sound barrier when delivering her praise.

Nigel "Grabbin' His Crotch" Lithgowe: I don't know what got into Nigel this week. Perhaps he's still suffering from PTSD after being "kidnapped" into a dance routine last week. This week, he got out of his chair like a possessed demon and started running around and screaming "Yes!" after watching Katee and Joshua's Broadway routine. Then, when he was critiquing Comfort and Chris, he leapt out of his chair and grabbed his crotch to demonstrate how "weak" Chris' gangsta moves were. He told Chris to be more like the Hulk, then proceeded to turn into said green monster, complete with bared teeth and bulging veins. We get it Nigel... you used to be a dancer. No need to scare the little kids at home to drive your point across.

What do you think of the judges? Please post your thoughts here.

Related

• Use Our Online Video Guide to Watch SYTYCD
• Read TVGuide.com's SYTYCD recap