A Note About Shows Robbed in Their Early Stages

The recent EW post about underrated movies and the cancellation of NBC's Undercovers got me thinking. As far as UC goes, it was a great plot, with likable characters, but they spent way too much times setting up the bad guy plots and traveling aroudn the country. Crewatoe There have been so many shows that were whisked away too soon. I'm not saying some shows didn't need to be yanked off quick (see ABC's 2010 dud Romantically Challenged- honestly Alyssa Milano, what were you thinking??), (also see FOX's Running Wilde- how did it make it to December, that little girl had a grating voice that hurt as bad as Will Arnet's "pretty boy" persona), but some shows were shot down before their groove could be reached. Here are my favorites.

Maybe its Me (2000-2001)
This WB gem lasted a full season and was surreptitiously dropped. MIM was a half-hour comedy followed 16-year old Molly Stage and her insane extended family. Dad (Fred Willard) was her soccer coach, Mom (Julia Sweeney) was cheap. Her older brother Rick was dangerously handsome and total thief and con artist (he got them illegal cable in one episode) and her close in high school aged older brother Grant was in love with Jesus. Molly's best friend Mia (great Mia Hamm joke in the first episode when the frustrated dad is mourning the team's loss and mom offers Mia some more ham at dinner) is in love with grant. Throw in twin redhead little sisters whoa re cute but troublesome, and a grandma (the lady from The Wedding Singer)and grandpa (reverend from Little House on the Prairie) (not married, from opposite sides of the family), and it was sickly funny from Molly entering a town beauty pageant where contestants had to shuck clams, to the grandparents cranking up the heat while mom was gone, to mom giving the whole school food poisoning when she subbed as a lunch lady. Their theme song changed twice in the once season, from Lindsay Pagano's "All U R" to Simple Plan's "I'd Do Anything." Bad news: Grandpa got replaced in the middle of the season. GRADE: A+

Mr. Sterling (Jan. to Mar. 2003)
Mr. Sterling (NBC) made it to about ten episodes, all of which were splendidly written. What happened? Josh Brolin was the leading character, a CA-based lawyer that is called to be a senator when the current senator faces major scandal. He hops a plane to D.C., meets his staff, and sets out to get out from the shadow of his father, a former governor of California. The staff included Audra McDonald (Addison's bestie on Private Practice), Will Russ (the dad from Boy meets World).The best episode included Sterling give an all-night filibuster to change a law, complete with reading a copy machine manual. GRADE: B

Miss Match (Sept. to Dec. 2003)
On NBC, Alicia Silverstone is Kate, a divorce lawyer by day, and a matchmaker after hours. Great premise, plus the introduction of James Roday (PSYCH hottie) to television. Roday is a co-worker, and Ryan O'Neal plays her father and the owner of the firm. Kate's bartender best friend Victoria (played by Lake Bell), kept an eye on the matches and was a bit of a slut. Her "should be or shouldn't we" ex Michael (the husband on Ghost Whisperer)was interesting and his best pal Adam (Nathan Fillion, aka Castle) also kept the couplings interesting. The theme song was done by Macy Gray. I see a lot of parallels between this and the new USA show FAIRLY LEGAL. GRADE: B+

A Note About Post-Teen Dramas

The more I watch OTH, the more I find myself thinking to the 2008 web/tv hybrid "Quarterlife." Like a much better and "real" version of My Generation (really??!!- that show only lasted three episodes?- shocker!- I was bored 45 minutes into the first of the one and a half episodes I watched.)

Back from that sideline, Quarterlife was one of those great shows about post-teen life that never got the potential to thrive. There was a scary sense of reality to that show that was so relate-able for me even though I was several years shy of the true quarterlife. AND it was created by the people who created Thirtysomething, which was in the 80s and was about people in a slightly older age bracket- but tackled the same themes and identity.

Now we don't all have those high and mighty One Tree Hill problems, like giving up a career in basketball or having your second kid at 24/25, trying to save your fashion empire, a parent that was sent to jail for corporate fraud, or recovering from a fatal shooting, but then again OTH has always taken the everyday problems and stretched them a little (Lucas's dad blackmailing him to move in because he has to lie to him mom about heart problems, Peyton dating Pete from Fall Out Boy, Uncle Keith getting shot by his brother, Brooke's parent moving out to Cali, starting Clothes over Bros- and really aside from Dan, Karen, and Deb, were anyone's parents really ever around)? But nonetheless, the issues deep down: love-sense of identity-family-friendships-and basketball, have always been relate-able.

Strangely, I've noticed the plots of Mouth and chase both being very real. Mouth losing his job and doing his sports podcast (like from treehillhoops.com back in high school), and Chase managing the bar and his relationships with Alex and Mia (it used to be an all ages club when Peyton started it). And Haley dealing with the death of her mom has also been real- for me- it got a little too real-(see the episode where she jumped in the pool- she was so out of character I thought she was being called Peyton!).

So the quarterlife crisis is alive and well . . .
And Thirtysomething was really the grandmother of all post-teen angsty drama (see example: Garden State)

A Note About My Boys, My Friends

Reading today's EW 5 top stories left me shocked. Sunday's My Boys finale is the last we're ever going to see of PJ and "my men," as the episode was loving called. I'm not thrilled. I was going to write a Haiku as Ausiello suggested, but I prefer lists to Haikus.

Some of the Best My Boys Moments
10. Crowleys
9. Kenny dates a pregnant woman
8. Making fun of Andy
7. A Winter heat wave
6. Stephanie and Kenny getting together
5. PJ inviting Bobby to Italy
4. The guys growing mustaches.
3. Getting to see Andy's home, Brendan's room, and Mike's apartments.
2. Brendan becomes one of Chicago's most eligible bachelors and everyone has to stop him from being a total d-bag.
1. Kenny, Stephanie, PJ and Bobby behave like teens and Mike and Brendan behave like gentlemen. With suits.