A day late, but I hope not a dollar short. I postponed this week’s roundup so I could take the time to find all of the upfronts info and preview videos I could.
Will Hulu Be the Death of TV?
A look at the effect Hulu may have on the networks. I think the day will come that we watch our shows direct from the studios, but it will be a long time.
Supernatural Episode Recap: Two Minutes to Midnight
Karla Petersen’s take on the season finale. It was very emotional, and if it had actually been the season finale, I would have cried through the whole thing. Because I knew it wasn’t the end, though, I found it a little heavy-handed and manipulative. And, it all seemed to come together too easily.
CW Moves Supernatural to Fridays for Fall
We’ll be watching our show one day later next season. How do you feel about the shift? I’m okay with it because it frees up the extremely full Thursday at 9 slot. Perhaps I’ll actually watch The Office again.
I love upfronts. I am always excited to see which shows will return in the coming year and what new shows the fall season will bring. I read upfront previews as soon as I get notification of their posting.
The major networks have their upfronts next week. So, check here and Twitter for info about the pickups and drops.
ABC: May 18. I’ll be looking for something to fill the midweek doldrums. I can’t keep watching 90210 forever, right? I’m also interested in how they replace Lost.
CBS: May 19. I’m only marginally interested in this, mainly because I don’t watch a lot of shows on CBS. Hubby is all about Hawaii Five-Oh remake, but I really only care if How I Met Your Mother will return.
CW: May 20. Will the CW replace it’s ailing scripted series with more reality crap? I hope not. I’d love to see them honor the W in their name and bring back the types of shows that made the WB awesome. Life Unexpected had that potential, but it hasn’t lived up to it so far. I’m not sure Nikita will be the show that will make me love the CW like I loved the WB.
Fox: May 17. Again, not really that interested. I watch Glee, but nothing else Fox offers appeals to me. Besides, if I like it, they’ll cancel it unceremoniously because it doesn’t live up to the ratings of American Idol. (I know this won’t happen for a long time, but I’d love to see them dump the long-past-its-prime karaoke competition.)
NBC: May 17. NBC is the network I care about. Will they bring back Chuck? It looks good (according to Ausiello), but I don’t want to assume the best and be shattered by the worst. Will they have anything else interesting to watch? Love Bites and Outsourced have potential, but I’m waiting to see more on them and the other pickups before I make my decisions about which shows to watch.
Of course, I’d also love to see the networks realize that sometimes shorter seasons mean better shows that people care about watching. I don’t think a six-episode season is quite enough, but 13 has proven to be good for the creative development of a show. Look at Glee. The first 13 episodes of the season were focused and interesting, even though the show had that stupid fake pregnancy storyline. I still enjoy the show, but the episodes after the first 13 have meandered a little and haven’t been as good.
Which last-minute renewal made you do your happy dance? Feel free to explain your rationale or even describe your happy dance in the comments section.
Personally, I was most excited about Chuck’s renewal, but most surprised by Better off Ted. I really enjoyed that show, but I was sure it was a goner after the first episode. So, bravo to ABC for sticking with a fun and quirky show. Let’s hope we can make it past the second season, too.
As I watched Better off Ted last night, I was again struck with anger that the shows I like are always either on the bubble or sure of being canceled. [Edited to add: According to TV by the Numbers, Better of Ted gets 4.5-5 million viewers, a 1.9 in the 18-49 demographic. American Idol gets 18 million viewers, a 8.0 in the 18-49 demo.]
It all started when I was nine, and a little show starring Sarah Jessica Parker and a cast of odd characters. That show was Square Pegs. My best friend and I watched it every week, delighting in Patty and her fat friend’s journey through high school, the odd behavior of Johnny Slash and his buddy Marshall, the Valley Girl stylings of Jennifer, the grudging respect Jennifer’s boyfriend Vinnie began to show Patty as the year progressed, and the elevated diction of Muffy. Muffy and Brother Dan, the vice principal at the Catholic high school I graduated from, are the only people I have heard use the work behoove and mean it.
Square Pegs made it through one year on the air, but that was it. Its cancellation cut me to my core. I wish I could say that was the last time I was crushed as one of my favorite shows didn’t make it back on the air, but the list is too long for a blog post.
Twin Peaks almost canceled itself, with its quick drop in quality after the reveal of the central mystery. ABC put it out of its misery when it canceled it, but it still hurt.
Veronica Mars was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, standing up to my incessant replays of its three short years.
This year, I fear that I will again have to bid a fond farewell to some high-quality shows. And that I will again be left with nothing but an unsatisfying cliffhanger to watch again and again on the DVDs as others revel in their Americal Idol, Dancing with the Stars, CSI, and Grey’s Anatomy. I will again curse the random sampling method of gauging viewer interest in their television shows. The Nielsens have been cruel to me over the years, and I would like to see a ratings system that I can at least believe is accurate.
Yet I still look forward to the upfronts. The announcements of which shows have been spared and which new shows I will get attached to in the fall. The mourning period that begins when the cancellations are for sure.
Good review of Hellcats. Miss it tonight? Watch rpt Friday. RT @HitFixDaniel: My review of CW's bendy new "Hellcats" -- http://bit.ly/bfhiZX - posted on 08/09/2010 20:14:46
Just realized this didn't post this morning: New Blog Post: The Summer is Over (http://bit.ly/9fKG22 ) - posted on 07/09/2010 19:11:42
@katie71483 I, too, can't wait for Sam and Dean. I am interested to see how they handle the return. - posted on 07/09/2010 19:10:00
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Uncategorized | Jennifer Roland | 
May 21, 2010 6:23 am | 
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