Three Shows I Hope They Renew (Spoilers)

[Deslok]

I saw "Viva Blackpool" on BBC America last year. It was really pretty good, but very odd. It was a crime investigation/working class drama/noir where the characters suddenly broke out into song-and-dance numbers involving recent pop songs. The acting was really good, but I'm just not sure at all that it is something that will translate well to an American audience. Plus, this is something that ran for one season in the UK, which is limited to six episodes. I think it would be a stretch to make this last a whole US season of 20 + episodes.

I'll probably tune in out of sheer curiosity, though.

Didn't we already try Cop Rock? Shakes head(but then, I'm not a fan of the musical genre in any way shape or form).

[JasonEvans]

Didn't we already try Cop Rock? Shakes head(but then, I'm not a fan of the musical genre in any way shape or form).

Ahhh, Cop Rock-- perhaps the single worst idea in TV history. I wish I could have been there to hear Bochco pitch it... I really wish I could have been in the brain of the TV exec who liked the pitch. WOW!!

If you have never experienced it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Euk1N0zVyww

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hoCPLTA5wE

-Jason "there are still some people who think it was good (shakes head)" Evans

[BlueDiablo]

ABC's upfronts:

MONDAY:
8:00 pm Dancing with the Stars
9:30 pm Sam I Am (new comedy series)
10:00 pm The Bachelor

TUESDAY:
8:00 pm Cavemen (new comedy series)
8:30 pm Carpoolers (new comedy series)
9:00 pm Dancing with the Stars the Results Show
10:00 pm Boston Legal

WEDNESDAY:
8:00 pm Pushing Daisies (new drama series)
9:00 pm Private Practice (new drama series)
10:00 pm “Dirty Sexy Money (new drama series)

THURSDAY:
8:00 pm Ugly Betty
9:00 pm Grey’s Anatomy
10:00 pm Big Shots (new drama series)

FRIDAY:
8:00 pm Men in Trees
9:00 pm Women’s Murder Club (new drama series)
10:00 pm 20/20

SATURDAY:
8:00 pm Saturday Night College Football

SUNDAY:
7:00 pm America’s Funniest Home Videos
8:00 pm Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9:00 pm Desperate Housewives
10:00 pm Brothers & Sisters

Cavemen is a series (I kid you not) based on those Geico commercials. Ugh.

Canceled: What About Brian, George Lopez, Six Degrees, What About Jim, Knights of Prosperity and In Case of Emergency.

LOST starts it's first of three 16-episode pods in February.

[JasonEvans]

Private Practice is the Gray's spin-off we got a preview of a few weeks ago. I will not be watching.

I may actually check out Cavemen to see if they can pull it off.

Knights of Prosperity will be back as a mid-season replacement show. I tried to watch that for a few episodes, but it really came up short and I gave up on it. I thought it was a gresat concept but they played it really low-brow and stupid. You could have made it funny and made it intelligent but they went the other way.

-Jason "no game shows?!?!?" Evans

[Dukerati]

I'm just glad we got three seasons of this show.

If your girlfriend turned you on to this show AFTER the first season, do yourself a favor and rent the DVDs and watch the first season. The show is still good, but the first season was on a totally different level.

I did in fact start watching AFTER the first season, and my girlfriend tells me the exact same thing you did where the first season is on a level by itself. However, I honestly don't think I can watch it until I know Veronica is coming back in some form because that would just get me more emotionally involved right before the show got canceled.

I don't know if anyone here ever watched "Sports Night" which was written by Aaron Sorkin but my friend bought me the DVD set about a year ago, and I was legitimately depressed popping in the last disc-- knowing that its time came much too soon. Is there a phrase for that? I mean, we have the whole "jumping the shark" terminology, shouldn't there be something for a show that gets canceled too soon?

On another note, hooray for Scrubs getting renewed! This last season has been subpar but I am confident in a strong turnaround for the end.

[JasonEvans]

I don't know if anyone here ever watched "Sports Night" which was written by Aaron Sorkin but my friend bought me the DVD set about a year ago, and I was legitimately depressed popping in the last disc-- knowing that its time came much too soon. Is there a phrase for that? I mean, we have the whole "jumping the shark" terminology, shouldn't there be something for a show that gets canceled too soon?

How about saying the show "got knighted" a-la Sports (K)Night? Frankly, SportsNight is the poster child for a show being pulled before its time. There is nothing else I can think of that comes close.

-Jason "the best parts of SportsNight were the episodes that talked about how the evil network bosses wanted to change/cancel the fictional SportsNight" Evans

[ehdg]

Damn ABC I really did like What About Brian. Granted I was probably in the minority but I found it funny and well done. Also I liked October Road and Traveler looks intriging.

