Good, bad, ugly of new summer shows

Only if you have nothing better to do
“The Cut” (CBS, Thursdays at 8): When it was announced, many assumed this show was a rip-off of Bravo’s “Project Runway.” Instead, it’s a rip-off of “The Apprentice,” although a very poor version. From the opening title sequence to the structure of the game (two teams compete in challenges, with one member of the losing team going home), the influence is obvious. But Tommy Hilfiger is no Donald Trump, and the producers don’t have anything on Mark Burnett. Still, if you squint and try really hard, it may seem like you’re watching “The Apprentice.”

“Hit Me Baby One More Time” (NBC, Thursdays at 9) and “Dancing with the Stars” (ABC, Wednesdays at 9): These two shows are the summer’s breakout hits, but that just shows you how desperate the nation is for compelling summer television. On “Hit Me Baby,” five former No. 1 hitmakers come back and play their song in front of an audience that looks a lot less expansive and enthusiastic than the audio of stadium-sized screams would suggest. Sadly, all that their performances tend to leave us with is a realization that the version playing on ‘80s radio stations sounds a lot better. The second half of the show is more fun, when they play covers of current hits, but again, we long for the original. At the end, the studio audience votes, one performer or group wins $20,000 for charity and wise viewers head out to buy an iPod. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” keeps the same celebs from week to week, but considering that “Bachelorette” Trista is considered a “star,” that may not be a good thing. Watching people such as Evander Holyfield try to learn how to ballroom dance is amusing, but also kind of sad. Viewer votes and judges’ scores put one couple out of their misery each week.

“The Scholar” (ABC, Mondays at 8): High school students competing for a college scholarship doesn’t sound compelling, but this series actually is. The team challenges in the first episode weren’t exactly stimulating television, and the non-professional judges (who are actual admissions counselors) were boring. But the series gives us compelling characters in the students, who range from shy to arrogant, and make the series watchable.

Don’t bother
“Fire Me, Please” (CBS, Tuesdays at 9): This lame series, the worst that the summer has brought us so far, finds two people competing to be fired on their first day of work. They’re tracked by hidden cameras while they torture their unsuspecting co-workers. While this is an intriguing premise, the show has no respect for its audience; for starters, there’s a fake laugh track (but no studio audience) that helps us to know when to laugh. Worse, at least a few of the supposedly average people have turned out to be stand-up comedians or actors, for whom being obnoxious is apparently a lot easier.

“The Real Gilligan’s Island 2” (TBS, Wednesdays at 9): A producer of this series has said it’s a parody of “Survivor,” but it’s really just a low-budget quasi-imitation, with none of the drama or intrigue. The series doesn’t even really exploit its connection to the sit-com very well. In the first pair of hour-long episodes (two air each week), the host had to jump in the water to save someone from drowning and Angie Everheart cut herself and had to be airlifted away. But the production values combined with the lack of interest in the cast made both weightless moments fade rapidly, as does the entire series.

“I Want to be a Hilton” (NBC, June 21 at 8): Sure, this series has the potential to be entertaining. But should we really reward Kathy Hilton for trying to create clones of her vapid socialite daughter Paris?

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper is MSNBC.com's Television Editor. Andy Dehnart is a writer and teacher who publishes reality blurred, a daily summary of reality TV news.

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