Royal Pains

CHICAGO – USA’s highest rated series returns tonight with the fourth season premiere of the wonderfully breezy “Royal Pains.” I used to love and defend this show but I’m starting to grow concerned that it’s been out in the Hamptons sun for too long and grown complacent.

CHICAGO – USA’s “Royal Pains” has always been a great summer diversion for this critic. It just fits in the warm weather as one can imagine being in the social circle of HankMed, walking the beaches of the Hamptons and hobnobbing with the rich and beautiful.

CHICAGO – “If you want a happy ending, it depends on where you stop the story.” Such is the theme of the mid-season premiere of “White Collar,” USA’s hit show that has essentially been working on one arc that could be coming to a close since it premiered — the attachment of G-man Peter Burke (Tom DeKay) to con man Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer). What if Caffrey had a chance to split? Would he take it? Or would he choose to walk the side of the tracks he used to rip off? These questions may not be completely answered by the end of this second half of the third season but it feels like we’ll be closer to the next phase of this massive hit.

CHICAGO – Brian Tallerico guests on Jimmy & Jen on 102.3 XLC in Chicago on June 30, 2011 for an interview about current television news including the best programs of Summer 2011.

CHICAGO – Brian Tallerico guests on Bill Moller’s show on WGN-Radio in Chicago on July 2nd, 2011 to take calls about the best Summer 2011 programming, including “The Big C,” “Louie,” “Falling Skies,” “True Blood,” “Breaking Bad,” “Necessary Roughness,” and “Royal Pains.”

CHICAGO – Brian Tallerico, content director and TV critic for HollywoodChicago.com, will appear on Bill Moller’s program this Saturday on WGN Radio 720 AM in Chicago. The show plays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every weekend. What are your favorite shows this season?

CHICAGO – Brian Tallerico guests on Bill Moller’s show on WGN-Radio in Chicago on June 25th, 2011 to discuss upcoming premieres, including NBC’s “Love in the Wild,” HBO’s “True Blood,” Showtime’s “The Big C” & “Weeds,” and USA’s “Necessary Roughness” and “Royal Pains.”

CHICAGO – They can’t all be winners. The third season premiere of “White Collar” definitely feels like a show trying to find its identity after spinning several of the same plates in the air for two hit seasons and with no clear direction on where to go for chapter three.

CHICAGO – USA has a proven formula for success and they show no sign of slowing down in that department, adding new hits like “Covert Affairs” and “Fairly Legal” to a line-up of proven successes like “Burn Notice” and “Psych.” The first season of the very hit-and-miss “Affairs” and the second season of the more-consistent “Royal Pains” recently hit DVD from Universal and they’re both sets designed for fans of the network.

CHICAGO – The second wacky legal show debut of the week (after NBC’s awful “Harry’s Law”) is the fairly good “Fairly Legal,” a show that works largely due to the incredible charm of its lead, Sarah Shahi (“Life”).