The Demise of Good shows. what's happening to american TV?
well well well... another one closes its doors next May! not just ONE, but a great one. The West Wing Says goodbye after a 7 year run on NBC.
the decision, so it was reported, was reached before John Spencer's untimely passing, which means probably early December. that being said it's easy to reach the conclusion that they weren't waiting to see how the 7th year played out, they intended to cancel it probably from the very beginning, because by December only 7 of the 22 episodes were aired. that's hardly a define sample of the years ratings, to consider it a failure or success.
what shocks me, and to good reason is the number of shows that ran 5 years plus were canceled in the last 2 years: let's count'em:
friends (10 years) (1994-2004) NBC
Frasier (11 years)(1993-2004)-NBC
Will and Grace (8 years) (1998-2005)NBC
Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005) (9 years)CBS
NYPD Blue (12 years) (1993-2005) ABC
Alias (5 years) (2001-2006) ABC
The West Wing (7 years) (1999-2006) NBC
Six Feet Under (5 years) (2001-2005)HBO
these shows, while very different in style and theme could be considered some of the best shows of the last decade. and all were canceled in a 2 year time period. sure there were some hits (particularly for ABC) that came right after these ones were canceled, but if you look at this list and particularly the "must see" hits canceled by NBC, it's no wonder that network is in the crapper right now....
these shows represented at some point in TV history either a funny comedy or an inteligent drama (or sometimes both) and met his demise due to the stupid politics of comercial tv.
alas.. I hope another batch comes back soon
Posted by Diogo22, 02/01/2006 7:29am
0 Comments
the decision, so it was reported, was reached before John Spencer's untimely passing, which means probably early December. that being said it's easy to reach the conclusion that they weren't waiting to see how the 7th year played out, they intended to cancel it probably from the very beginning, because by December only 7 of the 22 episodes were aired. that's hardly a define sample of the years ratings, to consider it a failure or success.
what shocks me, and to good reason is the number of shows that ran 5 years plus were canceled in the last 2 years: let's count'em:
friends (10 years) (1994-2004) NBC
Frasier (11 years)(1993-2004)-NBC
Will and Grace (8 years) (1998-2005)NBC
Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005) (9 years)CBS
NYPD Blue (12 years) (1993-2005) ABC
Alias (5 years) (2001-2006) ABC
The West Wing (7 years) (1999-2006) NBC
Six Feet Under (5 years) (2001-2005)HBO
these shows, while very different in style and theme could be considered some of the best shows of the last decade. and all were canceled in a 2 year time period. sure there were some hits (particularly for ABC) that came right after these ones were canceled, but if you look at this list and particularly the "must see" hits canceled by NBC, it's no wonder that network is in the crapper right now....
these shows represented at some point in TV history either a funny comedy or an inteligent drama (or sometimes both) and met his demise due to the stupid politics of comercial tv.
alas.. I hope another batch comes back soon
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Digg thisJohn Spencer RIP
I know some fans of the show already did a deserved homage to him and his characters, but it's never enough to praize someone's talent. he really was good! and I truly believe that his very unique voice will be remembered, together with his performances for many many years to come.
I know a "thank you" seems too little to give back to an actor as great as he was, but unfortunately it's the little I can give, as well as assure that his acting skills and performances will be remembered for as long as I remember them. my deepest condolences to his family and to his colleagues and, once again.. thank you John Spencer
Posted by Diogo22, 12/20/2005 7:25am
0 Comments
I know a "thank you" seems too little to give back to an actor as great as he was, but unfortunately it's the little I can give, as well as assure that his acting skills and performances will be remembered for as long as I remember them. my deepest condolences to his family and to his colleagues and, once again.. thank you John Spencer
My Recent Reviews
8.6
Great
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Taxi Paper Marriage Avg Score: 8.94 Total Ratings: 20 Total Reviews: 1 |
This is the first intro of one of Taxi's most beloved characters. Christopher Lloyd played the great Reverend Jim Ignatowsky. Although this is the first time we see him, this episode hardly focuses on him. The spotlight goes to Lahtka on this one. He has to marry someone, in order to stay in the country, and the gang finds a call girl, and do the wedding at the garage. This one has some funny bits in it, like Lahtka asking Elaine to marry him, and some of Jim's one liners, but, the second episode we see him in, in season 2's "Reverend Jim, A Space Odissey", is far superior to this one, in every respect.
We also get to see a tender moment between Louie and Lahtka, that, although briefly, shows how much they really care for each other.
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Posted Jan 5, 2008
We also get to see a tender moment between Louie and Lahtka, that, although briefly, shows how much they really care for each other.
