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One type of mythology I haven’t really touched upon over the course of this column is that of gender role mythology. The concept is that men behave this way and women behave that way, or at least we are supposed to in order to adhere to some sort of inherent gender based ideal. Now I’m not here to get into the old nature vs. nurture debate over whether or not these gender differences are social constructs or something in the x and y chromosomes. No, my columns aren’t that weighty. I’m just interested in how they’re represented on summer TV shows, silly.

As with many things in popular culture, the ladies get the short end of the TV show stick. One of the only shows to really celebrate female gender identity ended a few years ago, and this summer, its afterlife hit the skids with the critically reviled, $95 million grossing Sex and the City sequel. The show is almost legendary by now as one of the shows that established HBO as the place to go for quality programming, and was one of their biggest successes in the late '90s and early 2000s. It was a critical hit as well, not really hitting full backlash mode until the latest movie.

Deservedly so, I might add. Oh, there’s a lot to praise about the program. The dialogue is clever, the acting superb, the themes certainly speak to an underserved female audience. The problem is, as the show aged, an inherent superficiality in the DNA of the show became more and more apparent. These four women are more gender archetypes than characters, sort of a Breakfast Club for women in their 30s. This quality at first made them identifiable to its large female viewership, until it became clear that there are far more than just four types of women, and no woman is a simple type.

For that matter, the four ladies’ obsession with fashion and status really seems indulgent and, to be blunt, a bit disgusting in a recession. This brings us to a similar problem with another show, a show that many consider to be the male version of Sex and the City, Entourage.

Also a show that got some good notice at first, Entourage has encountered its own backlash in recent seasons. I would argue that the show is even shallower and more insulting to its target audience than Sex and the City. The four central characters are far more poorly defined, not even settling into any discernable male archetypes. Eric is the straight man, Drama is the buffoon, and I have no idea how to define Vince or Turtle, other than boring. For that matter, the acting is far more uneven, with only Kevin Dillon and Jeremy Piven providing performances of any enduring value. The Sex and the City ladies have some emotional depth to them, but all the Entourage boys do is posture, trash talk and swagger. I understand the voyeuristic value of watching peacockery and status seeking, but if this is how Hollywood sees ideal maleness, then I’m insulted for my entire gender.

One summer show that does explore both the strengths and weaknesses of male identity is Rescue Me, yet another show backlashing like crazy. I do think it’s getting a little long in the tooth - no argument there - but I think there is some value in its more complex portrayal of manhood.

Unlike the two HBO shows, Rescue Me’s characters are layered, complex, and fascinating to watch. The dialogue is as witty and snappy as Sex in the City’s, and the acting is flawless. I won’t go into the cast individually, but I will say that I could watch Dennis Leary stammer, hem and haw for hours. The setting is blue collar, unlike Entourage, while the story is down and dirty. The most admirable aspect of the show, in my opinion, is its portrayal of male identity. Oh, these characters swagger just as much as our Entourage boys do, but Leary doesn’t glamorize it, or present it as an ideal. Rescue Me celebrates the heroism of masculinity, while poking holes in its pretensions. And when it does poke those holes, it does it with layers and depth, not reducing characters to simple buffoons like Drama.

I would be remiss if I were to neglect one of Rescue Me’s biggest critiques - that its portrayal of women is negative and borderline misogynist. All of the women are shrill, naggy or hot sexual conquests for Tommy and Franco. I don’t know if I agree with this assessment or not, I’m just putting it out there.

One summer show that has (thus far) eluded backlash is recent Emmy threepeat Mad Men. The benefit of time allows us to look upon the sexism of the '60s and chuckle at their breezy sexual harassment with the benefit of 40+ years of societal evolution. Weren’t those men silly back then? Weren’t the ladies silly in their own way for accepting it? The thing about Mad Men is that it condescends to a culture of the not too distant past, perhaps asking us to consider the folly in our current gender identities. Are we an advanced culture as compared to the '60s, or are we as foolish in our own way? Who knows?

Like I said, don’t want too get heady here. Just want to take a look at how TV presents and challenges gender roles during the summer months. And if HBO is any indication, both men and women are a bunch of surface level narcissists. Other shows ask us to question our gender ideals, to embrace their strengths, and reject their weaknesses. Maybe that is a little heady after all. At least for the summer.