So as this year draws to a close everyone is doing their best of ‘The Aughts’ lists, and apparently I’m no exception. Reading other lists made me realize what an amazing decade this has been for the arts – even television.
But television, unlike music, books, comics, and film is hard to pin down into just one decade, because many great shows that “feel” very of this decade to me – for example The West Wing – one of my favorite shows of all time – actually began in 1999, which seems like it should make that show ineligible. And many of my current favorite shows (Big Love, Mad Men, 30 Rock, The Office, The Venture Brothers, The Good Wife, etc.) are shows that could go on for many years beyond 2009…making them also feel ineligible for a “best of” the Aughts.
So I decided to do a Top 5 Cancelled Shows Of The Decade. Here goes.
05. Flight Of The Conchords (2007 – 2009). HBO. Technically, from what I understand, FOTC was less cancelled and more not renewed because the stars were wildly busy with other projects and decided not to continue. But it’s a tragic loss regardless. FOTC was one of the most creative and groundbreaking shows I’ve had a chance to watch in recent years. A concept that I didn’t think I would like (constantly breaking into song) won me over despite my aversion to “musicals”, in large part due to Jemaine and Bret’s abilities to charm and the entire productions commitment to the concept. The results of Jemaine and Bret’s crazy genius was a show completely hilarious and unexpected. We’ll all be less awesome and less inspired without FOTC in our lives.
Flight Of The Conchords is available on DVD.
04. Pushing Daisies (2007 – 2009). ABC. Almost on par with the creativity of Flight Of The Conchords, Pushing Daisies was an experiment in a genuinely unique concept that wasn’t cops or doctors or lawyers or pseudo-scientists like everything else we see on TV. A tale of a sweet man/boy with the power to reanimate the dead at a very high cost and his childhood best friend Charlotte was sweet without ever becoming saccharine. Supporting characters Olive and Emerson Cod were scene-stealers in every episode in the best kind of way.
I was quite frankly shocked that PD was renewed for a second season as this is usually the kind of show that is killed before the pilot even airs, but others must have seen what I saw…a show unlike anything else on television. Had the writers strike not occurred I think PD might have been able to come back stronger and last longer, but as with much brilliant but cancelled television it was not meant to be. Regardless, I’ll forever be grateful to ABC for at least giving us these beautiful episodes full of genuinely kind and layered characters and sets the likes of which I’ve never seen before.
Pushing Daises is available on DVD, packaged separately or together and separately only on Blu-ray.
03. Carnivale (2003 – 2005). HBO. Carnivale was a show I didn’t love initially. I found it a bit too slow and plodding for my tastes in the first season, and it took a friend who had stuck with it, luring me back in the second season, for me to fall in love with it. But man did I fall in love. The second season of Carnivale is near perfection (and when I went back to watching the second half of season one, I found that to be strong as well). Carnivale is the tale of a traveling carnival in the depression era, but enveloped by magic and intrigue and prophecy. It had smart layered storytelling combined with absolutely mind blowing production values and a strong cast. The characters were some of the most varied and original I’ve had the opportunity to see on television – a crew of fascinating misfits that always kept me on my toes. The way Carnivale’s story unfolded was edge of your seat exciting and full of surprises and it also happened to have one of the best opening credit sequences I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately Carnivale was just hitting its stride in the second season and had to tie up as many loose ends as possible when they were cancelled. HBO claimed that the show ended “naturally” which is a complete joke, and one I had trouble forgiving them for. It was great television, cut short by a channel that I generally expect more from.
Carnivale is available on DVD.
02. Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip (2006 – 2007). NBC. Studio 60 never had a chance. In a world where brilliantly smart dialogue is written off as ‘elitist snobbery’ it was an uphill climb to connect with large audiences from go. Studio 60 also had the misfortune of coming after The West Wing, a nearly perfect show, and suffering the comparison of people who run an SNL-style television show (Studio 60) with the people who run the world (The West Wing)…a battle Studio 60 could never hope to win. I think it made Studio 60 feel unimportant and insignificant in comparison. Even for someone like me, who loved the show immediately, this comparison made it hard to take the show as seriously as it deserved – and it did deserve to be taken seriously – because like everything Aaron Sorkin does, the writing was deadly sharp, the casting was perfection, and the attention to detail was flawless. It was a beautiful wonderful show that just never really had a shot in hell. I hated to see it go, but I wasn’t surprised. You can’t follow up your absolute slam-dunk (The West Wing) with an easy layup and still expect people to be impressed. Had it come before The West Wing it might have had a chance…then again, the fantastic Sports Night came before The West Wing and it didn’t survive long either. So what do I know?
Studio 60 is available on DVD.
01. Arrested Development (2003 – 2006). FOX. I’m not sure I have to explain myself here. For anyone that has seen the show, you know why it’s number one on this list. Some of the most layered, creative, groundbreaking comedy to grace us in this decade…maybe in any decade. For the uninitiated, Arrested Development was a story of The Bluth Family, in the tradition of The Glass Family from J.D. Salinger’s books and The Royal Tenebaums from Wes Anderson’s film of the same name, but with its own completely original cast of misfits. Arrested Development showed us a family nearly devoid of reasons to be loved, or even to exist, and yet it was impossible not to love them and all their dysfunction anyway. Michael Bateman and his serious son played by Michael Cera ably anchored a cast of their insane relatives while the quirky voiceover narration helped give AD a layer that is generally devoid of hour long television dramas let alone half hour comedies. The show was groundbreaking television at its finest and as such its life was cut short, as genius usually is. So we’ve just got to be thankful we have three perfect seasons forever captured.
Arrested Development is available on DVD and repeats air on IFC – check your local listings.
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Kelly is a freelance writer and artist living in New York who is relatively obsessed with comics and feminism, which generally make horrible bedfellows and explains a lot of her recurring headaches. You can read her rantings about such things at: http://1979semifinalist.wordpress.com