Contributor: Paul Asay

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

Saving Hope

It’s a summertime medical procedural, but with half-dead spirits walking the halls. With a setup like that, you’d think Saving Hope would be at least a little different.

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11.22.63

Stephen King’s 11.22.63 would, in terms of its story and sci-fi vibe, feel right at home in 1960s. If it didn’t have all those f-words, of course.

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Phineas and Ferb

Moooommmmmm! Plugged In is publishing a review of our show! On Disney Channel, Phineas and Ferb are whiling away their summer vacation with outlandish, reality-twisting pastimes—as their sister tattles.

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Madam Secretary

While Madam Secretary has its problems, it’s better and cleaner than we’ve seen lately from any of the other Washington-based dramas.

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Bizaardvark

Nice and sweet, with a bit of bathroom humor mingling amid character lessons.

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Quantico

This show is clearly more preoccupied with who’s sleeping with whom than whether someone might be part of a sleeper cell.

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Altered Carbon

Netflix’s new dystopian drama leaves a lot to be desired and very little to the imagination.

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Sleepy Hollow

UPDATED REVIEW: The Horseman doesn’t have a head … and this whole show seems to survive without a brain.

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Pokémon the Series: XYZ

Pokémon XYZ reminds me of the Hanna-Barbera cartoons I watched as a kid: The good guys were good, the bad guys were silly, and no one ever really got hurt.

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The Following

UPDATED REVIEW: Kevin Bacon tracks down a serial killer who is already in jail (and reportedly dead, too). How does that work? Well, it seems this guy has cult followers doing his sadistic bidding … on this sadistic TV show.

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JONAS L.A.

The Jonas Brothers move their sitcom to the West Coast and bring a mellower, more mature vibe along for the ride.

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Scream: The TV Series

MTV hopes Lakewood has an inexhaustible supply of telegenic teens. Otherwise, the series might murder itself right out of existence.

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The Million Second Quiz

This nonstop game show offers contestants a hot seat worth some cool cash—the biggest jackpot in television history, NBC says. Is it a TV winner too?

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Riot

From France and Australia (with love and loopiness) comes the summer’s strangest, zaniest show.

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Animation Domination High-Def

Is it the end of the world? No, just Fox’s new Saturday block of foul animated comedies. But for families who might want to stay up late and watch a bit of TV on occasion, it could be close enough.

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