As most of you who visit here often would already know, I do have a love for certain shows on television (The TeeVee In Me). You would've learnt of how it began for me with Teen Wolf. You would've also been apprised of my undying love for Once Upon A Time as well as my struggle with Arrow. But here is something that I haven't told you about myself in regards to TV. Over the past seven years, many shows have come and gone. The odd one or two would have a decent run while the rest couldn't win enough respect from the general public. Unfortunately for me, there were many I found myself interested in which weren't ever able to achieve renewal status. With underwhelming ratings, they failed to meet commercial expectations and were quick to be cut short by their networks.
I like to believe that each and every fan of scripted drama has had at least one series they enjoyed watching which didn't survive for long. I believe they have all came across promos (on TV or online) of short-lasting shows and decided to give them a try. I even go as far as believing they have seen them to be as good as shows still going around today. One thing that bothers me a little is how cancelled shows are commonly perceived to be of poor quality. Not all failed projects have looked terrible, especially those I've given my time to. Some of them have touched on the most fascinating of concepts. Others made themselves remembered for incredibly sublime sound/visual effects. A couple of them knew how to leave viewers on the edge of their seat. What I like to think usually causes shows with low ratings to face the chop, is poor marketing and lack of recognition. A few that I'm here to talk about, actually did suffer from this. I thought I would take some time to revisit five shows I liked that were forced to say goodbye sooner than they pleased. I explain how I found out about them, what caught my eye, what I liked and whether or not I still miss watching them.
Here we go:
I not long ago discovered the news for myself. The American cable channel Freeform, decided to swing the axe at Beyond a week after it aired its season two finale. Can't I say I was surprised, given how it was registering underwhelming numbers in both ratings and viewership. I did however end up being disappointed. The reason wasn't so much me liking the show. As a matter of fact, I thought it was alright at best and nothing to sneeze at. My problem with the cancellation came straight after viewing the last episode. If your guess is the final scene, then you've hit the nail on the head. Beyond has become yet another one of those failed projects that leaves us hanging. The questions we are left with, will remain forever unanswered. Where was Arthur (Alex Diakun)? What happened to Willa (Dilan Gwyn)? What was next for Isaac Frost (Martin Donovan)? I'm well aware that this happens with a lot of unsuccessful works for TV. People believe they're doing a very good job with something, only for others to think otherwise and suddenly cut them off. It's something we all have to live with. I just can't help being left irritated by it. It's a personal behaviour of mine.
In some ways, it was a shame that Beyond couldn't last for very long. It's focus on an imaginative link between life and death, was one of the more intriguing ideas going around. It explored life in an altered state of consciousness. It taught us of 'faith' and how it presents itself in different ways. All of this can at times sound depressing, as they are based off topics we often question ourselves (Life's Too Short). However, this show primarily aimed to amuse us with one of many interpretations. I kind of enjoyed how we followed the story of Holden Matthews (Burkely Duffield). We learn of how a coma took up half of his life as what he gained and lost coming out of it. We obviously discover he has supernatural abilities after waking up. But what I loved most was that his incomprehension of a changed reality echoed. A few of his closest family and friends including Jeff McArdle (Jeff Pierre), brother Luke (Jonathan Whitesell) and girlfriend Charlie Singer (Eden Brolin), occasionally shared his confusion and tried figuring out what made sense and what didn't.
The fall of this series leaves me wondering whether the crew responsible for putting it together saw the probability of facing termination. Did they notice the lack of promotion and incredibly low ratings Beyond was pulling in? Did they ever prepare for the worst? After all, this show was an original program on Freeform and very few original programs survive for more than three years on this channel due to lack of viewers at prime time. Other than Pretty Little Liars, Switched At Birth, The Fosters and Shadowhunters, I can't think of any drama series that achieved much coming from Freeform. I guess the writing was always on the wall, even before the series began airing. Well at least Adam Nussdorf and the other executive producers can have one thing to feel proud about. Unlike most cancelled shows on Freeform and the others from different networks I discuss below, Beyond managed to deliver two seasons instead of one (albeit very short seasons).
The events of Once Upon A Time In Wonderland happen in the same universe as its parent series. The story followed Alice (Sophie Lowe), a young girl from Victorian England who told doctors of her adventures in a strange place down a rabbit hole called Wonderland. These doctors however wouldn't believe her and instead decided to try and wipe her memory of the place. Alice would go on to agree with the treatment, given her painful experience in Wonderland which saw the loss of her one true love, a genie named Cyrus (Peter Gadiot). Before she could be treated she is rescued by the Knave of Hearts (Michael Socha) and the White Rabbit (John Lightgow), who would inform her that Cyrus is alive. Alice then returned to Wonderland with the hope of finding him. But an evil sorcerer by the name of Jafar (Naveen Andrews) had plans for ultimate power that almost got in the way of Alice's search for love and happiness.
