LOS ANGELES (AP) – Gas prices are up, airport lines are long and global warming could mean an increased and mortifying risk of summertime sweatiness.

The obvious answer is to stay home and watch TV, lots and lots of TV.

Cable channels figured out a few years back that it made sense to jump into the end-of-season network void with fresh fare, and now broadcasters are fighting back with their own new series, both reality and scripted.

The flood of shows makes it easier to rationalize retaining uninterrupted coach-potato status. Or you could – novel idea! – be selective and still make plans to visit, say, the Pierogi Fest 2006 in Whiting, Ind. Some things are worth the risk.

In the meantime, here’s a sampling of the high-profile summer series that are airing now or will be soon, and a few less obvious but worthy candidates to check out:

• “Treasure Hunters,” NBC, debuting 8 p.m. Sunday, June 18. Boasting Brian Grazer (“The Da Vinci Code”) among its seven executive producers, the reality show challenges teams of players to search the world and decipher clues leading to a grand prize of … tune in to find out.

• “ShakepeaRe-Told,” BBC America, debuting 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 6. Updated interpretations of four Shakespeare plays, starting with a “Much Ado About Nothing” about rival news co-anchors. “Macbeth,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Taming of the Shrew” follow throughout August.

• “HGTV Design Star,” HGTV, debuting 9 p.m. Sunday, July 23. Aspiring designers try to impress viewers and judges, including Cynthia Rowley, to win their own HGTV series. More than 1,500 people competed to be among the 10 finalists.

• “Brotherhood,” Showtime, debuting 10 p.m. Sunday, July 9. A family saga set in Providence, R.I., about the tangled relationships – with the world and each other – of two brothers, one a gangster, one a politician (Jason Isaacs, Jason Clarke). The sublime Fionnula Flanagan co-stars.

• “Tuesday Night Book Club,” CBS, 10 p.m. Tuesday. A reality series that follows the lives of seven book-club members as they gather each week to talk about their lives, their husbands, child-rearing, sex and, maybe, even a book or two.

• “America’s Got Talent,” NBC, debuting 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 21. Singers, dancers, comics and more will try to impress judges Brandy (“Moesha”), David Hasselhoff (“Baywatch”) and British media figure Piers Morgan in the contest hosted by Regis Philbin and produced by Simon Cowell of “American Idol.”

• “Rock Star: Supernova,” CBS, 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 5. Dave Navarro and Brooke Burke are the hosts as the newly cobbled-together band Supernova (Tommy Lee of Motley Cure, Jason Newsted of Metallica and Gilby Clarke of Guns N’ Roses) search for a fourth member among 16 contenders.

• “Windfall,” NBC, 10 p.m. Thursday. A winning lottery ticket brings wealth but not necessarily happiness to 20 people who share in the jackpot, including two couples who have known each other since college. Luke Perry, Lana Parrilla, Jason Gedrick and Sarah Wynter star.

• “Famous,” Biography Channel, 11 p.m Thursday. What’s frothier than a milkshake and less fattening? Celebrity profiles like the ones being served up on this series’ third season. Kiefer Sutherland, Scarlett Johansson and Colin Farrell are among the lucky subjects.

• “Big Brother 7: All-Stars,” CBS, debuting 8 p.m. Thursday, July 6. The stars here are “some of the most memorable, entertaining and controversial” contestants from past seasons, the network said. Viewers will decide which ex-player gets to compete again, choosing half of those who agree to be housebound for a $500,000 prize.

• “Ultimate Dog Championship,” Animal Planet, debuting 7 p.m. Friday, June 30. Proving that athletes can have four legs, the series gives canines the chance to compete in events including hurdles, ball-catching and communication to win the title of “Top Dog.”

• “Monk,” USA Network, debuting 9 p.m. Friday, July 7. Tony Shalhoub returns for his fifth season as the detective whose skills are intact despite his obsessive-compulsive disorder. Is he good? You bet, and Shalhoub has Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actor Guild awards to prove it.