Ten TV series in Danger of Cancellation

Rico · April 09, 2009, 04:06:14 PM

These shows are all on the bubble - might come back next year, might not. I like several of these (especially 1-6).

1. "Chuck"
In short, this show is clever, all-around fun, with a great cast, stellar writing and lots and lots of heart. And Chuck and Sarah may be the TV couple we most enjoy seeing almost hook up, but not quite. Save that for season five or six.

2. "Life"
Charlie Crews, the fruit-loving L.A. detective with a Zen attitude, has become one of our favorite TV cops ever in just under two years, thanks to Damian Lewis' deceptively placid, quirky charisma. This season, the weekly cases got more creative, the supporting cast got stronger (partly due to the addition of Donal Logue and Gabrielle Union) and the underlying conspiracy plot got twistier.

3. "Fringe"
We tuned in because of Joshua Jackson, stuck around despite a slightly sluggish start, and were finally rewarded with some fun science fiction. We're just getting to the interesting mythology, and we're finally warming up to Anna Torv, mostly because she kicks butt. It's a little bit of Alias and a little bit of "X-Files", with some really gross/awesome monsters of the week, and just turning out to be a pretty enjoyable action series.

4. "Better Off Ted"
We need a good workplace comedy to make us laugh again, since "The Office" has been disappointing us lately. This one is more akin to "Andy Richter Controls the Universe" and is filled with that quirk and innate silliness that turns off the general public who prefer the more straight-forward sitcoms like "Rules of Engagement".

5. "Dollhouse"
We're still iffy on this show, but it took a while for "Angel" to really hit its stride, too. Even "Buffy" had some less-than-stellar first season episodes. Perhaps that's just part of Joss Whedon's style. It seems like Joss and Co. are making an active effort to work out the kinks to really get this series to meet the high standards his fans hold him to. It's getting there, but without a second season, we may never get to see that vision realized.

6. "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles"
We've already lost one show with robots this season with the end of "BSG". Don't take our other one away from us. We need some robots kicking butt to really round out our weekly TV viewing. Seriously though, we love the idea of this show and every time it starts to wear our patience thin with family drama, they hook us again with more cool Terminator technology.

7. "Kings"
This ambitious series is bringing a whole world to life, and the twisted tale just started to get really juicy, with backstabbing and dirty deals. It may be based in history, but this tale of a rich, powerful, corrupt monarchy has an epic feel about it that shouldn't be confined to just a few episodes. Plus, we're so grateful to have Ian McShane back in a starring role again; to take the show away now would just reopen our old "Deadwood" wounds.

8. "Rock of Love"
Sure, Bret said that this "Bus" installment was his last chance at finding love, but we're not sure we love, or even like, any of the girls that are left. He can do better than that, for sure. And even if he can't, it would be great for us to see him try, because there's something disgustingly engrossing about his sweet nature and the skanky girls who compete for him.

9. "Celebrity Apprentice"
"The Apprentice" was getting to be a tired format. The addition of celebrities makes it infinitely more interesting, and these last two seasons have succeeded in making us actually enjoy this franchise again. But apparently we're in the minority, since the ratings are shrinking. Perhaps the problem is that they need a higher profile of celebrities to draw more viewers in the future, although the C-listers and sports stars (aside from Dennis Rodman) seem to be a scrappier bunch, willing to do what it takes to get 15 more minutes of fame.

10. "Southland"/"The Unusuals"
Neither of these shows have even premiered yet, but while they both have promising pilots that have us hooked, it is unlikely that they'll actually last. "Unusuals" has police cases with a healthy dose of comedy, which might be a little too oddball for the general public. And "Southland" is twisted and gritty, but with NBC's new schedule next fall, there's not really a lot of space for this show that needs to be in the 10 PM hour. We like them, but we're worried that they're doomed before they started.

source:
http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/the-10-shows-that-deserve-to-return-next-fall-but-might-not--228

sheldor · April 09, 2009, 05:43:32 PM

Who ARE these idiots and what idiot put them in charge ?

