Cancelled TV Shows 2011 And Second Chances
Gone are the days when a new series ran its course for a season, in some cases shows last for a few episodes and are pulled from the schedule. I’m surprised really at the number of shows cancelled on Fox. There were a number of dramas cut from Fox’s schedule which makes you wonder what they are going to substitute them with. It seems to me that a little more time invested in the following shows on Fox, NBC, and ABC would yield the ratings networks are looking for.
The biggest surprise cancellation on Fox was The Chicago Code. I’ve been watching the Sean Ryan cop show since it premiered and from the beginning, the direction, storyline, genuine character development, and excellent acting made it well worth watching. Ryan’s success in The Shield on FX can’t be duplicated on network television, but certainly The Chicago Code was as close as you could get in terms of high quality television. The cast was outstanding, particularly Jason Clarke, Jennifer Beal, Billy Lush, and Delroy Lindo. There isn’t a good reason, at least from where I sit, why this series wasn’t given a second season to gain more of an audience. If you haven’t had a chance to watch The Chicago Code catch the series finale tonight, Monday, May 23 at 9:00 p.m. on Fox. Ryan’s Terriers on FX was also cancelled earlier in the season and deserved a second season. Sean Ryan made FX’s name with The Shield, losing Terriers and Chicago Code from the FX/Fox lineup seems like a real mistake. The Chicago Code is one show I wish a cable channel would snap up, similar to TNT’s resurrection of Southland, this show deserves a second chance.
ABC’s Mr. Sunshine was a quirky show starring Matthew Perry as a self-involved sports arena manager. Perry was a writer and executive producer on the show, as well as the star of the series, and very funny in the lead role. Allison Janney was strange and hilarious in her role as Crystal, the insensitive, egotistical sports arena owner, and Nate Torrence was excellent as Roman, her dimwitted, naive son. This show was good, a little uneven in some of the writing here and there, but definitely had promise. Mr. Sunshine’s sarcastic tone would have fit better into NBC’s quirky Thursday comedy lineup, unfortunately this show needed a second season to hone its comedy.
As a side note, I watched ABC’s No Ordinary Family when it premiered and wasn’t impressed with the writing or storylines, but had to see it because of the ever excellent Michael Chiklis (The Shield). I was under the impression this show was a hit for the network and was surprised to hear it was cancelled.
Over at NBC The Paul Reiser Show was cancelled after only two episodes, and Outsourced made it through its first season, only to be cancelled. Reiser’s show should have been given more time to develop, having the similiar quiet comedy sense of Curb Your Enthusiam. This wasn’t a solid show but giving it two episodes instead of letting the season run its course seems unfortunate for the talented Reiser. Outsourced’s very topic, an Indian call center, rode close to an inappropriate line for me, but the show proved to be engaging with talented actors and reasonable comedy storylines. Outsourced grew into a good comedy that needed another season to find a dedicated audience.
Check out the list of renewed and cancelled 2011 television shows at TV.com
