Did Your Favorite TV Show Get the Ax?
A new TV season brings both joy and grief to those of us who are couch potatoes. When one TV season ends and another begins it brings new TV shows to check out as well as the return of some all time favorites. But it also means the end of some shows forever. Some of these shows such as Chuck (NBC), Eureka (SYFY) and House(FOX) knew their demise was coming, but because the writers and producers knew this it gave them a chance to end the program series in the way they wanted to and it didn’t leave the viewers hanging. Other shows are barely given a chance and are given the ax after only a couple of episodes. Some shows get moved to a different time slot in an effort to try to give them a better chance but this rarely works.
According to TV Guide.com, thirty-six shows have been cut from ABC, CBS, CW, FOX, NBC, and SYFY. Everyone talks about how Fox leads the pack in cutting TV shows before their time, but NBC leads this list with 10 programs cut from their lineup. They are “Are You There, Chelsea,” “Awake,” “Best Friends Forever,” “Bent,” “Chuck,” “The Firm,” “Free Agents,” “Harry’s Law,” “The Playboy Club,” and “Prime Suspect.”
Fox and ABC tie for second with 8 shows a piece getting the ax. The 8 shows cut from Fox’s lineup are “Alcatraz,” “Allen Gregory,” “Breaking In,” “The Finder,” “House,” “I Hate My Teenage Daughter,” “Napoleon Dynamite,” and “Terra Nova.” For ABC say goodbye to “Charlie’s Angels,” “Desperate Housewives,” “GCB,” “Man Up,” “Missing,” “Pan Am,” “The River” and “Work It” which was cancelled after only one or two episodes.
CBS lands in the middle with only 5 TV shows being cut including “CSI: Miami,” “A Gifted Man,” “NYC 22,” “Rob” and “Unforgettable.”
At the bottom of the list you’ll find the CW and SYFY with 3 and 2 shows getting the ax respectively. They are “One Tree Hill,” “Ringer” and newcomer “The Secret Circle” for the CW. SYFY fan favorites “Eureka” and “Sanctuary” have been sent to the TV graveyard by SYFY to make room for what?? More wrestling?
Eight of my personal favorites have been cut from the TV schedule forever. They are: Alcatraz (FOX), Chuck (NBC), Eureka (SYFY), The Finder (FOX), Harry’s Law (NBC), Sanctuary (SYFY), The Secret Circle (CW), and Terra Nova (FOX).
“Alcatraz” was supposed to be the new blockbuster hit taking the place of Lost and Fringe after its final season. It had a mix of history blended in with a lot of mystery that left viewers guessing what was going to happen next and how and why what was happening was happening to begin with.
“Chuck,” thanks to loyal viewers and Subway, got a reprieve from getting the blindside ax and was able to finish off the series with a 13-episode season to wrap things up for the super spies.
Seemingly out of the blue the sci-fi hit “Eureka,” about the little town that can’t be found on a map where all the braniacs live and make unusual things happen, got their pink slip. Fortunately they were also given prior notice and were able to end the series on their terms.
Based on the Locator novels by Richard Greener, “The Finder” was a fresh newcomer with some interesting characters to say the least. It bounced around looking for a good time slot and alas, not enough viewers were able to catch up with it.
Kathy Bates played the tenacious Harry Korn in “Harry’s Law” which was produced by David E. Kelley. Harry had a good following so I’m not sure why the gavel fell on them. It’s usually about the (low) numbers of the viewing audience. Nielsen sucks anyways.
“Sanctuary” is one of my all time favorites. Amanda Tapping, previously of Stargate fame, said it well: “Bloody hell.”
Even though “The Secret Circle” followed the very popular “Vampire Diaries,” the young witches couldn’t garner a loyal circle of followers. I guess witches, even good looking ones, aren’t as popular as vampires these days.
The biggest disappointment for most was the extinction of “Terra Nova.” Even though the dino-thriller had a good following in its first season, in the end the high cost of production (CGI dinosaurs, which I didn’t think we saw a whole lot of) was too high to justify trying to keep it alive. Yep, it’s all about the money.
Which show will you miss the most?
