Died to Young
It's hard to tell how long is long enough for TV shows. Some well outlive their welcome - I'm looking at you ER - but others die far too young. I'm going to profile a few of my very favorites that deserved a longer shelf life.
Popular (1999 - 2001)
WB Network
Cast: Carly Pope, Leslie Bibb, Christopher Gorahm, Bryce Johnson, Tammy Lynn Michaels-Ethridge, Leslie Grossman, Tamara Mello, Sara Rue, Ron Lester
A satirical teen dramadey about the social structure of a So Cal high school. The show was so stereotypical and cliche and so true at the same time. The cast had a chemistry that sang and clashed.
The Populars, headed by Leslie Bibb's Brooke McQueen, started the show off all blond, all powerful and the desire of the school. Brooke is head chearleader with BFF Nicole Julian (Michaels-Ethridge) and Mary Cherry (Grossman). She dates Josh Ford (Johnson) who is the star quarterback and (Lester) is one of his blockers and best friends. The flip side has the geeks, headed by Pope's Sam McPherson, aspiring journalist, along with friends Carmen Ferrara(Rue) whose greatest desire is to be a cheerleader herself, Lily Episito an aspiring activist, and Harrison John (Gorham) Brooke's childhood best friend who has long since been forgotten.
The show plays well on the things we want and the way we're seen. In the first episode, Sam corners Brooke for an interview on populatirty and Brooke insists that's only one part of her and Sam counters that she asked for that label. She pushes to ask if Brooke occasionally wants to wear another one and Brooke responds "Yeah, sometimes, don't you?" And it's that question that moves the stories along. There are also great appearances by Brooke and Sam's parents who get married on a cruise, Sir Roberta "Bobby" Glass their perennial science teacher, and various other students including some "unmentionables."
Hilarious and real the show only got to it's second season where it ended with a perfect cliffhanger and while developing the third season (Senior Year) they were terminated.
Young Americans (2000)
WB Network
Cast: Rodney Scott, Mark Famigillietti, Kate Bosworth, Katherine Moennig, Ian Somerhalder, Ed Quinn, Matt Czuchry, Charlie Hunan, Gabrielle Christiansen
Originally set as a spin off from Dawson's Creek, Young Americans set up with Willam "Will" Krudski, old friend of Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson on DC) who was living in New Rawley, Massachusetts getting into Rawley Academy on a scholarship and crosses the side of the "townies" where his friends Bella Banks (Bosworth) and Sean McGrail (Czuchry) remain. While there, he meets his roommate, son of a senator, Scott Calhoun (Famigillietti), The Dean of Student's son and forced attendee Hamilton Flemming (Somerhalder) and Jake Pratt (Moenning) whom no one knows is really a Jacqueline. The story centers around English class and rowing, in which all the "boys" participate during summer session lead by the mysterious Finn (Quinn). Various foils pop up in the form of bad-boy Ryder (Hunan) and Bella's annoying and forward younger sister Grace (Christiansen).
The story here is also about growth and development (as most teen shows are), but this time centers on truth and lies and the reasons certain lies get told. Everyone has their secrets and their wants and it creates a lovely fabric of growing up. One of the areas of particular interest is Jacqueline "Jake" Pratt who fakes being a boy to get into a boy's school, to try and get her mothers attention and her mother never notices that the paperwork for an all boy's school - but the longer the charade goes on the less she wants to leave the school. A lot of it is also about the want to escape the life you have and be someone, anyone else - which drives many of the characters and occasionally represses them. Tackled issues other shows weren't really covering at the time such as abusive homes, class issues, gender/sexuality questions.
Firefly (2002)
FOX network
Cast: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Jewel Staite, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Ron Glass
A space-western epic that was so well loved despite being so poorly used by Fox. Starts as many Sci-Fi plots do - Earth is destroyed everyone leaves. They "terra-form" other uninhabitable planets. Some flourish and others don't and the flourishing central planets decide that they should unify. There's arguments that it's colonization and others that it's consolidation but the focus remains on the "boat" captained by Mal Reynolds (Fillion) a former leader of the Independent forces and his team. They're mercinaries, doing legal and illigal jobs to survive.
His team consists of Zoe Washburn(Torres) his serious second in command since the war days, her husband and their pilot Hobart "Wash" Washburn (Tudyk), goofy but deadly talented. Jayne Cobb (Baldwin) a man with few morals and a great love of women and weapons - his are all named after women. Kaylee Frye (Staite) is the ships mechanic who is at turns naive and others' quite knowledgeable - especially in bed. They rent a shuttle to Inara (Baccarin) a professional "companion" or as Mal refers to her when angry a "whore."
