Fall tv Cancelations

[bbor]

Linky

We'll try to break it to you gently. So first, some good news: Fans of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" can ease their withdrawal pains with "Angel," because the WB renewed the supernatural spinoff for another season. NBC has given another chance to critical dramatic favorite "Boomtown" and to comedies "Ed" and "Good Morning Miami." "The Practice" won its case and will be back next fall, in its familiar home of Sunday night -- although without its biggest stars, due to budget cuts.

But, alas, other shows were not so lucky. "Fastlane" has screeched to a halt, "My Big Fat Greek Life" was a big fat ratings bust, and Andy Richter no longer controls the universe. "Are You Hot?" was not. "John Doe" shall remain nameless. And actor Scott Foley had a really bad spring: He lost not only his sitcom, "A.U.S.A.," but his wife, Jennifer Garner ("Alias" Sydney Bristow).

Here are the casualties of the cancellation ax:

ABC
"All-American Girl," "Are You Hot?," "Dinotopia," "Lost at Home," "MDs," "Miracles," "Push, Nevada," "Regular Joe," "That Was Then," "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" and "Veritas: The Quest"

And although it hasn't been officially cancelled, "The Drew Carey Show" doesn't have a place on the fall schedule. So cherish the original episodes that will air this summer, they appear to be the last ones we're going to see for awhile.

CBS
"The Agency," "Bram and Alice," "My Big Fat Greek Life," "Presidio Med," "Queens Supreme," "Robbery Homicide Division" and "Touched by an Angel"

Also missing from the schedule: veteran comedy "Becker." CBS says there's still a chance the Ted Danson series could return for a sixth season, but it doesn't sound optimistic.

FOX
"30 Seconds to Fame," "Andy Richter Controls the Universe," "Fastlane," "Firefly," "Futurama," "girls club," "John Doe," "Married by America," "Meet the Marks," "Mr. Personality" and "The Pitts"

NBC
"A.U.S.A." "Hidden Hills," "In-Laws," "Kingpin," "Just Shoot Me," "Mister Sterling," "Providence" and "Watching Ellie"




UPN
"Abby," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Haunted," "Platinum" and "The Twilight Zone"





WB
"Birds of Prey," "Black Sash," "Dawson's Creek," "Do Over," "Family Affair," "Greetings from Tucson," "Off Centre" and "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch


Too bad about John Doe...i really liked this show...I'm overjoyed that Boomtown is back for another go...it is a strong show.

[Airhog]

Man I cant believe they are axing Futurama, that show rocks, and Im sorry too see it go. I think they just have sunday nights overloaded with cartoons. Its too bad they probably wont sell the show to a network like Cartoon Network ethier.

[vex]

Wow, lots of longtime shows are leaving.

[mrskippy]

This is one reason I don't watch much network television these days. They've screwed it up so much. I don't like watching sitcoms or primetime dramas because if I like it, there's a chance it won't last.

Or if there's a chance it will last, but after a nice run it will end without a proper closing.

So I typically find a few shows and hope for the best. Otherwise, I'll stick with hit reality shows I know will stay on for a whole season, 20/20, Dateline, and sports.

Of that list only "Touched By An Angel" "Dawson's Creek" "Buffy" "Futurama" and "Sabrina" had nice runs. "Touched" was given a great grand finale.

The same can't be said about many classic shows. "Married With Children" probably was one of the saddest cancellation casualties, because it ended without a true series finale.

Something tells me "Drew Carey" might meet the same fate as "Married With Children." That would be a shame, because it was one of the better sitcoms.

What amazes me is how the networks will take a good show and screw it up, by switching its schedule around.

"My Big Fat Greek Life" had decent ratings at first. It was considered a decent show. But too many expected the movie. Of course, much of the blame has been pitted on Nia Vardalos, who proved to hard work with. At least that's what I heard.

As for "The Agency" ... I think they really screwed that show over when it was moved. I thought it had gone off the air until I stumbled upon it on a Saturday night at 10 p.m. It had a great slot after CSI. But they gave that to the missing person show, which is actually a great show itself.

