Wow, has another week gone by already? So it has. And what a week it was. NBC killed Prime Suspect, you guys! And shelved Community! WHYYYY! (*Runs into bedroom, slams door shut, leaps onto bed and sobs into Dora the Explorer pillow case!*) Which means it's time to turn over the TV.com mailbag and get our Shout-Outs on. Who's with me?
In our review of last Friday's Supernatural, "Season 7, Time for a Wedding!" we reacted strongly—and not in a good way—to the return of a certain character whose name rhymes with "hecky." Here are some of the best comments:
castora wished the episode would have broken the fourth wall a little:
The episode was kind of weird. I kept expecting to see the story turn on the spot. What Supernatural has always been good at is showing us something we think we know and understand and then turning it into something different, and more often than not, seriously making fun of the show itself in the process. So I wanted this to turn out to be about more than just a lonely crazy girl. It would have been fun to figure out that Becky's motive for drugging Sam and splitting up the Bro-Team were way more big-picture, and less pathetic I-need-to-impress-my-high-school-classmates. What if it had turned out that she could actually decipher patterns and schemes that the boys could not? Simply because she was NOT a part of the story. At least the original story. It could have been awesmazingly "French Mistake"-ingly interesting to actually have the voice of the audience inserted in the storytelling. We can all see the problems building up, the false security the brothers feel, the chances that they might pass up on, because they are standing too close to the fire.
ChecheEleazar thought the episode just didn't pull off the comedy:
When Supernatural does very funny episodes ("Bad Day in Black Rock," "Yellow Fever," "Changing Channels," "The French Mistake," etc.), they usually pull it off. This one, I'm sad to say, fell flat for me. Mainly because I loved Becky before (she was hilarious in "The Real Ghostbusters"), but I found her especially annoying this episode. I was like: "Love potion. Really? Was she that desperate?"
The only redeeming qualities of this episode were:
1.) Dean's reaction to the wedding. ("Really? Super fan 99?")
2.) Sam trying to talk with the gag.
3.) Crowley. ("This isn't Wall Street, this is hell. We have a little something called integrity." LOL.)
Now, back to that terrible news about Community. At times like this, we need each other more than ever, guys. Let's just be there for one another. Let's do it for Troy and Abed and Annie's Boobs and Annie's boobs and Kickpuncher 2 and Magnitude and everyone and everything from Community that ever touched our hearts, deep inside, where it counts.
I think this thread sums up the general sentiment...
What??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO ;c
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
mcwilly104 was able to form words, and they were angry words:
This totally sucks. But can we expect better from a network that made Whitney one of the first new pick-ups of the 2011-2012 season? Should we have more faith in the network that greenlit the most awful version of Wonder Woman made to date? Is it surprising to anyone that the network that is still desperately clinging to the shell of former greatness that is The Office is going to cancel something as brilliant as Community? No. NBC is the worst.
TrevPlatt thinks NBC now officially has the worst schedule on TV:
That has got to be the worst line-up on network TV. Why do they promote crap shows (like Whitney) which will probably get ratings anyway from the mindless drones, and yet great shows that need some love from the network (like Community and Prime Suspect) just get left to fend for themselves, often whilst combating against crap time-slots? 30 Rock is the only one I'm excited about from that line-up. I'll give Grimm maybe one or two more episodes but I know I'll give up on it because it's just not good enough; I've practically given up on Harry's Law already (mainly because I didn't like the changes); which leaves The Firm. I'm looking forward to see if this is any good but I'm not holding my breath. Knowing what NBC is like it will probably screw it up spectacularly—which even a couple of Cylons can't fight against!
MarcSilverber directed his comment directly at the programmers of NBC:
If anybody reads this, please make sure the right people see it.
Dear NBC,
Thank you so much for putting Community on hiatus. Your commitment to remaining in fourth place as a network is inspiring. People everywhere should see your model of inadequacy as an example that they truly can be the (fourth) best that they can be. Obviously, I understand the business model—Community is simply too good of a show to be on your network and you need to move it in order to make room for such wonderful programming as The Playboy Club, The Cape, Prime Suspect, Outsourced, Whitney, and the 10pm Jay Leno Show. I have henceforth decided to stop watching all NBC programming, for two reasons: Firstly, I am obviously not a sophisticated enough viewer to understand the fine and complicated plot lines in such terrific shows such as The Marriage Ref and Fear Factor. Secondly, I do not want to invest in any more of your programs, because as soon as I get hooked onto a new and incredibly "ahead of its time" show, you will undoubtedly cancel it, thereby making my day that much better. Parks and Recreation is maybe one of the finest shows on television, as well as 30 Rock, The Sing-Off, Chuck, Up All Night, and Grimm. I have no doubt they will all be gone in one or two years, tops. Perhaps instead of trying to relive the glory days of Seinfeld and Friends, you should observe how other networks are evolving, succeeding, and perhaps take a lesson from them. This would suggest that you are capable of learning from your mistakes, but the last six years of failing miserably at life would be assuming to the point of foolishness.
