5 Shows That Shouldn’t Have Been Cancelled

  

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Written by Ryan AnthonycloseAuthor: Ryan Anthony Name: Ryan Anthony
Email: mica1884@gmail.com
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About: 20-something Tennessee Journalism student and relentless sports fan.See Authors Posts (214) on August 3, 2009

If you’re like me, you watch a lot of television, and have a DVR set up to record your favorite shows, whatever they may be, at home. If you’re like me, you also find yourself wondering what to watch first, being unable to settle on something, then hitting the red “delete” button in frustration. I recently culled my trusty television hard disk of 10 episodes of Poker After Dark and seven of NCIS. Is there a lesson to be learned from all that? Use the “record series” button sparingly, of course.

In an age when shows like Chuck are in danger of being canceled, whether due to Alec Baldwin the Hulu alien, the excision of commercial air time by your DVR, cost cutting measures, or bad management decisions, the powers that be just might jump at the chance to kill a show regardless of whether it deserves another season.

So, although I’m no Hollywood insider, here are my picks for the best new(er) canceled TV shows:

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

In a genre that seems dominated by Harlan Ellison and his ilk, “Terminator” is conservative sci fi at its finest:   making peace with an army of machines Hell bent on eradicating mankind is not an option; neither is apologizing to them for our existence. Combine Ahhhnold’s signature classic with a 15 year old J.C. and what do you get? The 2008 2009 Fox show which bore a sometimes unsettling resemblance to Smallville. With “300′”s Lena Headey in the lead role, the darling of Joss Whedon’s classic Firefly (Summer Glau) filling Arnold’s size 11 shoes as a near human Terminator (T 888 Infiltrator type) named Cameron, and a somewhat grungy Brian Austin Green playing the part of Derek Reese – brother to the 1984 big screen blockbuster’s Kyle – the small screen adaptation of James Cameron’s post-apocalyptic vision was judged worthy of a second season by Fox brass. Unfortunately, they did a 180 just as its producers were really beginning to get things into high gear.

Season 3 was to boast Battlestar Galactica’s star composer Bear McCreary, and a story arc to be the series’ most promising to date, with John (Thomas Dekker) and Catherine Weaver (the rogue T-1000 of alt rock singer Shirley Manson) both traveling to the future to rescue a wayward Cameron.

It never materialized: Despite over a hundred and fifty thousand votes to beat out Chuck in E! Online’s “Save One Show” campaign, a deeply dedicated fan base, and a rumor of the SyFy Network stepping in to pick up the slack, TSCC felt the liquid steel of the cost cutting scalpel just May of this year in what amounted to a coin flip scenario favoring Dollhouse. I can’t blame Fox for choosing to stick with proven creative assets; to be quite honest I’m not too sure allowing fans to watch all the Terminator episodes online was a great move either.

But come on!

John was just beginning to stop whining and be a man!

Chances of returning to TV: If the viewer community is any indication, TSCC has a better chance than most. Personally, I hope Fox will re evaluate their decision to cancel, but I don’t know. If nothing else, they can follow Firefly in another respect: Give fans a movie if they want to bring closure to the whole . . . oh wait, they already have. It’s called “Terminator: Salvation.”

That begs the question, maybe Summer and Thomas can have parts in movie #5?

My pick for best episode(s): Tough choice between “Samson and Delilah,” “Adam Raised a Cain,” and “Born to Run.”

Life on Mars

The only true rehash on this list, the American version of Life on Mars had ratings to put cop flop The Unusuals to shame. Centered around a temporally displaced police officer named Sam Tyler, portrayed by Jason O’Mara, it ran for a total of seventeen episodes – longer than its UK counterpart. At least the fans got closure at the end, which is more than I can say for other canceled shows.

Chances of returning to TV: The chances of 2030′s era Sam and company finding life on Mars would make for an inspiring mini series, but whether or not it can make for a profit is, in my opinion, questionable.

My pick for best episode(s): “Life Is a Rock.”

The Unusuals

Starring Amber Tamblyn as naive and innocent Police Detective Casey Schraeger, this comedy/drama of a police flick had its share of laughs but regrettably wasn’t able to bring in the viewers. Averaging 4.92 million households for its one season, it didn’t last long beyond its April ’09 debut, to the chagrin of those signing online petitions to ABC. Too bad. It could have become something a lot better. Or, if Cop Rock’s ancient bastardization of the genre is anything to go by, maybe not.

At least she wasn’t singing in baritone.

Chances of returning to TV: I’d have to send that question down to the lab and have it analyzed.

My pick for best episode(s): “Pilot,” “Crime Slut.”

Kings

Initially promising, this unapologetically Judeo-Christian NBC vision of an alternate universe in which the United States, Canada and Mexico are replaced by smaller monarchical nation states underwent ratings regicide not too long ago.   As a man who enjoys the occasional foray into speculative fiction, I found Kings to be fascinating. The series finale’s battle between King Silas (Ian McShane) and corrupt Prince Jack (Sebastian Stan) for control of the throne of Gilboa reaching its crescendo with a procession of tanks inching toward the royal palace had its share of twists as well as turns. None of them could save King Silas from his audience assassination.

Chances of returning to TV: As the now ethereal Reverend Samuels would say, “With God all things are possible.” However, I think its prospects are as bleak as those of James Cameron’s future in archaeology. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to see a miniseries in which David (Chris Egan) comes back to Gilboa to claim the throne after he acts as God’s judicator upon the fallen Silas.

My pick for best episode(s): “Brotherhood,” “Chapter One.”

Journeyman

Ok, I lied. This 2007 NBC sci-fi with Kevin McKidd as a time traveling newspaper reporter named Dan Vasser and a pre Terminator Salvation Moon Bloodgood as his ex, gets a spot here as a reminder to everyone that the networks’ hit order on original shows was put out quite a while ago. Come to think of it, the series also brought back fleeting memories of an old Windows 95 game series which I loved   sharing both its name and gimmick. Beyond that, though, they don’t have much to do with each other.

I always thought it was like a 21st century “Quantum Leap,” but without the weird body snatching.  For some reason, I also can’t help but also think Journeyman would have done better as a book.

Chances of returning to TV: Do you really need to ask? Its been off the air for two years. This one’s dead and buried, folks.

My pick for best episode(s): “Game Three.”

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