New episodes of USA Network’s excellent mystery-comedy series Monk and Psych start tomorrow.

Summer was once the worst time to watch television, but now it’s arguably the best. Although the broadcast TV networks show even worse programming in summer than during the rest of the year, cable/sat channels take advantage of the situation to present their best programs against the weaker competition from the big boys.

Consider: The Closer, Mad Men, Saving Grace, Army Wives, Damages, Monk, Psych, The Cleaner, Burn Notice, In Plain Sight, Eureka, The Middleman, Charlie Jade, and Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and compare that with the slate of awful game shows and tired "reality TV" glop offered by the broadcast networks, in addition to a very few, very weak dramatic entries (Swingtown, Fear Itself).

Two of the best cable/sat shows return with new episodes tomorrow night, both on the USA Network: Monk (now entering its seventh season) at 9 EDT and Psych (starting its third year) at 10 EDT.

Both are mystery series with likeable but far-from-pefect central characters brilliiantly portrayed by their lead actors, accompanied by very appealing supporting casts. Both feature strong comedy premises that work best when they’re least forced, and strong mystery elements that work best when they’re most prominent. Both deal with interesting contemporary characters and issues and purvey solid, healthy values in the doing. And both feature smart writing with occasional flashes of real wit.

Sure, this is formula fiction, but the producers provide enough novelty to make them quite enjoyable, and the fact is, we like formulas because they satisfy our need for stability. That’s why television and other media employ fomulas: because people enjoy the interplay between the familiar and the new.

Both shows are well worth watching—which is more than can be said about the broadcast networks’ summer programs.