We have all been victims to attaching ourselves to a show only to find out a season later that it has been canceled. It is frustrating to see shows like “Jersey Shore” and “Dancing with the Stars” survive when series with actual plots, like “Alias” and “Freaks and Geeks,” are given the axe for faulty ratings.
If anything, the track record of brilliant but canceled shows demonstrates the short attention span of the American viewer. Everyone knows that ADD is over-diagnosed, so networks like FOX and ABC should not be surprised when our attention spans take us from channel to channel. As television viewers, we return to what we are comfortable with watching. We return to shows that thrill us, entertain us or sadden us. So yes, ratings at the beginning of a show’s life will be low, but eventually that show will create a supportive following. If NBC had faith in “Freaks and Geeks,” people like Seth Rogen, James Franco and Judd Apatow would have been famous much sooner.
“Freaks and Geeks,” the beautiful brainchild of Paul Feig and Judd Apatow, was born in the fall of 1999 and died in the spring of 2000. The Emmy-nominated comedy, which aired on NBC, followed two groups of teenagers in 1980s Michigan. The series, whose tagline was “it’s 1980 and this is what high school was like for the rest of us,” brought back bands like Rush and Cream and the painful reminders of high school like drugs, boyfriends and embarrassing parents. Many actors from the show, like Jason Segel, Seth Rogen, James Franco and Martin Starr, have since graduated to Apatow productions. Jason Segel and Seth Rogen showed up again in Apatow’s “Undeclared,” a comedy about college freshman Steve Karp beginning the most exciting time of his life, until his recently divorced dad shows up looking for a co-ed fun time. The show was hilarious but was canceled by FOX in 2002, after one season.
Also killed by FOX was the much-loved comedy series “Arrested Development.” The show about the barely-functioning Bluth family ran for three seasons and struggled with ratings. However, those who stuck with it were treated with awkward catchphrases and enduring quotes like, “OK, Lindsay, are you forgetting that I was a professional twice over — an analyst and a therapist. The world’s first analrapist.” The show, narrated by Ron Howard, featured the brilliant cast of Jason Bateman, Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walter, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi and, of course, David Cross as Dr. Tobias Fünke. Only one show could give us hair plugs, hot bonds and magic tricks in one episode, and fans are expecting a movie in the works. My only words for creator Mitchell Hurwitz are “thank you.”
Another casualty on FOX’s death list was cult favorite “Andy Richter Controls the Universe.” Andy, a short story writer, could only find a job writing technical manuals for a company in Chicago. His co-workers were Jessica, the sarcastic supervisor; Byron, the timid weirdo; Wendy, the cute secretary and Keith, who was “so good looking” that Andy developed “a prejudice against the ‘attractive,’ who seem to get everything they want, unlike ordinary humans,” as described in the show.
Andy narrated the show from inside his overactive imagination. The show was cut after only two seasons. Then there was the disturbing yet satisfying series “Strangers With Candy” on Comedy Central. The always-funny Amy Sedaris played Jerry Blank, a 46-year-old drug addict who picked her life up from where she left off at Flatpoint High school. The comedy was smartly written and filled with characters that you wish you knew. Jerry’s art teacher, played by Paul Dinello, and history teacher, played by Stephen Colbert, were secret lovers and seemed as uneducated as Jerry. The show lasted three seasons and inspired a movie version with much of the original cast.
These shows were all canceled because of low ratings and then became cult hits. When the life spans of these shows are cut short, I am left in a state of wonder. I wonder if the Bluths are still arguing at the penthouse in Orange County, or if George Michael still loves his cousin. And did Jerry ever graduate from high school? There’s a beauty left in the open-endedness of a fallen show, but you also feel a sense of despair knowing that your show did not live up to its full potential. If you have a favorite show, and it’s on FOX, love it now while you still can.
You can reach this columnist at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
