For those of of you that are emotionally strong, TubeWad as a good breakdown of some shows that have had the brightest candles but the shortest wicks – shows that got canceled well before their time. Its really sad actually how much good stuff there is on the list (and how much I’m more than intimately familiar with). Before I add a few thoughts, let me point that while we have potentially numerous squandered classics here, we are now suffering through the 14th season of Survivor (I shit you not)! Anyway, after that depressing thought… onward.
Firefly
Unfortunately, it will forever be the standard bearer of great shows axed before their time. We only got half of one season, though unlike most, we got great sendoff on the big screen. That really does say a lot for the missed potential of this show. Joss Whedon claimed that one of the reasons that Firefly had so much studio meddling is they thought that 9 characters where too many – that the audience couldn’t handle it. However, look how it paved the way for shows like Lost and Heros. It really was ahead of its time.
Freaks & Geeks
Either Sim or Jeff said this was really good while it was on, but I never did get around to seeing it. It really sounds like it was a great show, helped by solid character development. Is the box set worth a peek?
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr
Firstly, Bruce Campbell is simply awesome. Secondly, this was a really fun show. At 27 episodes, it at least got a full season out of Bruce “Don’t call me Ash” Campbell. I still need to invest in the DVD box set – show my support.
Undeclared
A progeny of Freaks, focusing on college instead of high school, and yet again, I completely missed it. Did anyone catch it?
Arrested Development
I know this was good, but I never followed it. Ironically enough my parents loved it. I think since I missed the first few shows, I didn’t understand the few that I saw, and then ever came back. It had two full seasons (53 episodes) so I guess there might be something there to get back to.
Sports Night
The one good thing about Sports Night getting canceled is that it allowed Sorkin to move on to the West Wing, which is definitely a much better show. I saw a few of its episodes, but I agree with the author – Sorkin’s dialog doesn’t need a laugh track. Also, I think the subject matter was impalpable, similar to why Studio 60 got axed early too. I love the wit and pace to his dialog. I really hope he comes out with another project soon.
Unknowns
Dead Like Me sounds like it had promise, though it at least did get a full two seasons to try to do something. I remember briefly the old version of Dr. Who, though I never did get a chance to see the remake, thanks to Fox mis-marketing it and pulling it early (do we see a trend forming here?). It apparently still had some steam in the UK, however without Fox’s backing they couldn’t afford to continue.
Push, Nevada sounds too gimmicky and the description is a bit thin. Lets just say I’m skeptical about a show based around giving away one million dollars if someone solves the mystery. While I heard of Andy Richter Controls the Universe, I never saw it. The author compares it to Malcom in the Middle, which I never particularly liked anyway.
Jack of All Trades sounds like a blast and stars the great Bruce. This one I’m not surprised it got axed quickly – If you aren’t a hardcore Bruce fan, it probably wasn’t for you. I remember the cartoon, but I didn’t realize there was a live action The Tick. Another that was too off the wall (no pun intended).
While I was a big X-Files fan for the first few seasons, I got frustrated that it didn’t tie into an arc enough and never answered any of the damn questions (Lost… take notes). The Lone Gunmen were fun characters, but I just can’t imagine them sustaining a show of their own.