Despite my adoration for Once Upon A Time remaining strong, I've forever been unsure about where the spin-off sat with me. There was often the odd moment or two when it was hard to keep track of. The characters didn't seem like they could carry as good of a story and the CGI at times was rather iffy. But overall, Once Upon A Time In Wonderland was a joy to watch. Though not lasting for longer than thirteen episodes, I felt like I could have watched many more if they were to have continued. Andrews was brilliant in his short time playing Jafar and made the character so mesmerizing. I also loved the depth given to the Anastasia/Red Queen (Emma Rigby), and diving into her rocky past with Will Scarlet/Knave of Hearts. It was even great seeing the fair connection with the parent series, as we got to see Cora/Queen of Hearts (Barbara Hershey) and one of her experiences during her time banished in Wonderland. And it still surprises me how the show was able to cast such big names for voice roles like Whoopi Goldberg, Keith David and Iggy Pop. I do in fact miss this series a little bit, but at the same time it's hard imagining what else could have been written for it.
This drama/thriller series only had eight episodes that aired over the course of sixty-three days. It was basically about a housewife and mother of three named Marta Walraven (Radha Mitchell) whose drug-smuggling husband Evan was murdered. She decided to take it upon herself and look for answers to who killed him, only to find herself along with the rest of her family targets for a crime syndicate. She learns of the money stolen from an illegal operation by her husband and his business partners, one of which was her brother Irwin Petrov (Wil Traval) who would later be caught and locked up for his role in the offence. Marta's priority is then shifted to protecting her family and freeing her brother by returning the stolen money and working for the man she long believed was somewhat responsible for her husband's death, crime boss Nicholae Schiller (Goran Visnjic).
Can't really tell you much else about this one. But let me tell you what I do remember? I remember a school friend of mine having informed me of his interest in this drama. I remember watching the promos and having considered them as some of the most intense that I came across. I even remember thinking this wasn't my sort of show. That and the fact that it wasn't targeting people of my age (I was sixteen at the time). Some of you are probably wondering if I remember anything that actually happened in this series. Surprisingly I do. The one thing I remember quite well from Red Widow, happened in the last episode. Marta discovered that her father Andrei Petrov (Rade Šerbedžija) had ordered one of his men, Luther (Luke Goss) to kill Evan. One of the very last scenes I vividly recall was Marta looking at her father with disgust, before he was taken away in a police car. While I can't recall anything else, I think this was one series that ended without any door left open. I suppose that information is meaningless to me, since almost everything has been forgotten.
A sci-fi romance about an alien boy and human girl falling in love in the midst of a war between their respective races. Extremely derivative, don't you think? Sounds like yet another drama based off Romeo And Juliet. Not difficult to find this sort of material nowadays. So I couldn't blame anybody for having had an issue with this show at first. But once again, if you come around here often, you will know me well. I don't judge things until I have reasonable understanding of them (Beyond The Surface). Interestingly, that is something this show had taught viewers as well. From a distance, Star-Crossed can appear as if it lacked creativity. Yet somehow in some way for some reason, I took great pleasure in observing all it gave to me. The futuristic allure. The forceful personalities. The historical relevance. This particular show also went on to demonstrate the harshness of human arrogance along with the importance of thoughts and emotions. It reinterprets an infamous, social issue in a manner seen more politically correct. If I were to liken this show to food, it's something that looks plain but is packed with flavour. Strange analogy, but fairly accurate.
Star-Crossed took place in the not-too-distant future, where a species of aliens known as 'Atrians', landed on Earth only to be spurned by humans. It led to an ongoing conflict that kept both sides divided. A young Emery (Aimee Teegarden) would discover Roman (Matt Lanter), an Atrian boy hiding in her family shed. The two became friends until Roman was found by the military. Ten years later, they found themselves reunited with one another thanks to an integration program that saw seven Atrians attend the suburban high school. The two slowly developed strong feelings for each other. However, the war that separated them at first would yet again raise its ugly head. Much like Beyond, this show ended on a cliffhanger. The humans were left unconscious from a shockwave and Atrian warships invaded the planet. What happened next? We didn't find out and we never will. You should now know what I think about cliffhangers followed by nothing? Aargh! What frustrated me even more, was that I really loved watching the series at the time. I loved it so much, that I decided to dress up as an Atrian for year 12 muck-up day. Just stylish men's clothing and markings on my face. I didn't have much else.
