[Roux]

I enjoy them all. They are easy to watch and mindless. Psych is my favorite.

[antiRepublicrat]

I like how Burn Notice worked the relative lack of violent deaths into the show’s logic. It simply generates too much police attention, which interferes with the work. IIRC, the star has only killed one person, the guy who had just sent his girlfriend to her death, and it was quite necessary to the plot.

[CA Conservative]

I regularly watch “white Collar” and “Covert Affairs”, and will watch “Burn Notice” if I have time. USA also used to run “Dead Zone”, which was another good show, suitable for the entire family. I almost never watch anything on NBC, but I will watch USA...

[afraidfortherepublic]

I LOVE this show — White Collar — and I think I’m going to like Covert Affairs just as much.

The plots are complicated and I like to watch each episode a couple of times because I learn someting new each time.

I really miss Monk, but these new shows are worthy substitutes. And they bring Monk back from time to time in their re-run line up.

[OldDeckHand]

The piece touched on it, but I think a central reason why those shows do so well is that they are all shot on location - NYC, The Hamptons, Miami etc. All the shows that are shot on the Universal or Sony backlots in LA, but are fictionally placed someplace else - like the backlot for Chicago - all look like they were shot on the back lot. The scenery becomes an effective character, a complimentary part of the production value.

I don't watch any of the CSI primarily because I can't stand the shows' aesthetics. It doesn't look like Vegas, it doesn't look like NYC and it doesn't look like Miami.

Dexter, which is shot in Manhattan Beach, does a fairly good job of looking like Miami, but even still, it frequently doesn't. I loved the pilot to Justified, primarily because it was shot on location in KY, and it just looked terrific. Then, of course, it moved production back to LA and it looked horrible - the Santa Monica mountains don't look like the Cumberland or Appalachian Mountains, ever.

[Non-Sequitur]

USA's Magic Formula For Making Hits

It's called originality, creativity, and assuming that your audience has a functioning brain. All things that the 3 major networks are lacking.

[N. Theknow]

“In Plain Sight” is a good show as well.

And the pilot for “Rubicon” on AMC was outstanding!

And the A&E show “Glades” is really well done.

[combat_boots]

“Burn Notice.”

Awesome. Fiona is IT.

[Sans-Culotte]

I thought I was gonna like Covert Affairs. I liked the first episode; but the second episode pissed me off. The CIA was trying to stop a terrorist. Was he Al Qaeda, Taliban, or some other Islamofascist? No. He was with the IRA, and we are warned early on in the episode "the IRA may be acting in this country now".

What BS. If they don't have the courage to make the Muzzies the bad guys, then they should do what the Bond films and The Man From UNCLE did: invent some super-villains or some international crime syndicate. Sorry, but this is a hot-button issue with me. Only the Bellisarius-created shows like JAG and NCIS have had the courage to consistently feature mid-east terrorists. NCIS is becoming a little more PC, but last season did at least end with them squaring off against a Mexican drug cartel, which is a very real enemy.

[spectre]

"Royal Pains" is one of our favorite shows and is set in the Hamptons.

In season 2, Henry Winkler (The Fonzie) has joined the cast as the loveable con artist father of the two main male Stars. Winkler has aged appropriately, yet he hasn't lost any of his "edge". God, he's great.

[reagan_fanatic]

One of the worst networks is WB.

If you’re not a college-aged, trendy, spoiled, self-centered, sex crazed, stuck-up little snob, WB doesn’t want you, apparently. That seems to be the only group their shows are aimed at.

[Silentgypsy]

Is anybody else relieved that they gave Caffrey a haircut? It needs to be shorter. Please use all your power and influence....

[WarEagle]

Another thing I think contributes to their success is their political neutrality. In general they steer clear of all highly charged subjects. I don't particularly like the offhand negative comments about our Lord in "In Plain Sight", but that's my only objection.

Every time I hear ZZ Topp's "Sharp Dressed Man" I mentally see Jeffrey Donovan in the peach colored shirt.

[skr]

My main problem with the USA drama lineup is that they seem to think that Jesus and God need to insulted at least once every episode. Most programs use God irreverently as a matter of course, but now Jesus is specifically targeted as a curse word. Neither is acceptable to me, but “god” has some generality, whereas Jesus is a very specific attack.

For the most part, the shows are relatively clean for this day and age, and I look forward to seeing what’s next. White Collar’s Peter and Elizabeth are one of the best married couple portrayals I’ve seen in a long time.

[DemforBush]

Burn Notice rules. Especially because The Bruce is a part of it.

Hail to the king, baby!

[Mr. Silverback]

Bump!

[phillyfanatic]

Good points here: Burn, Covert, White Collar are mind benders sometimes, not just emoting hit the thug. And the acting is very good for thrillers.