The Top Five television programmes cancelled before their time

Sometimes really bad TV shows seem to last forever, and sometimes really great TV programmes go on for far too long and by the time they finish they're a poor watered down version of the great shows they once were, but all too often really great television bursting with potential gets cancelled long before it's given a chance to find its feet. This is a celebration of those programmes that should have had a much longer run.

1) Arrested Development.

Whoever was behind the decision to axe Arrested Development made a huge mistake. Genius is a word that's often overused today (mostly by Kanye West) but this programme was nothing short of it. Flawless performances from a brilliant ensemble of talented actors, the subtle inside jokes rewarding loyal fans, the brilliant plotlines which within each 22 minute episode get massively convoluted and brilliant tie together in a neat little package at the end. It's the closest thing to a live action Simpsons that was ever made. It keeps me up at night that shows like Two And A Half Men are entering their 8th season while this get cancelled after two and a half ( Did that just happen I didn't even plan that). Make a movie I mean COME ON!


2) Veronica Mars.

 Ok, ok yes if you tell someone that you've been watching a television programme about a teenage detective who, when she's not busy with homework, solves crimes, it does conjour up an image of a bad, low budget, made for TV Disney film. However, Veronica Mars was one of the smartest teen dramas on the air. With a sassy heroine that falls somewhere between Sherlock Holmes and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a smorgasbord of brilliantly developed well rounded and diverse characters. Striking a perfect balance between scenes of eerie, dark and suspenseful drama and sharp witty comedy. Mars fans were left with a horribly unsatisfying cliff-hanger ending that left about a half dozen loose ends. Word on the blogosphere however, say that Kristen Bell is rallying the troops together and campaigning for a film to wrap it all up.

3) Freaks and Geeks.

Most TV programmes about teenagers fall into one of two traps, either they’re full of tried and tested clichéd characters, The jock, the cheerleader, the princess the basket-case, or they become obsessed with creating remarkably cool characters that everyone watching wishes they were. Judd Apatow created characters that everyone already is or have been. Everyone can in some way relate to the characters presented to us in this brilliant comedic drama beauifull capturing life in an eighties high school. I’d like to think I was one of the freaks but I guess deep down I know I was definitely (and in some ways still am) one of the geeks. This TV show did however launch the careers of Seth Rogen, James Franco and one of my favourite television actors, How I Met Your Mother’s Jason Segal and made Judd Apatow one of the most bankable comedy directors in Hollywood.
Fun Fact: Freaks and Geeks lends the name of its fictional high school “McKinley High to the insanely popular Glee.

4) Fire Fly




I’ll be honest I’ve only seen the first episode, I'm not much of a sci-fi geek but a friend of mine who is a massive one was pretty relentless in his demand that this make the list so here is Colum O’Toole’s argument for why FireFly should still be in the air.
Do you ever blue-ball for a mythological expansive universe but you’re too busy reading Pynchon for a college assignment or figuring out how to break the news to a loved one that they need to cop on and brush their teeth? Luckily, Joss Whedon made our lives a hell of a lot easier in short, 40 minute bursts of unparalleled escapism. Whereas Buffy was his opus extravaganza, Firefly was his finger to naysayers and fan boys alike which will, unfortunately, be remembered for departing this world far too soon.

5) J-Pod

Yeah you probably haven’t heard of it it’s pretty obscure. It turns out Canada is worth more than Trivial Pursuit and Justin Bieber. It’s more than capable of producing some dope television. J-Pod is an adaptation of a Douglas Coupland novel focussing on the hilariously dramatic lives of five people working in a video-game design lab of a software company. The show beautifully balances between the genres of comedy and drama. It knew no boundaries for plot (thier boss getting kidnapped and taken to china to work in a sweatshop where he becames a heroin addict was particularly out of the blue). It also featured a broad range of beautifully caricatured characters from the Asian mafia head Kam Fong to the homely Martha Stewartesque drug grower and seller mother. This show had it all.

Fans  of this wonderful television can only take solace in the fact that they didn't go on too long and decline in quality until they (for want of a better word) sucked. We’re looking at you Scrubs.
Honourable mention to Studio 60 on the sunset strip. It probably wasn’t good enough to be included but I really wanted it to be. But maybe if it had taken off Aaron Sorkin would have been too busy to write The Social Network. Anyway 30 Rock won that race for the TV show about a TV show but that’s a topic for another blog post.

First Post

So first things first. What's my blog going to be about? I'm a college student and a lazy one at that so more hours than is probably healthy are spent sat in front of the TV (well if we're being literal it's really in front of the computer. Who watches actual tv on an actual tv set nowadays?). Not the most noble of pursuits, I know.

I don't know where it got such a bad reputation from it was all the rage in 1950. But then it fell into disrepute and is up there with rap music and video games in poisoning the minds of the youth and turning our brains to mush and this has the added side effects of giving us square eyes. So yeah pretentious as it sounds I'm a bit of a TV buff (that's someone who watches too much tv instead of going out socialising and having conversations with girls to just about everyone else.)

So I'll be talking about current TV shows that I'm watching and maybe a film review here and there. Hopefully new stuff mostly but I might talk about some that have been around for a few years now and again. So keep reading if you're a TV buff (see above for definition)

My top ten favourite programmes right now and why I love them.


 1) How I met your Mother (Barney Stinson Is one of the reasons I started this blog)
    One of the sharpest comedies on the air growing hugely in popularity in the last few years especially this side of the Atlantic. definately worth checking out if you haven't already done so (and that goes for all the items on this list)

 2) Extras. I was slow of the mark with this one but I tore through it in a couple of days, It's that good. Hollywood actors playing twisted exageratted versions of themselves. Boasting quest appearence from Samuel. L. Jackson, David Bowie and Ben Stiller among others. Absolute genius.

 3) House MD. Hugh Laurie went to try and make it big in America, got a bit role on an episode of friends, followed by a role in Stuart Little to becoming almost over-night the star of the most watched television show in America. It's not hard to see why he can play an American better than most American actors.

 4) 30 Rock. Can't say enough good things about this programme. Constantly delivers every week. Hilariously charicatured characters and Tina Fey my absolute favourite woman in show-business.

5) Peep Show. One of my favourite british comedies following two hapless losers struggling thier way through life. A modern day 'odd couple'

6) Entourage. The life of a Hollywood actor is not surprisingly full of sex and drugs. But the show is more about male camaradarie and the importance of true friends and remembering your roots regardless of what life throws your way. Of course it would be nothing without Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) The loud mouthed obnoxious super agent.

7) The West Wing. Off the air for a while now but easily one of if not the best American Drama. West Wing Episodes

 8) Skins. A landmark in British drama. I'm holding judgement on the USA remake untill I see the second episode, but it's not looking good. Expect a review next week,

 9) Arrested Development It's an absolute travesty that this was cancelled so early I mean "Come On!" Though I've heard it's all systems go for a film.

 10) Seinfeld. Best American sit-com ever made. And it's about nothing. Credit due to Curb your Enthusiasm (Just short of making the list) for giving us Seinfeld fans the reunion without doing the reunion that we've always wanted.

Shoot! I forgot The Inbetweeners. That's up there with the best of them.