Thank you again for providing a model that we can all aspire to reach: mediocracy.
P.S. Good job with Conan as well. I'm sure there won't ever be a book published discussing how big of a screw-up that was.
I read each and every one and tallied the scores. Here they are (through Friday afternoon or so):
The Biggest TV Cancellation Tragedies in History, as Voted by You, the TV.com Readership
Firefly: 316
Angel: 186
Veronica Mars: 148
Life: 147
Pushing Daisies: 112
Lie To Me: 111
Jericho: 99
Dollhouse: 97
Moonlight: 79
Dark Angel: 68
Human Target: 67
Arrested Development: 66
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: 59
Dead Like Me: 57
Terriers: 50
Reaper: 49
Stargate Universe: 47
Better Off Ted: 46
Wonderfalls: 44
Heroes: 44
The 4400: 43
Deadwood: 42
Carnivale: 40
Party Down: 36
Tru Calling: 35
Journeyman: 31
Farscape: 30
Kyle XY: 31
Caprica: 27
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: 27
Rubicon: 27
FlashForward: 25
Lost: 25
John Doe: 24
The Dresden Files: 24
The Good Guys: 22
Gilmore Girls: 22
Twin Peaks: 22
The Unit: 22
Community: 20
Surface: 20
New Amsterdam: 20
Stargate Atlantis: 20
The Gates: 18
Threshold: 18
Roswell: 18
The Event: 18
Invasion: 17
My Name is Earl: 17
The Chicago Code: 17
Samantha Who?: 15
Defying Gravity: 14
Alias: 14
Eli Stone: 14
The Class: 13
Greek: 13
Freaks & Geeks: 13
Law & Order: 13
Dirty Sexy Money: 12
Memphis Beat: 11
The Unsusuals: 10
The Black Donnellys: 10
Reunion: 10
My So Called Life: 9
The Riches: 9
Off the Map: 9
Star Trek: Enterprise: 9
Ugly Betty: 8
Vanished: 8
American Gothic: 8
Men in Trees: 7
The O.C.: 7
Six Degrees: 7
Lone Star: 7
Traveler: 7
The Playboy Club: 6
The Wire: 6
Quantum Leap: 6
Jack and Bobby: 5
The Tick: 5
Aliens in America: 5
Shark: 5
Medium: 5
Space: Above and Beyond: 5
Cold Case: 5
Brothers and Sisters: 5
Cupid '98: 5
Wildfire: 4
Robin Hood: 4
The Dead Zone: 4
Raising the Bar: 4
Veritas the Quest: 4
All My Children: 4
Earth 2: 4
Numb3rs: 3
Prime Suspect: 3
Tower Prep: 3
Ghost Whisperer: 3
Brotherhood: 3
Kindred: 3
Titus: 2
Perfect Couples: 2
Young Americans: 2
Lincoln Heights: 2
Secret Diary of a Call Girl: 2
The Embraced: 2
My Own Worst Enemy: 2
One Life to Live: 2
Trauma: 2
Big Shots: 2
Traffic Lights: 1
Miss Guided: 1
HawthoRNe: 1
GvE: 1
Swingtown: 1
The Sarah Silverman Program: 1
*Collapses in a lifeless heap.*
Have an awesome Thanksgiving, everyone! Shout-Outs will return after the holiday.
I just wanted to point out that, even though I was bummed by its short life, Carnivale was not canceled. The creator(s) had originally planned it as a 2-season story arc. HBO wanted to renew but they declined.
I still can't get over Moonlight and Angel being cancelled!! And i know its been a while but I'm just not very good at letting things go. It makes me so frustrated thinking about it! They were just great shows and deserved a longer run.
Although they cancelled Angel, if you ever feel inclined, you can pick up on the story in the pages of a comic book. Just finding out what happened during the battle in the alley should be enough to spark your interest.
Kinda goofy of me - and of them (the script writers) - but "Firefly" had that brazen ' "we're" interesting/fun" ' aura about it - and with a good plot and good characters!
Sure - it was'nt the regular Earl Grey that NBC executives sip as they read thier media studies but - I feel compelled to take 316 => 317
I'm convinced that anyone watching the craptastic Whitney, if they are not mindless, is only watching it because it's after the Office and there is nothing else on at 9:30.
Also NBC sucks.
Uh, guys, community wasn't canceled :P
Community is back on December 1st according to NBC website. And breath.... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Firefly is unsurprisingly first, but I'm glad to see Angel at #2 on there. I'm a bit sad Shark is so low on the list, considering how fantastically written that show was for a bit of a tongue-in-cheek legal drama, and James Woods was just amazing. That show really needed to run longer.
