Ode to shows past, addendum May 2009

A few months back, I took cursor to digital paper and wrote an ode to shows that I’ve lost over the years. With yet another network television season complete, I believe it’s time to revisit that list, and add an addendum cataloging the massacre that accompanies the close of each season.

For all of you still out there fighting the good fight for these shows, this should in no way be seen as final. I’d love to come back and correct myself. So, keep sending those watches, bulletproof vests, lottery tickets, live butterflies, pitchforks, or whatever else you can think of. But, if this is the end, I figure now’s as good a time as any to pay my respects. And, if you’re wondering why the following’s light on the jokes … the fresher the wound, the deeper the hurt.

I’ve already written about the plight of The Unusuals. A lot of people have applied the show’s title to the conceit, and either used it as a pro or a con for what they see as different or ordinary, respectively. The only thing “unusual” about the show was the following: it was great from the get go. Sure, each character had a quirk, and there was an otherwise infrequently seen mix of excitement and comedy to the scripts, but what stood out the most for me was honestly how enjoyable an hour it was to spend in front of my television. I’d absolutely love to see it live to air another day (beyond closing out the episodes already in the can), but if it’s not to be, at least it went out as great from beginning to end.

On a network known for its heavy dose of procedurals, it’s unusual to find something that stands out as different. Eleventh Hour hit that nail on the head, and provided us with a procedural that didn’t necessarily follow procedure. Not because it was off the wall, but also not just because it wasn’t your standard crime drama. What made the show unique was a combination of great acting, intelligent writing, and a synergy between the two (then three) leads that’s lacking on other fare that The Eye has to offer. I think the show lost in the war of hype that’s become crucial for survival in today’s television wilderness. With no mysteries and conspiracies to discuss, and nothing bad to complain about, Eleventh Hour just got lost because it was simply plain vanilla great.

Worst Week, however, had plenty strange to chew on, and tons to come back and laugh at all over again. I’m not really sure what happened to this tale of a good intentioned oaf who wreaks havoc on everything he touches. I think, in part, that it suffered unduly from being pulled mid-season to make way for an already scheduled returning sitcom. CBS continues to make a lot of mistakes with its comedies, partly with their pre-determined juggling game between fall and spring. While Worst Week certainly didn’t do itself any favors with its low numbers, I still believe that, had it aired all year long, CBS would have given it another shot. But, out of sight, out of mind, and this diamond in the rough suffered as a result.

While I don’t want to bury anything while there’s still some life in it (come on, TBS), I think My Name is Earl is doomed, whether it gets picked up by another network, or not. Whether or not this is a new practice that has been successful in the past, there’s still a stigma when you’re dumped by the girl that brung ya. While a new network could certainly do a successful retool, the fear there is that the show will be unrecognizable when it comes out the other end (how much will next season’s Scrubs look like this season’s?) Don’t get me wrong; I’d love for My Name is Earl to be given more time to find its earlier flow. I just think this might be the beginning of the end, no matter what happens. I hope that, either way, Jason Lee comes out of this still intact.

I weep for the reap! What’s happened to my Reaper? I’m no CW person, and this was the only time I needed to worry about finding it on my guide, but this was a great reason to remember how to locate channel 57. I’ll admit that I’m about ten episodes behind on this season (stupid only two shows taping at once TiVo), but there’s no way that the show got bad enough to deserve this. Reaper was just about the best show on TV today, from cast to conceit to laughs. And I just know that by the time I get to the end of this season, I’ll still be wondering about how Sam gets out of his contract with The Devil, and about why his parents did that to him in the first place. No way did they resolve those issues, and that could be creators Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas’ revenge on the network for giving them the ax: anger the fans and have them throw embers of Hell at the CW’s headquarters (4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, CA). I summon you Ray Wise!

I can’t believe it happened to me again! I spent another “season” trying to get into a show, only to have it canceled on me. What a waste of time! Trust Me never really got good, but I hung in there for Eric McCormack and Thomas Cavanagh, and damn if they didn’t cut it as soon as Mason and Conner split and showed potential for actually being good at their jobs. That’ll teach me to think twice about the next show that so blatantly begs in its title.

And now a little respect for my wife:

Kings was a show I wanted to like, but just couldn’t get into. For some reason, despite repeating the prescribed mantra over and over again, I couldn’t get past the modern monarchy conundrum. Nevertheless, the wife liked it, and, just a few nights ago, after reading through NBC’s upfronts, she turned to me and said, “I don’t see Kings anywhere.” Aw, so cute!

And, finally, I’ll hide my face in shame as I mourn her loss of Privileged. Just to be clear: her loss, not mine. As in, I didn’t watch this show. No way, brother. But my wife liked it, chewing on the junk food nature of the show like Gilmore Girls and The O.C. before it. That’s right, all of you who yelled at me for a certain post I wrote, and refuse to link to here: my wife watched most of those shows. So, if anyone should have been insulted, it was she. Then again, she saw the original version that I wrote, and was the reason it ended up being as tame as it was. But I digress. Right, Privileged; my wife says “say it ain’t so!”

And, that’s that. I’m aware of how many shows I skipped, but these are the only ones that someone in my house laments the loss of. What got cut from your lineup this spring?

Clacked by Aryeh S.
on May 21, 2009 @ 15:00 EST5EDT