What amazes me is how many reality dating shows and talent contests are on the summer schedule. Let me see here we've got "For Love Or Money" "Rich Guy, Poor Guy" "Last Comic Standing" "American Juniors" and "Fame" ... oh and Simon Cowell (of Idol fame) is bringing "Cupid."

I like "The Bachelor" and "American Idol" ... but why are they hitting me all at once? Why not save them and space them out?

That said I'm not surprised some of the reality concepts have been cancelled. The networks know they went a little overboard with some of the stuff. I mean what's up with Fox going for "Joe Millionaire 2?" Huh? Like these women are going to be duped twice.

What's sad is if they keep it up they'll end up killing the staples like "Survivor" "Amazing Race" "Bachelor" and "Idol".

On the reality front, I wish ABC would give "The Mole" another chance.

[bbor]

I like the new reality one...For love or money

The chick he picks gets a Million dollars...BUT he does'nt know that...

then on top of that...She has to dump him to get to keep the Mil...

evil i tell you sheer evil.

[mrskippy]

Actually the concept behind "For Love Or Money" is great and I will be watching, as I do most of the dating reality shows ... mostly out of curiousity.

"Rich Guy, Poor Guy" also looks promising. From the creators of "The Bachelor" ....

Only two guys (one rich, one poor) will be going after the same pool of 25 women. No word on how this will work. But it sounds interesting.

I would love to go on one of these shows. Except I'd probably be hated, because I'd probably dump some of the babes in favor of the classier, but still pretty girls. I can't stand some of how these guys pick.

[bbor]

I would Love to be on Amazing race...cept i think my wife and i would kill each other....

Big brother is another Reality show i enjoy.

It's like a phycology study in a box

[Chief Rum]

mrskippy, I second your thoughts on The Agency. CBS screwed the pooch on that one big time. I still watched it, though, and I thought it was one of the better shows on TV. Even worse, they ended this season in a cliffhanger. Ugh.

Actually, The Agency's move to Saturday is worrisome to me in another way--CBS has now moved Hack to Saturday. This is another one of my favorite shows, and probably one few others noticed. Seems that moving to Saturday is the kiss of death, so I hope it does better than expected there.

I didn't realize until I followed the link that Boomtown had done badly in the ratings. I always figured since they kept it in the competitive 10 p.m. slot on Sunday nights, and that ABC even moved The Practice to not compete aginst it, that it must be doing well. Apparently not the case--I wonder what everyone is watching at 10 p.m. on Sundays then?

Anyway, Boomtown is a great show, too. I don't know if a move to Friday will be the answer, but I guess we'll see.

Chief Rum

[mrskippy]

Actually I would love to be on Survivor too. I just love reailty TV ... speaking of which ... I just put up reality TV forums on my site (including ones for Amazing Race 4) ... http://www.mcclimans.com/forum

Sorry for the shameless plug. I'm getting going on this phpBB thing and want to really create a major discussion community. I'm looking for some good hacks for the board. Also looking for a few good moderators.

This is all part of my grand scheme to launch mcclimans.com this summer, assuming I can get some loyal volunteers to help provide content.

[Fritz]

I hardly ever watch TV, but I do enjoy "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" from time to time. Sorry to see it go.

[Anrhydeddu]

Something about a vast wasteland?

[QuikSand]

An intriguing subplot along these lines is the continuation of the show Ed. The show hit some doldrums this last year, both in plot and ratings, and seemed clearly headed for cancellation. It was clear enough that the season ended with the two main characters - the subject of yet another time-tested "unreleased sexual tension" plotline to get together, and end the seaosn finale with a presumably seal-the-deal type of embrace.

While the show has a few other characters that have been developed and so forth, the whole thign was really about Ed and Carol, and the continuous "will they or won't they" backdrop. Now, they have been picked up for a new season, but it looks like that's behind them - they are now together.

