Age of the Geek

The Fallen Shows Of 2015
 
This year’s television season is coming to an end and many new shows will be ending with it. So once again, let’s have a rundown of some of the shows that had their chance, but didn’t make the cut for next season.
 
Backstrom
     Rainn Wilson played a misanthropic detective that doesn’t play by the book, has an abusive relationship with his underlings, and is romantically involved with his immediate supervisor.
     Essentially, it was a police procedural version of “House.”
     Which is fine. I liked “House” and I liked this. But apparently I was one of the few because this mid-season replacement didn’t catch on.
     Which is also fine. The show wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. I enjoyed watching it with my roommate, but won’t be shedding any tears over it.
Constantine
     “Constantine” had a rough start. Even before the first episode aired the show underwent a major change in recasting one of its three primary characters.
     This adaptation of the “Hellblazer” comic came out of the gate a little too clean for its own good with a chain-smoker that couldn’t smoke and watered down stories that didn’t match the grit of their source material.
     To their credit, showrunner Daniel Cerone adapted to early criticism beautifully. By the end of the season Constantine had found his cigarettes and the stories became significantly darker. Unfortunately, it was too little too late.
     NBC may have passed on a second season of the show, but there’s a strong push to see it continue on another network. If it’s going to survive, Cerone is going to have to be as good at last minute miracles as his show’s lead character.
Forever
     In spite of a lack of beheadings, this show about a crime solving medical examiner that happens to be immortal turned out to be pretty good.
     Granted, TV isn’t lacking in British super-sleuths at the moment, but this one was my current favorite. As a police procedural it was nothing special, but the way the show dealt with the main character’s immortality made for some really interesting stories.
     That and I’m a sucker for any show with an unconventional family dynamic, and watching 41-year old Ioan Gruffudd play father to 80-year old Judd Hirsch definitely falls under that description.
Gracepoint
     Unlike most police procedurals, “Gracepoint” took the refreshing approach of dedicating its entire season to watching David Tennant solve a single murder mystery. This led to a lot of cliffhangers that made it really hard to wait for the next episode. Fortunately for the fictional people of Gracepoint, it looks like there won’t be anymore murders to solve as the show wasn’t picked up for another season.
     But don’t despair, while “Gracepoint” may have been canned, you can still see Tennant on “Broadchurch,” the UK show it was based on, which will continue.
One Big Happy
     I really wanted to like this show.
     Again, I’m a sucker for unconventional families and this one… very unconventional. Elisha Cuthbert played a gay woman having a baby with her male best friend, but their plan gets complicated when the friend elopes with another woman.
     That’s a heck of a premise, but the execution left so much to be desired it was almost embarrassing to watch. Every week I wondered why I should keep watching. Thankfully, NBC canceled the show after six episodes so I don’t have to wonder anymore.
Selfie
     On the other hand, “Selfie” is a comedy I’m actually going to miss.
     A modern retelling of “My Fair Lady,” the show was smart, funny, and designed to appeal to a generation that has better things to do on a Tuesday night than watch television.
     Poor ratings on ABC got the show pulled after seven episodes. The remaining five episodes were released on Hulu, which is probably where the show should have been from the start.
     “Selfie” was probably intended to draw the Millennials back to scheduled television, but instead it seems to be a sign that the days of watching TV on somebody else’s schedule are coming to an end.
 
     Travis Fischer is a news writer for Mid-America Publishing and still watches too much TV.