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'Anyone who tries to follow network programming realizes life's not fair'
Denise Neil's column in memory of many great and cancelled shows! |
To all the TV shows I've loved and lost
By Denise Neil
 You know the poet who penned the phrase "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all"?
It's pretty obvious that poet did not see "Emily's Reasons Why Not" two Mondays ago.
I loved that show. Really loved it. And now, it appears, I will likely lose it.
And I don't feel any better for it, that's for sure.
"Emily's Reasons Why Not" was the much-touted Heather Graham vehicle that many critics described as a cleaned-up version of "Sex and the City." I gave it a chance and found it surprisingly smart in a totally silly way. It was one of the funniest shows I've seen in a long time, and I couldn't wait to see more.
But apparently I was the only one who felt that way. I also apparently was the only one watching. The ratings were stinky, and ABC pulled the second episode to air a rerun of "The Bachelor." Now, I read that they've shut down production. No one's saying it's over, but let's face it --"Emily" is as good as canceled.
I've been through this plenty of times before.
For some reason (bad taste?), I tend to love shows no one else wants to watch. I get wrapped up in the characters. Emotionally invested in the plot. And then a fickle network executive decides its ratings aren't good enough, and before you can say "My So-Called Life," it's gone.
I can't count how many times it's happened. But I'll give you a quick recap of the most painful involuntary breakups I've gone through with television shows.
Of course, there was "My So-Called Life," the critically acclaimed teen angst show that ABC canceled after just one season. The network moved on, and so did star Claire Danes. But fans were left stranded and wondering what could have been for Angela Chase and Jordan Catalano.
A year later, I heard that ABC was giving "My So-Called Life" producers Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz another chance and another show, this one called "Relativity." It starred "Father of the Bride" daughter Kimberly Williams as a young woman who met the love of her life on vacation in Italy, then tried to recapture the magic with him in the States.
It was charming, unexpected, and unceremoniously dumped on Saturday nights when everyone in its target demographic was out at a bar.
"Relativity" also was canceled after one season, and fans were left stranded and wondering what could have been for Izzy and Leo.
Not long ago, there was "Once and Again," also a Zwick/Herskovitz show and also on ABC (I'm beginning to detect a pattern here.) Starring Sela Ward and Billy Campbell as middle-aged divorced people who find love again, it was hailed as one of the best domestic dramas ever. And it was. So, of course, ABC canceled it.
I wish that were all. Two years ago, Alicia Silverstone's excellent "Miss Match" [Charisma Carpenter and Nathan Fillion were recurring stars on the show.]was taken from me without warning, and before that, I was grateful not to have gotten immersed in "Freaks and Geeks" as its fans frantically tried -- and failed -- to save it from the same fate.
This year, I thought about watching "Reunion." [With Alexa davalos.]The premise was interesting, and the stars were appealingly clean-scrubbed. Now I'm grateful I never found time for it, or this very minute I'd be wondering who was the killer and who was the killee. Fox canceled "Reunion" before its central mystery was solved.
None of these shows deserved such treatment. None even came close to jumping the shark. But these days, if a show doesn't instantly find big ratings or a demographically appealing fan base, networks don't even look for one reason not to cancel it.
Thank goodness for the exceptions, though they're few. But at least we have "Lost," and it's not going anywhere. For now.
All this loving and losing has taught me a few lessons.
I shouldn't let myself get involved in shows that look like they could be high-quality. That goes double if Zwick or Herskovitz is involved. And triple if ABC is.
It seems that I'd be better off investing in something more like NBC's barfy new comedy "Four Kings." It looks so bad, its commercials should be canceled.
And it'll probably be on the air for 13 seasons.
So tell me, what favorite shows of yours were killed before their time? Write and let me know, and if I hear from enough people, we'll hold a mini-memorial in this space next week.
The column one week later:
In memory: the shows that should have been
By Denise Neil
 Dearly beloved, We are gathered here today to remember the pretend people who have meant so much to us.
People we've gotten to know, learned to love, and then lost to a cruel twist of fate -- and fickle TV network executives.
We'll never forget these fake folk, and we take comfort in knowing that someday we'll see them again -- if only in a DVD boxed set.
Last week in this column, I wrote about television shows that had been prematurely yanked from devoted fans.
I listed a few that I've loved and lost -- including dead-too-soon gems like "Once and Again" and "Miss Match" -- and promised that if you told me your dearly departed favorites, we'd hold a mini-memorial this week.
Which, dearly beloved, is why we are here.
I heard back from a large number of people, all of whom are still in mourning.
And some have been mourning a long, long time -- including Mike Ziegler, who wrote to tell me that he's still not over the loss of "Coronet Blue," an amnesia/mystery show that aired in 1967.
Now that's what I call devotion.
Like Mike, many of the people who responded said the passing of time had not lessened their desire to know what would have happened on their favorite shows had they been allowed to continue living.
Several titles were mentioned again and again.
Many people, for example, are still dreaming about "American Dreams," a drama that followed the lives of a Philadelphia family in the 1960s. It aired on NBC from 2002 to 2005.
Fan Emily Davis loved the show because of how accurately it portrayed the clothes, hairstyles and attitudes of the 1960s -- and by how well it addressed that era's social upheaval.
"Perhaps the name of the show was the problem," she said. "People didn't know what it was about from the name. Maybe if it had been named 'That '60s Show,' it would still be on."
Several people also were still upset about the cancellation of "Firefly," a short-lived Fox series by "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon.
The 2002 sci-fi show about life in space 500 years in the future had a devoted following but lasted only one season.
Fan Randy Allen of Great Bend said "Firefly" was one of those shows that could make you laugh and move you to tears in one episode.
But it wasn't to be.
"Unfortunately, people don't want to watch original, unique stories," he said. "They want another series about doctors, forensic law enforcement, and reconstructed families with cool adults and teenagers spouting sexual sarcasm."
I never saw "American Dreams" or "Firefly," but several readers reminded me of other shows I was sad to see go.
Jaime Simpson still misses the excellent bowling alley-based comedy "Ed," starring Tom Cavanaugh. (Hint to Jaime: Ed is now in a new show called "Love Monkey," only they're now calling him Tom.)
And Donald Rogus loved "Sports Night," a 1998 show that starred suddenly hip housewife Felicity Huffman. It was gone after two seasons.
"Luckily for me, my thoughtful wife gave me the DVD collection for my birthday. It covers the entire series," he said.
Other shows that were mentioned several times: "Tru Calling," "Dead Like Me" and "American Gothic."
And now, to close our memorial, we'll have a few words from Dr. Bill DeArmond, a professor of mass communications and film at Winfield's Southwestern College.
DeArmond has taught science-fiction TV and the history of television for 25 years and, like the rest of us, is exasperated by networks that dump shows that don't get immediate ratings.
DeArmond offers this difficult life lesson.
"Anyone who tries to follow network programming realizes life's not fair," he said.
Let the pretend healing begin.
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