Thanks to so many of you for participating in yesterday's audience participation exercise. In sifting through the 100+ comments it seems the following shows are the ones most of you had axed.
HOUSE -- A mass exodus.
THE SIMPSONS -- After season 5 people started fleeing.
BONES -- Lots of disenchanted former fans of this show.
WALKING DEAD -- A lot of you are disappointed with the second season.
THE OFFICE -- Mixed reviews on James Spader
COMMUNITY -- Although to be fair, there were a lot of people who really stood up for this show.
UP ALL NIGHT -- After a big premiere viewers seem to be leaving in droves.
DEXTER -- I'm not alone.
HAWAII FIVE-O -- You guys don't even like Scott Caan in this show.
BIG BANG THEORY -- The feeling is the show is getting too silly.
GREY'S ANATOMY -- "Meredith" seems to be a buzz word to former fans.
HARRY'S LAW -- I didn't know anyone watched that in the first place.
TERRA NOVA -- You love the dinosaurs, hate the people.
WHITNEY -- Almost universally reviled.
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES -- You feel has run its course.
30 ROCK -- Although, again in fairness, it hasn't been on this season yet.
Thanks again. A new post with some Holiday thoughts follows in a couple of hours. Grab your first egg nog and come back.
27 comments :
2 1/2 Men didn't make the list?
I'm shocked.
Honestly, I'm surprised that Dexter is on so many people's lists. I think that even in its bad episodes, it's fantastic; this season, in particular, is creepy beyond belief.
I suggest the only reason Suburgatory did not make your round-up list is that not enough viewers have watched it to loathe it.
I'm surprised "Up All Night" made the list. It's really good.
Harry's Law may not be David E. Kelley at his best, but any David E. Kelley show is better than 99% of what else is on TV. Personally I'm sticking with it!
What a depressing list.
Ken:
Seriously; what was the laugh that took 15 years to understand?
I might be cynical, but I think some people like to say they're abandoning a show that's still in its prime just so they can be hip and "ahead of the curve," like their tastes are just soooo refined and they're not one of the crowd.
Ken - what shows are you still watching besides "Good Wife". We are hanging onto House for now, but man, they are testing us.
I didn't jump in yesterday, but I'm another HOUSE bailout (for three seasons, I think). It was fun as long as he was an unrepentant jackass, but he then became repentant, and the show just became a soap opera. Those first few seasons included some brilliant television. It started off Sherlock Holmes and ended up Grey's Anatomy. "Huddy" = G'bye.
Anyone who's followed Dexter since Season One cannot, in all honesty, say this season isn't seriously dumbed down. From the goofy reunion episode with Dexter doing the 'hammer' dance, to Colin Hanks bad acting (and unbelievable character), to Quinn's ridiculous drunk acting not getting over Deb. It's a mess. I don't think I'll be passenger for the two more seasons it just got extended for.
Ken, would you agree that this entire TV season has been an overall failure? There were few new series worth watching, and even a lot of my favorites seem to be getting tired and boring as they age.
I will say that the last couple episodes of "The Simpsons" have been really good. "South Park" and "Family Guy," though flawed, also seem particularly ambitious lately in messing with traditional comedy themes. And "Beavis and Butt-Head" is funny as ever. So maybe animation is what's keeping the season alive?
Simpsons fans started bailing after season 5?? They are on season 25 so I guess they have negative numbers of fans by now. Dark matter if you will.
Also 2.5 Men is just a Golden Goose on life support now. They are trying to pump out as much cash out as possible. Somebody should call PETA.
Suburgatory is so bad that I didn't make it through the pilot. I tuned in to the second episode, had it running in the background, and it confirmed my opinion. Complete and utter dribble.
Harry's Law is so bad it makes me want to hurt puppies. It's the kind of show you force people to watch to tell you where they hid bomb.
Dexter is only getting repetetetive. tetete. I enjoy Colin Hanks' performance, he's a good fit for the role he plays.
As usual, I'm a day late and a dollar short.
I continue to watch Community with much love and passion. It's not *always* successful in what it's trying to achieve, but I love it's ambition, wit, and creativity. If they need to cut budget to stay on the air, I suggest dumping Chevy Chase. Jim Rash was freaking terrific last week, and Joel McHale's imitation of Jim Rash's Dean was inspired.