On a stop they pick up some travelers, Simon Tam (Maher) and Sheppard Book (Glass). Simon is actually on the run having rescued his sister River (Glau) out of a government program that has tampered with her mind.
The show follows them through various jobs and running from the Centralized Government. There are interesting class issues explored between Inara, Simon and River who were raised in the wealthy inner planets and Mal, Zoe, Wash, Kaylee and Jayne who grew up on the outer planets. It also breaches the concept that history repeats itself in circles no matter how far ahead we get.
Joan of Arcadia (2003-2005)
CBS Network
Cast: Amber Tamblyn, Mary Steenburgen, Joe Mantegna, Jason Ritter, Michael Welsh, Chris Marquette, Becky Wahlstrom
A truly different show, starts when the Girardi Family moves to Arcadia, Maryland to follow their father's career as he takes over the Chief of Police job in Arcadia, a city ruled by corrupt cops to clean it up. The move is also to get away from their old town, where Kevin (Ritter), former sports star, was paralyised in a drunk driving accident. Previously popular Joan arrives at her new school looking forward to a new start, but someone is waiting for her - God.
Joan's life takes a whole new turn as God starts popping up at all different turns by various guest stars in the unlikeliness of places with tasks. The show never gets preachy about faith and never picks one religion to affiliate with. God always stresses that one of his greatest and most terrible gifts to mankind was free will - and there's not much he can do but ask people like Joan to make good ripples.
Joan moves from cool and popular to kooky and a little crazy, picking up friends like Adam Rove (Marquettte) who hasn't spoken to anyone in years and Grace Polk (Wahlstrom) who everyone thinks is either in a gang or a lesbian - or is in a lesbian gang. She also navigates the dangerous waters of her own home, strained with Kevin's paralyzation. Her parents' relationship is brittle, Kevin is angry and her brother Luke (Welsh) is mostly forgotten.
A fabulous show with fabulous writing, excellent acting and character development for all characters. It wasn't preachy and it wasn't religious, just spiritual. Which really is where we should be focused.
What is on your list of things that got canceled far too soon?
Popular (1999 - 2001)
WB Network
Cast: Carly Pope, Leslie Bibb, Christopher Gorahm, Bryce Johnson, Tammy Lynn Michaels-Ethridge, Leslie Grossman, Tamara Mello, Sara Rue, Ron Lester
A satirical teen dramadey about the social structure of a So Cal high school. The show was so stereotypical and cliche and so true at the same time. The cast had a chemistry that sang and clashed.
The Populars, headed by Leslie Bibb's Brooke McQueen, started the show off all blond, all powerful and the desire of the school. Brooke is head chearleader with BFF Nicole Julian (Michaels-Ethridge) and Mary Cherry (Grossman). She dates Josh Ford (Johnson) who is the star quarterback and (Lester) is one of his blockers and best friends. The flip side has the geeks, headed by Pope's Sam McPherson, aspiring journalist, along with friends Carmen Ferrara(Rue) whose greatest desire is to be a cheerleader herself, Lily Episito an aspiring activist, and Harrison John (Gorham) Brooke's childhood best friend who has long since been forgotten.
The show plays well on the things we want and the way we're seen. In the first episode, Sam corners Brooke for an interview on populatirty and Brooke insists that's only one part of her and Sam counters that she asked for that label. She pushes to ask if Brooke occasionally wants to wear another one and Brooke responds "Yeah, sometimes, don't you?" And it's that question that moves the stories along. There are also great appearances by Brooke and Sam's parents who get married on a cruise, Sir Roberta "Bobby" Glass their perennial science teacher, and various other students including some "unmentionables."
Hilarious and real the show only got to it's second season where it ended with a perfect cliffhanger and while developing the third season (Senior Year) they were terminated.
