Tuesday, September 6, 2016

TTT: Favorite Cancelled Shows

Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is a weekly book meme. Today's theme is TV shows and I couldn't make up my mind whether to list Favorite Cancelled Shows or Books I Wish Were TV Shows. So I did both.


Top Ten Tuesday is a blog meme hosted by the ladies at The Broke and the Bookish
 
Gone too soon applies to everything on this list. EVERYTHING.


Battle Creek (CBS)
This show really deserved a second chance. (Ironic, considering #2 on this list). My Worth Watching review basically sums up what an amazing show it was -writing, execution, cast, crew- but it's a crying shame this show didn't survive its first season. It racked up good review ratings and die-hard fanbase, but the viewership odds were not in its favor.


Second Chance (Fox)
I fell in love with this show and I fell hard, as my Worth Watching review/spotlight can attest. Much as I love it, at least I can see why it was cancelled.


A rare and beautiful gem among television shows, it ran one season in 1993-94. Starring Bruce Campbell as a Harvard-educated-lawayer-turned-bounty-hunter, Brisco County Jr. made the western/science fiction show a thing long before Firefly. (Sorry, Joss Whedon.)
And I'm laughing now because I just found out this was on Fox.

The Middleman (ABC Family)
This one's hard to describe, so I'll let the internet do that: Struggling female artist Wendy Watson, recruited by a secret agency, struggles to wrap her head around her bizarre new job -- fighting dangers humanity isn't prepared to face -- under the guidance of a handsome and relentlessly wholesome hero who calls himself "The Middleman" in this tongue-in-cheek adventure series.

The funny thing is, the series was literally one episode away from a satisfactory ending. It ran 12 episodes when the 13th would have connected everything together, answered questions we didn't even know we were asking, and finished off the series nicely. While we never did get this elusive missing episode -we did get the next best thing. After the fact, almost the entire cast sat on a Middleman panel at SDCC for a live reading of the episode 13 script, with show creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach acting as moderator and narrator. It was beautiful. It's also on YouTube.
Also, this guy:

And speaking of Mark Sheppard...
Firefly (Fox)
You knew it had to be coming. And no, Universe; we will never get over this.

Life (NBC)
Life was his sentence.
Life was what he got back.
Life is what they cancelled.
If you want to see the bottom lip wobble on any of my family members, just intone that little gem. We all loved this show.
Homicide detective Charlie Crews served 12 years for a crime he didn't commit, but now he's back on the job with a few new quirks -prison habits, a Zen philosophy, and an insatiable craving for fresh fruit. The show is equal parts zany and poignant.
Fun fact? Created by Rand Ravich, who also created my #2 heartbreak, Second Chance.
My dad and I fell in love with this show about an immortal medical examiner. It was fun and I always thought it was pretty clever; what's a crime show without a good quirk now a days? 

Young Justice (CN)
Another show that just shouldn't have been cancelled. But hey -those Netflix season 3 rumors just started up again, so here's hoping.

Agent Carter (ABC)
Admittedly, I haven't finished season 2 yet, but I was disappointed when this wasn't renewed. It had everything -the time period, the snark, so much Marvel origins potential, and Peggy Carter.

Pushing Daisies (ABC)
If you haven't heard of Pushing Daisies, you're hanging out with the wrong crowds. Lee Pace, Chi McBride, Kristin Chenoweth, AND NARRATED BY JIM DALE. (Yes, narrator-of-the-Harry-Potter-audiobooks, THAT JIM DALE.)
With a single touch, Ned can bring the dead back to life. But one more touch will kill them again. Permanently. It's a zany mystery series and love story with fantasy elements, beautiful cinematography, wonderful wordplay, and the occasional musical number. (Because yes, THAT Kristen Chenoweth, too!)

And if you thought the early 90s were as far back as I'd go -you were wrong! It had four season running from 83-87. I've just been introduced to this show and I LOVE it. While it had four great seasons, and they did give us as satisfactory an ending as they could swing with the cancellation, I would have loved to see more of this show.

Don't miss my Ten Books I Wish Were TV Shows!
I understand the pain. Share some of your favorite cancelled shows.

10 comments:

  1. Oh, man, The Middleman! I've never found anyone else that watched that show. (Well, besides my brother because I talked him into it.) I am certainly going to check out that youtube video - probably after I rewatch the show again, because I was just thinking about it. Totally agree with you about Life, too. It was such a fun, quirky show and it's terrible that it didn't last longer. (I so need to buy it on DVD so I can rewatch it.) And Scarecrow and Mrs. King was so much fun, too. I got introduced to it by my mom - who was a huge fan back in the day - and really enjoyed it.

    My TTT.

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    1. I know, very few people I know have heard of Middleman! And then, only because I convert them. I watched when it originally aired, but I only found out about the '13th' episode reading with the last few months. It's beautiful, but definitely rewatch the series first.
      Gah! So many good shows cancelled!

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  2. Firefly is one that I still need to get to...but I'm scared. I mean, I KNOW I'll love it and then I'll have to rage over the fact that it got cancelled >.<

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    1. I had similar hesitations but it's SO GOOD. Plus, Firefly got a chance to wrap up their storyline in the movie Serenity and not a lot of shows get that. Definitely worth it. ;)

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  3. I'm with you on Forever. My mom and I really liked that show, and I wish that it got another season. On the other hand, I can see why it got canceled. It's bittersweet. Great idea! :)

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    1. It was so fun! I especially like episodes that tell two stories at a time, like with Henry's present and past. But Judd Hirsch as his son was one of my favorite parts!
      Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. Agent Carter is a huge disappointment that they canceled it. A good show. Loved Hayley Atwell. And I never got a chance to watch firefly but obviously it has all the love. I may binge it on Netflix at some point.

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    1. Binge watching really is the best way to experience Firefly. Make sure you've got Serenity on hand afterward, though, because YOU WILL WANT ANSWERS.
      I'm also sad about Agent Carter. =( I can't believe it didn't get enough views! Seems like it had everything going for it.

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  5. This post is just filled with sadness! It's so frustrating when a favourite TV show gets cancelled, while other shows go on and on and on...!!

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