TMC
12-21-2009, 08:16 PM
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/decade_in_review/decade_in_review_shows_that_co.php
There's been plenty of revolutionary television in the first decade of the 21st Century, from 24's real-time format to Lost's intricate storytelling to The Sopranos' mix of Mob and morality, but there were also plenty of other shows that had the potential for greatness but just never made it there, for one reason or another. Here are the short-lived series that could've been amazing creatively if they had only changed a thing or two.
FreakyLinks (2000)
This sci-fi series had the forethought to create an edgy website where people could follow along. Back in 2000, that was pretty impressive. On paper, the show was a younger and fresher version of The X-Files focusing on a group of friends investigated urban legends and lore. But while we adore Can't Hardly Wait star Ethan Embry, the characters here just weren't engaging or sexy enough to really work. They needed someone dreamy like Dark Angel's Eyes Only or like those pretty Winchester brothers from Supernatural, in order to get past the freak-of-the-week rut.
Inside Schwartz (2001)
Breckin Meyer is adorable, but he's not the first person we think of when we think sportscaster. In fact, he'd probably be way at the bottom of the list. With a different actor in the title role, this series could have had a lot of fun with the sports/dating life metaphors ... hell, TBS has been doing it successfully for several seasons with My Boys. And athletes would have loved a show where they can be themselves and not have to dance.
Birds of Prey (2002)
Superhero TV shows should be a no-brainer -- just look at how long Smallville has been on the air. But yet Birds of Prey flopped, Aquaman never even made it to series and we're not even going to get into the whole Heroes thing. But the biggest problem with Prey was that they forgot that the reason people originally tuned into Smallville was for the human elements of the show -- how super-charged heroes coped with everyday life. Prey just dove right into the geek-world and made a lot of changes to established comic-lore. All the tight costumes in the world can't make up for that.
Fastlane (2002)
Fast cars, hot guys, tight outfits, undercover cops, sex and drugs. Should have been great. Too bad they forgot about plot. Damned plot. Gets in the way of shows being decent every time.
Push, Nevada (2002)
This show could have been Lost with an actual prize for loyal viewers able to figure out what the hell was going on. However, it needed a major script overhaul and an interesting mystery in order to make people actually care enough to pay attention to the minute details that acted as clues to solve this case.
That '80s Show (2002)
Given the fact that Glenn Howerton is very entertaining on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Chyler Leigh is really showing off her acting ability on Grey's Anatomy, the performances wasn't necessarily the problem here. The biggest issue with this show, aside from the fact that it wasn't funny, was that the writers tried too hard to point out just how '80s everything was all the time. That '70s Show worked because it was a group of stoner friends who just happened to live in that decade, whereas the '80s themselves were the focus of this dud. And those '80s fashions alone are a major hurdle, which might partly be why that Gossip Girl spin-off never happened.
The Tracy Morgan Show (2003)
Tracy Morgan running an auto repair shop? Really? This traditional family sitcom failed because of its unoriginal jokes and premise. However, had Tina Fey been writing it, it would have been a whole different story. Literally.
Jack & Bobby (2004)
The show was created by Greg Berlanti (Everwood, Brothers & Sisters), Tommy Schlamme (The West Wing) and comic book author Brad Meltzer. So the creative was solid, but the lofty idea of showing a Jack and Bobby that weren't the Kennedys, while having one brother eventually die young and the other eventually become president (and not the one named Jack), was unnecessarily confusing. The whole thing might have been an easier sell if they had just changed the stupid name.
Commander-in-Chief (2005)
Let's make a show where there's a female president and then let's cast a big name from the movies, like Geena Davis, in the role. Fabulous! Too bad that's about where the creative process seemed to stop. No one really thought beyond the plot to what this female president would actually do. We had to wait for 24's seventh season to finally do this concept justice.
The Bedford Diaries (2006)
A show about college kids taking a class about sex. With fun video diaries chronicling their adventures. It should have been an addictive guilty pleasure, but they sucked the sex out of the show and made it talk-heavy and boring instead. If they'd just added more salacious events and less classroom lectures on abstinence, we might have re-registered for this class.
Day Break (2006)
Groundhog Day with Taye Diggs stuck reliving the same day over and over again as he tries to figure out who really committed the crime he was being framed for. We love Diggs, but he's much better in an ensemble, while co-star Moon Bloodgood was a poor choice to play his love interest (great name, though). With better casting this could have been the next 24.
