Knight Ridder Newspapers

The TV world turns upside down this summer, as the big broadcast networks open the spillway to a torrent of cheesy reality shows, while cable channels trot out meaty comedy and drama with high production values.

On the networks: Copycat dance and singing competitions join goofy games and voyeuristic examinations of supposedly steamy suburban lifestyles. D-list celebrities abound.

On cable: Established comedies and dramas with name stars return, and promising new ones premiere.

It’s just another aspect of a crowded, topsy-turvy TV world where everyone tries to shout “Look at me!” while gasping for breath in the chase for the almighty dollar.

Here’s how it used to be: Lots of people found better things to do in summer than watch TV. The networks saved their pennies airing reruns.

Here’s how it changed: Cable channels, seeing a void, started to premiere their best shows in summer. Broadcast bosses blubbered, “We’ve got to do something.” Sometimes when they did, they struck the mother lode.

Here’s how it is: Cable channels continue to slot much of their best stuff in the summer. The network big boys (and girls) augment their reruns by throwing all sorts of cheap meat into the stew, dreaming of another “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” “Survivor” or “American Idol,” which all began as summer fill-ins. And lots of people still find other things to do in summer besides watch TV.

They’re missing plenty on cable: “Rescue Me,” FX’s fireman sit-dram starring Denis Leary and the network’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” which this summer picks up guest star Danny DeVito; “The Closer,” TNT’s tale of a brilliant detective (Kyra Sedgwick); “The 4400,” believable alien escapades, and the endearing obsessiveness of Mr. Monk on USA; and, of course, TV’s best show, HBO’s ?!%&(ASTERISK)! amazing Western, “Deadwood.”

HBO premieres the wildly divergent comedies “Lucky Louie” and “Dane Cook’s Tourgasm” on Sunday. The next night, TNT’s “Saved,” starring Tom Everett Scott as an emergency medical technician, begins. Showtime unveils the ambitious drama “Brotherhood,” about a politician and a gangster, on July 9, and USA starts “Psych” on July 7. It stars Corbin Bernsen and Dule Hill, with James Roday as a police psychic who’s a complete phony.

The deep-pockets broadcast networks, where summer is low-budget, test-drive time, have nary a show that compares in ambition (and, most likely, in execution) to any of them.

The relatively low cost of most summer reality gives the networks a chance to swing at any sort of pitch to try to hit a home run. “Millionaire,” “Survivor,” “Idol”: Each of those blockbusters more than paid for all the shows like “Tommy Lee Goes to College” and “I Want to Be a Hilton” that sprang up on their respective networks.

Sadly for NBC, Tommy and Hilton have been the norm. The only notable winter success, a term used loosely, that the Peacock has bred in summer is “Fear Factor.”

In the fall-winter regular season just ended, the networks garnered exactly a 50 percent share in prime time, meaning that half of all the households watching TV at any time weren’t watching ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, UPN or the WB.

Count on that number to go down considerably this summer. Warm-weather cable-channel viewership passed that of the broadcast networks several years ago, and while one of the new summer broadcast shows (my money’s on “America’s Got Talent,” produced by “American Idol’s” Simon Cowell) might catch, most of them sound like strikeouts.

New network summer series:

“Gameshow Marathon,” premiered May 31, CBS. Continuing the reality-show-as-endurance-sport theme, such “celebrities” as actor Leslie Nielsen and “Trading Spaces”‘ Paige Davis play such classic TV game shows as “Card Sharks” and “Beat the Clock.” Host Ricki Lake strives to beat itchy-fingered viewers into remote submission.

“Windfall,” premiered Wednesday, NBC. The only new network summer drama, it has a game component, resurrecting Luke Perry (“Beverly Hills, 90210”) as one of a group of 20 players who win the lottery.

“How to Get the Guy,” premieres June 12, ABC. From the folks who brought you “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” this one attaches two “love coaches” to four attractive young things as they search for Mr. Right. The deck’s stacked against the gals. One of the coaches is slippery reality host JD Roberto. And they’re looking in San Francisco.

“Tuesday Night Book Club,” premieres June 13, CBS. Desperate for some younger viewers, CBS hopes these real-life housewives will be smoking enough to lure fans from MTV’s similar (if half a generation removed) popular “docu-soap,” “Laguna Beach.” One of the guinea pigs even looks like Eva Longoria.

“Treasure Hunters,” premieres June 18, NBC. The artistry of Da Vinci might be lacking, but there will be plenty of codes and puzzles in this globe-trotting competition that is definitely not a rip-off of “The Amazing Race.” Each team has three people.

“America’s Got Talent,” premieres June 21, NBC. Regis Philbin hosts, and Ed Sullivan’s spinning plates in his grave. There are judges – a gal (Brandy), a guy (David Hasselhoff), and a Brit (who cares what his name is) – and home voting. But this show is not a straight steal from “American Idol” because jugglers, drummers, even a talking pony are eligible to be declared the nation’s most talented creature. Idol overseer Cowell, creator of the new show, calls it the “most unique talent show ever undertaken in history.” Don’t look for a grammarian to win.

“Master of Champions,” June 22, ABC. Who has the most pizzazz at pizza tossing? Which unicyclist is uniquely skilled? Who can line up the lamest TV reality concept?

“Rock Star: Supernova,” returns July 5 to CBS with a new band. Tommy Lee learned a lot at college last summer, like how to worm his way into another reality show. The new rock super group, at least in their own minds, features oldsters Lee, Jason Newsted of Metallica, and Gilby Clarke of Guns N’ Roses, and, as lead singer, some refugee from “Wayne’s World” who will have competed for the “prize.”

“The One: Making a Music Star,” premieres July 18, ABC. Fox took the dance-contest idea from ABC, but this not a complete copy of “American Idol” because – you get to see the contestants being coached.

“Buy It Now,” premieres July 31, ABC. A one-hour eBay infomercial combines with “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” as worthy families seeking to “realize one of their most meaningful dreams” auction off all their heirlooms and hope friends and neighbors kick in some junk, too.

“One Ocean View,” July 31, ABC. Manhattan yuppies head to the Hamptons, or somewhere by the shore, to party hearty on the weekends. Aren’t these the people everybody tries to avoid when they’re vacationing down the Shore?

In addition, several series return this summer: “So You Think You Can Dance,” which had its season premiere on May 26 on Fox; “Last Comic Standing,” which began its fourth season May 30 on NBC; “Hell’s Kitchen,” which returns June 12 on Fox; and “Big Brother 7: All-Stars,”which comes back for its seventh season July 6 on CBS.

Best of cable

Here are the season premiere dates for some notable summer cable shows:

June 11. “Deadwood.” HBO.

June 11. “”The 4400.” USA.

June 12. “The Closer.” USA.

June 28. “Blade: The Series.” Spike.

June 29. “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” FX.

July 7. “Monk.” USA.

July 9. “Brotherhood.” Showtime.

July 12. “Nightmares & Dreamscapes – From the Stories of Steven King.” TNT.

July 14. “Stargate SG-1.” Sci Fi.