Mad Men: Season 2

(ANC, Sunday, July 27, 10 p.m.)

Season two of Mad Men opens with several characters getting ready for another day to the tune of “Let’s Twist Again (Like We Did Last Summer)” — a cue that the denizens of the Sterling Cooper ad agency are back for another summer sprint.

A couple of years have passed, but the show wastes no time catching up with ad man extraordinaire Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and company, as they contend with problems old (politics in the office, tension at home) and new (automation, ageism and high blood pressure). Secretary-turned-copywriter Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) appears to have bounced back from the shock that she was dealt in last season’s closer — a bombshell that no doubt stretched credibility for some viewers — and agency partner Roger Sterling (John Slattery) is in the pink again after his heart troubles.

While the critical acclaim and Emmy nominations will attract some new viewers, the show’s period setting and morally challenged cast of characters are unlikely to connect with a mainstream audience. Think of Mad Men as a boutique agency — creative and specialized — and, judging from the opener, the show’s small but loyal following will not be disappointed with its second-season campaign.

— George Vernadakis

Eureka: Season 3

(Sci Fi Channel, Tuesday, July 29, 9 p.m.)

Budding romances, government takeovers and an out-of-control drone highlight the third-season return of Eureka to Sci Fi Channel’s lineup.

The series, which follows the exploits of the uniquely intelligent inhabitants of a Pacific Northwest town, begins with the Department of Defense assigning a “corporate fixer” (played by Frances Fisher) to re-evaluate the operations of Eureka’s top secret research facility Global Dynamics — much to the chagrin of the city’s leaders Nathan Stark (Ed Quinn) and Allison Blake (Salli Richardson), as well as Sheriff Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson).

But the town has more pressing problems as it tries to keep a runaway, intelligence-evolving drone — created as a target to test a new anti-missile project — from taking its revenge on the city.

Weaved through all the action is an apparent resolution to the on-again, off-again romance between separated married couple Stark and Blake.

The show’s third season seems poised to continue the franchise’s quirky feel, cleverly mixing comedy with some good action and suspense.

— R. Thomas Umstead