Kyra Sedgwick
"Brenda Leigh Johnson"
"The Closer" returns Monday, 6/8 at 9pm on TNT
We've come to think of Kyra Sedgwick as the leading lady of summer -- and just one more reason why cable TV rocks our world. Definitely one of the most popular summertime shows, "The Closer" returns to TNT for its fifth season of murder investigations led by the lovely Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson (Sedgwick). In case you haven't yet met, Brenda is a junk-food-loving workaholic who runs the Major Crimes Division and is best known for her ability to extract confessions and close cases. This season is going to be a year of change for Brenda and her team. Just as the Southern Belle is getting used to married life, she loses someone close to her and goes through a tough grieving period. In addition, the conflict between Sgt. Gabriel and Det. Daniels finally comes to a resolution, and another member of Brenda's team undergoes an attitude adjustment after falling in love. The bad economy forces one of the detectives to take on a second job, while an accidental fatal shooting of a suspect leads to career complications for another.
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Ryan Kwanten
"Jason Stackhouse"
"True Blood" returns Sunday, 6/14 at 9pm on HBO
Previously best known for his roles on Aussie soap "Home and Away" and in the Lori Loughlin-starring series "Summerland," Ryan Kwanten broke out in a big way late last summer when "True Blood" debuted on HBO. Last season Kwanten's character, Jason Stackhouse, spent a fair share of time on the Southern gothic horror in nothing but tighty whities and sprayed-on sweat. However, this season starts with the hunk joining a right-wing cult bent on taking down a ragtag team of vampires. Whether this cult will keep him out of the whorehouse and into the church house remains to be seen, but even a pious hatemongering Jason Stackhouse -- in polo shirts and pleated khakis -- packs more heat than your average CW clone.
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Edie Falco
"Jackie Peyton"
"Nurse Jackie" premieres Monday, 6/8 at 10:30pm on Showtime
It's difficult to look at actress Edie Falco without thinking of her signature role as the manicured mob wife Carmela Soprano on the legendary series "The Sopranos." But after just a few minutes of the new "Nurse Jackie," Falco will woo you with her portrayal of an ER nurse who follows her own rules -- from forging organ donor cards to telling off doctors -- in order to do what's best for her patients. And "Sopranos" fans take note: The brazen Jackie seems to have stolen a page from Tony Soprano's playbook and continually steps out on her spouse in the new series.
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Dylan McDermott
"Carter Shaw"
"Dark Blue" premieres Wednesday, 7/15 at 10pm on TNT
With his rugged good looks, piercing blue eyes and sexy smirk, Dylan McDermott has had the ladies swooning ever since he married Julia Roberts in "Steel Magnolias" two decades ago. After several seasons as a stick-in-the-mud lawyer on ABC's "The Practice," followed by a brief stint on the network's failed "Big Shots," McDermott is giving basic cable a try as undercover police officer Carter Shaw on Jerry Bruckheimer's new cop drama, "Dark Blue." Shaw and his team are so deep undercover, many of their fellow cops don't know they exist, making their personal lives complex as they become suspicious of just about everyone... including each other.
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Mary-Louise Parker
"Nancy Botwin"
"Weeds" returns Monday, 6/8 at 10pm on Showtime
Mary-Louise Parker, the Southern-bred star of Showtime's critically acclaimed "Weeds," returns for a fifth season as the formidable marijuana queen-pin Nancy Botwin. The fearless matriarch spent last season doing business along the border, got entangled with a corrupt Mexican politician and even readied herself for her own murder. But she has her fertility to thank for saving her life. Nancy literally dodged a bullet when she revealed she was pregnant with the aforementioned politician's baby. Now the question is: Will she trade in dime bags for diapers?
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Jeffrey Donovan
"Michael Westen"
"Burn Notice" returns Thursday, 6/4 at 9pm on USA
Two years ago, viewers were introduced to actor Jeffrey Donovan, who played the delicious Michael Westen, an international spy dumped in his hometown of Miami without money or resources. Donovan struggled to put his life back together and find out why he'd been "burned" by the government agency for which he once worked. Now he's back for a third season, finally free from the interference of the organization that burned him, but also no longer under its protection. Somehow, we get the feeling this hottie will be able to handle a little independence.
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Jada Pinkett Smith
"Christina Hawthorne"
"HawthoRNe" premieres Tuesday, 6/16 at 9pm on TNT
Jada Pinkett Smith, the beauty with the most ripped arms in Hollywood (not to mention a kinda big-deal move star hubby at home) is tackling television as Christina Hawthorne, a caring-yet-stubborn head nurse who isn't afraid to fight for what's in her patients' best interests, even if it happens to conflict with what her higher-ups want. And after she leaves the hospital at the end of a workday, "Hawthorne" has her hands full at home as a recently widowed single mom of a rebellious teenager. Can she find the time to care for herself the way she does for her patients?
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Benjamin Bratt
"William Banks"
"The Cleaner" returns Tuesday, 6/23 at 10pm on A&E
The tall, dark and handsome Benjamin Bratt returns for a second season as "The Cleaner," an extreme interventionist who, along with his ragtag team, uses any means necessary to help families get their drug-addicted loved ones clean once and for all. And nothing -- including illegal and unethical strategies -- is off limits when it comes to helping clients. At the same time, Bratt's brooding character, William Banks, must also face his own demons as a recovering addict dealing with a rocky family life.
