Remember when the summer television season was a wasteland of reruns and not much else? The timing of season premieres goes back to the advent of television, when auto manufacturers would release, and advertise for, their new car models, notes Splitsider.com. Car companies – the main advertising revenue for early TV – released models in the fall. The television season would start when the cars were released and advertising was abundant. Oh how the times have changed.

This holdover from the early days is finally loosening its grip, and summer programming is heaven for us couch potatoes. More than 80 shows are premiering over the summer season, writes TV Guide, which means there should be something good to watch for just about everyone. And the shows although some shows are exclusively viewable through HBO or Showtime through local Cox cable TV or find yourself using downloading sites of questionable legality, grab your chips and dip, drag out the margarita machine and practice your best remote holding stance, it’s almost time.

Four of the Best Shows Worth Giving a Go

True Blood (HBO, Season Six Premieres June 16th, 2013)

True Blood will never be remembered as a dramatic masterpiece. It is pure pulp – sexy, ridiculous and lots of fun. Last season was incredibly complicated,  perhaps too complicated, affirms The Atlantic Wire. Yet, the show still has us coming back for more, no matter how campy it might be. Sookie now contemplates a life of normalcy, while Vampire Bill is reborn into a strange, super-powerful combination of Lilith and himself. As always, True Blood is more than a little crazy. It’s a fun crazy, though, and worth watching for those with a taste for blood.

Dexter (Showtime, Season 8 Premieres June 30th, 2013)

Oh Dex. You kill bad people for fun. Your sister is in love with you. Your co-workers at the police department always seem to be one step away from discovering your secrets.

Dexter has one season left to escape prison or execution. While some seasons of Dexter have been hit or miss over the years, Dexter himself has always remained strangely appealing. Loving his character is a guilty pleasure, as he does all manner of terrible things to people. Some victims are bad, some are not so bad. Whatever the situation, though, we never want to see Dex caught.

Fans won’t want to miss this final season. Can he get away with it one more time?

Wilfred (FX Channel, Season 3 Premieres June 30th)

This show has remained a sleeper, but its ratings have been solid enough for FX to give it a third go round, according to Screen Rant. Originally an Australian concept, Wilfred centers on Ryan, a depressed and lonely character played by Elijah Wood. Ryan makes friends with his neighbor’s dog, Wilfred, who appears to him as a man in a dog suit.

Breaking Bad (AMC, Season 5 Premieres July 15th)

This is the final season for Walter White and his meth manufacturing empire. Breaking Bad has remained intensely popular with viewers, and many are wondering how the season can possibly end well for their favorite character. Drug dealers always seem to lose in the end, and it is hard to imagine how someone even as smart as Walter can avoid the same fate.

This summer is winding up to be a good one for TV viewers. We can all be thankful that television shows and automobile releases are no longer interlinked.

Guest article by: Mark Howard