Originally posted by Tim Minear:

Interesting news. Thanks.

Haven't had a chance to catch any episodes of The Inside. Not that I watch any tv anyway. And not that it matters, because I'm not a Nielson house and thus my opinion and watching habits count for absolutely nothing. Apparently.

Anyway, yeah, interesting news. Can't wait to see his next project.

Crap! I knew I shouldn't have liked this show. It figures, the only show I'm watching on the big 4 gets the axe from Fox.

Originally posted by Adam Baldwin:

I, for one, am happy about this news.

The Inside was way to dark for my taste. This frees up the very talented people who worked on it to do a show more to my liking.

I have no idea what this show was about, but I recognized Minnear's name from somewhere (Angel?). Anyways, I really like his comment about being a "mini-BBC" doing short run series. I've felt for years that American TV should do that. Especially during Star Trek Voyager. VOY had a few bright spots here and there, and I think if they had taken to doing 4-6 episode miniseries, they would have been able to put a lot more focus and polish on the stories and we would have had something a lot better.
I seriously wouldn't mind seeing TV do this in the future.

Hmm, the cast is scheduled to do a panel at Comic-Con. Guessing it isn't happening now.

Figured this would happen, so not very surprised. Good to hear that Minear has his sights on a DVD set though.

After viewing the episodes which have aired, add me to the list of those who are not surprised by this bit of news. I saw the original unaired pilots quite awhile ago, and felt the lead actress (Rachel Nichols), worked perfectly for that premise, but IMO she's not exactly ideal for the show in its present incarnation. Minear knows how to take care of his fans, and the released Wonderfalls set was proof of this. Glad to see that trend continue.

Please describe the original unaired pilots and why Rachel Nichols was better suited for that premise.

http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=19124

Thanks for the link Meatpants.

That's basically the premise of the unaired pilots Mookie. They were nothing to get worked up about, but then Minear wasn't involved at that time. As I stated before, she's the only holdover, and having seen what she was originally cast for, I feel she was better suited to the original premise.

Can't blame the network. I appreciate the notion that show is supposed to get better with time, but usually with great shows (or books), first chapters or episodes are impressive as well. They may not be as hot as continuation, but you can already say that it's a work of a master. Didn't see it with The Inside.

Maybe Minear's not suited for the genre. Having talent doesn't mean you'll be good at everything.

Original premise sounds somewhat Veronica Mars-y. Now that's a lovely show, and original script for pilot was great for that one.

the difference is that Wonderfalls and Firefly were both good shows; The Inside is not.

Winner!

Yep - not even Adam Baldwin and Peter Coyote could save this show. I even liked the red-headed chick - but boy that blond girl is annoying. She always looks like she's lost and has no idea what's going on around her - and can't act her way out of a paper bag. I miss Wonderfalls and Firefly.

You most certainly can. Sure The Inside wasn't screwed over to the extent Firefly was, but don't think for a minute that giving it a summer premiere had no effect not to mention being up against the only hit of the summer, Dancing With The Stars. The premiere date was decided only weeks before it aired so it didn't get the press buildup that most fall shows have. Fox aired promos for the show but unless you actually watch Fox or are a rabid Minear fan, you wouldn't know the show existed. As a contrast I'll bring up The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick, on TNT. Now I don't watch TNT and I can't because I don't have the station, yet I know the basic premise of the show and when it's on without actively searching out the information myself. I've seen TV promos on other stations, promos at the movie theater, billboards, etc. and that does make a difference attracting people that don't normally watch your network to a show.Out of curiosity, have you seen all four episodes aired so far or did you quit early on? That would weigh heavily on how you view the series. I thought the pilot was an interesting start and the second episode was solid but the past two, "Prefiler" and "Everything Nice", have been a quantum leap in quality, IMO. Tonight Fox is airing two new episodes back-to-back. Give it another shot.So you say. I happen to think it is.

Not at all surprised to hear. I think I have one episode to catch up before tonight's doubleheader. I like this show, but it was probably way too dark, especially for a summer show. I like it more than "The Closer", which I'm still deciding if I should dump or not. The tendency of that show (having watched the first 2 with several still on the recorder) to give Kyra's character endearing little female "quirks" is annoying. (The moment they lingered on the Yoplait in the pilot was a bad sign.)

this news would just figure since I finally got around to watching the first 2 eps. tonight. I actually enjoyed it too. but I also like these types of shows/films so I am most likely in the minority here. I think this show should have been held until this fall and paired with possibly Bones or The Gate. Fox should learn how to pair up their shows a little better but instead we get something like "I want to screw a porn star" paired up with "Bambi & Thumper: the baby years"

Yeah, prior to tonight's double header, Pamela Anderson's sitcom Stacked was it's lead-in.

