Fox in the chicken coop

Age of the Geek Column: What an emotional roller coaster it's been this week for watchers of Fox television.
Last Thursday, the network took a virtual machete to their line-up of scheduled programming, canceling a nearly a half-dozen shows to clear room in the next season for Thursday Night Football.
Two devilish dramas, "Lucifer" and "The Exorcist," met an untimely demise. The loss of "Lucifer" will be particularly hard for fans of the police procedural as showrunners announced that the season ends on a cliffhanger unlikely to be resolved if the show isn't picked up by another network.
Meanwhile, three comedies also got the ax. "The Mick," "The Last Man on Earth," and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" also ended up on the chopping block. I don't have vouch for "The Last Man on Earth," but I've liked what I've seen of "The Mick" and I feel secure stating that "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" is the funniest comedy on television by virtue of the fact that it's the only comedy I go out of my way to watch.
Thankfully, I'm not the only one that has a great appreciation for the Andy Samberg police sitcom. News of the cancellation sparked a gif-fueled riot over social media, even sparking the ire of some high profile fans like Mark Hamill and Guillermo Del Toro.
Things were looking grim as word came in of Netflix and Hulu passing on the show but then NBC came in for the rescue, announcing that the Nine-Nine would have a new home for their sixth season.
Granted, it will be a 13-episode season instead of the usual 22, but even if this is the last 13 episodes that's still time for fans to mentally and emotionally prepare themselves for the inevitable.
But the Fox drama doesn't end there. Vying for the last hour left in the Fox schedule apparently came down to "Lethal Weapon" and "Gotham."
"Lethal Weapon" has been a ratings hit compared to the slipping "Gotham" and in normal circumstances that would have spelled doom for the Batman prequel series. However, the firing of "Lethal Weapon" star Clayne Crawford left the police action drama in a difficult position.
Without an actor for the lead role it looked like "Gotham" would win its place on the schedule by default.
I can't say I wasn't rooting for that outcome. I like "Lethal Weapon" well enough, more so than I thought it would, but it's not really doing anything that hasn't been done before.
Say what you will about "Gotham," there's nothing else like it on television.
But then something unexpected happened.
Warner Bros. found a new lead for "Lethal Weapon's" third season. And it was Seann William Scott.
Didn't see that coming.
Best known for his role as Stifler in the "American Pie" franchise, Scott was a rising star in the early aughts and then abruptly dropped out of the spotlight.
Having Scott reappear as the new lead in "Lethal Weapon" is a crazier plot twist than anything that's ever happened in the actual show. That alone is worth checking in for next season.
And thankfully, "Lethal Weapon's" good fortune doesn't necessarily mean the end of "Gotham," at least not yet. Much like "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "Gotham" will be back for a fifth and probably final half-sized season.
All things considered, this is the best possible outcome. Nobody likes it when their favorite shows end, but nothing lasts forever. If the show must end, they should at least be given the chance to wrap everything up with a proper resolution. That makes all the difference in the world.
"Lucifer's" season finale cliffhanger will fester like an open wound among the fan base, souring the overall view of the show forever. It will be remembered as 55 episodes that ultimately went nowhere, cut down before its time. A waste of time not worth re-watching.
"Gotham," on the other hand, along with hitting that magical 100 episode mark for syndication, will get the opportunity to leave fans with a satisfying conclusion. Years from now you'll be able to queue up the show Netflix (or, more likely, the DC Universe streaming service), and safely binge knowing you'll get a beginning, middle, and end.
That's all anybody can really ask for.
Travis Fischer is a news writer for Mid-America Publishing and is still sore about "Firefly."