The Office has sucked for at least 2-3 seasons now. The problem isn't James Spader, and it's not that Steve Carell left; the problem is the writing BLOWS. The Office lost its luster about the time Parks and Rec found its voice.
I dumped House a few seasons ago. It's awful. I'm in healthcare professionally, so that makes it doubly painful. But hell, even Hugh Laurie is phoning it in these days.
I never liked Meredith Grey, but mostly, it's Shonda Rhimes' bombasity that drives me away from Grey's Anatomy (and kept me away from Private Practice in the first place).
Looking forward to 30 Rock's return. I thought they had a good season last year, better than the year previous to that. I will be sad if Alec Baldwin leaves (as is the rumor) because he's key to that show's brilliance.
Scott Caan plays the same dbag in everything he does.
I bailed on Glee in its second season.
Ken, I'm surprisd you don't watch HARRY'S LAW, since you're right in the target demo: smart and old ("old" being defined as over 40).
WV: "sympol"--Musical instrument for klutzes.
Scott Cain I like, just not the show surrounding him.
It's fairly obvious to me that people like the ones that visit this blog are not the ones to write television for in today's market.
You guys don't like anything and yet the ratings for a good number of the shows listed are pretty decent.
I'm not sure what to make of that. Either people really think shows are dumber these days or people are too strung up on the past.
I really want to like The Office still, and haven't the heart to delete it from my DVR recording slate. But, I have yet to watch a complete episode this season. And I love James Spader.
I loved House up until this season, it's getting tiresome.
But by far the biggest stinker is 2 1/2 Men. I just really don't need one more sperm joke. And that's the entire premise now.
The problem with Terra Nova is that they have a great science fiction story but keep trying to shoehorn in a 'crime of the week' plot. It doesn't work at all. Drop that part, concentrate on the larger story and they might have something.
There are so few shows that engage me anymore. I didn't cancel 2.5 men because I never watched it for more than 5 minutes. But do people REALLY abandoning "a show that's still in its prime just so they can be hip"? Seems like a lot of unnecessary machinations to me.
Well, I like 'Person of Interest', actually. It's exactly what I wanted: a post 9/11 Equalizer that has Michael Emerson as Control, essentially.
I couldn't get through four episodes of the new Hawaii 5-0. It was just so AGRESSIVELY stupid I couldn't forgive it. Some of these shows are just ones I haven't ever gotten on board with, so I can't claim to have dropped them. I'll probably catch up with them on Netflix.
The truth is that with a busy family life, longer work hours and other hobbies, some shows don't get cancelled...they just get neglected and then eventually deleted from the TiVo. My wife just never made time for The Glades this year and they just sat there until we deleted them, months later.
My thoughts in a series of declarative sentences:
The Office is still funny.
Two Broke Girls is atrocious.
Suburgatory is quite fun.
Ashton Kutcher is the only thing that could make me want to watch 2 1/2 Men less.
Parks and Recreation is the best show on television.
I still watch Survivor and I'm proud of it.
Drama shows suck.
Sunday night FOX cartoons make me happy.
The word is "drivel," not "dribble."
Little Miss Smoke and Mirrors:
"I continue to watch Community with much love and passion. It's not *always* successful in what it's trying to achieve, but I love it's ambition, wit, and creativity. If they need to cut budget to stay on the air, I suggest dumping Chevy Chase."
Don't blame Chevy. Allegedly, the show runner may not be so good with his crew, and drinks his lunch:
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/09/mf_harmon/all/1
Read that, and then come back and tell us why NBC was wrong to cancel it. Also, google up "adderall" and tell us what you find, and how you would use it to improve your writing.
30 Rock's season 5 is about to premiere over here in january - so far I would not have cancelled it since I loved season 4 so far. Some pretty good episodes in it! A few more episodes to go but so far I enjoyed each one of S4. I hope S5 is not as bad as many here seem to rate it.
David E. Kelley better than 99% of what else is on television? Clearly you did not see Wonder Woman...
Anonymous: Boy, was your takeaway from that article different than mine. I think the article makes it very clear that the reason the show is constantly on the edge of cancellation isn't because of Dan Harmon's personality or his drinking, it's because of the content of the show itself. I happen to think it's fucking brilliant, and one of the few truly creative shows on TV right now. The only other sitcom I find nearly as enjoyable is "Parks and Recreation."
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