8.4
Great
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Taxi High School Reunion Avg Score: 8.38 Total Ratings: 19 Total Reviews: 1 Users who agree: 1 |
Well, if you like sitcoms you must have seen a version of this one on some of them. It is the classic change of personalities episode. In this one, Louie convinces Bobby to go as himself to his high school 20th anniversary reunion (so that Bobby can cause a better impression that Louie would). While Taxi is usually witty, the fun part of this episode is largely on the visual of Jeff Conaway doing a very good impression of Danny DeVito. One of the best performances he gave on Taxi. The last scene is also visually funny, but I won't spoil it here. This whole episode felt a bit like a vaudeville act to me. Forget the fact that the guests at the reunion buy the fact that Louie DePalma grew 3 feet in 20 years. Even if you swallow that, and as funny as this one is, it is a little harder to believe in while you are watching. But again, a lesser episode of Taxi is surely better than most of the things on TV right now, so you can be sure to find things to enjoy here.
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Posted Jan 4, 2008
8.0
Great
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Taxi The Great Line Avg Score: 7.48 Total Ratings: 18 Total Reviews: 1 Users who agree: 1 |
While this is a good episode, and there are a few elements in it that are funny and even sweet, it is too unbelivable to be credible, something that taxi usually can achieve. John Burns (Randall Carver) meets a woman at Mario's, and imediately falls love with her. Despite all that can go wrong, and even using one of Bobby's lines, he manages to impress her enough that they spend the night talking, while the rest of the gang watches. The next morning, it turns out the couple gets married, and the rest of the episode is spent, with John wondering how to break it up. After an honest and sweet letter from the girl, John decides to stay married, and goes to the parent's house, with Alex in tow, to convince her not anull it. In spite of some of the things I said about this episode, there are a couple of good things about it. The last scene with the parents has funny moments, and it was nice to watch Dolph Sweet again (from "Gimme a Break") on a different role. The chugging beer contest was also funny, and the actress who played the girlfriend was very good as well. Another nice thing about this episode is, they stayed married, and there are future season 1 episodes that deal with the marriage, before Randall Carver leaves. It might not seem like nothing now, but back than it was very unusual to have any kind of continuity from episode to episode (except 2 parters).
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Posted Jan 4, 2008
9.6
Superb
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Taxi Come as You Aren't Avg Score: 8.38 Total Ratings: 19 Total Reviews: 1 Users who agree: 1 |
This one is a beauty. An absolute amazing piece of comedy. And not just comedy, there are a few social coments in here as well. The story is simple. Elaine wants to throw a house party for the people that work on the art gallery (where she goes for a day job), and she wants the gang at the garage to come for support, but does not want them to tell that they are cabbies. After a series of protests, they all end up at the party (including Latka, in "Party Overalls", which are his usual overalls, but clean).
However this quicly becomes a 2-hander between Alex and Elaine. After the rest of the gang leaves in a hurry, because they are not having fun, Alex, who previously voiced his disaprovement for elaine's snob friends, starts to feel good in this high class environment, and has some success telling made up tales, about how he extinguishes oil well fires for a living, which earns him the respect of the crowd, and a date with a gorgeous woman. The night ends with Elaine admiting to being a cab driver, which causes the party to end, and Alex loses his date. The pair end up alone in the apartment, declaring their friendship to each other. This is the first of a few episodes where a closer relationship between Alex and Elaine is hinted at. Well done all around, a true classic Taxi.
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Posted Jan 4, 2008
However this quicly becomes a 2-hander between Alex and Elaine. After the rest of the gang leaves in a hurry, because they are not having fun, Alex, who previously voiced his disaprovement for elaine's snob friends, starts to feel good in this high class environment, and has some success telling made up tales, about how he extinguishes oil well fires for a living, which earns him the respect of the crowd, and a date with a gorgeous woman. The night ends with Elaine admiting to being a cab driver, which causes the party to end, and Alex loses his date. The pair end up alone in the apartment, declaring their friendship to each other. This is the first of a few episodes where a closer relationship between Alex and Elaine is hinted at. Well done all around, a true classic Taxi.
6.6
Fair
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Taxi Bobby's Acting Career Avg Score: 7.72 Total Ratings: 18 Total Reviews: 2 |
This one came from a Stapple of James L Brooks scripts, where one of the characters tries to set a goal for himself, and than fails. In this case, Bobby Wheeler's 5 year time frame in which he allowed himself to construct and maintain a successful acting career is about to come to an end, and it's up to his last desperate attempt to become a successfull actor. Will the phone ring? if it does will he answer it? if the phone rings, and he answers it, will he be rejected for the part? if so, what will he do? please watch this one, and don't give it another 5 years to do so.
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Posted Jul 13, 2007
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Diogo22
Last online Jul 17, 2008 10:35 am PT
Member since Jun 9, 2005
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Last online Jul 17, 2008 10:35 am PT
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