Summer TV has traditionally been a wasteland of reruns and reality shows. But lately the warmer months have become a time when the cable networks roll out their signature scripted series and the broadcast nets air edgier or quirkier fare. In the tradition of my earlier look at the men of the summer movies, here are some of the guys bringing the heat to the small screen.

Matt Keeslar
on: The Middleman (currently airing, ABC Family)

Alright, so Keeslar has been on my gay pop culture radar for some time for his roles in films like Splendor, Psycho Beach Party and Urbania. (And then there's that Dune mini-series....) For a little while, we didn't see much of Keeslar, but he's hard to ignore on the ABC Family series The Middleman. With a rapid-fire wit that rivals Buffy's best moments, The Middleman's quickly become one of those shows I can't wait to see and Keeslar only gets sexier for me when I realize what great comedy chops he has.

Frederick Weller and Christian De La Fuente
on: In Plain Sight (currently airing, USA Network)

I was surprised when USA's latest procedural series (about US Marshalls working the witness protection program) turned out to be far more addicting than most of USA's shows. Maybe it's the guest stars, which have included the likes of Dave Foley and Missi Pyle. But a definite part of it is getting to see Weller and De La Fuente (who gay audiences probably remember best for playing gay on The Class) in supporting roles every week.

Grant Show
on: Swingtown (currently airing, CBS)

Alright, the pornstache really should be a turn-off, but there's something about Show's performance on Swingtown that totally makes me look past it. And I'm certainly looking forward to seeing how far his character goes when his wife's ex-boyfriend comes to town.

Dillon Casey and Lucas Bryant
on: MVP (currently airing, SOAPNet)

Business-wise, I have no idea why SOAPNet is airing this Canadian hockey soap opera, which got canceled after ten episodes. On the other hand, a quick look at the guys makes me understand why they couldn't resist airing it. Much like the Brit sports soap Footballers' Wives, there are good number of locker room scenes on MVP and that means plenty of scenes with Casey in a towel. Anything less would be a waste of a good six-pack!

Recently snicks gave us a list of Our Favorite Action and Fantasy Heroines and that list, combined with a catch-up marathon of Battlestar Galatica, got me thinking of women who are strong and formidable because of their intellects. Strong warrior women have a major presence in the gallery of gay icons, but we also love the women who outsmart the obstacles in their path. Since tonight marks the Battlestar Galatica midseason finale (and the last we'll see of President Roslin until 2009) here are some of sci-fi's smartest and most admirable women.

Mary McDonnell as President Laura Roslin
in Battlestar Galactica

Easily one of the most formidable minds in sci-fi TV is the woman left to keep humanity alive as it faces extinction after 42 people ahead of her for the presidency were killed in the holocaust. Initially she faced an army (almost literally) of skeptics who dismissed her as just a "school teacher" never meant to lead the twelve colonies. However, she quickly proved herself as a woman dangerous to underestimate, especially when she faced down a military insurrection led by Bill Adama. As played by Mary McDonnell, Roslin is someone whose mind is clearly always at work.

Amanda Pays as Theora Jones
in Max Headroom

Max Headroom gave us Theora Jones, who worked as reporter Edison Carter's controller, providing him with information as he questioned subjects and ventured into dangerous territory. Many times, Edison would have been toast if not for Theora's knack for quick research.

Catherine Tate as Donna Noble
in Doctor Who

With smart women like Martha Jones and Sarah Jane Smith, its hard to not make this list heavy on Doctor Who companions. However, Donna stands out for the way her first meeting with The Doctor transformed her. In her first appearance, she came off as intellectually lazy and demanding. However, she's also the first person (since the series was revived, at least) to work with The Doctor and have the insight to find his awesome powers to be something to inspire fear. She also became a stronger person all alone, turning into an investigator in order to reconnect with The Doctor. She's challenged The Doctor and his impulses from her earliest travels with him, contributing to the action instead of deferring to him.

Lisa Hayes
in Robotech (The Macross Saga)

For a lot of gay geeks who grew up in the 80's the animated serial Robotech was our afternoon soap. Not only did Robotech cheesily mix sci-fi and romance (how can you beat a story where aliens invade earth and are literally defeated by a love song?), it gave us plenty of strong women who succeeding by dismissing societal expectations. As the first officer of the SDF-1, Lisa's quick thinking saved the ship on several occasions and her tactical mind helped the ship's fighter pilots turn away various attacks.

Kristen Chenoweth as Olive Snook
in Pushing Daisies

While Ned, Chuck and Emerson go about trying to solve various murders, The Pie Hole's waitress Olive Snook solves the mystery of what those three are up to all on her own, discovers Chuck's family and realizes that she's officially dead. Olive is a sharp interrogator, often forcing Ned and Chuck to change the subject to avoid her questions. As hard as it would be to believe, I wouldn't be surprised if she figures out Ned's secret soon enough.

We're starting a new feature here, a round up of little items that might be of interest to my fellow gay geeks who frequent AfterElton.com. If it's wearing a cape, Vulcan ears or a pocket protector, you'll find it here.

• Yahoo! Games' rundown of controversial video games includes the gay controversies for SimCopter and Bully as well as the camp classic FMV game Night Trap. Mortal Kombat makes the list, as well -- am I the only one who thinks of that should be considered a camp classic, too?
  

• Some of you comic readers might be familiar with When Fangirls Attack, a linkblog that serves as a resource for discussion of the treatment of women and female characters in comics. WFA has grown to have an impact on comics coverage and now ComicGays seeks to do something similar for gay science fiction fans. As with WFA, you'll find a mix of opinions, including some cringe-inducing ones like the guy who uses Parthenon's elimination on Who Wants to Be a Superhero? as an argument against same-sex marriage. Sheesh.
  

• Meanwhile, check out what I think is the greatest thing I've seen in ages: Dorian Wright, the man behind ComicGays, has taken this week's Doctor Who episode and given it the LOLcat treatment. (Mild spoilers at the link.) My favorite image comes a couple weeks later, though. (Watch out for even bigger spoilers at there.)

• Who caught this week's Eureka? I've been waiting for the show to give us confirmation that Cafe Diem manager Vincent is gay beyond that one "Is he cute?" line and I was afraid we'd get that confirmation in the most cringe-inducing way. The episode saw Sheriff Carter suddenly find himself irresistible to women and I was bracing myself for a scene where Vincent embarrasses himself by throwing himself at Carter. Thankfully, that didn't happen, but, if Vincent's gay, I hope they clarify his sexual orientation before the season ends. Eureka has been outstanding at showing that women and ethnic minorities contribute to the city's well-being. It'll be great to see that inclusiveness were extended to gays, as well.