by Gil Templeton

Created on: June 13, 2010

The USA Network must really think their show "In Plain Sight" kinda sucks. And there’s a pretty good reason why. I think the TV Witness Protection drama must really be a stepchild series from The USA Network: the basic cable station, renowned for season after season of excellence in most all genres of television storylines and production, advertises the WITSEC-based show as “one of the best shows on cable.”  The Mary McCormack crime-to-court drama gets a remedial rating from its network's advertised tagline.

You see, USA has long relied on its unique utilization of hyperbole when advertising its line-up.  “Burn Notice”, the Jeffrey Donovan-driven Spy vs Spy vehicle, is touted as “the #1 Show on cable”.  A sister show, “NCIS”, Mark Harmon’s zenith and arguably the best ensemble cast on current action-drama TV, touts to be “the #1 Show on Television”, much less any cable network.  This show actually runs on the CBS Network, but its reruns have gathered an audience so new and infatuated with the crime drama that it seems to be innate to USA itself.  I'm actually one of the late NCIS bloomers, now relying on the cable net to provide my Navy crime fix (as do many, many followers just like me...  in fact, it's interesting to view the ratings of the show, in simple numbers, of th show on CBS vs USA.)

Then you've got “Royal Pains”, ballyhooed as “the #1 New Show”, the medical comedy/drama Robin Leach would endear, ran a strong semi-season in 2009 and got called up like a reservist in the TV Marines.  Mark Feuerstein and welcome newcomer Reshma Shetty lend credence to the premise, though it straggles far behind FOX’s “House M.D.” in principle and all-round coolness.   

And finally, certainly not least, is “White Collar” with Matthew Bomer and Tim McKay in an unabashed attempt at recalling the late ‘60s smooth thriller “It Takes A Thief” (just substitute Matthew for Robert Wagner and McKay for Malachi Throne).  “White Collar” gets USA’s highest praise, calling it “the perfect TV show” (Tuesdays, 9 EDT).  Quite acclaim for a show that the ratings, thus the fans, were considered pretty low in numbers.

The jury’s still out on “Covert Affairs”, as it hasn’t run yet at all, and it's slated for a July debut.  So, I

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