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Shailene Woodley
"Amy Juergens"
"The Secret Life of the American Teenager" returns Monday, 6/22 at 8pm on ABC Family
In just two short seasons, Shailene "Shai" Woodley has become the face of teen pregnancy with her starring role as Amy Juergens in ABC Family's breakout hit "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." As the next chapter begins this summer, a shocking all-new secret threatens to tear up a family as Amy finally comes to terms with the harsh reality that she's a new mother still in school, missing out on the pleasures other teens are enjoying. Making things even more complicated for Amy is the baby’s father, Ricky, and her increasingly jealous boyfriend, Ben. As "real life" sets in for the teens, their innocence will be completely lost.
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Catherine Bell
"Denise Sherwood"
"Army Wives" returns Sunday, 6/7 at 10pm on Lifetime
Lifetime's hit drama "Army Wives" returns for its third season, and considering last season found the wives dealing with infidelity, family issues, romance rumors, rivalries, and heartbreak, we're expecting even more drama and plot twists from Season 3. After sleeping with a former patient, Denise Sherwood, played by Catherine Bell, finds herself facing devastating consequences when the affair becomes the talk of the Fort Marshall post. Denise quickly becomes an outcast and turns to her friends for support as she struggles to straighten out her career and her marriage.
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Nick Cannon
"America's Got Talent" returns Tuesday, 6/23 at 9pm ET on NBC
Forever adored as the star of the hits "All That," "Drumline," and "Wild 'N Out," Nick Cannon recently became a tabloid mainstay when he exchanged vows with diva extraordinaire Mariah Carey last year. Some might assume his infamous relationship scored him the gig as new emcee of "America's Got Talent," but we all know it's his improv skills and those dreamy dimples that sealed the deal. With Jerry Springer stepping down, it will be interesting to see how the talented 28-year-old handles the pressure of hosting one of summer's biggest shows... and how he deals with the notoriously difficult panel of judges: Sharon Osbourne, Piers Morgan, and former "Baywatch" stud David Hasselhoff.
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Kendra Wilkinson
"Kendra" premieres Sunday, 6/7 at 10pm on E!
Best known for being one of Hugh Hefner's "Girls Next Door," Kendra Wilkinson is officially stepping out of Bridget and Holly's shadows with her very own reality show, which costars her fiancé, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Hank Baskett, as the dynamic duo prepare for their lavish summer wedding. With Kendra's wild party-girl lifestyle on the line thanks to her man's conservative ways, chaos is bound to ensue as the Playmate attempts to transition from house bunny to housewife. For some reason, these soon-to-be newlyweds sound like a lot more fun than Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey ever did.
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Jillian Harris
"The Bachelorette" Mondays at 8pm ET on ABC
She's baaaaaaaaack! That's right, Jillian Harris -- the 29-year-old Canadian interior designer who failed to win over Jason Mesnick on the most recent season of "The Bachelor" -- is now on the other side of the rose ceremony as she looks for love during the highly anticipated fifth season of the ultimate guilty pleasure, "The Bachelorette." Among the 30 suitors vying for her affection (and their 15 minutes of fame) are: hunky breakdance instructor Michael, hunky pilot Jake, hunky bartender Robby, and hunky pizza "entrepreneur" Mark. Ladies, set your TiVos! This is must-see summer TV!
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Mark-Paul Gosselaar
"Jerry Kellerman"
"Raising the Bar" returns Monday, 6/8 at 10pm on TNT
Best known for playing heartthrob Zack Morris on the '80s favorite "Saved by the Bell," Mark-Paul Gosselaar returns for a second season of TNT's courtroom drama "Raising the Bar" as idealistic public defender Jerry Kellerman, who's determined to do everything he can to secure a not guilty verdict or decent plea deal for his clients. And if Mark-Paul's distractingly awful long hair kept you from tuning in the first season, well there's good news in store... the long locks are gone! This season's cases tackle issues such as hate crimes, drug dealing and child pornography as the lawyers face off against each other. In addition to the difficulties they confront in Judge Kessler's court, they now have to endure the draconian rules of a new judge. Get those gavels ready, 'cause court is back in session!
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Kathy Griffin
"Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List" returns Monday, 6/8 at 10pm on Bravo
Sassy, brassy, hilarious, and controversial, America's most polarizing redhead is back for another season of Bravo's two-time Emmy-winning reality show "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List." Whether she's berating the latest celebutante or poking fun at politicians, Oprah, or even her own mother, Griffin always seems to find herself in the most ridiculous situations. After her latest comedy special, "Kathy Griffin: She'll Cut a Bitch," caused such uproar, we can only imagine what she's got in store for Season 5!
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Cat Deeley
"So You Think You Can Dance" Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8pm ET on Fox
This stunningly tall blonde Brit has been charming audiences on this side of the pond for four years now as the host of Fox's popular dancing show "So You Think You Can Dance." Known for her high energy and ability to put contestants at ease with her charisma and wit, Cat also has won fans over with her famous "jeeeeedges" call at the start of every show (that's "judges" for those of you that don't speak Deeley). Sorry, England, but thanks to that smile and those legs, we aren't planning to send her back anytime soon. As judge Mary Murphy would say, "All aboard the Hot Tamale Train!"
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