Summer is a great time of the year. The grass, long hidden beneath leaves and snow, finally begins to grow bright green again and the sun in out regularly. For television fans, however, summertime also means an end to primetime shows and a three-month period of reruns and lackluster pilots. But for those looking for good entertainment during June, July, and August, there are plenty of good shows to discover on DVD.

After six seasons, it still is surprising that the FX series The Shield doesn’t get more recognition by the general public. The Shield portrays police officers as they are usually never shown; dirty. Vic Mackey, played by Michael Chiklis, plays a corrupt cop who leads a special strike team in keeping the gangs of Los Angeles in line.

The best part about the show, aside from the consistently terrific storylines, are the characters. Although many of the cops on the show are dirty in one way or another, there are no clear-cut good and bad guys. Vic Mackey, while guilty of a laundry list of crimes, wants nothing more than to clear the streets of gangs and to keep his family well-fed and happy. So he goes to extremes to gain confessions and to make extra money on the side.

Sometimes lost in the show is the duality presented by the two clean detectives that work in the same department as Mackey. Both of these detectives pursue real police cases and use smarts and wit to send their suspects to jail; a striking contrast from the rough and fast tactics of the strike team.

Overall, The Shield is an excellent show which deserves a watch by anyone who is a fan of the drama genre. With the seventh, and final, season set to air in late 2007/early 2008, there is plenty of time to catch up before the series ends. The Shield seasons one through five can be bought on DVD and reruns air on SpikeTV regularly.

Another good show to catch up on this summer, through either DVD or TV, is Scrubs. Unlike The Shield, Scrubs excels by using situational comedy in a situation where humor is so rarely used on television; hospitals. Zach Braff headlines the series as Dr. John Dorian. Simply put, Scrubs is one of the best shows on television and it is surprising that it is only now becoming a favorite of audiences as well.

Every actor or actress on Scrubs has their own quirky and unique personality. Whether it be the cool yet goofy Turk, the always-angry Dr. Cox, or the suicidal Ted, there is not one major character on Scrubs who is not interesting and funny in his or her own right. And if that wasn’t enough, each season of Scrubs features four or more major guest stars such as Michael J. Fox, Brendan Frasier, Ryan Reynolds, or Tara Reid.

Scrubs, like The Shield, has been on television for six seasons and is due to end after its seventh. Those who have not been watching the show for the last couple of years can catch reruns on Comedy Central, WGN, and Fox at various times throughout the weekdays. The show can also be purchased on DVD.