Rico · April 09, 2009, 05:45:29 PM

Quote from: marcnrow on April 09, 2009, 05:43:32 PM
Who ARE these idiots and what idiot put them in charge ?

My thoughts exactly.

jedijeff · April 09, 2009, 07:45:46 PM

Sure would be disappointing if some of these shows went away. I am watching 2 thru 6, but would be upset the most if we lost 2, 3 and 6. I am not holding out hope that Terminator will last, I suspect the finale tomorrow probably will give a good indication if we will see another season or not if they wrap the story up somewhat. Life is a lot of fun for me and only cop show I watch, but would not be surprised if they canceled it if the ratings are soft, since there seems to be a lot of cop shows on. I would be very disappointed if they canceled Fringe, as I think it deserves another season, really enjoy it a lot, one of the shows I anticipate and wait for each week.

KC · April 09, 2009, 07:59:58 PM

Sadly, I haven't been able to keep up with a lot of the shows on the list with the exception of Dollhouse... and Rock of Love. Cue shame. I wish I could have continued with a lot of these shows like Fringe and Chuck, but school just got in the way. Now I'm going to have to wait for reruns, or the DVDs. :(

Rico · April 10, 2009, 05:20:43 AM

For me, Chuck, Fringe, and Terminator are the ones I would miss the most. All deserve to go on.

Feathers · April 10, 2009, 05:28:11 AM

We gave up on Terminator after episode 2. To this day I'm not sure why.

It's interesting that it's so popular here as other podcasts I've heard have really given season 2 a bashing as being a character drama with all of its sci-fi elements neutered.

Trekkygeek · April 10, 2009, 05:34:48 AM

Chuck is the only one that I'd be bothered about being cancelled.

Rico · April 10, 2009, 05:45:18 AM

Quote from: Feathers on April 10, 2009, 05:28:11 AM
We gave up on Terminator after episode 2. To this day I'm not sure why.

It's interesting that it's so popular here as other podcasts I've heard have really given season 2 a bashing as being a character drama with all of its sci-fi elements neutered.

Wasn't that why we loved Galactica? And I would frankly say those people must not be watching the series anymore, because the Terminator show has gotten pretty deep and very good this season. At least in my opinion.

Trekkygeek · April 10, 2009, 05:56:08 AM

The only reason I didn't watch Terminator Sarah Connor was because I forgot to series link it on my Sky+ box and too many episodes had passed before I realised. Pity really because I think Summer Glau is pretty hot. ;D

Darth Gaos · April 11, 2009, 12:12:17 PM

The wife and I are really enjoying Kings. My mother in law had told Marilyn that Kings and Soutland were indeed cancelled. Any truth to this? DOes anyone have an update?

Dan M · April 11, 2009, 01:10:24 PM

Terminator, Fringe, Dollhouse, Chuck, and Life are all shows my wife and I enjoy.

Out of all those and the other things we watch, Terminator and Life are among our favorites.

At least Life's finale this week pretty much wrapped up all the plotlines. I haven't watched Terminator from last night yet. I hope it, too, was written with cancellation in mind.

It pains me that a) NBC has to cancel 4 shows to make room for Leno, and b) they're bringing back Heroes which isn't nearly as good as it was when it premiered.

sheldor · April 11, 2009, 02:21:21 PM

What I don't understand - there are 7 days in the week. NBC seems to think the week is Monday only. How about spreadin' the love? Time slots are inundated with silly reality shows instead of these quality shows. I doubt the Leno show will do well at 9pm.

Yeoman Mara · April 14, 2009, 01:56:39 PM

Gosh, I sure hope Chuck and Fringe come back. I really like 'em.

chevalier_noir · April 14, 2009, 02:57:24 PM

"Celebrity Apprentice" - that would be a right shame if that got cancelled! (hmm, sarcasm does not work well via Text).