I am embarrassed that I forgot Titus.
Oh my god, totally forgot Titus. Definitely one of the funniest old-style sitcoms I've seen. Absolutely loved that show for the brief 2 seasons it was on the air.
In a brilliant move Fox cancelled the magnificent Human Target, then, in an equally brilliant move NBC decided Mark Valley needed to be on Harry's Law so they changed it into a typical lawyer show - sans the charm. This kind of brilliant thinking is what keeps us all watching, I'm sure....
Firefly was a fantastic series with lots of potential! But the tv gods must hate Josh Whedon.
what about the BBC , like Black Books and Green Wing , or older A bit of Fry and Laurie , or Blackadder
Black Books and Green Wing are not BBC. Blackadder stopped as the creators chose to and Fry and Laurie stopped as both did not like where BBC wanted the show to go.
What about Andy Richter Controls the Universe!!!?? Sigh. So many good shows, such crappy networks.
i still miss Angel and buffy
Oh maaaan, my "OOOOOOOOOOOOOO ;c" was supposed to be last, closing it off. Now it just looks weird, and is making me look bad.
I mentioned Rome, Men of a Certain Age, and Brisco County Jr and they aren't included. Wtf? And I know I wasn't the only person to mention them.
Rome... that was a good one.
The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr. Should have made the list.
It did.
I don't see it on that list.
Yay! other people actually remembered Jack and Bobby, I thought that show was good enough to be picked up by another network
It was a great show. I still remember the truck accident. It was heartbreaking. Such a well written show and had an awesome cast.
Lie to me was an excellent show, but it got enough episodes to keep it off a worst cancellations in history list, I think.
it was the 6th show, bro
it had 49 episodes
Didn't stop it from being heavily missed, apparently.
The Unit for sure...was so outraged when it was canceled.
Human Target too!
Hey...if shows that only got 1 vote are on there where's Greg the Bunny? I said Greg the Bunny dammit! Oh and I totally forgot Titus so it would have had 1 more!!!
Greg the Bunny!!!! I forgot about that one!
And "Now And Again" is missing! CBS cancelled it even after it won best new tv series that year. How could you have possibly missed that?! :-P
Also, add one to Journeyman. That was a a show with some great twists that never were allowed to dance.
I'm shocked at the low number for Jericho! Only 99!?!!!
V had some votes for sure! (Including mine)
*Giving Seth a break on some of these, as I had more than a few on my list.*
Only 40 for 'Carnivale'!? For shame.
Ahhhh, Jericho that show was so great, as was The 4400, and Arrested Development, and Better Off Ted....Let's hope Community isn't added to this list.
OH MY GOD!!!! THE 4400. I totally forgot about that show. Totally agree. Why couldn't the have given it 1 more season to finish things properly? Utterly heartbreaking.
On the more cartoony side of heartbreak, X-Men Evolution and dubbed One Piece(They're so slow bringing out dubbed eps of One Piece, it might as well be cancelled. The last time they took a hiatus this long, it lasted 2 years).
Here's my thoughts:
I don't watch Supernatural all the time.
I love Community, and I think that it will be renewed for a fourth and FINAL season.
<--- Points to my avatar... I do. LOL
Surprised V didn't make the list... I know the show had some issues with its second season, but I believe it deserved a third season.
I liked V, too, but it's ABC's fault, not us viewers. They cut down the episode order from 13 to 10.
Jesus that's a lot of shows. Good job there Seth!
I didn't realise how many people want to see Angel again.
Wow, I didn't even know it was cancelled.... thought it ended on its own accord.
No, Buffy ended on its own, but Angel was cancelled. One more season to tie things up would have been so great.
You're right... and that's very odd indeed. Usually when a show is on for that long, it gets a proper ending...
Naw Angel was actually getting higher ratings every season, and likely would have lasted another couple seasons easily, but there was a very strange set of circumstances that resulted in Fox cancelling the show with only 5 or 6 episodes left in the season, so the writers had to hastily conclude the storylines. The fact that they did it well enough that many didn't even notice it ended prematurely is a testament to Joss Whedon and his team, imo.
You just made me sad, because I now remembered all the shows that I liked so much and were cancelled. I wish reality tv was never invented......because I believe they are the reason a lot of series get cancelled so quickly.
Preach on! I avoid watching most reality tv, because I am SO tired of that, when the good shows don't make it. Boycott reality tv!!!
I absolutely agree. I won't be surprised when one day almost everything on tv is "reality". It's cheaper :/
The 4400 and Heroes are neck and neck which in my opinion is ridiculous. The 4400 was cancelled too early whereas Heroes was cancelled 2 seasons too late.
Sadly so true, but the 4400 was a much more lowkey series. I didn't even hear about it until a couple years after it finished, meanwhile you couldn't go 10 minutes without hearing about Heroes during the first season.