It's entirely possible that the show just crashes even further now that the cohesive element will be lost. Harkens back to Moonlighting, though this isn't half the show that once was.

[ctmason]

I only watched two episodes, including the season finale, but a family member really liked John Doe.

Looks like it went the way of Benson and ends on a cliffhanger.

Edit: I should probably start watching more TV, as over the past two years I've realized that when in a group of people my age (mid-20's) I usually don't have a f'n clue what any of them are talking about.

I uh....I saw the last episode of the first survivor.....uh.......

[sachmo71]

Firefly had promise...too bad America hates geeks.

[KWhit]

I really enjoy Who's Line, too. Those guys are some of the most talented people you can find on TV. They had a pretty good run, but they will be missed.

[Ksyrup]

Originally posted by Fritz
I hardly ever watch TV, but I do enjoy "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" from time to time. Sorry to see it go.

Older ones (the ABC ones, not the British ones from Comedy Central) can be seen from 10pm-11pm on Family Channel.

[Fritz]

Originally posted by QuikSand

While the show has a few other characters that have been developed and so forth, the whole thign was really about Ed and Carol, and the continuous "will they or won't they" backdrop. Now, they have been picked up for a new season, but it looks like that's behind them - they are now together.

It's entirely possible that the show just crashes even further now that the cohesive element will be lost. Harkens back to Moonlighting, though this isn't half the show that once was.

It seems that shows that develop the "will they are wont they" tension always give in. The shows usually go in the crapper soon after.

Same thing happened with "my two dads"...

[the_meanstrosity]

Noooooo! I loved Andy Richter Controls the Universe. And Futurama?! At least Cartoon Network plays the old ones still.

[Abe Sargent]

The continuing trend towards "reality" TV (I agree with Bob Costas, they really should be called "Unscripted" TV because there's nothing real about them) is the hallmark of an era in my life. In my autobiography, I think I'll name the chapter "My Final Migration to Cable."

-Anxiety

[Thomkal]

Probably the one I'll miss the most from that list is Birds of Prey-great adaptation from the comic book, well-acted, good stories, and three good looking woman as the main characters. What went wrong?

Veritas the Quest was another good show not given enough of a chance. I liked Presidio Med and Firefly too. Ah well there's always Survivor 97 to look forward to in the future

[Draft Dodger]

I love not watching TV.

the only 2 shows on the list I've ever seen ar Who's Line and Drew Carey Show.

most of those shows I've never even heard of

[Calis]

Hmm, I guess I'm alone in my secret pleasure of watching Fastlane. I mean, yeah it was lame...but it had fast cars, violence, and hot women...what more can you ask for? Furthermore, the episode with lesbo Tiffany Thiessen and Jaime Pressly might be the greatest show of the last year.

[A-Husker-4-Life]

I liked A.U.S.A. it kinda reminded me of Night Court... Funny Show, to bad it's gone....

[Anrhydeddu]

Edit: I should probably start watching more TV, as over the past two years I've realized that when in a group of people my age (mid-20's) I usually don't have a f'n clue what any of them are talking about.

You should try it from my shoes, ct.

QS: You think somebody had probably done a doctorate dissertation (perhaps under Robert J. Thompson at SU?) on how and when two antagonists should or shouldn't get together on a TV series and their ratings success or failure? I'd be interested in knowing of such cases pre-Dave/Maddie and whether they failed as well. Other cases probably include Northern Exposure and several others I can't think of.

[TroyF]

Whew. Sportscenter didn't get the ax. I think I'll be OK.

I heard "Monk" is going to have some original episodes on this summer. I like that show quite a bit. There isn't a current show on TV other than The Simpsons that I make sure I watch on a weekly basis.

TroyF

[Craptacular]

Whose Line, Futurama, and Andy Richter were good shows, and it sucks to see them get the heave-ho. I odn't care about the rest that got thrown on the bonfire. Too bad they didn't axe all of the reality crap.

[Bonegavel]

Originally posted by sachmo71
Firefly had promise...too bad America hates geeks.

