November 11, 2005

• And Seventh Heaven?!? When will this mad slaughter stop?!?
• I love Arrested Development. I live in the UK, and I've only watched the first half of the first season, but so far, it's shaping up to be one of the most brilliantly funny shows of the past decade. Yet I'm almost glad it's been canceled. Most TV shows keep going long past the point of creative exhaustion, so that viewers are left with the memory of a disappointing burnout of a final season. But when a show is canceled in its prime... well, I think A E Housman said it best:

  Smart lad, to slip betimes away From fields where glory does not stay, And early though the laurel grows It withers quicker than the rose. Eyes the shady night has shut Cannot see the record cut, And silence sounds no worse than cheers After earth has stopped the ears: Now you will not swell the rout Of lads that wore their honours out, Runners whom renown outran And the name died before the man.

  (From "To A Sitcom Dying Young")
• and Robert Frost said "nothing gold can stay." still sucks donkey balls tho. why do we get crap like freddie and joey and [insert current network dreck here] rammed down our throats, but good shows die consistently- see greg the bunny, andy richter controls the universe, et al. i hope my name is earl makes it, at least.
• Yeah, the best shows seem to only keep their vigor for a season or two. Think Twin Peaks. I think the BBC has the right idea of limited runs on brilliant series like Black Adder.
• Man, this sucks. Arrested Developement is the only show that consistently makes me laugh out loud. The thing with the train and the rocketpack last week was amazing. People are just stupid. Do we really need another show about lawyers, doctors, or cops? How come none of those crappy shows are cenceled?
• It's the great challenge in tv. Shows where each episode builds on the previous ones tend to be superior, and far more interesting, but more challenging for new viewers who aren't there near the beginning. Crap TV where each episode is independent, and it takes an entire season for the simplest of arcs (Will Ross and Joey declare their gay love?) are pablum for the viewers. I never got into AD, because of the continuing saga. The couple of episodes I did see were good, but I wasn't willing to sacrifice the time to catch up on everything that led up to them. However, the death of any good television affects us all, particularly as it encourages the writing of simple shows like Joey, while discouraging the writing of compelling shows like Firefly and AD. I'll have to second Nickdanger on the BBC approach. I'd rather watch 8 episodes of a good show every year for 5 years, then a season and a half of another Friends, How I Met Your Mother, or CSI ripoff.
• I see AD dragged Kitchen Confidential (which I quite liked) down with it too, which I suppose was inevitable. FOX just loves to cancel shows that are actually good.
• I hear that Fox viewers can look forward to a new show concerning real dwarves that are involved in a highly competitive dwarf tossing league. In the end one of them marries the bearded lady! It's not scripted, honest. I don't have broadcast tv.
• It was alright but they have cancelled far, far better shows. "Andy Richter Controls the Universe," to name one, was miles beyond "Arrested Development."
• Actually, Fox is just gearing up to launch its Fox: Awesome Shit We Cancelled channel in the new year, consisting of nothing but prematurely dumped classics. It will be the best TV channel since BBC: Inform, Educate & PARTY! got scrapped during the last charter review.
• Damn. I was hoping we'd get at least a full 3rd season before cancellation.
• How about the Fox network can fucking go to Hell.
• It sounds like we still we get the full third season. Just on some random day at some random time during the winter... "Arrested" and "Kitchen" are set to return to their time slots with original episodes December 5, following the fall finale of "Prison Break" on November 28.
• How many (other) pages on the Internet contain both the name "Robert Frost" and the phrase "sucks donkey balls"? About 72. That's about 72 more than I would have guessed.
• Man, I love both A.D. and the Richter shows! Frankly they never should have been on the Fox network. Fox doesn't deserve them. I'll third the BBC approach. Plus, anything with Rowan Atkinson ROCKS!!!
• I don't even watch this show (and therefore am part of the problem, gah!) but I've heard such praise of it that I wonder if it will be continued on another network. Is there precedent for that kind of switcheroo?
• I can't believe they are killing the funniest show on television - and when it is at its absolute best. I mean, 'Bob Loblaw'? I'm almost in tears as soon as I hear the name. I would love to see it moved to Comedy Central if none of the other networks pick it up. I think the fans are die-hard enough to get cable if that's what it would take to watch it.
• Shite. But I suppose it was inevitable. They've been wanting to ditch it for the longest time, but felt obliged to keep it, seeing as how it was an Emmy factory for them. When it comes down to it, I think it was just too smart for American tv. You had to pay attention -- a lot of attention -- to get the best jokes. Not just jokes from within that episode, but going back to other years in the series. It demanded a lot of its viewers, and if you were willing to make the sacrifice, you were very handsomely rewarded. It was fun while it lasted. I'm grateful for the short time we had together. I just have to stop myself from promising a Family-Guy-like comeback...
• I just made a huge little mistake.
• i got series one on dvd as an xmas gift. very funny show, and the best american sitcom i've seen in a long, long time.
• The thing I do like about FOX is that they're willing to take chances on shows that other networks won't risk. Sure, you get a lot of utter crap that way, but you also get the occasional gem like AD or The X Files. And I'll third the appreciation of the BBC approach. No series with an 8- or 10-year run can equal the complete majesty of those 12 episodes of Fawlty Towers, all the sweeter because you know there won't be any more.
• "two other networks -- ABC and Showtime -- [have] approached producers with bids to carry the series next year"
• Go ABC! Because I don't get Yankee cable. Showtime or the Home Builders Organisation would be of no use to me. And thank Mothra for finally killing off That 70's Show and Malcolm in the Middle -- two shows that died ages ago, but forgot to lie down. And even more depressing than the perhaps-demise of AD is the fact that American Idol is the number one show. You've done this a few times, America -- the talent pool is dry. Run this contest every time there's an Olympics, and you may have something. *Sigh*
• Gob to be new voice of KITT.
• That'll be one gravelly-voiced car. I hope "The Final Countdown" comes on every time he fires up the engine.
• It will in my mind...