Don't let the poor ratings fool you here. Star-Crossed may have been one of many short-lived dramas, but it didn't take much for it to grow a huge following. After The CW pulled the plug, 'Stargazers' (the name given to fans of the show) took to social media to not only express their disappointment but fight the decision as well. From online petitions and money donations to simple hashtags and photos. They even went as far as to send cold spaghetti to the network's offices. People also tried reaching out to Netflix, hoping they would pick up the show for a second season. Fans tried almost every way possible to turn the fate of the series around, and their efforts in doing so would be recognised in news headlines on TV. But unfortunately, everything they did was to no avail. It still wasn't enough. Months had passed and the fan-base slowly began to die off. It hurt me to see this happen, as I was sort of a 'Stargazer' myself. Oh well, at least they tried. Can't fault them for that.
Although it didn't last, it was nice seeing the little cousin of Stephen Amell get a chance to shine in his own show on the CW. This was an American remake of the original British series of the same name from the seventies. It's about a group of people that represent a more advanced stage of human evolution, known as 'Homo superior'. Referred to as 'The Tomorrow People', these special humans develop psionic abilities such as telekinesis, telepathy and teleportation. They hide themselves to prevent public fear and are forced to find a safe place to live, with an evil organisation called Ultra trying to destroy them. Protagonist Stephen Jameson (Robbie Amell) learns of his abilities and finds himself tuck between a rock and a hard place while working as a double agent under the eye of the head of Ultra, his uncle Jedikiah Price (Mark Pellegrino). This show like Once Upon A Time In Wonderland, was sometimes difficult to understand. Along with that, I remember very little from it. While it did grow a fan-base, I personally couldn't attach myself to this story as much as the other four. I suppose The Tomorrow People was something that needed more time to blossom. Quite unfortunate really. None of this is saying that I didn't like the show. I wouldn't be talking about it if I didn't appreciate it for what it tried to bring. But I can't help having seen it as one of the weakest shows I've followed.
Here's a little something I find rather funny. The Tomorrow People was advertised down here in Australia on one of the free-to-air channels. It was soon to be scheduled on the particular channel as promised by the network responsible. Why is this funny you ask? Well the channel that promoted the series, never gone on to air it afterwards. For some undisclosed reason, the network decided to call off the show before it even got around to broadcasting the first episode. At first, one would think it was the cancellation that led to the change of plans. However, the show wasn't axed until days after the final episode aired in the United States and the Australian promos were released long before that happened (at least that is what I can remember). A situation like is extremely rare down here and this is the only time I've ever experienced it happen in front of me. In the end I managed to track down the only season of The Tomorrow People elsewhere and I watched all twenty-two episodes.
Travis "TJ" James
I like to believe that each and every fan of scripted drama has had at least one series they enjoyed watching which didn't survive for long. I believe they have all came across promos (on TV or online) of short-lasting shows and decided to give them a try. I even go as far as believing they have seen them to be as good as shows still going around today. One thing that bothers me a little is how cancelled shows are commonly perceived to be of poor quality. Not all failed projects have looked terrible, especially those I've given my time to. Some of them have touched on the most fascinating of concepts. Others made themselves remembered for incredibly sublime sound/visual effects. A couple of them knew how to leave viewers on the edge of their seat. What I like to think usually causes shows with low ratings to face the chop, is poor marketing and lack of recognition. A few that I'm here to talk about, actually did suffer from this. I thought I would take some time to revisit five shows I liked that were forced to say goodbye sooner than they pleased. I explain how I found out about them, what caught my eye, what I liked and whether or not I still miss watching them.
Here we go:
In some ways, it was a shame that Beyond couldn't last for very long. It's focus on an imaginative link between life and death, was one of the more intriguing ideas going around. It explored life in an altered state of consciousness. It taught us of 'faith' and how it presents itself in different ways. All of this can at times sound depressing, as they are based off topics we often question ourselves (Life's Too Short). However, this show primarily aimed to amuse us with one of many interpretations. I kind of enjoyed how we followed the story of Holden Matthews (Burkely Duffield). We learn of how a coma took up half of his life as what he gained and lost coming out of it. We obviously discover he has supernatural abilities after waking up. But what I loved most was that his incomprehension of a changed reality echoed. A few of his closest family and friends including Jeff McArdle (Jeff Pierre), brother Luke (Jonathan Whitesell) and girlfriend Charlie Singer (Eden Brolin), occasionally shared his confusion and tried figuring out what made sense and what didn't.
