Ally McBeal Cancelled
 

Heard on my local news here in Boston that Ally is cancelled. There is only a couple of episodes left now.

I'm going on a hunger strike for the rest of the week.

It's also a breaking news item on Variety.com. Fox didn't cancel it, David E. Kelley did.

Too bad. I'll miss it, for the most part. This past year had its problems. They jumped the shark when they gave her the kid.

Lori

Trying to fit into Calista Flockhart's skirt?

I totally agree. I find it really interesting that Kelley decided to cancel it. While it definitely isn't what it was the first season or with the revival that Robert Downey Jr. gave it, it isn't horrible now. In fact it's kinda sweet. But it is definitely a different show than it used to be, and I think that now is a good time to end it. Not at its pinnacle like Seinfeld was, but rather when it's not bad, not as good as it used to be, but still enjoyable enough. Like Xena the last season (though I had some great ideas for that series, let me tell ya. ;) ). Some good stuff, but time for it to end.

I thought, "Yes!" when I first saw it on Yahoo news. I think a lot of people would agree that the show needed to be put out of its misery, it just could not be saved. Rest in peace.

[Ed McMahon laugh] Hey-oh! [/Ed McMahon laugh]

Kelley cancelled because he already has a new show lined up for that time slot.

I forget the details but it was discussed a while ago.


The kid and Jon Bon Jovi were the death of the show.

He was fine but the character was so disgustigly reserved that i wanted to puke.

Lara Flynn, Heather and Christina Ricci chew up some scenes on next week's show.

They "jumped the shark" when they began to think they had to have a guest celebrity appear on every show just to get anyone to watch it.

Ally started to suck as soon as they killed off Billy.

This might be good news for fans of "24", since FOX will now be losing it's two biggest dramas, (X-Files & Ally), they will need at least one drama alive.

Matt

I think David Kelley just ran out of ideas on what to do with Ally and company. This season has been the biggest one in terms of change, and for the most part, it has been so divergent of the show's original premise, it basically signifies that not only has Ally changed, but so has her audience. Ally's now saddled with parenthood while trying to figure out her love life.

I'm thinking Ally might just may get hitched to Victor for the season ender. Aw...wouldn't that just put the death knell into the Ally franchise if it didn't get cancelled first?

But I've been there for the entire 5 year run. Some seasons were funnier than others, but there have been quite a few really good and extraordinary shows in its run.

Will I miss Ally, maybe a little but like I said, she's moved on, and so will I.

Good news. I loved the show when it was great and have continued watching it through its more mediocre time. It was never "bad" and was always entertaining, but it's good that Kelley's killing it and letting everyone move on. No sense letting it die a slow and horrible death like <I>The X-Files</I>.

das

Well, at least Calista will have more time for Harrison Ford, her new beau.

That's okay...Kelley has gradually been turning "Boston Public" into another "Ally McBeal", so the show will still survive in spirit.

Seriously, you know a show is in trouble when the only thing the promos mention are the big guest stars.

They still have Boston Public and Dark Angel. :)

I'd be very surprised if Dark Angel returned next season (unless Cameron has a 3-season deal with Fox).

I thought ALly jumped the shark al ong time ago, but I have actually liked it a lot better since she bought the old house and got the kid.

The beginning of this season was so bad, but as soon as she bought that house, I started liking it again.

With all these shows ending (Once & Again, X-Files, Ally) I am going to be making lots of room on my ReplayTV.

That show is so dreadfully bad now and a complete departure from its original vision that I cannot imagine who watches it anymore.

das

I stopped watching Alley McBeal a long time ago.

I still tape Dark Angel, but there's no urgency to watch it every week, and if I miss an episode, I don't get bummed about it.

Maybe they'll bring "Pasadena" back! (I hear it'll be a summertime replacement to air the remaining episode - which I've heard are pretty good).

I got into Ally (yeah, you wish) ... i got into watching the show when RD JR showed up .. and i found it pretty amusing .. but that 2 hour event on monday was just not that great ... though i really enjoyed Ricci and with M. Perry possibly becoming a recurring character .. that was all a nice thought

Now i hope they start reruns and i can go watch season 1 - 3 :)


P

Ally re-runs are on FX...

das, be honest. You're the TV Geek on Beat the Geeks, aren't you?