Runaway (2006)
Like The Fugitive starring a New Kid on the Block. But Donnie Wahlberg wasn't actually the problem, the pacing was. They needed to hit the ground running and not stop until the season was over.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006)
A show about the behind-the-scenes workings of a late-night sketch comedy show? Crazy idea, but it might have been great if any of the sketches in the show-within-the-show had been remotely funny, or if we could have bought the fact that Sarah Paulson's uptight Harriet would have ever been cast on an SNL-type show, or if they had just retitled it 30 Rock.
Big Shots (2007)
Sort of a guys version of Sex and the City, with a solid cast that included Michael Vartan, Dylan McDermott, Christopher Titus and Joshua Malina. Too bad golfing and banking aren't nearly as exciting as boozing, brunching and shoes.
Bionic Woman (2007)
If they had only been able to cast Katee Sackhoff in the title role instead of the atrociously boring Michelle Ryan. Instead, Sackhoff's stint as a badass villain was awesome, while the rest of the show was less so.
Carpoolers (2007)
There were some funny things about this show, especially the slacker son Marmaduke, but really, who cares about carpoolers? If they had just made it about neighbors who got into each other's business, it could have been so much better. But those commuting scenes were the worst part of the show.
Viva Laughlin (2007)
If they'd given up the backing tracks that made it seem like the stars were singing along in their cars and really let Hugh Jackman do the lion's share of the vocals, while making the scripts intentionally funny, this show could have been Glee for grownups. Instead, this casino drama/musical hybrid went bust in record time.
Return of Jezebel James (2008)
The biggest problem here was that Gilmore guru Amy Sherman-Palladino apparently forgot how to write witty, lighthearted, realistic conversations between two women. Second biggest problem: the laugh track.
The Beautiful Life: TBL (2009)
Mischa Barton was a casting mistake along with Elle Macpherson and Sara Paxton -- pretty models who look good on magazine covers aren't necessarily interesting when they are scripted. While the women needed to be attractive for a show like this, they also needed to have a little bit more to offer as well. Like personality, acting ability, etc...
Eastwick (2009)
Taking a movie that was made in the '80s and trying to make people care about it two decades later was a lofty proposition, but to take a devilish role made famous by Jack Nicholson (you know, three-time Oscar winner Jack Nicholson) and put the guy from Due South in it was just beyond ridiculous.
There's been plenty of revolutionary television in the first decade of the 21st Century, from 24's real-time format to Lost's intricate storytelling to The Sopranos' mix of Mob and morality, but there were also plenty of other shows that had the potential for greatness but just never made it there, for one reason or another. Here are the short-lived series that could've been amazing creatively if they had only changed a thing or two.
FreakyLinks (2000)
This sci-fi series had the forethought to create an edgy website where people could follow along. Back in 2000, that was pretty impressive. On paper, the show was a younger and fresher version of The X-Files focusing on a group of friends investigated urban legends and lore. But while we adore Can't Hardly Wait star Ethan Embry, the characters here just weren't engaging or sexy enough to really work. They needed someone dreamy like Dark Angel's Eyes Only or like those pretty Winchester brothers from Supernatural, in order to get past the freak-of-the-week rut.
Inside Schwartz (2001)
Breckin Meyer is adorable, but he's not the first person we think of when we think sportscaster. In fact, he'd probably be way at the bottom of the list. With a different actor in the title role, this series could have had a lot of fun with the sports/dating life metaphors ... hell, TBS has been doing it successfully for several seasons with My Boys. And athletes would have loved a show where they can be themselves and not have to dance.
Birds of Prey (2002)
Superhero TV shows should be a no-brainer -- just look at how long Smallville has been on the air. But yet Birds of Prey flopped, Aquaman never even made it to series and we're not even going to get into the whole Heroes thing. But the biggest problem with Prey was that they forgot that the reason people originally tuned into Smallville was for the human elements of the show -- how super-charged heroes coped with everyday life. Prey just dove right into the geek-world and made a lot of changes to established comic-lore. All the tight costumes in the world can't make up for that.
Fastlane (2002)
Fast cars, hot guys, tight outfits, undercover cops, sex and drugs. Should have been great. Too bad they forgot about plot. Damned plot. Gets in the way of shows being decent every time.
Push, Nevada (2002)
This show could have been Lost with an actual prize for loyal viewers able to figure out what the hell was going on. However, it needed a major script overhaul and an interesting mystery in order to make people actually care enough to pay attention to the minute details that acted as clues to solve this case.
