I Just Read About That…

As yet another TV season sort of winds down, and a few more shows get cancelled, I decided to compile a list of shows that I miss. This isn’t going to be one of those lists of the best shows that shouldn’t have been cancelled or killed off too early or some other kind of list (I agree with just about everything on these lists).  So, I’m not including Arrested Development or Freaks and Geeks (which I don’t really miss because I didn’t watch it when it came out so I knew what I was getting when I watched the DVDs, plus every actor from the series is seen in something or other all the time) or even Veronica Mars (now that the movie has come out, all is well).

Of course, there are shows that I miss because they were great, but many had a sense of closure, which is nice. Or shows that were great and then weren’t great anymore so I stopped watching, which is less nice but which doesn’t leave me pining for them. Rather these are shows that were cut down unexpectedly (or expectedly) and didn’t give closure (or generate enough momentum for closure).  In fact, shows that weren’t brilliant and probably deserved to be cancelled soon, but were cancelled a little too early so I have no closure. Or, worse yet, shows that could have improved over the next season or two and become really solid shows.  And so from time to time I wonder what the characters are up to (which isn’t as sad as it sounds).

I’m starting with the most recent cancellation because it is freshest:

Super Fun Night.
I’m not even entirely sure that it has been cancelled yet, but I am led to believe that it will be (the show certainly tied up all the loose ends in the season finale, which was thoughtful). So it wasn’t a great show—it couldn’t decide if it was a zany workplace comedy, a comedy about friends and dating, a comedy with a video diary (which was never followed up on in any way, strangely). It didn’t even use Rebel Wilson’s real accent, which I think would have made the whole show even funnier. Every workplace romance on the show was a life-force sucker. I liked Richard (Kevin Bishop) as a character but couldn’t believe anyone would date him—I actually thought he was gay in the first few episodes, which I liked better. Kendall (Kate Jenkinson), was fun as a bitchy sounding board. But we wasted way too much time in these weird romantic triangles instead of just having them date other people.  But I will miss is the relationship that Kimmy and her last boyfriend James (Nate Torrance, who pops up from time to time in other things, good for him), as they were perfect for each other. But mostly I will miss Marika (Lauren Ash) and Helen Alice (Liza Lapira), without a doubt the funniest roommates going. They were both weird without being utterly implausible. They were both awkward in very funny ways and, Marika especially, had some of the best one liners ad non-sequiturs.  I also loved that they allowed her to accept her lesbian side in the last episode. I’d like the two of them to get a show (or a podcast).

Ben & Kate
I didn’t like this show when it started, and even when it ended, there was something about Kate (Dakota Johnson) that I didn’t really like (she was too… much). Even Ben (Nat Faxon) was a little much sometimes, although I found him really enjoyably goofy by the time it was cancelled. What I’ll really miss about this show is the rest of the cast. Echo Kellum (as Tommy) was utterly fantastic and understated on the show. He could make me laugh with just a look. I was thrilled that he got another role on the awful Sean Saves the World but even he couldn’t elevate that turd. So hopefully he’ll find something new. Lucy Punch (as BJ) is simply brilliant (and used her original accent). There’s a sequence when she runs through all the British accents in just a few seconds and it’s geniuis.  And the little girl on the show Maddie, (Maggie Elizabeth Jones who was in We Bought a Zoo) was the first child actor that I really really liked.  She was subtle and very funny and was used in small doses to add to the comedy. She wasn’t a punchline generator (looking at you, Modern Family), nor was she ignored until she was useful (I’m looking at you, every other show with a baby). And she was cute too.

Better Off Ted
Of all the cancelled shows that I thought were fantastic, this one still burns me up that it got cancelled. Unlike some other shows where I like parts of it, everything about it was great and I miss all of the characters.  Veronica (Portia de Rossi), Ted (Jay Harrington), Linda (Andrea Anders–she of the perpetually cancelled shows), Phil (Jonathan Slavin–always funny) and Lem (Malcolm Barrett–a wonderfully weird character) were hilarious in their own ways. Finding this on Netflix (which let us watch 4 unaired episodes) was an amazing discovery.

Traffic Light
I may be the only person still holding candle for this show. It wasn’t brilliant, but I thought that the male leads were all solid, especially the guy with glasses (Nelson Franklin, who is on The Millers right now and deserves a better show—as does Will Arnett). I actually didn’t even realize that Liza Lapira (Helen Alice, from Super Fun Night) was on the show (she was also on Don’t Trust the B—, so she and Andrea Anders may be TV death notices). Also Kris Marshall (who was in Love, Actually) and David Denman (who was Roy on The Office). were in it. The women were sort of ancillary so I don’t really remember them that well, but I remember laughing at a lot of the jokes.

Reaper
I never quite loved this show.  I liked it, but there were things that irritated me about it.  I didn’t like the main character guy (or his girlfriend) at all. But I loved the premise of the show and the plots.  I also loved Sock (Tyler Labine) and Benji (Rick Gonzalez–who was also on Traffic Light) and, of course Ray Wise as the Devil was awesome.

Bunheads
I am most upset at the way this was ended so abruptly. Amy Sherman-Palladino creates such wonderful characters and I hate to see any of her shows go. I didn’t like the way Gilmore Girls ended, although I guess there is some kind of weird closure there. But this show was really solid and the cast was excellent. I’m still smarting from this one.

Work of Art
This is the only reality show that I watch that has been cancelled. I don’t think I would miss any of the other ones if they stopped, but I did miss this one. Probably because it only had one season, but mostly because I liked seeing the artist create things (although I hated all of the judges and the host, so I guess that’s a trade-off).

I have a vague sense of missing Aliens in America, which I thought was very smart, although it has faded enough that i don’t quite remember it.  I miss Pushing Daisies, mostly because Brain Fuller creates such wonderful words that its hard to forget them (although Wonderfalls was better and I miss that more).  I have an even more vague sense of loss about Go On, which was far from great, but had a solid supporting cast.  I even occasionally miss Craig Kilborn’s version of The Daily Show–Jon Stewart’s is far superior, but there was something so weird about Kilborn’s that I may have to see if any are on YouTube, just for a fix).

Oh, here’s a clip of Kilborn’s last show (with Jon Stewart as host–wow, Stewart was very different back in 1998, for God’s sake).

So these are some characters that I miss. I realize that the actors aren’t the characters and can come up with something very different on a future show, but I’d love to see them again.