Stuff We Love Right Now: Summer Throwback Edition
Six Feet Under
Stream on HBO Go and
Amazon Prime Video
Who could predict that a drama about death and grief, set inside a family-owned funeral home, would become one of the most-talked-about shows of the usually lighthearted summer season? But the achingly funny, blackly comic travails of the flawed Fisher clan captured our hearts and imaginations, starting in June 2001. The Alan Ball–created HBO series helped spur the second Golden Age of Television and delivered one of the most iconic series finales ever, with viewers getting to see the characters’ fates as their lives played out in an epic, heart-wrenching montage. —Christopher Wallenberg, Researcher
Monk
Stream on Amazon Prime Video
The mysteries were wonderfully odd, but what endeared me to Monk when it premiered on USA in July 2002 was the relatability of Tony Shalhoub’s (right) obsessive-compulsive detective. Perpetually stuck and hilariously afraid of the world, Adrian Monk remains the perfect summer companion for people who don’t want to leave their air-conditioned homes and risk things like sunburn or sweat stains. —Diane Snyder, Copy Editor
Beverly Hills, 90210
Stream on Hulu
What made the Aaron Spelling–produced high school soap really smolder in the summer of 1991? The beach, of course! The series returned for Season 2 as dreamy Brandon (Jason Priestley, bottom row, left) took a job at the Beverly Hills Beach Club and the suntanned gang (including Riverdale’s favorite dad, Luke Perry, as bad boy Dylan, top row, second from right) wore swimsuits for hot drama. Back when summer TV was mostly reruns, this sandy escape brought in nearly 20 million viewers. —Jim Halterman, West Coast Bureau Chief
Northern Exposure
Available on DVD
What made the Aaron Spelling–produced high school soap really smolder in the summer of 1991? The beach, of course! The series returned for Season 2 as dreamy Brandon (Jason Priestley, bottom row, left) took a job at the Beverly Hills Beach Club and the suntanned gang (including Riverdale’s favorite dad, Luke Perry, as bad boy Dylan, top row, second from right) wore swimsuits for hot drama. Back when summer TV was mostly reruns, this sandy escape brought in nearly 20 million viewers. —Jim Halterman, West Coast Bureau Chief
Under the Dome (Amazon Prime Video)
This is perhaps King’s most mystifying series, as viewers will spend the entirety of the three seasons trying to get answers to their questions. It’s hard to make any sense of the extraterrestrial happenings in the show, but random purple explosions and a questionable egg keep the storyline intriguing. While everyone tries to figure out why a small town like Chester’s Mill is trapped under a formidable dome, councilman James Rennie (played by certified bad guy Dean Norris) only makes matters worse.
Another week means more selections for things we’re watching, listening to, wearing, and more.
In this roundup of stuff we love, the TV Guide Magazine and TV Insider staff recall summer favorites from days gone by.
Click through the gallery above to see what other shows and apps are on their list this time around.
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