[BlueDiablo]

How about saying the show "got knighted" a-la Sports (K)Night? Frankly, SportsNight is the poster child for a show being pulled before its time. There is nothing else I can think of that comes close.

Firefly. Fantastic show that didn't last even a single season.

[Duvall]

Update from Variety: HIMYM to return, Jericho cancelled. No word yet on Veronica Mars.

[ehdg]

Damn those SOB's at CBS!! I really was into Jericho!! I also found Class to be very funny and witty. I swear they just don't get it at times!!

[billybreen]

Jericho cancelled.

No! That sucks. Here's hoping some enlightened network picks it up, but I doubt it.

[JasonEvans]

Does anyone think that Jericho would have failed if the show had been given a consistent run, as opposed to taking a massive layoff in the middle?

I am glad HIMYM is sticking around. Barney is awesome. Knowing that Doogie is gay while playing that character makes it all the more fun.

-Jason "Jericho would have been well-served to tell us the back-story on the bombs a lot sooner too" Evans

[JDSBlueDevl]

I think Jericho's cancellation had a lot to do with CBS not promoting the hell out of it, as opposed to NBC's "Heroes" blitz. Chalk me up as one less CBS viewer. The shows they have proposed for the fall season all look like crap. I hope you like the bottom of the Nielsen ratings, CBS, you deserve it!

Oh, and did I mention how much I LOATHE Survivor and Big Brother? They're either ratings black-holes or require no thought to watch, as opposed to the more brilliantly written series, and yet they survive the cut? Reality TV must die a painful death, but when will it come?

[ehdg]

I too really like HIMYM. Still upset that CLASS which originally followed it didn't.

Also read tonight when I got home that Crossing Jordan also got the ax from NBC. I'm telling you the way they cancel shows it makes it harder and harder to to invest time into new shows. Just when they get us into it they go and pull the damn plug and not renew them.

[Dukerati]

How about saying the show "got knighted" a-la Sports (K)Night? Frankly, SportsNight is the poster child for a show being pulled before its time. There is nothing else I can think of that comes close.

-Jason "the best parts of SportsNight were the episodes that talked about how the evil network bosses wanted to change/cancel the fictional SportsNight" Evans

Brilliant. I've already adopted it.

Thank god HIMYM got renewed. It would have been a travesty if that show got canceled. The word on the street is that the show was in trouble solely because one exec in CBS didn't think it was funny. Can anyone confirm this? If that is the case, shouldn't there be rules to protect the viewing public against idiots? CBS, I have a revolutionary idea. How about you let a group of representative people from your targeted demographics ( I think I will call this group a "panel" ) watch the show and decide?

[Jfrosh]

I may actually check out Cavemen to see if they can pull it off.
-Jason "no game shows?!?!?" Evans

I think a lot of us will be checking out the first episode of Caveman. I predict huge first night ratings followed by a massive dropoff.

I am so bummed about Jerico, and with only 16 new Losts, I have to find something else to do with my Wednesday nights.

[BlueDiablo]

CBS upfronts:

MONDAY
8:00 How I Met Your Mother
8:30 The Big Bang Theory
9:00 Two and a Half Men
9:30 Rules of Engagement
10:00 CSI: Miami

TUESDAY
8:00 NCIS
9:00 The Unit
10:00 Cane

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Kid Nation
9:00 Criminal Minds
10:00 CSI: NY

THURSDAY
8:00 Survivor
9:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
10:00 Without a Trace

FRIDAY
8:00 Ghost Whisperer
9:00 Moonlight
10:00 Numbers

SATURDAY
8:00 Crimetime Saturday
9:00 Crimetime Saturday
10:00 48 Hours: Mystery

SUNDAY
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 Viva Laughlin
9:00 Cold Case
10:00 Shark

Read about the new shows here
Canceled: Close to Home, Jericho and The Class

[Mal]

Memo to CBS: Please add more shows about crime and investigations of same. Only 11 of your 21 weekly hours of nighttime programming are dealing with said subject, and that is simply not enough. You still have a few eggs not in the basket.

CBS will be in deep doo-doo when the bottom eventually drops out of the forensic procedural genre.

[JasonEvans]

I will be watching a grand total of 1 1/2 hours of CBS TV this coming season.

Then again, I am under the age of 60, so I am not in CBS' target demo.

-Jason "CBS sucks!" Evans

[billybreen]

I, for one, am not sure I want to live in a world where Jericho is canceled and the Caveman show is added.