Fox Fox Fox…. Second only to the CW in
confounding programming decisions and right behind NBC in breaking fandom’s
hearts.
Some shows had to be “LoneStar-ed”
Sometimes, ratings
are just too bad… [and so are some shows]. Fox isn’t exactly
the most patient network of them all and it has a history of axing showsafter two episodes.
A few words about the shows that got cancelled
before anyone had a chance to watch them:
Mulaney, Seinfeld of the Millennial
generation? We’ll never know. Never
watched it, never will. No regrets. I am shocked it actually aired 13 episodes!
[feels like it went away after one]
Gracepoint, the place where British hits go
to die: the target
audience for this show was people who loved Broadchurch. The problem is that people who
loved Broadchurch [like me] were not particularly excited
about watching a repeat so soon after the original aired. In any case, this was
an “event” series and there was never a commitment to produce more than one
season… but I am sure they were hoping for it to be a hit [and get in a bidding
war with Kudos for David Tennant?]. Shonda’s Thursdays may have also
contributed to Gracepoint’s demise.
The Red Band Society, Not another uplifting teen show: This wasn’t the worst new show of the year by
far. I watched a couple of episodes and was still on the fence about it.
However, when I realized its inevitable fate I stopped watching. People tell me
it got interesting, but I don’t handle stories about terminal illnesses well,
so stopping was probably a good idea.
Backstrom, not made of Bones was an OK show, better than most. That didn’t
prevent FOX from cancelling its only new cop
show. But it is OK because Hart Hanson has Bones and, even though that show doesn’t make me jump
up and down, it still has enough sporadic game-changing episodes to keep it
interesting. So I am not going to complain about its longevity [but I would
happily trade a season of Bones for any of my beloved
cancelled Fox sci-fis]
FOX didn’t actually “lone-star” any shows this year. At least
they let them air 10+ episodes. [But I am sure they made up their minds after
2]. Can’t say I will miss any of this.
The secret for a lasting sci-fi on FOX? Don’t be something I LOVE
 |
| Gotham |
With the [shocking] exception of Fringe, Fox has cancelled every sci-fi I loveafter one or two seasons. The list goes like this [and I add a new one everyyear]:
Dark Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, Terminator the
Sarah Connor Chronicle, Alcatraz, Terranova, Almost Human
Yes, I know Sleepy Hollow is
still kicking, but that’s not really sci-fi, it’s fantasy. Given Fox’s history of breaking my geeky
heart, last year I predicted they would cancel the show I was anticipating the
most: Gotham. But I was wrong! On more than one thing…
No Fox didn’t cancel the Batman prequel, but sadly I was wrong
about loving it too. Unlike a LOT of people I know, I did not stop
watching Gotham, nor I intend to stop any time soon. There are
elements about it I actually love, but they are more related to the
aesthetic/tone/style aspects than the actual storyline or characters… And
that’s not a good thing.
I still think Gotham had a lot
of potential. I really like the cast (Donal Logue, Ben McKenzie, Morena
Baccarin returning to sci-fi) and Robin Lord Taylor was a standout newcomer. It
has a great visual aesthetic and endless material to draw from. I think it had
issues with tone and structure. The tone… not dark enough/ not quirky enough.
It’s neither Tim Burton nor Christopher Nolan, is something in between. I’d
personally would prefer uber dark… but I could also get into something
over-the-top-quirky [a la Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls or hey
even Twin Peaks]. As for the structure… it’s a cop show. It is
too much of a cop show and it gets boring after a while. A geek friendly show
should have more serialized elements. Allow the audience to theorize and come
up with hidden connections and patters. In summary, I wanted more.
But… turns out that… when I am not 100%
pleased, Fox is. So Gotham didn’t
become the latest addition to my defunct sci-fi list. [Update 26.05.15 I finished watching Gotham S1 and towards the end they incorporated a multi-ep arc with Milo Ventimiglia's character that worked quite well. I hope they continue this semi-serialized trend in S2]
Embrace the soap factor
 |
| Empire |
And what about Empire? I
always intended to watch because Taraji and Terrence are A-class actors [Oscar
nominated for God’s sake!] And I expected it to be reasonably successful [for a
mid-season show]. I DID NOT expect it to be a ratings’ monster! That show
surely defied every ratings convention and became the hit of the season.
But is it that awesome? Well
it IS a soap, but it is a good soap and there is no shame in that. Yes, the
storylines are far-fetched and there is a lot of over the top drama, screaming
matches, deception, murder and every single soap opera trope you can think of.
But the actors are great, the characters are fun and the music is quite awesome.
But … just as I said about the other famous soap of the season: “This is not Mad Men”. So take it for what it is. It might even be my
favourite Fox show right now, however I don’t
think of it on the level of other dramas [but, sometimes, TV just needs to be
fun].
In any case, looks like the “reality TV” era
might be ending [American Idol will wrap up after next season] and
we might be entering a soap age… Guess I can live with that [hey, at least
soaps are scripted]
And that’s it for FOX, let’s see if they can get their
edge back next year.
I think Empire is SO stereotypical. I just cannot handle watching it anymore. I watched the first couple of episodes. It's just a soap through and through. It's all about shock. The slang, the violence, the sex; it just seems unnecessary to me. I don't mind those things when they serve the plot. Hell, sometimes I encourage them. There's just too much. It's just way too over the top to me. And it makes "some" black people (and I'm Black) seem so absurd and uneducated. It's like all Black people are stereotypical rappers or something. I don't know, maybe it has changed. I just am shocked it has completely dominated in the ratings. I do think it is entertaining. I do think it challenges some conceptions, although it mainly plays to stereotypes people find funny. I do like the music. I just can't enjoy it really. I wanted to like it...Like I said I don't think it's without merit. I just wish they showed different types of characters on the show.
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