Gone...but not forgotten. Maybe a few of them should be, though...

So how many times have you started watching a teevee show from the very first episode - you're totally hooked - and then about 7 - 8 weeks into it you find out they're giving it the ax!  It's happened countless times over the years.  It just seems like the networks always end up canceling the shows you like - surely you weren't the only one watching it, right?  Well, apparently you were.  And don't call me "Shirley".  That link actually reminded me of one such masterpiece that was taken too soon from the airwaves: "Police Squad!", which was a cop show run through the parody machine "Airplane!"-style.  It also starred the late, great Leslie Nielsen as Lt. Frank Drebin.  The show only lasted 6 episodes - and only 4 of those were aired on TV.  There were, however, 3 "Naked Gun" movies based on the series, though.  How ironic is that - more was filmed for feature-length movies than for the actual series!

Some of the other short-run series that I watched were "Jennifer Slept Here", which lasted only 13 episodes; "AKA Pablo", 6 episodes; "Mr. Sunshine" (starring Jeffrey Tambor, who would go on to such bigger and better things, such as "The Larry Sanders Show" and "Arrested Development"),11 episodes;  "Automan", which I thought was the coolest thing ever - wonder how cheezy it would be to me now - 13 episodes; "Blacke's Magic", starring Hal Linden and Harry Morgan - I was a big fan of both "Barney Miller" and "MASH", so of course I had to watch all 12 of those episodes. (I don't care what the network people say, that show was a lot of fun and should have lasted longer!); "Voyagers!" lasted a whole 20 episodes before being yanked, which is a shame - that was a show that actually could get kids interested in history.  I really liked that one!  One last one that I loved, that only lasted 16 episodes, was "Misfits Of Science",  a great show about a bunch of teenagers who developed super powers somehow, and used them to fight crime (of course).  In this show we saw a very young Courtney Cox, who's superpower, according to the intro theme at least, apparently was the ability to stare very intently at people.  Dunno.  It was a long time ago.  I'm hoping they put that one out on DVD one of these days, actually. 

There have been quite a few newer shows which Jenny and I have really gotten into, only to have them ripped away from our grasping fingers.  There were a couple of serial dramas, like "October Road", from the guy who made the movie "Beautiful Girls" (and the story line was pretty much the same, really) - 19 episodes, and "Love Monkey" (which, granted, probably deserved to be canceled just because of the name, but which was actually a pretty good show) - 8 episodes.  Then there was a sitcom, "The Class", about a group of people, all of whom were in the 3rd grade together, reuniting for a surprise party, and how their lives had changed and how friendships and sometimes relationships were rekindled or started for the first time.  It was a really well-done, and often poignant comedy.  Jenny and I were really heartbroken when it was canceled (after only 19 episodes),because it left so many questions unanswered.  Another one I'd love to see on DVD someday. 

We both liked "Eli Stone", about a lawyer who begins to have visions (which leads him to discover a brain aneurysm).  These visions, in turn, lead him to take cases he wouldn't normally take - more for the good of humankind, not just money.  I'm not really sure why this one got canceled after only 26 episodes - I thought it had a pretty good following.  Goes to show what I know, huh?

Then there was the biggest disappointment of all - at least for Jenny: the cancellation of her beloved vampire show, "Moonlight" after 16 episodes.  She was absolutely distraught - started throwing things around, pulling out her hair, threatening to move to Los Angeles to hunt down those responsible for this outrage, forcing them to start filming again...okay, so none of that really happened, but she was pretty bummed.  The dude from that show is on the "Hawaii 5-0" remake that's on CBS now, and she just sits and stares at him all starry-eyed. :-) (just kidding, baby - had to razz ya a bit!)

Well, today I went with what I figured would be the best color for all of these poor, canceled shows.  I know there have been a whole slew of other shows that met an early demise, but I didn't watch those, and this is my blog, so there.  :-)  Tonight's stroke is black.  RIP, all you cheesy-ass shows!  You brought me, along with many others (but obviously not enough) many hours of joy!