In the begining the show had ;
Ally looked all sexy in those short skirt outfits.
Lucy Lu was ultra-sexy
Nichole's big breasts filling up our t.v. screen.
Nell was so sexy they made her a regular.
Elaine was trampy.
All of the above you don't see on the show any more. So what do they replace that with? A 50 year old man in drag!
And we wonder where the show went wrong?

I just heard about this for the first time by reading an article on it at cnn. Lesson learned: come here first for TV news. :)

I guarantee you the US Gov't goes to Otter for world news.

das

Brief except from article. Note series finale is May 20, if anyone cares.link

Calista Flockhart was so upset when she heard the news she went on an eating binge and devoured an entire oreo cookie.

http://charliegoose.homestead.com/files/goose.jpg Honk!

Dustbin of TVLand, here we come.

This show has went downhill ever since the end of the second season and has no entertainment value left at all IMO. I'm relieved it's finally being cancelled as I periodically have to watch it with my wife. ;) That whole drag queen character getting married makes me want to :yack:

2 words: Dancing Baby.
When I saw that crap & wanted the show to die on the spot.
It jumped the shark from that moment on IMHO.

Fox Cancels 'Ally McBeal'
 

LOS ANGELES (AP) - "Ally McBeal (news - Y! TV)," the Emmy-winning TV series that set feminists spinning with its depiction of a flighty, man-hungry attorney, is ending its five-year run on Fox, the network said.

Creator David E. Kelley made the announcement on the set Wednesday.

"There were tears. It was emotional," said Chris Alexander, a spokesman for 20th Century Fox Television. The final episode of the series, which had slipped in the ratings, will air May 20.

"It's sad to say goodbye to something you love, even when perhaps it is time," Kelley said in a statement.

Calista Flockhart starred as Ally, a smart but emotionally needy lawyer who focused as much on her love life as her case load. With her biological clock ticking, she was bedeviled by an image of a dancing baby.

"Ally McBeal" became a hot water-cooler topic. In 1998, a Time cover displayed Flockhart opposite feminist icons such as Susan B. Anthony and asked in its headline: "Is Feminism Dead?"

The actress took exception.

"I mean, this is a comedy about an exaggerated character, and to compare her to Susan B. Anthony is outrageous," she told TV Guide at the time. She also said she was offended that people confused her with her neurotic character.

McBeal's colleagues at her fictitious Boston law firm were equally quirky. One man had a fetish for throat wattles; another went by the embarrassing name of "The Biscuit."

Kelley, one of Hollywood's most prolific TV writer-producers, had a hand in creating most of the scripts. The show reflected his offbeat, often dark sense of humor and romance. It won the best comedy series Emmy in 1999.

He had characters break out in courtroom song, had Ally visit with her dead boyfriend and generally created a world where fantasy, if not happy endings, ruled.

McBeal's great love was portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. (news - web sites), whose own real-life troubles with drugs led to his departure from the show.

Musical stars were also a fixture of the show, with Elton John, Barry White, Barry Manilow, Mariah Carey and others making guest appearances.

Kelley, a former Boston lawyer who is married to actress Michelle Pfeiffer, told the AP last fall that he knew the character-driven "Ally McBeal" was a more perishable commodity than his other legal series, the more plot-oriented "The Practice" on ABC.

"I always thought the series would end after six years," he said then.

Fox and Kelley decided against another year as the ratings fell. The show, which once scored close to the top 20, recently finished 43rd in the ratings.

tv talk dude

Ooops, sorry. :)

I'm glad. It really went downhill. I stopped watching it a few months ago when Jon Bon Jovi started...

(I figured I'd get my post in before it gets moved. I never leave Otter... :lol: )

It started off as a great idea...show all of Ally's thoughts as actually happening in front of her. Then they kind of lost that...and it ended up being 1/3 drama, 1/3 comedy, 1/3 law. Then they kinda lost the law bit...

Yeah, I liked the first season of this show, but lost interest after that.

I have not seen a single episode of Ally ever and am a huge FOX watcher. The show just never attracted me. I saw collateral things like websites with dancing babies and decided right then and there I couldn't possibly like this show. So it sounds like to some I missed a good show.. others say I didn't miss anything. Oh well.. bring back Undeclared and Family Guy FOX! Now you have room for them.

Yeah, you missed a great show. Not unlike <I>The Practice</I>, in its prime, it was one of the top 2 or 3 shows on television. Unfortunately, not unlike <I>The Practice</I>, it couldn't sustain the level of quality after a few years. You should catch the reruns on FX.

das