My Bad: Shows I Should Have Watched When it Would Have Done Some Good

There’s one thing I hate more than having a show I love cancelled on me, and that’s discovering a show after it’s been cancelled.  Having a show I love while I’m actively watching cancelled means I did my part and there was nothing more that I could do, except win a lottery and buy a TV station.  Discovering a show after it was cancelled makes me feel like it’s partially my fault such a wonderful show got cancelled.  I try not to feel bad in instances where the show was cancelled after only four episodes or the network made no effort to advertise it, but the truth is, I managed to find Pushing Daisies after ABC pretended like it stopped existing.  This is the list of shows I wish to say, “I’m sorry I got your show cancelled.”

Better Off Ted (2009-2010)

This is probably as much ABC’s fault as it is mine.  I was still recovering from losing Pushing Daisies, and I wasn’t ready for a relationship with a new show yet.  However, in the ads, Better Off Ted reminded me so much of the quirkiness of my lost love that I did watch the first few episodes.  It felt empty and hollow and I took it out on the show.  In my defense, I only took it out on the first season – mostly because I was watching Scrubs in the second season.  Because of the pairing, I never turned the channel during Better Off Ted, but it wasn’t until the last episode aired that I realized, “Oh my gosh, this show is brilliant.”  If only the relationship had moved slower, we could have had something beautiful, and I feel absolutely horrible that something so wonderful escaped me because of hard feelings.

The Middleman (2008)

This one isn’t so much my own fault as it is that Disney really sucks at advertising shows on their networks.  Like, seriously, who’s in charge of doing that over there?  They need to be fired.  I had issues, however, with ABC Family from the beginning, so this still could be a mea culpa.  When it was Fox Family, I was in love.  They only canceled one show on me, The New Addams Family, and let’s face it – I wasn’t all that surprised, and at least I got to see David Faustino be Greg Brady in an episode.  They had other great shows, like Big Wolf on Campus, Braceface, So Little Time, and State of Grace.  What happened when ABC ended up taking over?  They killed Big Wolf on Campus, Braceface, So Little Time, and State of Grace.  They also offered very little in terms of quality in their shows, so I completely gave up on the network, except for a made for TV movie with Melissa Joan Hart and Mario Lopez.    Upon discovering The Middleman in 2009, I learned my mistake – never completely give up on a network.  Once in awhile, they can get behind something beautiful and then fail to advertise it and it only leads to you feeling regret because networks don’t have souls.  This amazing show restored my faith in originality – well, yes, I was watching Pushing Daisies when this show was on, but Pushing Daisies didn’t have milk-drinking former Navy SEALs protecting the world from comic book mayhem.  It’s slightly more original than not being able to kiss your formerly dead girlfriend – just slightly.  It’s a shame that ABC Family has yet to please me since I gave it another chance, but you know, rebuilding a relationship can be hard work.  I think they should bring back The Middleman.  I learned my lesson, and this could be a beautiful thing.

Dead Like Me (2002-2003)

In my defense, this show did come on Showtime, a channel that I did not have.  It wasn’t until one day when I got Netflix and it suggested that I would like Dead Like Me that I ever gave it a try.  I loved it.  The show was just… brilliant.  Because of this love, Netflix introduced me to Weeds and Dexter, and I soon became acquainted with United States of Tara and Nurse Jackie – all shows I find a way to watch without having Showtime, and also own on DVD.  Actually, I don’t know how Showtime does their numbers to figure out how to cancel something, but either way, I still feel like I missed out on something great.

Wonderfalls (2004)

Fox and I were having a bit of a falling out in 2004.  It felt like every show that I liked was getting cancelled left and right, and as such I started watching any channel that wasn’t Fox more often.  Wonderfalls became a victim of a lover’s spat.  I had seen the show advertised once and thought it might be interesting, but I never watched it.  In my defense, Fox was proving that it was a bratty child in getting into a serious relationship with any viewing audience and pulled the show after only airing four episodes.  Between only seeing the show advertised once and Fox being quick to call it a lost cause, I never actually had a chance to see it.  Wonderfalls is up there on my list of favorites, however.

The Tick (2001)

I feel odd claiming this one, because I was there from the premiere, and this one was once again Fox’s fault.  They wanted the show to fail.  I even remember the exact time slot The Tick came on in – Thursdays at 8 pm EST.  You know what else came on Thursdays at 8pm EST in 2001?  Friends and Whose Line is it Anyway?  Both were shows that my family was already watching, and we only had one VCR at the time.  Despite my honest love for the show, I was just unable to watch it.  Seriously, though, Fox put it up against two of the most popular shows at the time – the relationship was doomed from the start.

Arrested Development (2003-2006)

I had a friend who was in a season one episode of Arrested Development and said he was on set when they said the show was being cancelled, so I decided to not give my heart so easily to something I knew wouldn’t last.  My friend is a freaking liar.  I still never watched the show because I felt like I was too far behind and I could never make it work.  When I finally gave it a chance, I discovered it was brilliant and I wished I’d been willing to watch the show even if I “knew” it’d be short lived.

Eerie, Indiana (1991-1992) and Parker Lewis Can’t Lose (1990-1993)

I watched the first season of Parker Lewis Can’t Lose on Fox, and I enjoyed it.  However, a year later, I noticed the new quirky show on NBC, and I decided to say hello. Eerie, Indiana became a fling, and I found myself dividing my time between both shows.  However, soon Eerie was gone, and Parker Lewis moved to Thursday Night, one of the three nights a week I had to watch whatever the rest of my family was watching, and I was the only one who liked Parker Lewis.

Twin Peaks (1990-1991)

I can’t take all the blame for this one – I was six and a half when it first came out, and I had a bedtime.  I got up a lot for “water” when it was on and I’d listen through the vent… Wait, actually, I can’t take any blame for this one at all.  My parents were still watching it, so there was nothing I could do.  Still, it is quirky and wonderful and I do wish I had rediscovered it sooner than I ultimately did.