BuzzSugar

Do You Like Watching the Final Episodes of Canceled Shows?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 05:30:42 -0700

This week's next-to-last episode of Pushing Daisies had me chuckling as always, and yet I couldn't help but feel sad. The show was canceled back in November, and ABC is appeasing fans by showing the final three unaired episodes on Saturday nights (it will soon do the same with Eli Stone and Dirty Sexy Money. But, with the exception of a few tweaks, the episodes weren't made to be the end of the series. They're just . . . regular episodes. Good episodes, but not the kind that are providing a lot of closure.

For a moment, it almost made me wish the show had just ended back in November - that way, I wouldn't have to go through the pain of losing it all over again! But then the other part of me realizes we're lucky to be seeing more of the show at all. I'm obviously conflicted about this, so I'm wondering: How do you feel about watching the final episodes of canceled shows?

Which of This Year's Canceled Shows Will You Miss Most?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:30:30 -0700

We've been looking ahead to Fall TV recently, but while the new shows are exciting, I also want to pay my last respects to some canceled favorites that won't be making it back on the air. So tell me: which of this season's canceled shows will you miss most?

USA Breaks Up With The Starter Wife

BuzzSugar — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:30:23 -0800

Uh-oh, Starter Wife fans - it looks like this is the end of the road for Molly Kagen. USA has decided not to renew Debra Messing's show for a second season.

When it aired as a miniseries in the Summer of 2007, The Starter Wife was an unquestioned success, garnering 10 Emmy nominations and getting as many as 5 million viewers (though it was closer to 3 million by the end). But as a regular series this Fall, the show averaged just 2.4 million viewers, which, according to Entertainment Weekly, wasn't enough for USA to renew it. In a statement, the producers called the December finale a "satisfying conclusion" to the story.

It's a bummer for me, because I thought the show was much better as a regular series than it had been as a mini. Everything was just higher quality - the storylines were more interesting, Molly's journey of personal growth intrigued me more, and best of all, they did away with the freaking homeless man from the mini-series. Also, I was looking forward to watching Molly get to make her movie, Wife Goes On. And I'll certainly miss seeing Debra Messing on my TV each week, but I'm equally sad to say goodbye to her quirky, lovable friends: Joan and Rodney.

Tell me: Did you watch the series? Will you miss Molly? And what would you like to see Messing do next?

Photo courtesy of USA

Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, Dirty Sexy Money Not Picked Up

BuzzSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:57:10 -0800

ABC has decided against ordering more episodes of Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, and Dirty Sexy Money, at least for now, writes The Hollywood Reporter. The story continues:

Actively avoiding the c-word, the network left the door open for ordering more episodes at a future date, though that is considered improbable. The trio are still on the schedule for next week.

Pushing Daisies has wrapped production on its 13 episodes for this season, while Dirty Sexy Money and Eli Stone will be able to finish their initial orders. There's no word on whether all of those episodes will air between now and when ABC's midseason schedule kicks off in January, though.

Meanwhile, this makes it official that Life on Mars will air after Lost starting in January. Scrubs will also join the Wednesday schedule.

Deep sigh. It's not like this is a shocking surprise for these shows (which all have gotten critical acclaim - especially Daisies - but have struggled in the ratings). But it's still, you know, sad. Can we start the collective wailing in the comments?

Enemy and Lipstick are Gone; What's Next to Worry About?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:31:30 -0800

Word slipped out late yesterday that NBC was axing both Lipstick Jungle and My Own Worst Enemy from its schedule, but there's some good news today: There are reports that both shows will at least get to air their remaining episodes in their current time slots. Lipstick will have 13 episodes and is wrapping production on them this week, while Enemy will end after nine episodes.

According to The Futon Critic, Friday Night Lights could take over the Lipstick slot in January, to which I can really only say "hooray!" - this season's episodes on DirecTV have been wonderful. NBC hasn't announced a successor for Enemy yet, but it's now set up to end on the same day as the finale of the "Villains" chapter of Heroes, so if NBC wanted to completely overhaul its Monday schedule, that wouldn't be a bad time.

So, since networks seem to be in a chopping mood, what shows are next to worry about? Two ABC shows, Dirty Sexy Money and Pushing Daisies, seem particularly vulnerable, since neither was on a potential ABC midseason schedule that was floated earlier this week. There's a report that Prison Break could be on its way out. And while Chuck already has a full-season order, consider this my official plea for NBC to get it out of the high-traffic Mondays-at-8 time slot (competing against Gossip Girl, How I Met Your Mother, and, before long, House) if there's any hope for a season three.

Will you miss Enemy or Lipstick? And which other shows are you concerned about?

Photos courtesy of NBC

Which Recently Canceled Show Bums You Out Most?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:28:04 -0700

Each year the network upfronts can be an exciting glimpse into what we can look forward to watching on TV come Fall. The sneak peeks at new shows are especially fun, and the world seems full of possibilities!

Of course, it's also bittersweet as some shows we had such high hopes for only a year ago and series that many have grown to love get the ax. Shows like Girlfriends on the CW or Jericho (which we knew was doomed in March) on CBS are especially difficult cuts for their fiercely loyal fan base.

Which cancellations this year bum you out the most?

Source

RIP Men in Trees

BuzzSugar — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:38:29 -0700

Granted, this news has probably been a long time in coming, but it's still a bummer: Men in Trees has been officially canceled after two years of life in Elmo, AK.

Of course, that's two years of airing on three different nights in numerous different time slots, with two long breaks - one when its first season came to an early end, another when ABC decided to save episodes of the show rather than air them during the writers' strike - in between. Not the easiest way to get a following, that's for sure.

