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Lemming Day 01 - A show that never should have been canceled
Yes, yes, it's that time when I give and follow the crowd, and thus starts my 30 day meme.
And so we begin with A show that never should have been canceled
There are oh so many possibilities to go with. Fox makes a career out of it with Firefly, The Inside (aka the reason I cannot imagine every watching celebrity dancing), etc. Sci-fi/SyFy have made their own errors with The Invisible Man, and Stargate:Atlantis. Back in the day, UPN killed The Sentinel, and even NBC has gotten in on the fun with The Journeyman.
However, when I think of shows that never should have died, HBO has become the biggest villain. First there was Carnivale, then Deadwood, and finally Rome. Rome at least got the ability to tie itself up, if in a sprint (and a movie to come! *crosses fingers*) Deadwood was killed and we were teased with an miniseries that was slowly, but surely, drowned by the passing of time. And then there was Carnivale, killed because of expense and without a truly proper ending to the battle of good and evil.
While I know ratings wise it didn't compete with the popularity of Deadwood and Rome, it was the death of Carnivale that still stings the most. The story-telling and the characters were some of the most ambitious on TV ever. The directing and filmography was stunning. And the acting was bar none.
Even just the opening sequence is a thing of cinematic beauty, and one of the few that I never fastforward through on DVD:
This is a show that is definitely not everyone's cup of tea. It gets off to a slow start, and reveals its plot at its own pace. But the mystery is intriguing if you hold on through the third or fourth episode, and the characters absolutely compelling and uncompromising. For all its aura of supernatural underpinnings, it's an uncompromising look at 1930s life in the Dust Bowl in the Midwest and the Depression in California. The predjudice, the sense of community, the corruption, and even the vigilante-ism is all front-and-center for two seasons. To say more would only spoil it.
Instead, the one thing I truly bemoan this show, is for making me incapable of watching the montages of any shown on network TV. Carnivale had it's montages, but each one was almost a mini-story in itself. There was never dead space or filler in the show - everything added to the story and to the characterization of the people within the story. And so, I leave you with the final montage of Episode 2 of season 1 featuring the 1891 song "After The Ball".:
Day 01 - A show that never should have been canceled
Day 02 - A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 - Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Day 05 - A show you hate
Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
Day 14 - Favorite male character
Day 15 - Favorite female character
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Day 19 - Best TV show cast
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite ship
Day 22 - Favorite series finale
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Day 24 - Best quote
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 28 - First TV show obsession
Day 29 - Current TV show obsession
Day 30 - Saddest character death
And so we begin with A show that never should have been canceled
There are oh so many possibilities to go with. Fox makes a career out of it with Firefly, The Inside (aka the reason I cannot imagine every watching celebrity dancing), etc. Sci-fi/SyFy have made their own errors with The Invisible Man, and Stargate:Atlantis. Back in the day, UPN killed The Sentinel, and even NBC has gotten in on the fun with The Journeyman.
However, when I think of shows that never should have died, HBO has become the biggest villain. First there was Carnivale, then Deadwood, and finally Rome. Rome at least got the ability to tie itself up, if in a sprint (and a movie to come! *crosses fingers*) Deadwood was killed and we were teased with an miniseries that was slowly, but surely, drowned by the passing of time. And then there was Carnivale, killed because of expense and without a truly proper ending to the battle of good and evil.
While I know ratings wise it didn't compete with the popularity of Deadwood and Rome, it was the death of Carnivale that still stings the most. The story-telling and the characters were some of the most ambitious on TV ever. The directing and filmography was stunning. And the acting was bar none.
Even just the opening sequence is a thing of cinematic beauty, and one of the few that I never fastforward through on DVD:
This is a show that is definitely not everyone's cup of tea. It gets off to a slow start, and reveals its plot at its own pace. But the mystery is intriguing if you hold on through the third or fourth episode, and the characters absolutely compelling and uncompromising. For all its aura of supernatural underpinnings, it's an uncompromising look at 1930s life in the Dust Bowl in the Midwest and the Depression in California. The predjudice, the sense of community, the corruption, and even the vigilante-ism is all front-and-center for two seasons. To say more would only spoil it.
Instead, the one thing I truly bemoan this show, is for making me incapable of watching the montages of any shown on network TV. Carnivale had it's montages, but each one was almost a mini-story in itself. There was never dead space or filler in the show - everything added to the story and to the characterization of the people within the story. And so, I leave you with the final montage of Episode 2 of season 1 featuring the 1891 song "After The Ball".:
Day 01 - A show that never should have been canceled
Day 02 - A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 - Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Day 05 - A show you hate
Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
Day 14 - Favorite male character
Day 15 - Favorite female character
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Day 19 - Best TV show cast
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite ship
Day 22 - Favorite series finale
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Day 24 - Best quote
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 28 - First TV show obsession
Day 29 - Current TV show obsession
Day 30 - Saddest character death