Because the weasely, non-committal ABC network has opted to "not pick up" these shows rather than "cancel" them, there was room for confusion that I wanted to avoid. Here's the deal:
- PUSHING DAISIES: My dear, darling, ratings-challenged Pushing Daisies... You never stood a chance. When PD premiered last fall, its ratings were solid, the hype was in full-tilt, and audiences took notice and tuned in. Then the writers' strike swept in, and PD (as with so many other series) found itself in a near 10 month hiatus. If that weren't enough to quash interest in the show by the casual viewer, ABC's shameless handling of the show proved the final nail in the coffin. After so many months off the air, ABC promised a splashy relaunch of the series. Said splashy relaunch apparently included such fantastic and awe-inspiring tactics as airing very little (if any) promotional spots, not re-airing the previous season (not even on ABC Family (because that would have been so tough and all, what with all the made-for-TV movies about broken homes and teen pregnancy that need to air)), and having the sophomore series anchor Wednesday night, in one of the busiest time-slots on the air. Brilliant!
In the past, ABC held fairly high regard in my book (to the extent that regard for demonic TV networks is possible). But, given the handling of PD (and
all the other returning sophomore series), my faith is shaken. When crap like Private Practice is allowed to live, but, well, any other show on the network gets the axe, it's hard to put any stock in ABC anymore.
To be fair, this season of Pushing Daisies started off slow, and after such a long hiatus, some of the magic had worn off, even for stalwart fans such as myself. The creative team behind the show is still strong, but several directional decisions have made the show shine a little less brightly for me. Which, oddly, comes as a result of the show being a bit less dark and snarky... The sugar always had an edge that made me smile and the edge seems to have ebbed a bit... (On another note, is the background music driving anyone else crazy? It's too loud and for a show with this kind of intricate dialogue, you really can't afford to miss a single sentence. The background music in the first season was perfect, but this season it's distracting and kind of obnoxious...) In spite of the difficulty I've had getting back into full-swing, the past couple of episodes have really set things into motion and I'm beyond bummed that it won't be continuing. In spite of fears that the base concept for the show was unsustainable over time, the writers have done well to keep it going and I was always intrigued to see how they'd handle the concept's limitations in the future. Now it seems we may never know how it all plays out...
Bottom Line: Although ABC won't man-up and admit that it's been "canceled," it has. The actors have been released from their contracts and production has stopped. The 13 initial episodes that were ordered by the network have been completed and as far as I have found, the remaining 6 episodes will air as usual. Bryan Fuller (the executive producer) and company did not film an alternate ending that could serve as a series finale, so the final episode will be just like any other episode, and will even end in a cliff-hanger
. Everything that is up in the air will remain up in the air and loose ends will continue to be loose (you know, sleeping around and drinking and whatnot). I have heard rumor that Bryan Fuller plans to continue the story in the form of a comic book adaptation of the show, but not word yet on when that might come down the pike.
I'm personally holding out hope that Ned could just touch the show (and Dirty Sexy Money) and let two others die in their places. You know, like Knight Rider and Private Practice... Just making suggestions...
Farewell, show. You will be missed. Especially Olive. - DIRTY SEXY MONEY: Another of my favorite shows that was screwed over by the writers' strike, the ABC network, and the retooling. Much the same as PD, this show was not relaunched properly and anyone who was jumping in for the first time would have a hell of a time getting caught up in it all. The show's writers made an
active decision to make the show soapier, and as a result, the show was imbued with a very different tone and less successful results.
The first season was surprisingly awesome. When it premiered last fall, I hadn't the faintest notion that I would enjoy it, and never dreamed it would find itself in my top tier. But, I was very pleasantly proven wrong (that's one of the perks of being a pessimist... you're always either proven right, or delighted to be wrong). The show was a hell of a lot of fun, but also had solid writing, excellent acting, and an emotional core that had viewers completely enamored. The current season, heralded as soapier, dirtier, sexier, and, uh, money-er, is still a delight, but in a very different, and less successful way. For what it is, I still totally enjoy it and will miss it when it's gone, but I'm not as invested as I once was and miss the tone and timing of last season. Juliet's untimely exit (thanks a lot, Samaire Armstrong--I hope rehab has been fun), some of the interpersonal dynamic was lost, and additions like Lucy Liu have far from filled the void. In spite of its newfound shortcomings, I sitll love the show. I know I love the show because the time goes by so quickly. I'm always suprised when it's time for another commercial break and can hardly believe the show is actually an hour long. The time just flies by, and unlike so many of my shows this season, has never felt like a chore to watch.
Bottom Line: This is the only show of the trio that the network did not immediately let the actors out of their contracts. From what I've heard, production will continue through episode 13 (as planned), and if some sort of ratings miracle happens, ABC would still have the option to pick the show back up. I have little hope that this will happen, but it is a distinction. There are 7 episodes that have yet to air, and from what I've heard, they will all broadcast as usual.
I'm going to miss the Darlings and company. Brian, Karen, and Jeremy, I'll miss you most of all. - ELI STONE: Was also not picked up. I gave this one a shot last year, but it couldn't hold my attention. From what I hear of this season, the visions and the musical numbers have been majorly toned down and made more infrequent. As I recall, those were the only reasons anyone watched the show...
There is no bottom line on this one. I enjoy Johnny Lee Miller and Spydaddy Jack Bristow as much as anyone, but this show really won't be missed.
In other canceled news:
- Lipstick Jungle
- My Own Worst Enemy
- MADtv
- Life
- Life on Mars (has been picked up for 4 more episodes, bringing the total to 17)
- Sanctuary
- Privileged (picked up for a total of 18)
- Oh, and Scrubs is coming back. It'll start airing on ABC starting January 6. Same cast, new episodes. Enjoy.
1 comment:
Yes, a comic book would be neat, only if they are accompanied by Jim Dale's spoken narration.
ABC almost totally sucks.
I reserve a teensy slice for Life on Mars, unless they kill that one too. So far so good.
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