The fall of this series leaves me wondering whether the crew responsible for putting it together saw the probability of facing termination. Did they notice the lack of promotion and incredibly low ratings Beyond was pulling in? Did they ever prepare for the worst? After all, this show was an original program on Freeform and very few original programs survive for more than three years on this channel due to lack of viewers at prime time. Other than Pretty Little Liars, Switched At Birth, The Fosters and Shadowhunters, I can't think of any drama series that achieved much coming from Freeform. I guess the writing was always on the wall, even before the series began airing. Well at least Adam Nussdorf and the other executive producers can have one thing to feel proud about. Unlike most cancelled shows on Freeform and the others from different networks I discuss below, Beyond managed to deliver two seasons instead of one (albeit very short seasons).
Despite my adoration for Once Upon A Time remaining strong, I've forever been unsure about where the spin-off sat with me. There was often the odd moment or two when it was hard to keep track of. The characters didn't seem like they could carry as good of a story and the CGI at times was rather iffy. But overall, Once Upon A Time In Wonderland was a joy to watch. Though not lasting for longer than thirteen episodes, I felt like I could have watched many more if they were to have continued. Andrews was brilliant in his short time playing Jafar and made the character so mesmerizing. I also loved the depth given to the Anastasia/Red Queen (Emma Rigby), and diving into her rocky past with Will Scarlet/Knave of Hearts. It was even great seeing the fair connection with the parent series, as we got to see Cora/Queen of Hearts (Barbara Hershey) and one of her experiences during her time banished in Wonderland. And it still surprises me how the show was able to cast such big names for voice roles like Whoopi Goldberg, Keith David and Iggy Pop. I do in fact miss this series a little bit, but at the same time it's hard imagining what else could have been written for it.
Can't really tell you much else about this one. But let me tell you what I do remember? I remember a school friend of mine having informed me of his interest in this drama. I remember watching the promos and having considered them as some of the most intense that I came across. I even remember thinking this wasn't my sort of show. That and the fact that it wasn't targeting people of my age (I was sixteen at the time). Some of you are probably wondering if I remember anything that actually happened in this series. Surprisingly I do. The one thing I remember quite well from Red Widow, happened in the last episode. Marta discovered that her father Andrei Petrov (Rade Šerbedžija) had ordered one of his men, Luther (Luke Goss) to kill Evan. One of the very last scenes I vividly recall was Marta looking at her father with disgust, before he was taken away in a police car. While I can't recall anything else, I think this was one series that ended without any door left open. I suppose that information is meaningless to me, since almost everything has been forgotten.
Star-Crossed took place in the not-too-distant future, where a species of aliens known as 'Atrians', landed on Earth only to be spurned by humans. It led to an ongoing conflict that kept both sides divided. A young Emery (Aimee Teegarden) would discover Roman (Matt Lanter), an Atrian boy hiding in her family shed. The two became friends until Roman was found by the military. Ten years later, they found themselves reunited with one another thanks to an integration program that saw seven Atrians attend the suburban high school. The two slowly developed strong feelings for each other. However, the war that separated them at first would yet again raise its ugly head. Much like Beyond, this show ended on a cliffhanger. The humans were left unconscious from a shockwave and Atrian warships invaded the planet. What happened next? We didn't find out and we never will. You should now know what I think about cliffhangers followed by nothing? Aargh! What frustrated me even more, was that I really loved watching the series at the time. I loved it so much, that I decided to dress up as an Atrian for year 12 muck-up day. Just stylish men's clothing and markings on my face. I didn't have much else.
Don't let the poor ratings fool you here. Star-Crossed may have been one of many short-lived dramas, but it didn't take much for it to grow a huge following. After The CW pulled the plug, 'Stargazers' (the name given to fans of the show) took to social media to not only express their disappointment but fight the decision as well. From online petitions and money donations to simple hashtags and photos. They even went as far as to send cold spaghetti to the network's offices. People also tried reaching out to Netflix, hoping they would pick up the show for a second season. Fans tried almost every way possible to turn the fate of the series around, and their efforts in doing so would be recognised in news headlines on TV. But unfortunately, everything they did was to no avail. It still wasn't enough. Months had passed and the fan-base slowly began to die off. It hurt me to see this happen, as I was sort of a 'Stargazer' myself. Oh well, at least they tried. Can't fault them for that.
Here's a little something I find rather funny. The Tomorrow People was advertised down here in Australia on one of the free-to-air channels. It was soon to be scheduled on the particular channel as promised by the network responsible. Why is this funny you ask? Well the channel that promoted the series, never gone on to air it afterwards. For some undisclosed reason, the network decided to call off the show before it even got around to broadcasting the first episode. At first, one would think it was the cancellation that led to the change of plans. However, the show wasn't axed until days after the final episode aired in the United States and the Australian promos were released long before that happened (at least that is what I can remember). A situation like is extremely rare down here and this is the only time I've ever experienced it happen in front of me. In the end I managed to track down the only season of The Tomorrow People elsewhere and I watched all twenty-two episodes.
Travis "TJ" James
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