I thought I was the only television viewer to like that show. It has been off since last year. I was hoping that SciFi would pick this up. I guess it is still possible.

[damnMikeBrown]

I liked Firefly as well. I don't think they shot enough episodes to get Sci-Fi into it, unless they use it as one of their marathon shows during the day.

John Doe will be missed. It had promise, but did do some really odd plot things towards the end of the season. At any rate, it was on my watch list. I think they struggled with focus, because it seemed like the writing moved around a good bit.

I love Ed, but I'm seriously weary of the whole Carole & Ed thing. The kid in highschool is a good break in that show. They need to explore him in H.S. more, independent of Ed & the bowling alley.

Push, Nevada rocked. I freakin loved that show. It was only on for like 8 or 9 episodes, because it was a win $$ type of deal. You watched & clued together pieces of the show for the big jackpot. That part, I had 0 interest in. The show itself was just a blast though. A psychelic trip into a "normal" guys life. Right down the rabbit hole. I really enjoyed it a lot.

It'd be nice if "Good Morning Miami" got the axe, if only because maybe then the two girls on there would do some nudity in their career slump.

Buffy will be missed, but it's time for her to go. In the same vein, Drew Carrey will be a sade cancellation. It's always on some channel, at some time, but it's still funny stuff. I can't say I've ever made an effort to watch the show though, simply because I see it all the time in syndication. It's always a fun, if predictable trip.

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by Anrhydeddu
QS: You think somebody had probably done a doctorate dissertation (perhaps under Robert J. Thompson at SU?) on how and when two antagonists should or shouldn't get together on a TV series and their ratings success or failure? I'd be interested in knowing of such cases pre-Dave/Maddie and whether they failed as well. Other cases probably include Northern Exposure and several others I can't think of.

Wouldn't surprise me at all... and yes, he'd certainly be the professor who would encourage this sort of "academic" work.

F'ing Newhousies.

[digamma]

Originally posted by damnMikeBrown
I love Ed, but I'm seriously weary of the whole Carole & Ed thing. The kid in highschool is a good break in that show. They need to explore him in H.S. more, independent of Ed & the bowling alley.

I couldn't disagree more. The wife and I usually watch Ed on Tivo a little later in the night or over the weekend. We almost always fast forward through the Warren scenes.
I'll be interested to see how they get over the Ed/Carol sexual tension drives the show conundrum, and I hope the supporting cast is good enough to pull it through (Warren excluded).

[Kodos]

No Drew Carey or Whose Line... Or Just Shoot Me. Crap.

Bring back Third Rock From The Sun!

[Coffee Warlord]

So, moving on to important channels....

Anyone have any clue what they are planning on showing on Sci-Fi next season?

[JeeberD]

Originally posted by Calis
Furthermore, the episode with lesbo Tiffany Thiessen and Jaime Pressly might be the greatest show of the last year.

HUH? What? A lesbian scene with Kelly Kapowski and Jamie Pressley????

God, I hate having to work nights...

[kcchief19]

Originally posted by Anrhydeddu
QS: You think somebody had probably done a doctorate dissertation (perhaps under Robert J. Thompson at SU?) on how and when two antagonists should or shouldn't get together on a TV series and their ratings success or failure? I'd be interested in knowing of such cases pre-Dave/Maddie and whether they failed as well. Other cases probably include Northern Exposure and several others I can't think of.

Sad to say, this has always been an "interesting" subject to me. Shows in which the only conflict is generated by will-they-or-won't-they rarely have long shelf lifes, mostly because one of three things happens

Moonlight is the prototypical example of No. 1. That show lost all momentum once the conflict between the main characters was eliminated. While Niles and Daphne are not the main characters, I think Fraiser has suffered since those two got together.

Strangely enough, Cheers probably had the longest run and most success playing this angle, albeit they pulled it off with two different foils for Sam Malone. While Kirstie Alley is a weak actress, I don't think Cheers would have as much longevity with Shelley Long staying for the run of the show.

