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Primetime shows that were cancelled too soon

amybrickwallace

By amybrickwallace
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Khan Grand Master

Khan

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BTY was a good (not great) sitcom, but it didn't belong on FOX.

 

Three shows I'd add to the list: "Buffalo Bill," "Open All Night" and "The Slap Maxwell Story."  All created or co-created by Jay Tarses; all brilliant; all gone way too soon.

 

 

Actually, I thought that was where it belonged all along.  "Just the Ten of Us" was much too smart for TGIF -- and I say that as someone who watched TGIF religiously.

 

Another one I'd add to the list: "Almost Perfect," a two-season wonder from Robin Schiff, Ken Levine & David Isaacs.  It starred Nancy Travis as Kim Cooper, a newly promoted EP on an "NYPD Blue"-esque cop show, who tries to juggle her new, high-pressure job (her predecessor left after suffering a nervous breakdown) with her new relationship with Mike Ryan, a district attorney, played by Kevin Kilner.

 

AP possessed the magical combination of a great cast (in addition to Travis and Kilner, there were David Clennon ("thirtysomething"); Chip Zien (ex-Donald Steele, AMC); and Matthew Letscher ("Scandal," "The Carrie Diaries," etc.)) and great writing.  As much as I love sitcoms, few made me laugh as hard as AP.  However, CBS meddled with the show's premise, insisting that Schiff, Levine & Isaacs dump Mike.  That decision, plus a time-slot change, sealed the show's fate.  CBS cancelled it four episodes into its' second season; however, in the years since, the entire series has been rerun on both Lifetime and USA.

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Khan Grand Master

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God, "Going Places" was so painful to watch.  The hidden-camera show that the four lead characters worked on, "Here's Looking at You," sounded like the biggest piece of crap on TV.  However, as I've alluded to elsewhere on this board, it had the same saving grace that almost all Miller/Boyett shows had: a good theme song.

 

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Vee Grand Master

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The Exorcist on FOX. As a hardcore fan of the book and original film and Blatty's third (a cult masterpiece), I expected total schlock from a network TV treatment. It ended up being a sleeper, a slow burn and very good. There was a somewhat silly running subplot about a conspiracy of possessed people within the church diocese or Vatican, but the show built and built and was deeply connected to Blatty's original work in surprising ways.

 

The two seasons were largely self-contained despite carrying over the two lead priests (one of which, Ben Daniels, was an excommunicated gay priest who has a hot silverback romance with OLTL's Christopher Cousins in Season 2). The first featured Geena Davis, Alan Ruck, Sharon Gless and a twist that should not be spoiled. The second starred John Cho. tbh the show should've been on FX or streaming.

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Vee Grand Master

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I'd been perusing Ken Levine's blog lately for Cheers stuff and I thought this might interest you. I know he did a few entries on AP. (Way more than a few actually, if you search google properly.)

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Soaplovers Mentor

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Almost perfect in season 1 was perfection..and lots of material to explore.  

 

Just the ten of us also had so many windows and avenues.  Not only the parents and 4 oldest daughters..but Jr and Sherry were starting to get focus in the 3rd season..and were a fun duo.  Endless possibilities.  Going Places was a replacement for that show...and that's a tragic mistake 

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DemetriKane Mentor

DemetriKane

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L.A. Complex 

Tell me you love me 

UnReal

South of Nowhere

Life Unexpected 

Dallas Reboot 

Boss

Crash: the series

Soul Food: Series

Star

Zane’s The Jump Off(do not judge me!)

 

I would add every black television show possible, because it’s so rare for one to get into the double digits.

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te. Mentor

te.

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The last season aired exclusively on Hulu in 2018?

 

And yes, L.A. Complex was pretty much what the Melrose Place reboot should've been. It's a shame it was just a Canadian import and didn't get much of a push as a result.

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