It drives me nuts! Just when you start to get into a show, they end it. 

We call it the Luke Syndrome. Whenever this friend of ours started watching a new show, they would cancel it. Or is it just the Fox network? 

8 TV Shows Cancelled WAY Too Soon (not including sitcoms):  

 (in no particular order) 

Tru Calling (Fox) -  1 and 1/2 seasons. Eliza Dushku “reliving” days to help prevent wrongful deaths of dead people that asks her for help when they “meet” in the morgue where she works. What is not to love? OK, I admit it is hard to explain, but it is out on DVD, I own them, and I highly recommend at least a rental. 

7) Reunion (Fox)  - 1/2 season - It is just what is says. It is the reunion of a group from the “class of ‘86″. They go to their 20 year reunion and one of them is murdered. It flashes to all of their pasts and delves into each of their personal tragedies and triumphs, leading to who, why, and how one of them gets killed. But we will never know, will we. 13 episodes were made but not all aired. What happened?! 

6) John Doe (Fox) - 1+ seasons - Man found floating at sea by fishermen and soon discovers that he knows literally everything about everything….. except himself. He can tell you how many dimples are on a golf ball but he cannot tell you his own name. So, he becomes somewhat of a detective to help the police solve difficult crimes, but mostly to find out who he is. I always had hopes that this would return somehow, but when I saw Dominic Purcell (the actor who played John Doe) staring in “Prison Break”, I knew it would never happen. 

5) Firefly (Fox) - 1 season - Probably best described as a space age western. Just so you all know, I DO NOT LIKE WESTERNS, but I do love this show. It was about a crew of rebels, on a ship just trying to do the right thing while staying out of the radar of the, new oppressive force that is now ruling the galaxy. I know it does not sound it but it had a western feel to it that, oddly enough, really added to its appeal. It made it different enough to stand out, but still appeal to a more mass audience. I own this DVD set too and highly recommend it. You will recognize a LOT of the actors/actresses. Even members of the crew of the International Space Station are fans. They brought the series DVDs and the subsequent film “Serenity” and have been watching it in space. 

4) Standoff (Fox) - 1+ season - 2 FBI hostage negotiators on the same team are going against what seems like impossible odds to defuse hostage situations. Oh yea, and they get romantically involved. The premise may sound weak, but it is well executed. I enjoyed the intermittent social banter that the 2 had when they were in the middle of a negotiation. The whole thing was interesting and gripping.   

3) Drive (Fox) - less than 1 season - I was hooked! I was stoked! I said to myself when I saw the first episode “YEA. What TV needs! A shot in the arm! This could be a winner!” Cross country race, where everyone has their own secret motivation to be in it and win it. I loved it; the kids loved it, so needless to say it was cancelled. They said they made 7 episodes (about 100 not enough) but only showed 4 I think. The running joke on the net is that if Fox comes out with a new show. Don’t watch it right away, why get hooked on something that they are just going to yank off in a few weeks with a storyline just hung out there. (UPDATE: Good news! The last of the completed episodes will air on Fox on July 13th 2007. But will we get to see how the race ends?) 

2) Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC) - 1 season - I think a little piece of me lost hope in the world when I heard this was cancelled. A show about the people backstage of an “SNL” type show, not just the silliness that continues after the show (like 30 rock, which still isn’t that funny, except Liz’s neurosis and everything about Kenny), but more about the people. It just happens to be a MULTI-faceted drama that takes place around creating a comedy. This drama hit all of the biggies at one time. Religion, politics, race, corporate pandering…… It was full of deep characters that made you feel like one of them, regardless who “them” is, and got you to see another side of what is going on. It kept getting better and better. It will be sorely missed. 

1) Threshold - (CBS) - 1 season - The future is now and alien invasion is here. Multidimensional alien objects are here; they are controlling the minds and bodies of people and leaving a very distinct signature. The future of the human race is in the hands of this team, a strategy/scenario expert, a scientist, an engineer, a mathematician, and an agent with a gun. As they try to find the ones originally infected, they must also deal with their “evolution” and find a way to stop the impending invasion. Since it has been cancelled and we do not know for sure, I can only assume that they are still looking (I hope!). 

WOW. Interesting. 6 from Fox, 1 from NBC and 1 from CBS. Do we sense a growing trend from Fox?

Anyway, these are my opinions. If you don’t like them, get your own and make them known.

-Cam  

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 1st, 2007 at 1:12 am and is filed under Entertainment, Random, TV Shows. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.