Ed is in a tough spot for a second reason -- the season finale was done in such a way that it could have served as a series finale. Now that the show is coming back, they have to figure a way out of what they have done. The show is one of the few that I watch regularly, although I watch for the sly humor of the show first and the story is secondary.

On another subject, Fox never managed Futurama right. They did everything but the one thing that would have worked -- following The Simpsons. They tried it on other nights and always tried desperately to pair it with King of the Hill. No offense to KOTH, but it just doesn't match well with Futurama. They are both cartoons, but the similarity ends there.

Glad to see NBC is sticking with Scrubs on Thursday. The show has performed admirably, even more so when you consider that a lot of people are clearly watching Friends and then catching the last half hour of Survivor. Will & Grace won't play an hour earlier, so unless another comedy comes out the woodwork with boffo ratings this year, it looks like Scrubs is even money to take Friends time slot in 2004.

[korme]

I dont know how close it was, but Scrubs survives. Woot.

[damnMikeBrown]

Since somebody mentioned Sci-Fi. . my greatest loss of the season. . . Farscape. It's over I really hope they do a mini-movie or something with it. That was by far my favorite night of the week TV wise. Watch SG-1 followed by Farscape. I'll miss Farscape for certain.

Was Scrubs ever in trouble at all? I thought it was a bonafied top 15 show?

[ISiddiqui]

I wonder what everyone is watching at 10 p.m. on Sundays then?

I figure that it was beaten soundly by the new Dragnet on ABC. In fact, I watched Boomtown the first couple shows and liked it... but then I watched the first Dragnet (just to see), and fell in love with that show. I haven't seen Boomtown since.... so it was probably good to move the show... but NOT to Friday!!

[Anrhydeddu]

QS, kc: It seems that there are three kinds of fatal traps to fall into: 1) Dave/Maddie Syndrome, 2) Go To Europe/Hawaii Syndrome, and of course the famous 3) Jump The Shark Syndrome. When I used to watch a lot of TV, I have found it fascinating how a series evolve. Maybe it's just one last gasp to get a good rating (usually during sweeps) but I still would love know what goes on behind the scenes in coming up with any of these three traps.

[Airhog]

You might be right about futurama, it went well with simpsons. Id rather watch it then malcom in the middle. Personally I hate fox because they always the simpsons like mid december after football season starts to wind down.

[Aesyrqwe]

I shall forever curse fox for cancelling fastlane...

I mean, drugs, fast cars, hot chicks, guns.. WHAT THE HELL IS NOT TO LIKE?!?!

-Aes-

[Fonzie]

Originally posted by the_meanstrosity
Noooooo! I loved Andy Richter Controls the Universe. And Futurama?! At least Cartoon Network plays the old ones still.

I'm with you. Futurama was just hitting its stride, and frankly I've found it to be consistently funnier than the Simpsons these last two seasons.

But the show I'm really bummed about is Andy Richter. It'd be one thing if Fox really gave it a chance, but they didn't. They frequently pre-empted it, on a seemingly biweekly basis, so they could squeeze in more of their bizarro "When Midgets Attack 7"-type shows. One thing you can't do, if you want a show to succeed, is make its scheduling unpredictable. Unless folks know they can rely on a show being on when they expect it to be on, they'll stop watching.

I now have two more reasons to hate Fox Corp. Jerks.

[Chief Rum]

Originally posted by ISiddiqui
I figure that it was beaten soundly by the new Dragnet on ABC. In fact, I watched Boomtown the first couple shows and liked it... but then I watched the first Dragnet (just to see), and fell in love with that show. I haven't seen Boomtown since.... so it was probably good to move the show... but NOT to Friday!!

I actually enjoyed Dragnet, too. There are a couple problems with your hypotheses on what happened, though.

First, Dragnet wasn't introduced until February or so, and it didn't even go head-to-head with new Boomtown episodes until March. While I could see that it might have done well, I don't think that if Boomtown was the ratings leader for that slot, that the execs would have been too scared about Dragnet pulling in viewers over a small two-month period of direct competition.

