The summer season is upon us. Most of the good shows we watch during the regular season have either ended or are in the process of wrapping things up. While a few older favorites (‘Rescue Me’, ‘True Blood’) may be returning over the summer, by and large, the schedule looks pretty bleak for the next few months. One potential bright spot that has me intrigued is the new miniseries ‘Persons Unknown’, premiering tonight at 10:00 PM on NBC.

Here’s what I know: The miniseries has been created by Christopher McQuarrie, screenwriter of ‘The Usual Suspects‘. The basic premise is that seven strangers are kidnapped from their regular lives and wind up in a mysterious town in the middle of nowhere, from which there seems to be no escape and their every moves are constantly monitored. The biggest name in the cast is Alan Ruck, from ‘Spin City’ and ‘Ferris Bueller‘. But a lot of the other players look familiar from various TV supporting roles as well. The miniseries will run 13 episodes through September, and the ads promise definitive answers to all of its mysteries by that time.

To be honest, I don’t find the pitch all that thrilling. It sounds pretty derivative of ‘The Prisoner‘. The promos have also been kind of generic. Even so, I’m willing to give McQuarrie the benefit of the doubt. It’s not like I’ve got a lot else going on over the summer. My DVR is already set to record.