While many were out traveling, tanning and relaxing, others were anticipating the arrival of the 2013 summer television schedule.
As many as eighty television shows began this summer (May-August), both new seasons and series premieres.
As the anticipation for fall programming begins, here is what you might have missed this summer.
Top shows this summer, “Dexter” (Showtime) and “Breaking Bad” (AMC) embarked on their final seasons. “Dexter” began its eighth and final season on June 30 with the first of twelve episodes.
The series began in Oct. 2006 and follows Miami forensic blood analyst, Dexter Morgan, who also moonlights as a vigilante serial killer.
“Dexter” will air its final episode Sept. 22 at 9 p.m.
“Breaking Bad” began the final half of its concluding fifth season on Aug. 11 at 9 p.m.
“Breaking Bad,” a series about a former chemistry teacher turned producer and distributor of methamphetamine staring Bryan Cranston, initially aired the first half of season five last summer.
Clips released from the network, AMC, hint at the possible downfall of Cranston’s character, Walter White, in the final eight episodes.
Other fan favorites include “True Blood” (HBO), which began its sixth season on June 16, “Big Brother” (CBS), embarked on season 15 on June 30 and teen favorite “Pretty Little Liars” which aired from June 11 to July 27.
“Pretty Little Liars,” a show about four teenage best friends who are targeted by an anonymous villain named “A,” broke twitter records last Tuesday during its summer finale.
E! Online reports that “Pretty Little Liars” became the most talked about TV series to be talked about on Twitter and Facebook in a single day.
The show comes back for a Halloween episode on Oct. 22, 8 p.m. on ABC Family and will return for the second half of season four later in early 2014.
USA aired many of its own original programming this summer including the shows “Burn Notice,” “Graceland,” “Royal Pains,” “Necessary Roughness,” “Covert Affairs” and “Suits.”
The highly-anticipated “Graceland” premiered June 6. The name “Graceland” refers to a confiscated beach house in Southern California which is home to many undercover agents from different agencies.
The show stars Aaron Tvet, from the 2012 adaptation of “Les Misérables,” and Daniel Sunjata, previously from “Law and Order,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Dark Knight Rises.”
Not to be outdone, TNT also had a summer schedule of original programming that includes, “The Hero,” staring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “72 Hours,” “Falling Skies,” “Franklin and Bash,” “Perception,” “Major Crimes,” “King & Maxwell” and “Rizzoli and Isles.”
“Rizzoli and Isles” was clouded by the sudden death of star Lee Thompson Young who was found dead Aug. 19.
The show, renewed for its fifth season, premiered at 6.4 million viewers.
“Rizzoli and Isles” is a crime drama starring Angie Harmon as Jane Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as Dr. Maura Isles.
The duo, detective and medical examiner, work together to investigate murders that occur in a copy-cat fashion from a fictional serial killer. The show airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m.
Many reality TV shows came back this summer. Shows like, “Real Housewives of New Jersey” (Bravo), “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” (E!), “The Next Food Network Star” (Food), TLC’s “Toddlers and Tiaras” and “America’s Got Talent” (NBC).
As well as a variety of new coming reality series that premiered such as E! Network’s “The Wanted Life” and “Total Divas” and NBC’s “Camp.”
One of the most successful shows that premiered this summer was CBS’ “Under the Dome.”
As stated on variety.com, “Under the Dome’s” pilot episode that aired June 24 had close to 20 million viewers.
Based on Stephen King’s same-named novel, “Under the Dome” is a science fiction series which follows the residents of a small town who are suddenly trapped by an invisible dome-shaped force field.
The show has already been renewed for a second season, which will air next summer of 2014.
As for the rest, only time will tell which shows will make it past this summer.