That '80s Show (2002)
Given the fact that Glenn Howerton is very entertaining on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Chyler Leigh is really showing off her acting ability on Grey's Anatomy, the performances wasn't necessarily the problem here. The biggest issue with this show, aside from the fact that it wasn't funny, was that the writers tried too hard to point out just how '80s everything was all the time. That '70s Show worked because it was a group of stoner friends who just happened to live in that decade, whereas the '80s themselves were the focus of this dud. And those '80s fashions alone are a major hurdle, which might partly be why that Gossip Girl spin-off never happened.
The Tracy Morgan Show (2003)
Tracy Morgan running an auto repair shop? Really? This traditional family sitcom failed because of its unoriginal jokes and premise. However, had Tina Fey been writing it, it would have been a whole different story. Literally.
Jack & Bobby (2004)
The show was created by Greg Berlanti (Everwood, Brothers & Sisters), Tommy Schlamme (The West Wing) and comic book author Brad Meltzer. So the creative was solid, but the lofty idea of showing a Jack and Bobby that weren't the Kennedys, while having one brother eventually die young and the other eventually become president (and not the one named Jack), was unnecessarily confusing. The whole thing might have been an easier sell if they had just changed the stupid name.
Commander-in-Chief (2005)
Let's make a show where there's a female president and then let's cast a big name from the movies, like Geena Davis, in the role. Fabulous! Too bad that's about where the creative process seemed to stop. No one really thought beyond the plot to what this female president would actually do. We had to wait for 24's seventh season to finally do this concept justice.
The Bedford Diaries (2006)
A show about college kids taking a class about sex. With fun video diaries chronicling their adventures. It should have been an addictive guilty pleasure, but they sucked the sex out of the show and made it talk-heavy and boring instead. If they'd just added more salacious events and less classroom lectures on abstinence, we might have re-registered for this class.
Day Break (2006)
Groundhog Day with Taye Diggs stuck reliving the same day over and over again as he tries to figure out who really committed the crime he was being framed for. We love Diggs, but he's much better in an ensemble, while co-star Moon Bloodgood was a poor choice to play his love interest (great name, though). With better casting this could have been the next 24.
Runaway (2006)
Like The Fugitive starring a New Kid on the Block. But Donnie Wahlberg wasn't actually the problem, the pacing was. They needed to hit the ground running and not stop until the season was over.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006)
A show about the behind-the-scenes workings of a late-night sketch comedy show? Crazy idea, but it might have been great if any of the sketches in the show-within-the-show had been remotely funny, or if we could have bought the fact that Sarah Paulson's uptight Harriet would have ever been cast on an SNL-type show, or if they had just retitled it 30 Rock.
Big Shots (2007)
Sort of a guys version of Sex and the City, with a solid cast that included Michael Vartan, Dylan McDermott, Christopher Titus and Joshua Malina. Too bad golfing and banking aren't nearly as exciting as boozing, brunching and shoes.
Bionic Woman (2007)
If they had only been able to cast Katee Sackhoff in the title role instead of the atrociously boring Michelle Ryan. Instead, Sackhoff's stint as a badass villain was awesome, while the rest of the show was less so.
Carpoolers (2007)
There were some funny things about this show, especially the slacker son Marmaduke, but really, who cares about carpoolers? If they had just made it about neighbors who got into each other's business, it could have been so much better. But those commuting scenes were the worst part of the show.
Viva Laughlin (2007)
If they'd given up the backing tracks that made it seem like the stars were singing along in their cars and really let Hugh Jackman do the lion's share of the vocals, while making the scripts intentionally funny, this show could have been Glee for grownups. Instead, this casino drama/musical hybrid went bust in record time.
Return of Jezebel James (2008)
The biggest problem here was that Gilmore guru Amy Sherman-Palladino apparently forgot how to write witty, lighthearted, realistic conversations between two women. Second biggest problem: the laugh track.
The Beautiful Life: TBL (2009)
Mischa Barton was a casting mistake along with Elle Macpherson and Sara Paxton -- pretty models who look good on magazine covers aren't necessarily interesting when they are scripted. While the women needed to be attractive for a show like this, they also needed to have a little bit more to offer as well. Like personality, acting ability, etc...
Eastwick (2009)
Taking a movie that was made in the '80s and trying to make people care about it two decades later was a lofty proposition, but to take a devilish role made famous by Jack Nicholson (you know, three-time Oscar winner Jack Nicholson) and put the guy from Due South in it was just beyond ridiculous.