Sometimes getting canceled can be good for a television series; it prevents egos from getting too big, creative dips in the writing after long runs, receiving mainstream appreciation from the American public, which makes writer’s pen scripts with that audience in mind, etc.
The television picks below would have been great with another season under their belts, but are terrific with the few seasons they were able to create. It makes for great television viewing in the few months before new and returning shows make it to air in the fall.
Freaks & Geeks (1999-2000)
Everyone can remember being in high school. The decade the show is set in may be a little off but the series gave at least one character, scenario and peripheral detail that people can remember and relate to from their own experience. In addition to the drama, the series understands its characters and laughs with them, not at them.
John Doe (2002-2003)
Premiering several months after ‘The X-Files,’ and still another few years away from ‘Lost,’ this FOX show performed an effective, enjoyable job at building its mythology in a relatively short run. The plot starts with a man (Dominic Purcell) waking up, nude, with amnesia on a remote island, soon finds out that he is expert on all things. He uses this knowledge to make a fortune, and to aid the police in investigations.
Dead Like Me (2003-2004) / Pushing Daisies (2007-2009)
All of Bryan Fuller’s past television projects, also probably including the forthcoming ‘Hannibal,’ have an almost unhealthy fascination with death and how people compartmentalize their unique relationship to it. In the former, he portrayed the odd lives of undead Grim Reapers, who eject souls before they die, while in the latter portrays a pie maker, who with a touch can reanimate the dead for one minute, which comes in handy when asking people who killed them. They’re both comedies.
Veronica Mars (2003-2007)
Much of the narrative construction for ‘Veronica Mars’ takes inspiration from noir tales of the past, but that’s not why the series worked: creator Rob Thomas continually built upon his characters, their relationships and situations. The show featured mysteries but never was only about them. What Thomas did for more than three seasons put many network procedurals to shame. The mystery arcs are weighed down by a strong female protagonist, one of television and film’s very best, with a sharp tongue, spunk, resourcefulness and occasional humility by Kristen Bell, who never was better.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006-2007)
As it happens in a majority of Aaron Sorkin’s television work, his characters act as mouthpieces for his beliefs, and are sensual ideological saints to their cowardly, creatively bankrupt counterparts. This is okay, because the world needs a writer who can pen Frank Capra-esqe populist parables in this day of age, especially when he attacks the complacency of television.
Men of a Certain Age (2009-2011)
Surprisingly, for the short time that this was on the air, it attracted a modest demographic of young adult fans. This is easily explained: Shows about generationally confused middle age men don’t have wide appeal, and make horrible sitcoms on CBS, but stories that underline their lives with sensitivity, sweetness, and dry wit do. They just need better ad campaigns. Headed by Ray Romano, Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher, who are all wonderful, and never hit the notes you’d expect with roles like this.
Rubicon (2010)
Rubicon, AMC’s first foray into the thriller genre, before they canceled it in favor of pandering crowd-pleasers such as The Walking Dead offered both a stronger writing staff, such as The Wire’s Henry Bromell, and superior acting from unproven performers who gave effective minimalist performances. (e.g. James Badge Dale, Arliss Howard, Dallas Roberts and especially Michael Cristofer) The series recalled thrillers from the 1970s, especially ‘Three Days of the Condor,’ and the pacing of Len Deighton and John Le Carre novels. It projected this same patience and discipline onto their plots, as well.
Reach the reporter at tccoste1@asu.edu
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