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It’s been the summer of Sharknado and the season of surprise musical reunions. As we hit September and summer winds down, it’s time to look back at some of the gems TV has gifted us these past few months.
1. Jesse and the Rippers Reunite
John Stamos (sporting hair and clothes straight from 1992) got the band back together on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon – and rocked the house. The July 17 performance of Jesse and the Rippers featured a medley of songs, including the Full House theme. It was also a family reunion of sorts, with Stamos’ Full House co-star Bob Saget visible in the audience, and Stamos’ onscreen wife Lori Loughlin (Becky) hugging the singer afterwards.
PHOTOS: Jimmy Fallon: From Early ‘SNL’ to Movie Star to ‘Late Night’
2. Sharknado
First unleashed July 11, the SyFy film about a shark-filled tornado lit up social media and gained instant cult status. It even sold out limited big-screen showinngs in major cities around the U.S. What’s next? The sharks hit New York in Sharknado 2: The Second One, due in 2014.
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3. John Oliver’s The Daily Show
John Oliver took over the Daily Show reins from Jon Stewart this summer while the longtime host directed a film. The British comedian kept the ratings high while charming with self-deprecating humor about being a second-class host. He wrapped up his hosting duties Aug. 15.
4. The Man With the 132-Pound Scrotum
Like Sharknado before it, The Man With the 132-Pound Scrotum came out of nowhere and captured the public imagination (though less so than the shark-attack film). The TLC doc, which originally aired on Britain’s Chanel 4, followed Wesley Warren Jr., a Las Vegas man with a rare medical condition that caused his scrotum to swell to an enormous size. The documentary originally aired Aug. 15. For more, check out our primer of five things to know about Warren.
5. Aaron Paul on The Price is Right
Before he was Jesse Pinkman, Breaking Bad‘s Aaron Paul was perhaps the most enthusiastic The Price is Right contestant ever. Footage of his trip to the showcase showdown had been online for some time, but Jay Leno brought it to new height’s of popularity when he showed the clip during Paul’s Aug. 17 visit to The Tonight Show. “Wow, I look like I’m on meth,” Paul told Leno after viewing the clip.
Speaking of Aaron Paul…
6. Breaking Bad returns one last time
We don’t want to spoil anything for those who haven’t seen it, but “tread lightly” became an instant classic the instant Walt (Bryan Cranston) said it. Breaking Bad airs its series finale Sept. 29.
PHOTOS: ‘Breaking Bad’: 20 Most Badass Quotes
7. Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” is Played with Kids’ Instruments
Technically, this didn’t air on TV, but it’s is so good we’ll give it a pass. Jimmy Fallon and the Roots welcomed Robin Thicke to perform an elementary school version of racy hit “Blurred Lines.”
8. ‘N Sync Reunites for VMAs
Ahead of the show, all eyes were peeled for the rumored boy band reunion. Then Miley Cyrus’ performance stole the show (for all the wrong reasons). Still, seeing Justin Timberlake, J.C. Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, and Chris Kirkpatrick perform their iconic “Bye Bye Bye” choreography was pretty great. Thanks to ‘N Sync and Cyrus’ performances, the VMAs were up 66 percent in the ratings from last year.
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Get More: Justin Timberlake, *NSYNC (Medley), Music, More Music Videos
9. Daft Punk Cancels on Colbert
Ironiclly, the summer’s most-talked-about Colbert Report moment came from something that never happened. Daft Punk canceled on the Aug. 6 episode of the show, leaving Stephen Colbert up to his own devices. What resulted was a fantastic dance montage featuring Hugh Laurie, Bryan Cranston, Matt Damon, Jeff Bridges and Jon Stewart.
10. Channing All Over Your Tatum
Back in June, Jamie Foxx, Channing Tatum and Jimmy Kimmel unleashed this innuendo-heavy anthem, featuring lyrics such as: “When ya splashing in the water and you think you might drown, Channing tosses you his noodle and he calms your ass down. … He just Channing’d all over your Tatum.” Matt Damon, Miley Cyrus, Olivia Munn and Gabourey Sidibe cameo in the video, which proves that taking a joke too far can be a good thing.
What was your favorite TV moment of the summer? Sound off in the comments!
E-Mail: Aaron.Couch@THR.com
Twitter: @AaronCouch
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