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Canceled Shows

It's always a bit of a disappointment when you watch a season or two of a show only to see it cancelled...especially if it has a serial story line that's gets abandoned mid cliffhanger.  The more episodic ones that die are a bummer too but to a lesser extent.

Today I went through the season pass lists on the Tivos and did some investigating about the shows I suspected might be dead.  I noticed a trend in which the creators of some of the canceled shows are making an effort to provide some resolution for their fans.  The other trend I noticed: ABC.

octoberroad13a

October Road (ABC)

Can you ever really go home again?

That's the question that confronts acclaimed novelist Nick Garrett when he returns home after being away for ten years. Once back home on October Road, he quickly discovers that the circle of friends whose teenaged lives he wrote about have since settled into blue collar careers and started families.

Canceled.  I was definitely sorry to see that this one was gone.  It grew on me over a couple of seasons...lots of likeable characters and storylines.  When they heard it was canceled, the creators wrote a 15-minute finale and contacted each of the cast-members.  It will be on the season 2 DVD when it's released in about a month.

traveler

Traveler (ABC)

College friends go on the lam after becoming suspects in a terrorist bombing. Along the way, they attempt to track down information to clear their names and expose a conspiracy.

Not as disappointed that Traveler died.  That's probably because it was only 8 episodes in.  Anyway, after it was cancelled, the show's creator posted an "answers blog."

notescast Notes from the Underbelly (ABC)

Andrew and Lauren are deciding if they really want a family or not. But the advice from their friends is not helping them at all! Are they going to have a baby or are they going to continue their lives without one?

Underbelly was cute and enjoyable and always good for a few chuckles.  Not glad to see it go.

 

 

250px-Dirty_Sexy_Money-Logo Dirty Sexy Money (ABC)

 

 

When idealistic attorney Nick George's father dies, he ends up taking his father's clients, the Darlings, led by patriarch Tripp.  It's not always easy for Nick handling both legal and sometimes illegal matters.

I liked DSM at first but then it seemed to devolve into just a prime time soap opera, so I wasn't too sad to see it go.  There were a few episodes that didn't air in the U.S.  Guess those will come with the DVD.  It'd be nice if they showed up on ABC.com too.

230px-PushingDaisieslogo2

Pushing Daisies (ABC)

...centers around a pie-maker with the ability to bring the dead back to life with minor stipulations.

I like Daisies and enjoyed it, but in the end it just seemed like a gimmick with no where else to go.  There are 3 as-yet-unaired episodes.  Reportedly they'll air this summer but won't provide a narrative conclusion (per ABC's instructions).

Capture_03292009_160716 Aliens in America (The CW)

A Wisconsin mom arranges to host a foreign exchange student, believing the visitor will help her shy son become more popular. When the student turns out to be a Muslim teenager from Pakistan, her plans go awry - and everyone is likely to learn a little lesson about life.

I enjoyed this Aliens and was disappointed to see it go.  It was a nice combination of comedy while also dealing with issues of religion and culture.

Capture_03292009_160847 Dirt (FX)

The series follows the exploits of Lucy Spiller, an executive editor at two tabloid magazines. Lucy possesses the power to manipulate the lives of celebrities through the articles she prints in the magazine.

I liked this Dirt OK, though it seemed liked it went out of the way to push the decency standards of basic cable just for the fun of it.

I was thinking that Reaper was dead too (even though I'd heard it was coming back) because the episodes weren't appearing on the Tivo.  Turns out that new episodes have been airing since early March but the season pass wasn't functioning for some unknown reason.  I fixed that and am catching up on the missed episodes online.  I'm also currently enjoying the second seasons of Damages and Breaking Bad.

Out of all of those dead shows, if you haven't seen the following then I'd recommend adding them to your Netflix queue: Pushing Daisies, October Road, Aliens in America, and Notes from the Underbelly.

Comments

I watched pushing daisies and notes from the under belly and enjoyed them. I tried watching October Road once or twice, but in my brief exposure it didn't catch me. Maybe I should have given it more of chance since you liked it.

Are you cruising with the crumpies?

We're planning to unless Lisa's back interferes.

Are you guys still watching Lost? I am, but Lisa bailed earlier this season.

Yes we are still watching it! Still liking it too, for the most part.

I watched October Road and was disappointed to see it canceled. Appreciate the news on the Season 2 DVD. I'll have to check that out.

Laura,

Have you been watching E.R.?  I've enjoyed these last few end of the series episodes...seeing some of those old characters again.  Lisa thought they tried to fit too much in the finale, but I liked it fine.  I'm glad they decided to shut it down now.  It was still enjoyable in recent years but not the same.

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