The trees and flowers may be blooming here on campus (finally!), but unfortunately for some television execs, May means something else entirely – the end of their shows.
Given that it’s sweeps and is the time for watching cliff-hanger finales and seeing certain series draw to a close, it’s appropriate to look back on the shows that died too soon, the ones that refuse to die and those which are on the fringe. Reminisce and hold on while you still can.
SHOWS KILLED BEFORE THEIR TIME
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT: Outside of The Office, Arrested Development was the funniest show on television. Problem was, nobody watched it. Fortunately, if you need your fix you can catch the episodes on DVD.
FIREFLY: This show had good writing and interesting characters. Too bad Fox killed it by showing it on Friday nights.
FREAKS AND GEEKS: There are certain shows which just deserve to be canceled after one season. Then there are the shows like Freaks and Geeks, which was nominated for several Emmys and, for some reason, only aired for one season. The constant scheduling changes hurt it, for sure, but its creative plots and cult following should have signaled to NBC it was worth a second chance.
SHOWS THAT SHOULD BE KILLED
ER: Do people still actually watch ER? Personally, I think the show lost its appeal once George Clooney left.
24: At the risk of igniting controversy – and receiving a mountain of hate mail – 24 has to go. It reached its peak with the last couple of seasons and should have quit while it was still at the top. Plus, how many times can one person really save the world? (Full disclosure: I also have a personal vendetta against all things 24. Unless you have a lot of time on your hands, don’t ask me why.)
PRISON BREAK: Nobody watches it anymore. Also, the show doesn’t live up to its title – it’s not actually about people breaking out of prison anymore (or so my sources tell me).
THE APPRENTICE: This show suffers from a problem that has plagued NBC for a while now – its ratings have been less than stellar. Also, I really can’t stand Donald Trump. But who can, really?
SHOWS ON THE VERGE
ENTOURAGE: It pains me to say it, but Entourage has reached its saturation point. The almost cult-like appeal of Jeremy Piven’s stellar portrayal of superagent Ari Gold has caused creators to succumb to viewers’ demands for all Ari, all the time. But the show really is supposed to be about a few guys from Queens who make it big.
GREY’S ANATOMY: There are too many plot lines going on right now. It’s either going to go careening out of control or will become boring, because so many characters may potentially leave.
VERONICA MARS: Creator Rob Thomas decided to cut up the mystery arcs per episode instead of going with one continuous plot throughout the season. The whole point of the show is to watch what’s happening next.
Medill sophomore Christina Amoroso is a PLAY content editor. She can be reached at [email protected].
