We're in the dog days of summer -- the brief calm period before the fall frenzy begins -- so I thought I'd use this week to take another look at shows I won't be able to pay much attention to when new programs begin rolling out in a couple of weeks.

First up is ABC's 'Happy Endings,' an ensemble comedy that premiered in the spring and returns Sept. 28. You could almost say it's a summer show -- ABC, in its infinite wisdom, randomly aired a new episode Aug. 24, because that makes a ton of sense. Yeeesh. Thanks for the freebie, ABC, but I mainly used Hulu and iTunes to catch up on the show's first season in recent days.

The verdict? Late in its debut season, 'Happy Endings' was far less shrill and better calibrated than it was when it first premiered, and I could see why it got renewed.