Young Americans (2000)
WB Network
Cast: Rodney Scott, Mark Famigillietti, Kate Bosworth, Katherine Moennig, Ian Somerhalder, Ed Quinn, Matt Czuchry, Charlie Hunan, Gabrielle Christiansen
Originally set as a spin off from Dawson's Creek, Young Americans set up with Willam "Will" Krudski, old friend of Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson on DC) who was living in New Rawley, Massachusetts getting into Rawley Academy on a scholarship and crosses the side of the "townies" where his friends Bella Banks (Bosworth) and Sean McGrail (Czuchry) remain. While there, he meets his roommate, son of a senator, Scott Calhoun (Famigillietti), The Dean of Student's son and forced attendee Hamilton Flemming (Somerhalder) and Jake Pratt (Moenning) whom no one knows is really a Jacqueline. The story centers around English class and rowing, in which all the "boys" participate during summer session lead by the mysterious Finn (Quinn). Various foils pop up in the form of bad-boy Ryder (Hunan) and Bella's annoying and forward younger sister Grace (Christiansen).
The story here is also about growth and development (as most teen shows are), but this time centers on truth and lies and the reasons certain lies get told. Everyone has their secrets and their wants and it creates a lovely fabric of growing up. One of the areas of particular interest is Jacqueline "Jake" Pratt who fakes being a boy to get into a boy's school, to try and get her mothers attention and her mother never notices that the paperwork for an all boy's school - but the longer the charade goes on the less she wants to leave the school. A lot of it is also about the want to escape the life you have and be someone, anyone else - which drives many of the characters and occasionally represses them. Tackled issues other shows weren't really covering at the time such as abusive homes, class issues, gender/sexuality questions.
Firefly (2002)
FOX network
Cast: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Jewel Staite, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Ron Glass
A space-western epic that was so well loved despite being so poorly used by Fox. Starts as many Sci-Fi plots do - Earth is destroyed everyone leaves. They "terra-form" other uninhabitable planets. Some flourish and others don't and the flourishing central planets decide that they should unify. There's arguments that it's colonization and others that it's consolidation but the focus remains on the "boat" captained by Mal Reynolds (Fillion) a former leader of the Independent forces and his team. They're mercinaries, doing legal and illigal jobs to survive.
His team consists of Zoe Washburn(Torres) his serious second in command since the war days, her husband and their pilot Hobart "Wash" Washburn (Tudyk), goofy but deadly talented. Jayne Cobb (Baldwin) a man with few morals and a great love of women and weapons - his are all named after women. Kaylee Frye (Staite) is the ships mechanic who is at turns naive and others' quite knowledgeable - especially in bed. They rent a shuttle to Inara (Baccarin) a professional "companion" or as Mal refers to her when angry a "whore."
On a stop they pick up some travelers, Simon Tam (Maher) and Sheppard Book (Glass). Simon is actually on the run having rescued his sister River (Glau) out of a government program that has tampered with her mind.
The show follows them through various jobs and running from the Centralized Government. There are interesting class issues explored between Inara, Simon and River who were raised in the wealthy inner planets and Mal, Zoe, Wash, Kaylee and Jayne who grew up on the outer planets. It also breaches the concept that history repeats itself in circles no matter how far ahead we get.
Joan of Arcadia (2003-2005)
CBS Network
Cast: Amber Tamblyn, Mary Steenburgen, Joe Mantegna, Jason Ritter, Michael Welsh, Chris Marquette, Becky Wahlstrom
A truly different show, starts when the Girardi Family moves to Arcadia, Maryland to follow their father's career as he takes over the Chief of Police job in Arcadia, a city ruled by corrupt cops to clean it up. The move is also to get away from their old town, where Kevin (Ritter), former sports star, was paralyised in a drunk driving accident. Previously popular Joan arrives at her new school looking forward to a new start, but someone is waiting for her - God.
Joan's life takes a whole new turn as God starts popping up at all different turns by various guest stars in the unlikeliness of places with tasks. The show never gets preachy about faith and never picks one religion to affiliate with. God always stresses that one of his greatest and most terrible gifts to mankind was free will - and there's not much he can do but ask people like Joan to make good ripples.
Joan moves from cool and popular to kooky and a little crazy, picking up friends like Adam Rove (Marquettte) who hasn't spoken to anyone in years and Grace Polk (Wahlstrom) who everyone thinks is either in a gang or a lesbian - or is in a lesbian gang. She also navigates the dangerous waters of her own home, strained with Kevin's paralyzation. Her parents' relationship is brittle, Kevin is angry and her brother Luke (Welsh) is mostly forgotten.
A fabulous show with fabulous writing, excellent acting and character development for all characters. It wasn't preachy and it wasn't religious, just spiritual. Which really is where we should be focused.
What is on your list of things that got canceled far too soon?