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Shows you wonder why they didn't work?

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Old 09-29-03, 10:36 AM
  #26  
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Stop talking about Philly ... I'm going to cry.

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Old 09-29-03, 01:38 PM
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The Muppets Tonight.

Sure it was a shell of the former show. Sure their was no Jim Henson working on it. Sure they tried to over-populate the show with new characters and cut back on Kermit, Fozzie, Animal, Gonzo, Miss Piggy, and the rest of the older Muppets. Sure it was on that dreaded TGIF line-up, and was a bit too childish for even TGIF fans to like, but darnit, Muppets should always be loved, no matter what.
Old 09-29-03, 02:11 PM
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I agree it's a mystery that "The Adventures of Briscoe County, Jr." didn't seem to connect with many viewers.

Another puzzler for me was the hillarious "Police Squad!" Probably the only series in TV history that only lasted six episodes, but then went on to become a successful film franchise ("The Naked Gun").
Old 09-29-03, 03:12 PM
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Originally posted by Verbal Gorilla
While this is a show that 'should' have had a ton of popularity based on it's content...I understand why it failed...and there are plenty of threads on it...due to the timeslot and treatment by fox. In the case of Fastlane (a show I never watched but I am using it as a concept) I may not understand why it failed if it were a quality show (like Futurama) with a good timeslot and promotion (unlike Futurama)...
Anything given the 7:00pm Sunday timeslot on FOX has a short life span. Between football running long (Futurama) and competing against 60 Minutes (Ben Stiller Show), they stand no chance unless they get moved.

One Fox show I really don't understand why it got axed is Undeclared. It fit right in with That 70's Show, but unfortuantely if I remember correctly, they paired it up with That 80's Show. They should've put it on after That 70's Show or Malcom in the Middle.

Another Fox one that disappeared really fast was Pasadena. It looked like it could've been to Dallas, what Fastlane was to Miami Vice. I got hooked pretty quick to that show and it was gone in about a month.

Last edited by Roto; 09-29-03 at 03:15 PM.
Old 09-29-03, 03:20 PM
  #30  
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Undeclared was consistently paired with That 70s Show on Tuesday nights. That 80s Show was a midseason entry (Wednesday) and by that time, I believe that Undeclared was put on hiatus.
Old 09-29-03, 06:38 PM
  #31  
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Fastlane...*sniff*...

Think it'll ever be on DVD?
Old 09-29-03, 07:17 PM
  #32  
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Murder One. I think it was just ahead of its time. 24 showed that you can do broad story arcs, and nobody ever did one as complete as Murder One season one. They kept the story moving and riviting the entire season with good acting and clever dialogue and nobody got amnesia or stuck in a cougar trap. (das, that was for you )
Old 09-29-03, 08:34 PM
  #33  
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Action
Old 09-29-03, 09:25 PM
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Keen Eddie. Of course, it was on Fox...but not on a Friday night.
Old 09-29-03, 11:22 PM
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• Quoth Decker •<HR SIZE=1>Murder One. I think it was just ahead of its time. 24 showed that you can do broad story arcs, and nobody ever did one as complete as Murder One season one. They kept the story moving and riviting the entire season with good acting and clever dialogue and nobody got amnesia or stuck in a cougar trap. (das, that was for you ) <HR SIZE=1>

Yeah, Murder One was great. I think it failed because it was too good. It so realistically tried to recreate a trial experience that each episode was different from the last, and there weren't any shootouts or bombs to crank up the action. With 24, the constant action makes people think it's better than it is and keeps us tuned in. I think it's the cause of the flaws in the storytelling, but it's also probably the only reason the show was able to survive. Perhaps if Benzali had only 24 hours to file a writ of habeas corpus before the courtroom exploded ...

das

Edit: Spelling like a dumbass

Last edited by das Monkey; 09-30-03 at 12:04 AM.
Old 09-29-03, 11:56 PM
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Funny story here about Murder One:
As the second (and final) season was winding down, the Museum of Televison and Radio in LA held their annual festival. As you may know, they pick a few current and former TV shows and assemble the cast and creative talents for a Q & A. My (future) wife and I went to the Murder One event since I was such a fan. After a bunch of softball questions, lots of moaning and groaning about the poor ratings and one notable stonewall (about the ousting of Benzali), I felt I had a good question. I stood up and asked my TV hero, Steven Bochco, creator of Hill Street Blues, LA Law and NYPD Blues, a living legend about the criticism that his show took after the end of the first season with its conclusion. Now I had read article after article saying that people were disappointed and let down and I merely asked if that criticism had spawned a change in the show's focus from "whodunnit" to more clearly focus on the case. Well, Mr Bochco's eyes got real wide and he basically ripped me a new one as he angrily lectured about how he thought the S1 ending was right on target and well set up and he didn't think there was any problem with it at all. There were a few gasps and murmers after his response. A nice little lady sitting on the other side of me whispered "I was dissapointed too". What really upset me was that I didn't criticise him, I only asked about other people's criticsm. That really bit and needless to say, I'll probably never get a job in the TV biz now.