Also, ABC is moving Dragnet to Saturday. So obviously both networks seem to be uncomfortable with their shows running in the 10 p.m. Sunday slot. And did you notice the ole switcharoo just a few episodes into the Dragnet season? Goodbye, Ethan Embry (with a cheesy "his father died he has to deal with it" explanantion), hello new minority female partner? Ugh. Nothing against the actress, but that's just pandering (especially since I enjoyed Embry in that role).

In any case, shows that are doing well don't pull the ole main-character switcharoo halfway through the season. There seems to be ample reason to believe that neither Dragnet nor Boomtown were doing well. Fox doesn't have 10 p.m. national programming (my local station just shows the local news then), neither WB or UPN do anything that late, and CBS has a Movie of the Week, which is always crap. So obviously, people just aren't watching TV, period, if they aren't watching Boomtown or Dragnet.

BTW, to piggy back on others, in its small run, I also really loved Andy Richter's show. They always screw up the good ones, especially Fox.

Chief Rum

[sterlingice]

Originally posted by Airhog
Man I cant believe they are axing Futurama, that show rocks, and Im sorry too see it go. I think they just have sunday nights overloaded with cartoons. Its too bad they probably wont sell the show to a network like Cartoon Network ethier.

Futurama's demise has been in the work a long time: for the past couple of years, they've had episodes still in the can that no one was ever sure would see the light of day. It's a real shame because it's been better than the Simpsons episodes that followed it for at least 3 years.

Then again, it was limited to a shorter run as soon as they made the stupid decision to put it at 6, where it could be superceded by football for half the year. They had the perfect spot to put it between the Simpsons and X-Files where it could have been the logical successor to the Simpsons (which should have been put out of its misery a couple of years ago but instead is renewed through 2005).

Unfortunately there was some falling out between Groening and Fox and the bad blood and their want to try and promote another show kept Futurama out of its rightful spot. They kept trying to use the 7:30 Sunday spot as a springboard: putting a show there for a month or two, trying to get people hooked, and then whisking it off to patch up their oft failing lineups on other nights. I can think of at least 5 shows that occupied that space (including Futurama for about a month) and only Malcolm in the Middle and King of the Hill are still around. I'm sure everyone's really suprised to see that a new show "The Ortegas" will be occupying this spot next year. Well, at least for a few minutes.

As for selling the rights to Cartoon Network, there's no way they could afford to make Futurama. It's just not feasable: it probably costs more to make, per year, than most of CN's acquisitions budget.

Real shame to see all of these shows as the smoldering wreckage behind the path of reality tv, our latest guilty pleasure. At least the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire fad only spawned one mildly successful spinoff ("Weakest Link" for those with short memories) and, really, I could forgive it because the production values of WWTBAM were through the roof (the lighting, the music, the perfect tie-in with AT&T, and somehow making Regis Philbin a star). It's a shame a lot of good shows die while the Bachelor, Bachelorette, Joe Millionaire and other television garbage gets green lit.

Nothing like seeing the AP quote from the network concerning Aaron Sorkin leaving (read:being dismissed) from the West Wing. It basically said "your story arcs are too long, your messages too political, and your show isn't for the dumb American populace: just look at the Bachelor which is winning your time slot and try to imitate it". Now that's definately simplifying the matter: Sorkin's always been a bit of a maverick and his drug problem and show cost overruns didn't help the matter any but these things are all forgiven if good ratings show up in NBC headquarters.

And it's not as if many good shows haven't been cancelled before. It's just that before, they were replaced by something other than a genre that isn't just the cousin but influenced by such things as Jackass and Fear Factor.

I can't speak to the situation for Ed, but Firefly simply never found an audience and that was the case for John Doe as well. Whose Line never really pulled in much ratingswise, but I can't think it was too expensive to produce: Carrey's salary was probably as much as the rest of the cost put together. Great show but it was somewhat repetitive at this point: it's hard to not repeat improv sketches you don't remember doing 5 years ago. Andy Richter never really got a shot and I wonder if he often has second thoughts about leaving Conan (then again, there's no doubt he'll land on his feet).

