Premature burial that causes you the most pain....

[1961MJS]

Hi

Charlie Sheen wasn't acting in 2.5 men, but I could have watched him be Charlie Sheen / Harper until he was 80. He's just a goof. M*A*S*H may have last longer in minutes that the actual Korean War did, haven't done the math though. I do miss Married with Children. Kelly should have gotten pregnant by a nerd (Bill Gates??) and kept the series going another few years.

Just my $0.02 and not worth that.

 

[Captain Lex]

For me it begins and ends with Twin Peaks, though one wonders how long it could really have been kept going and kept the quality up. Many people already (and quite mistakenly) don't like the second season as much anyway.

 

[sheeplady]

One show that I thought had really great potential was Ringer, which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar as twins. I thought it was really well written and always left on a cliffhanger. I could never predict where that show was going next. I think a lot of people thought it was too confusing.

Although I wasn't really sad when it ended, I had really wanted to see what ended up happening to the twins.

 

[Vornholt]

I was really irritated (though not surprised, given network TV mentality) when Alcatraz was canceled. A beautiful concept never given the chance to really develop properly.

 

[sal]

I really liked American Dreams that ran from 2002 to 2005. Wholesome tv. Unfortunately people do not want that type of programming on television. As evidence by much of the garbage today

 

[Edward]

I was really irritated (though not surprised, given network TV mentality) when Alcatraz was canceled. A beautiful concept never given the chance to really develop properly.

I only saw the one episode of that, but I liked it. A friend who saw the whole series felt it got formulaic, but I think I could take two or three series.

 

[vitanola]

Banyon.

Fond memories of that old detective series. Evan as a little child I loved Joan Blondell.

 

[tonyb]

I really liked American Dreams that ran from 2002 to 2005. ...

My wife was quite fond of that show, so I watched it along with her. I wasn't as nuts about it as she was, but I did see what she saw in it.

That Brittany Snow, the young woman who played Meg, the show's lead character, was very well cast.

 

[Benny Holiday]

Firefly & Primeval from the UK.

Would love to see more Foyle's War too, which may be in the works I think.

 

[scotrace]

Note: Two threads on the same topic merged.

 

[Edward]

For me it begins and ends with Twin Peaks, though one wonders how long it could really have been kept going and kept the quality up. Many people already (and quite mistakenly) don't like the second season as much anyway.

I think a lot of folks didn't have the patience to follow the second series, it being longer. No patience, some folks. It's true, though, that had it gone on for several more series there was always the danger standards could slip. That's what I admire about the Brits' approach to comedy shows especially: write as many series as needsbe, don't feel the pressure to churn out three dozen episodes a series, and when it reaches a creative end, kill it. Don't drag it on for years on end after it has jumped the shark but is still pulling an audience...

 

[MarkJohn]

I think a lot of folks didn't have the patience to follow the second series, it being longer. No patience, some folks. It's true, though, that had it gone on for several more series there was always the danger standards could slip. That's what I admire about the Brits' approach to comedy shows especially: write as many series as needsbe, don't feel the pressure to churn out three dozen episodes a series, and when it reaches a creative end, kill it. Don't drag it on for years on end after it has jumped the shark but is still pulling an audience...

Err... 'Last Of The Summer Wine' shakeshead … bad example though

I wish more programs, and their creators would have the courage to end things sooner rather than later... things seem to drag on and on, losing all power and suspense... please, please, sometimes, give us a shock ending, that is not necessarily a happy one, but is something that we will talk about in years to come... Same with films - ditch the drippy test screenings with sad saps who insist on a happy ending every bloody time.

 

[Vornholt]

My two favorites are both sci-fi shows.
"Space: Above and Beyond" only lasted one season in the 90s.

I watched that. Honestly, it was the single worst sci-fi I've ever seen ("Lost" is a close runner-up) More plot holes, logic errors, tactical and logistics errors than I could count. Just...bad.

 

[Jack Patch]

Firefly.

 

[Zombie_61]

Kung Fu...

Technically, the series wasn't cancelled; in fact, all three seasons got high ratings. They were forced to cease production when David Carradine quit, allegedly due to various injuries he'd suffered during it's production. Based on a few comments he made long after the fact, I'm under the impression that the real reason he quit was because he felt the show had run it's course and he used the "injuries" as an excuse to leave the production.

...A series that started promising was "Carnivale" set in a 1930s dust bowl circus scenario. I saw a few parts of series one but stopped after I read it was discontinued. They established characters and mysteries (not as bad as LOST but still) and it felt like a waste of time if all that just stopped in the middle of a bigger story.

i watched the first two seasons of Carnivale and it has a sort of ending at end of season two but not really. i must admit, the proposed six seasons seems a bit ambitious given the subject matter. i'm not surprised they pulled the plug.

I really enjoyed the first season of Carnivàle; the second season, not so much. The shift in tone and storytelling changed drastically between the two seasons, and I think (with no evidence whatsoever to support my theory) the producers knew it wouldn't last much longer, so they tried to wrap up the story as best they could but didn't have the time to allow the story to play out with the slow build-up it really needed. It's still worth watching, as long as you do so with the knowledge that some of the questions presented within will remain unanswered.

Back to the main topic, I have to throw in another vote for Firefly. I'm inclined to concur with Joss Whedon's assessment that FOX sabotaged the show because they didn't understand it, and didn't know what to do with it because it didn't fit in with their "jiggles and giggles" programming (i.e., shows like Married With Children); this is supported by the facts that they aired the episodes out-of-order and consistently pre-empted the show in favor of various sports shows. As it stands, I think it's one of the best sci-fi shows ever created--good writing, solid production values, and flawless casting. But I can't help but wonder if it wouldn't have devolved into "just another sci-fi show" if it had been allowed to continue.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

'The Rockford Files' also ended, due to injuries. I think both times there were issues, it was over Garner hurting his knee.

 

[ButteMT61]

'The Rockford Files' also ended, due to injuries. I think both times there were issues, it was over Garner hurting his knee.

Nah, the answering machine broke. lol

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I was watching one the other night and the batteries leaked and gummed it up. That's close lol

Nah, the answering machine broke. lol

 

[Edward]

Err... 'Last Of The Summer Wine' shakeshead … bad example though

In truth, though, that only ever had one episode..... no matter how many of it they made.

I wish more programs, and their creators would have the courage to end things sooner rather than later... things seem to drag on and on, losing all power and suspense... please, please, sometimes, give us a shock ending, that is not necessarily a happy one, but is something that we will talk about in years to come... Same with films - ditch the drippy test screenings with sad saps who insist on a happy ending every bloody time.

Absolutely. I'm still enormously bitter about how they DESTROYED Little Shop of Horrors (the musical) with that crappy happy ending - so pleased they've finally released a disc with the proper ending, true to the stage show. Far superior. I wish they'd respected the source material for Breakfast at Tiffany's enough to give it the far superior ending from the book too. I shudder to think what Hollywood focus groups would have done to Casablanca....

 

[Stormy]

Mickey Spillane's "Mike Hammer" I wish this show would somehow make a comeback. Stacy Keach was wonderful!