Old 09-30-03, 12:08 AM
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When confronted with a situation like that, I always like to dig my grave further with a followup that makes it look like you didn't hear a word he said: "yeah, yeah, that's all well and good, but seriously ... Grace Phillips ... did you two ever ... you know? Come on, now. Eh? Eh?"

das
Old 09-30-03, 12:28 AM
  #38  
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Well, he was sitting next to his wife Barbara Bosson, who he would split from like six months later. So I'm kinda glad I didn't use that line, actually.
Old 09-30-03, 12:49 AM
  #39  
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Originally posted by Vegas9203
I thought Robbery Homicide Division would have lasted, it got some good reviews, etc, but I think it was on 10pm Fridays... and you can't discount that lunatic Sizemore's behavioral problems
I agree but CBS made the mistake of putting up a cop show against an already established cop show(Law and Order:SVU) so it had no chance.

To bad RHD didn't start this year since it looks like CBS will win Friday night rather easily this season if the ratings stay the way they were Friday night. Poor Boomtown looks like it could be on this list next year

Last edited by MrX; 09-30-03 at 02:05 AM.
Old 09-30-03, 01:32 AM
  #40  
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There was a show about 5 or 6 years ago called C-16. It had Angie Harmon before she jumped on board with Law and Order. It was about an elite FBI group. It was damn good, but only lasted one season.

Also, I'd have to throw The Agency into the mix. I really enjoyed it and thought it was one of the better shows on tv.

As some of you have said above, Robbery Homicide Division was great, but wasn't given the chance.
Old 09-30-03, 12:39 PM
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Originally posted by Deftones
Also, I'd have to throw The Agency into the mix. I really enjoyed it and thought it was one of the better shows on tv.
Gahhh!!! ;( NOoooo, say it ain't so! How out-of-the-loop am I, I didn't even realize it was cancelled, read this and went running over to the network's website and couldn't find it, did a search on a fan website and NOOOOOO, it's cancelled?? Oh this is tragic, they should've redone the ending or something... and no more Stiles, NOW I'm going to cry...
Old 09-30-03, 01:43 PM
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Originally posted by Red Dog
Undeclared was consistently paired with That 70s Show on Tuesday nights. That 80s Show was a midseason entry (Wednesday) and by that time, I believe that Undeclared was put on hiatus.
In that case I really don't know why it didn't work.
Old 09-30-03, 03:31 PM
  #43  
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I still don't understand how Lucky didn't do better. What a great show.
Old 09-30-03, 03:36 PM
  #44  
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Originally posted by Morf
I still don't understand how Lucky didn't do better. What a great show.

The problem with Lucky is that it is one of those tweener shows - not quite a comedy and not quite a drama. Shows like this rarely succeed. Frankly, I enjoyed the episodes that were almost all comedy (like the one where he sells meat). The rest were kind of so-so to me.
Old 09-30-03, 04:08 PM
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Misfits of Science
Old 09-30-03, 04:18 PM
  #46  
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The Fugitive (re-make)

The concept is perfect for TV. But I suppose it failed because it was done once before and had a predictable outcome.
Old 09-30-03, 04:19 PM
  #47  
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Originally posted by Deftones
There was a show about 5 or 6 years ago called C-16. It had Angie Harmon before she jumped on board with Law and Order. It was about an elite FBI group. It was damn good, but only lasted one season.
Hell yeah - I remember that show. I think Eric Roberts starred in that as well. If I remember correctly, that was the first show to be regularly broadcast in widescreen. I remember that that was one of the selling points during its promos.
Old 09-30-03, 04:20 PM
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Originally posted by DRG
Action
ditto - fantastic show! Too clever for its own good.
Old 09-30-03, 07:37 PM
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action was excellent.

keen eddie was good too.

futurama was good.

F FOX
Old 10-01-03, 11:52 AM
  #50  
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Originally posted by Geofferson
The Fugitive (re-make)

The concept is perfect for TV. But I suppose it failed because it was done once before and had a predictable outcome.
That, and it starred that annoying guy from Wings who everyone hates.


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