Let's see- some news about shows coming back. Yes, Monk has new episodes starting in a couple of weeks. The ads for that looked pretty bad but I gave it a looksee and was pleasantly suprised. Then again, ABC was trying to steal it away for a while and apparently USA got quite a bit of cash for a brief stint of second run episodes (if anyone remember's Monk being on ABC for a few weeks). Tho I've never watched it, Scrubs pleasantly suprised everyone at NBC (read: damn fine ratings) and there was no danger at all of it being picked up. As kcchief19 said- there is talk of it anchoring Thursdays once Friends ends.

Dragnet is another interesting story. No, it wasn't winning that time slot at all and was in serious danger of being dropped. It was one of the most closely watched bubble situations out there. The Dick Wolf (creator of "Law and Order") show has only a few guarantees next year and those are that Ed O'Neill will be back and they will start out at Saturday 9pm (10pm Eastern- btw, all oif the times I have used so far are Central time) with a new title of "LA Dragnet". Even co-star Ethan Embry's status is up in the air. Usually total remakes of shows die pretty quick deaths which is unfortuate. It was a show I liked quite a bit but it failed to set itself apart from other cop shows out there and fell victim to the "it's not a reality show" malaise that everything without the letters C-S-I are suffering from.

I definately watch and follow too much tv (and it's becoming harder and harder to do that since "reality" tv bores me)...

SI

[sterlingice]

dola- I know I've bashed quite a bit of tv out there, but if anyone knows as any good shows that fit into these interests, I tend to watch the following religiously: CSI, 24, The Shield and these regularly: Monk, Dragnet, Enterprise (which is looking more and more like crappy Voyager), Simpsons and King of the Hill (both showing their age). I'm definately trying to find some good tv out there...

SI

[Chief Rum]

sterlingice, your religious views are also mine. I love CSI, 24 and The Shield. I also really enjoy Monk and I am looking forward to that starting up again.

I don't know how they fit into what you like to watch, so take these all with a grain of salt, but four shows you don't mention that I would recommend to anyone are:

Hack- I think the bad guy with the heart of gold bit can drag a little when it's shoveled on like it does here, but David Morse has always been a fine character actor. He pulls off this role well. Toss on fine supporting actors like George Dzundza and Abdre Braugher and you won't turn away from this show for the acting. Probably it's gravest errors are its heavy-handedness with the underlying morality of the show (the consequences' Morse's character has to suffer for his past as an ex-shady cop turned cabbie) and, of course, that you have to ignore that one guy--and a cab driver of all people--could manage to get into so many situations where his ervices are needed. But then, people watched Murder She Wrote religiously and never once questioned that she was always around a murder. The pacing is pretty crisp with Morse's go-get-'em attitude, and the characters are intriguing. Two of the best shows I saw all year on TV were Hack shows. One they just showed as a repeat last friday (where he faced down a mob boss--very tense moment in the boss's office at the end), and the other was one where he basically went head-to-head with a professional killer--and the killer, a really cool character himself, got away and called Hack to promise him he would be meeting him again. Chilling stuff.

Without A Trace- I have to admit, this one did and did not hook me from the start. It did hook me, in that the first episodes I watched were very well done, I enjoyed the characters and the stories were crisply-plotted and well-acted. But I have always loved ER, so I didn't watch it much at first. But as the season went by, I got more and more disenchanted with ER (still not a bad show, but I find I just don't care anymore--the now deceased Mark Green was by far my favorite character on the show), and turning over to Without A Trace. In fact, sicne I watch CSI so religiously, it just became too easy to just not switch channels. And now I am glad I don't. Quite simply, I just think it's a better show. Great acting, intriguing storylines, a lot of drama for the characters as well, beyond the rigors of dealing with each week's missing persons case. One of the better ensemble whodunit types of shows I have senn since, well, CSI debuted.

