Day: November 25, 2014

2 Good Shows Cancelled

- Roshan

Following American tv can be a seriously frustrating thing these days. You can get hooked on good tv shows, not the really major numbers pulling shows but still great in their own way, and they get cancelled far too early in their lifetime. Recently I learned that two of my favourite shows of recent years, both crime dramas and both that have lasted 3 seasons, have been cancelled. Both shows have suffered from bad broadcasting decisions from their respective networks, which I think has hurt their successes in the long run.

First comes Unforgettable, a police procedural drama television series that aire on CBS. It stars Poppy Montgomery as Detective Carrie Wells, a female police detective with an unusually detailed and photographic memory along with Dylan Walsh and a talented group of supporting cast that included Jane Curtin, Dallas Roberts, Tawny Cypress & James Hiroyuki Liao (the last four are only in seasons 2 & 3). After the first season of 22 episodes ended in 2012 CBS canceled Unforgettable, only to reverse their decision and renew the show for another two seasons. On October 10, 2014, CBS canceled the show again. Even with only 13 episodes they put long gaps in between the two halves of the short seasons off 2 & 3 and that affected the American public’s awareness of this fun show.

Next up is crime drama series Perception on the cable channel TNT, and is produced by ABC Studios. The series stars Eric McCormack as Dr. Daniel Pierce, a schizophrenic neuropsychiatrist who assists the FBI on some of their most complex cases. His former student and close friend FBI agent Kate Moretti is who he works with, and the cast also has Kelly Rowan, Arjay Smith & Levar Burton as part of Dr. Pierce’s circle of friends. Scott Wolf joined from season 2 onwards as an ADA and former husband of Kate, who rekindles their relationship as they work closely to solve crimes. Season 1 was just 10 episodes long and it was renewed for 14 episodes in season 2 and 3 but they air it with 10 episodes followed by large gaps of a few months to finish the final 4. I think that hurt this show a lot.

Sadly these shows are far better than a lot of the crap that gets shown on tv for years and years.

If The Sun Refused To Shine

- Roshan

What would you do if the sun didn’t rise tomorrow?

Well for that to happen something would have to happen to the earth – perhaps something massively catastrophic that the earth stop rotating and hence only one section of the planet gets to see the sun and the part where I live gets only night time because we can’t see the sun! Wow what could bring that up? Or perhaps we fly outta orbit away from the sun and become a rogue planet that does not revolve around the sun or is too far away that we can’t see it.

Either scenario would be disastrous for all life on earth. So I would panic. What other reason could cause it? I suppose something could block out the sun from the sky. That would only mean that we can’t see it but it’s still there. Black clouds. Something polluting the atmosphere. I dunno, take your pic. Whatever it be, it will be chaos for us and we all could die.

In Clear Sight

- Roshan

I was reminded, by something only slightly related, of an episode of a usually light-hearted tv show that I saw ages ago. Sometime in the 90s, though I cannot remember the name of the show. Yet this episode remains prominent in my memory.

A teenage boy, around 16, while visiting someone at the hospital along with his friends meets a girl his age who is being treated for blindness at the same hospital. He falls in love with her instantly and refers to her as the most beautiful living being he has ever seen. This girl, a mutual friend of his other two friends,  had lost her eyesight in a childhood accident and is about to undergo a surgery to correct the blindness or have eyes donated to her or something like that. She hasn’t seen anyone in 10 years and is quite nervous about the operation. This boy befriends the blind girl and they spend a lot of time together, as he makes her laugh and she becomes less nervous about the surgery. Just before the surgery, she tells him that she knows that he is in love with her and that she loves him too and she kisses him.

The nervous teen waits until the surgery is over and is informed that it was a success. It will take a couple of days for the bandages to come off and he spends as much time as possible with her. Yet he is nervous at her seeing him as he doesn’t think he is handsome enough. The other two friends encourage him and say that she loves him so it shouldn’t matter. Well the big day arrives and the doctor takes the girl’s bandages off and she sees her parents faces for the first time in 10 years and is overjoyed. Next up in the evening she meets the two friends, seeing their faces for the first time and she says that the boy & girl are even cuter/prettier than she thought they were. From the back comes the boy who loves her……and she is disappointed. He isn’t handsome, his features aren’t as appealing and he isn’t tall. Her face betrays what she is thinking even though she tries to hide it. And he knows! She doesn’t think he is attractive enough for her liking.

Later he approaches her, knowing that the brief love they shared was only because he was there for her when she needed someone. She tells him that she is sorry if he is hurt, but it would be better if they could stay friends. He says it’s ok and wishes her well. And he never sees her again. Ever had to feel that heart-broken?