The "Glory Daze" Are Over

I was reading deadline.com, like I do several times a day and I read that TBS' one hour comedy "Glory Daze" was canceled or to put it nicely, is not being renewed. I'm a little upset about this. Granted, it wasn't Emmy worthy, but it had potential. TBS didn't really give it a fair shot since it was aired over the holiday season. Who the hell is home during the month of December (besides me)? They even aired a new episode the weeks of Christmas and New Years.

If you didn't catch it's limited run, "Glory Daze" followed four college freshman rushing a fraternity in Wisconsin.....oh and it's 1986. The costumes and soundtrack alone were worth checking it out for an ep or two. I think the standout was Matt Bush. He was that guy in Adventureland that kept punching guys in the junk. With his comedic chops, Mr. Bush is going places. I was also quite amused by Chris D'Elia's performance of Stankowski, the thirty year old frat brother that has been high for the last decade and a half. Deadline also reported that he's booked an NBC pilot. I hope TBS doesn't turn out to be the next Fox, creating new shows and canceling them before they get off the ground. Although, I wouldn't mind if they canceled some of those Tyler Perry shows. The promos alone annoy the bejeezus out of me.

FX Puts "Terriers" Down

FX announced today that “Terriers” has been canceled. *tear* This was my favorite new drama of the 2010 season. Granted, I didn’t blog about the finale because of my lack of satisfaction, but I didn’t want it to be canceled. It wasn’t even that the the finale was bad, it just wasn’t as eventful and dramatic as they lead us to believe it was going to be. The writing was strong and the performances, even better. Donal Logue’s broken down, wearied portrayal of Hank Dalworth was brilliant. “Terriers” introduced me to Michael Raymond-James whose babies I'd like to have. At first, I thought he was a bit dim and just a pretty face, but he’s got some real chops. I have no doubt that with this work under their belts, Donal and Michael won’t be out of work for long.

So what happened? Some said that the posters featuring the dog were misleading. I don’t think that was it. My guess is that not enough people gave it a shot. If you watched at least one of two eps and have good taste, how could you not go back for more?! Yes, I am disappointed in Tim Griffin and his writing team for not giving us a good enough finale, but it was obviously over before that. More importantly I am disappointed in “The Shield” and “Sons of Anarchy” fans that didn’t watch in droves. I am a loyal viewer therefore I will give any show a shot if it’s by someone that has proven their brilliance before (i.e. Shawn Ryan, Kurt Sutter, J.J. Abrams, Charles Eglee). Sometimes it doesn’t work out and the new show just isn’t up your alley, but show some allegiance! I put my trust in the writers and producers that have rarely, if ever done me wrong. Most of the time, it works out (with the exception of the series finale of “The Shield”). If you don’t believe me, watch “Dexter” or “Sons of Anarchy”. Some may fight me on including “Lost” in that list, but I will. Yes, I’m putting it in writing! I loved the “Lost” finale and I don’t care who knows it! “Terriers” will be missed, so Donal and Michael, here’s to you. Cheers mates.

"Outlaw" Gets Caught

NBC has canceled the law drama starring Jimmy Smits as a former Supreme Court Justice that leaves the bench to practice again. Not all that surprising. I liked it enough to give it a shot, but it was given the timeslot of death. I don't know how a network can put a new show on at 10pm on Fridays and expect it to succeed. Especially a show like this. It's more for the older crowd. My mom and grandma would watch a show like this, but they are both sound asleep by 10pm. It was also up against Tom Selleck's new show "Blue Bloods", which I have to say, I like a lot better. I do hope that Jesse Bradford finds something new. He's so darn cute. Good in this, but better as a bastard (refer to I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell). All in all, no big loss. There are far too many lawyer shows on this season anyway.

ABC Gives "My Generation" the Boot

After only two episodes aired, ABC has cancelled the drama that follows a group of 28 year olds as they reconnect tens years after graduating high school. I have to say, this is a good decision. I only watched ten minutes of the pilot before I just couldn't take any more. And you know I watched some crap for the sake of writing about it. The documentary style was just irritating. The only mockumetary style content that really works is comedy. Random insert....I just watched a mockumentary film last night about three couples competing for the most original wedding. And it's British. For laugh your ass off mockumentary comedy, check out Confetti. Ok, back to the devistating loss of this oh so prolific show. "My Generation" actually raked in 5.17 million views for the pilot, but only 3.82 returned for week two. Obviously, I had no interest in this show and their aaawwwful promos didn't help. They were tragically bad, but I guess they were a good reflection of the content. If you're looking for primetime soapy dramas, just Netflix the first few seasons of "Grey's Anatomy" and "Brothers & Sisters". Come on ABC....you can do better.

R.I.P. "Lone Star"....What Else Has FOX Taken Far Too Soon?

Well, it’s happened already. FOX was the first network to kill a new show, pulling the plug on “Lone Star” after only two episodes aired. Not that surprising since FOX is notorious for killing shows early on when they don’t perform outstandingly in the ratings. The pilot grabbed 4.1 million viewers, but only 3.23 million returned. I couldn’t tell by only two episodes how this show would be over time, but I enjoyed what I saw. It had potential. Although the father was a bit irritating, I really liked the lead character and actor James Wolk. He’s got a great look and quite a bit of charm. I’m sure he’ll find another gig, but it would have been nice to see him shine in this vehicle.

It got me thinking. What other shows has FOX tantalized us with and then pulled out from under us? Here are my top 3. Please feel free to add your own favorites.

“Firefly” (2002)

Until “Firefly”, I hadn’t watched anything remotely resembling science fiction. Not that this show is purely sci-fi, in case you’re not one of the enlightened. In a nutshell, it’s a comedy, western, sci-fi, action show. Or in other words, absolute genius from Joss Whedon. Nathan Fillion is finally hitting it big on network television with ABC’s “Castle”, but he gained cult following as Captain Malcolm Reynolds. Or as we Brown Coats like to call him, Captain Tight-Pants. Mal leads a team of renegades, skirting the law…and evil men trying to capture a savant that they’ve performed experiments on, who happens to be hitching a ride with the crew. This band of misfits flies around the verse (that’s Firefly speak) hauling mostly illegal cargo and unintentionally doing good deeds. “Firefly” was cancelled after only 11 episodes aired. Three episodes were never shown on television, but can be seen on DVD/Blu-Ray or on Netflix Watch Instantly. 

“Drive” (2007)

“Drive” was a show about a cross-country road race, illegal of course. It had a large cast, a couple cool cars and a great sense of urgency. It also starred Nathan Fillion….keep up people. I just told you all about Captain Tight-Pants. This time they are jeans, but just as tight. MMMmmmmm. Sorry…back to this. FOX was extra speedy in canceling this gem after only 2 nights of double episodes. Give a show a shot people! This is where I first saw Emma Stone (the hot red head from Superbad) who is sure to have a long comedic career of her. You can download all 6 episodes on Amazon Video on Demand for $0.99 each. It’s worth the six bucks. Trust me. 

“Undeclared” (2001)

Judd Apatow anyone? Between NBC’s untimely cancellation of “Freaks and Geeks” and the commercial success of 40 Year Old Virgin, Apatow created this show….a comedic masterpiece about trying to figure out your sh** in college. Maybe you’ve heard of Seth Rogan. Yup, Seth went from playing f-up Ken Miller on FNG to studious looking Ron Garner. Oh and my future husband Charlie Hunnam plays British (he actually is) playboy. He’s terribly pretty. All the hi-jinks and shenanigans of freshman year in college ensue. Fun for all! You can check out all 17 episodes on DVD from Netflix.