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All across the United States, kids and young adults are returning to school after the traditional summer vacation. And a homework assignment given out to almost every child in grade school is to write a report on what he or she did on their summer vacation.

So that I wouldn't feel left out, here's my report on what genre programming I watched this summer.

To begin with, I watched the traditional burn-off of canceled shows. ABC gave us the remaining episodes of "Pushing Daisies" and "Eli Stone," and NBC gave us "Kings." I was a loyal viewer of all these series when they premiered during the season, and I wasn't going to miss them.

"Kings" I went into detail in my last column, but I just want to reiterate what an outstanding series it was, and I really wish I was looking forward to the start of Season 2.

The episodes we got of "Pushing Daisies" were centered on supporting characters like Olive, Emerson and the aunts. I had read in an interview these episodes were to be a break in the main arc, dealing with Chuck and the Piemaker's fathers. Because of the cancellation, the father arcs were never resolved. On the last episode, we did get about 30 seconds of a tagged on epilog which tried to give a feeling of closure. I think it failed.

The episodes of "Eli Stone" that aired had been filmed before the series had been canceled, but I think it did a much better job of resolving story lines than "Pushing Daisies" did. All of our principal characters were together, or on the path to being together.

Most likely if the series had continued, the very next episode would have pushed it all apart again. I'm glad the producers arranged everything as they did. This series ended on a good note.

I also tuned in to see TNT's "Saving Grace." For those who don't know, the show is about Oklahoma City detective Grace Hanadarko, who has a "last chance" angel assigned to her named Earl. Thankfully, Earl isn't there to help Grace solve crimes. He is out to save her soul.

This season saw Grace beginning to accept her lot in life, and in the final episode of the season, accepted her assignment from Earl. It looks like the show is taking off in a slightly different direction. It's a pity the next season is its last.

I checked out NBC's "The Listener" for as long as it aired. A Canadian import, it was proudly Canadian, not at all trying to pretend it's in some unnamed American city. I liked that. As the series progressed, the lead character Toby began revealing his secret to others, namely his friend, and his police contact. It made the series easier to deal with, since Toby wasn't trying to hide his ability.

I liked it for what it was, and the mythology of the series was building nicely. I wish it had more time. The unaired episodes are currently airing on Hulu, so head over there if you have interested in seeing this little series before it's gone.

Syfy made two series available to us this summer, "Warehouse 13" and "Eureka." Both hour-long series are more comedy than drama, and both equally enjoyable.

I have been entertained by "Eureka" since its premiere, and am loving it this year as well. If it has any fault, it's the absence of the character of Nathan Stark, who died last season. He was the perfect foil for Carter, and is sorely missed.

"Warehouse 13" is new this year, and is the first series to premiere under the Syfy banner. It's funny, well-constructed and has likeable characters. If it has any faults, it's that the character of Artie is too much of a curmudgeon. He should loosen up.

I also worry about the character of Claudia, fearing she may become a "Wesley." So far she hasn't, but they had better watch that one.

I tuned into the "Torchwood" miniseries "Children of Earth," which I thought had a great buildup, but a poor finale. Gwen had nothing useful to do, and Jack ... well without spoiling it for anyone, Jack was a real bastard, but he really didn't have a choice. The mini left things up in the air as far as the future of this series. I hope it returns.

BBC America also brought us two "Doctor Who" specials, the first of which -- "Planet of the Dead" -- I really didn't like, and found far too silly, even for "Doctor Who." The second brought us the perfect companion for the Doctor, and I was disappointed she didn't travel with him. I would love to see her again, although it's unlikely.

I also checked out the series "Being Human," the description of which sounds like the beginning of a joke. A werewolf, a vampire and a ghost share this house ... I found it rather dry, and boring. I don't know if it will be back next year, but if it is, I won't be watching. I saw the pilot last year, and loved the setup. But the series just felt off.

And to round up my genre viewing for the summer, I have been watching "Defying Gravity." Described as "'Grey's Anatomy' in Space," the show attempts to focus on relationships, not sci-fi. It centers on a group of astronauts who have various psychological hangups that should have kept them from ever being selected for a mission around the solar system, except that the mysterious Beta appears to have wanted them there.

I'm still watching and waiting for something of real interest to occur. I don't expect to see all of the episodes air on ABC, if anywhere in the United States. I really wanted this show to make it. I just haven't seen anything special about it that can keep my attention.

That's my summer genre viewing, and I know there were other series that aired not mentioned here. That's because I passed on them.

So tell me, what genre series did you watch?