It was bad news when Lifetime decided not to pick up the show when ABC offered it, but the show still had its promoters at the network - not to mention a dedicated (if relatively small) fan base that had organized a campaign to buy trees for developing countries. And coupled with the news that ABC didn't plan on premiering as many new series as normal in the Fall, it seemed like the show had a chance.

The one bright spot is that Trees did prepare an ending that could serve as a series finale; that last episode will air sometime this Summer, after the show returns May 28. In the meantime, what do you think about the decision? Did Trees deserve to be saved? Would you have wanted it to return for a third season even if it meant it would be shuffled all around ABC's schedule again?

Bad News for Big Shots - But Good for Private Practice?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:35:16 -0800

Big Shots, one of those new shows that I wished would be better than it was, has been pulled from the ABC schedule, effective immediately. It's a curious decision given the writers' strike - the show had three finished episodes that could have aired, and you'd think any original programming these days would be better than repeats.

Not so at ABC, apparently; instead of Big Shots, the network will air repeats of Private Practice in the post-Grey's Anatomy time slot for the next three weeks. (Grey's will be in repeats the whole time, too.)

There's speculation that the move could be a tryout for Private Practice in the post-Grey's time slot, but I really hope that doesn't happen. For one thing, Private Practice seems to be doing just fine on Wednesdays. For another, I think putting the spinoff after the original would just make Private Practice look weak. I already miss Addison at Seattle Grace; seeing the shows back-to-back would only make that worse.

I've already said I'd like to see Cashmere Mafia air after Grey's to take on NBC's Lipstick Jungle. But if that doesn't happen, what about Dirty Sexy Money? It's a good show that's being mostly forgotten in its current time slot, and it shares the soapy tone of Grey's but is different enough that viewers might stick around to watch it. I know I would - what about you?

Your "Traveler" Questions, Answered

BuzzSugar — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:34:23 -0700

Remember when the short-lived series "Traveler" ended with an episode that promised to answer all your questions - but then totally didn't? The series creator, David DiGilio, has fixed that with an extensive blog entry at TVGuide.com explaining everything that would have happened in seasons two and three of "Traveler" - and beyond. Here are some of the biggest revelations:

The quest to uncover the Fourth Branch - the organization that seemed to be calling the shots toward the end of the series - would have been the major plot of season two. Jay, Tyler and Will would have sought to expose the organization, which was a secret society filled with rich, powerful, and mostly corrupt members of America's oldest families.
The painting - John Trumbull's "Declaration of Independence" - was key because it depicted the formation of the Fourth Branch. Will took it as leverage in case the organization decided to punish him for letting Jay and Tyler live.
Tyler has an evil brother, Gabriel, who would have been the key nemesis in season two. In that season's finale, Tyler would have been murdered at Gabriel's hands.

For more, especially about Will Traveler's past, just read more

Will Traveler's real name was Stephen Mailer, and he was trained in martial arts and other fighting techniques from a young age by his uncle. That uncle got him enlisted in the military and, ultimately, directed him to join Operation Hometown, working for Jack Freed.
The Hotel Guy, aka The Porter, finally has a name: Jon Anselmo. He was a rogue CIA agent bent on destroying the corrupt Fourth Branch.
In the FBI subplot, Marlow would have struck out on her own to uncover the FBI's ties to the Drexler bombing; ultimately, Chambers would have killed her. Chambers' daughter would have been introduced as a character, and she would have eventually convinced her father to abandon his ties to the Fourth Branch.
How it all would have ended: In the final episode, Will would have sacrificed himself to save Jay and expose the corrupt reign of President Shears. Jay, with Kim's help, would have carried out Will and Tyler's legacy by revealing the lies and deceit of the Fourth Branch.

"Traveler" fans - if any of you still exist - are these answers more satisfying to you than the ones we saw on TV?

Bad Idea of the Week: Canceling the Canceled Shows

BuzzSugar — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 06:30:00 -0700

Here's the story of this TV season in a nutshell: Networks put on new shows. Networks cancel new shows. Networks promise to bring back the canceled shows so dedicated fans can get some bit of closure. Well, now we can add a new step to the process: Networks cancel the canceled shows again, further frustrating fans who had waited months for the supposed resolution and now are unlikely to get it at all.

ABC got into the act this week, canceling "The Knights of Prosperity" and "The Nine" for a second time after just two episodes each. They must have taken a lesson from Fox, which moved the date of the final two episodes of "Drive" several times before finally deciding against putting the episodes on TV at all.

In all these cases, the presumed reason behind pulling the show yet again is low ratings. But how could the networks have expected anything else? We viewers take risks when we make time for new shows, and when they get pulled mid-season, that chips away at our trust and makes us less likely to return. With me so far? Then read more

Only the most dedicated fans of the canceled shows are likely to even know that the remaining episodes have been slipped back on the air, as they arrive with no fanfare and little, if any, promotion. And quite a few fans, having been burned by the network the first time around, are unlikely to make time in their schedules for the burn-off episodes; even I, a big "Knights of Prosperity" fan the first time around, only remembered at the last minute to TiVo one of last week's two new episodes, and I haven't even watched it yet.

That still doesn't justify the networks' yanking of shows a second time around. It's pretty obvious that if the shows had been getting good ratings to start with, they wouldn't have been canceled in the first place. Naturally, episodes of an irrelevant show that air long after the show was last broadcast will do worse. Any network executive who believes otherwise is, frankly, delirious.

But having the shows pulled a second time is just an insult to the dedicated fans who did make an effort to find the show again- and that makes viewers even less likely to commit to new network shows the next time around. I'd like to see shows get to finish their full runs on the air a la "Studio 60." But if the networks aren't fully committed to letting them burn every one of the unaired episodes on TV, I'd rather see the series go online or to a DVD. When they pop back on TV only briefly, we just feel the rug being pulled out from under us again.