Boomtown- If you were watching Dragnet a lot, you probably have already given Boomtown a shot and found it wanting, so maybe this will fall on deaf ears. But, IMO, there was no show on TV this year that was as consistently good week-in and week-out as this one. Not 24. Not CSI. None of the various L&Os. Seriously. If you follow this show from the beginning, you really get a feel for the characters in this one. And as much as it puts itself up as a cop show solving the usual criminal problems each week, it's much more character-driven than most shows. Seeing things from different perspectives introduces you to each character in a way that you just don't get with other shows. I can't think of a single episode of Boomtown from this season that I wouldn't gladly watch again right now, and that's really saying something. God, I hope moving to Friday doesn't kill it.

Alias- I won't talk too much about this as a quality show (although I do think it is one in its own way), because I think of it kinda like a guilty pleasure. But it's just fun to watch. And dramatic as well. But the show basically sets out to give the watchers the biggest mindfuck each and every week, and I have to admit I enjoy that kinda stuff. 24 does the same thing, throwing new loops and angles at you all the time to keep it going. I guess the only dissatisfying thing about Alias from that perspective is that there is no definitive end like there is in 24, so they can keep doing it forever to you. Also, while I don't know that she's really my type, they put Jennifer Garner in enough slinky outfits to keep my attention. Like I said, the acting is just so-so, IMO, and the plots are really contrived, but, damn, it's a lot of fun to get hooked on it.

Chief Rum

[Ksyrup]

Originally posted by kcchief19
Sad to say, this has always been an "interesting" subject to me. Shows in which the only conflict is generated by will-they-or-won't-they rarely have long shelf lifes, mostly because one of three things happens.

Although it was only one of the plot lines early on, Friends initially suffered from this same problem when they finally got Rachel and Ross together. Which is why they had to break them up - ratings started to slide. It also helped that those 2 people were only 1/3 of the focal point, but they played heavily on that conflict until it was played out. And then they turned Ross into George Costanza without a personality.

Also, a similar thing has happened to Frazier, although the number of years the show has been on may have more to do with its demise than the Daphne/Niles marriage, but that was one of those conflicts that they managed to drag out for quite a long time. But it worked because it wasn't the sole focal point of the show.

[Fritz]

I like to watch the music channels at the high end of my digital cable service. This weekend I "watched" the Americana channel for several hours while doing house work.

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by sterlingice
I'm definately trying to find some good tv out there...

H.
B.
O.

The Wire is just starting up its second season, and I personally think it was the best thing on TV in a long time last summer. But the regular HBO Sunday night lineup is awfully good pretty much any time of year.

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by Anrhydeddu
QS, kc: It seems that there are three kinds of fatal traps to fall into: 1) Dave/Maddie Syndrome, 2) Go To Europe/Hawaii Syndrome, and of course the famous 3) Jump The Shark Syndrome. When I used to watch a lot of TV, I have found it fascinating how a series evolve. Maybe it's just one last gasp to get a good rating (usually during sweeps) but I still would love know what goes on behind the scenes in coming up with any of these three traps.

4) Introduce a new child/baby (who will be 3 by the start of the next season, if there is one) to the mix. Or the "Oliver Syndrome".

There were hints in the 8 Simple Rules finale (I know, I'm lame for watching it) that they might go that route already. Hopefully they don't. Of course, they've also had a twist on one of the age old plots/jokes for an episode, the "one of the kids takes up the drums and annoys the neighbors" plot.

[Ksyrup]

My wife likes that show and I can't stand it. And I even give John Ritter the benefit of the doubt since I loved Three's Company growing up. But that show is so...predictable. It's like 3 or 4 old sitcoms thrown together.

I remember Ritter talking about the "beginning of the end" for Three's Company when, about 6 years into it, they had a plot where they were trying to hide a puppy from Mr. Furley, and he recalled an episode from the first year where they were trying to hide a kitten from Mr. Roper. To me, 8 Simple Rules started where Three's Company ended. It's all been done before.