Of course they kill the show just as the back story starts to give its characters more depth. Sigh....

I hope The Closer gets a longer run. Yoplait or not, Kyra Sedgewick has been fantastic and the stories have been terrific.

I can't say I didn't see this coming, the numbers have been bleak since the pilot and Fox has a quick trigger on shows that are not immediate successes. I guess I fall into the minority here as well since I loved this show from the beginning. I am extremely disappointed that Fox once again fails to recognize the quality of its shows and cancels them before they can build up momentum. After all, CSI didn't become popular immediately. Also, Fox routinely fails to account for what the other network's numbers are because they routinely cancel good shows that don't get good numbers but air against good competition (albeit I don't think The Inside would draw from the same crowd that enjoys reality TV). While the goal is to beat the competition, you should at least account for their numbers and attempt to develop a strategy to increase your numbers. At least Fox kept the show in one time slot this time, I guess they have learned something from the Family Guy debacle. I tend to not enjoy many dark shows/movies but this show has captivated me from the start. I must admit that unlike many others, I like Rachel Nichols in this role but I do think there are probably much better options. In a show so dark you must have some kind of light to counterbalance it.

As for The Closer, I agree with rkndkn b/c I can't decide to keep it or dump it. It is really good but Kyra Sedgewick (whom I had never seen in anything before) is really getting under my skin. Her mannerisms and voice irritate me but I enjoy the plot lines so I stick around for the ride and will continue to do so. The Closer can get my attention and good ratings in the summer but definitely not my attention and I doubt its good ratings during any other time of the year. For me, I like The Inside twice as much as I like The Closer.

I guess reality TV is still the craze. I realize different time slot on the same night but the WB re-upped Beauty and the Geek which had worse numbers than The Inside.

I saw episodes up to murderous baby. If the writers can't say anything new or worthwhle in first few episodes, than I just don't care. I'll rather read a book. Couldn't they come up with storyline that wasn't remade million times in million of TV shows and crappy TV movies? I am sure that I saw at least two TV movies with similar scenario, although I cannot tell you the titles - and I stumbled upon those movies by accident. Plus, I just need to feel some sort of human contact with characters, they should be somewhat real to me.

When I said I can't blame the network, I meant that I don't blame them for not keeping crappy shows on the TV. What for? I actually cheer for bad shows to fail (yes, I am a bitch), because so many great shows were cancelled, so when bad shows strive I can't help being pissed. But I agree that it makes no sense to order pilot and episodes if you see that it's not good.

I often read people say (it's not aimed at anyone at particular, since poster who mentioned it on this thread likes the show, so it's diff. situation) "at least it's not reality TV". Well, I have no problem with reality TV. I don't like it, so I don't watch it. There is quite a lot of good shows (at least IMHO), especially on cable, so I for one simply don't have time to watch them all, at least throughout. Also, not matter how craptacular reality is, it doesn't make crappy scripted drama any better. People don't watch The Wire, not many watch the Shield, would be a little annoying for me if The Inside enjoyed the success it doesn't deserve (IMHO of course). Now if it was a good show I would be pissed. But I am quite happy right now with networks/cable, since Arrested Development, The Wire and Veronica Mars were picked up, so I can't blame them for letting a turkey go. Karma's bitch though, so next year I surely will be the one to be upset.

Of course I have no problem with people liking the show. Not to mention I like a lot of cheesy shows as well, Nip/Tuck for example is hardly Sopranos. So I do feel bad for you people... just can't blame network for sensible actions. But hey, I heard ratings are steady, so maybe not all is lost.

ETA: I read on another thread that Minear said "Those procedurals are really smart. They have like lawyers and scientists on their staff. My staff is just a bunch of fat writers who don't know anything, so we just make up stuff. "
and
""It's based on, you know, things I've seen on other shows,"
I realize that he's kidding, but there turned out to be much truth to his joking statements!
From his interviews it sounded like he feels a little above procedural dramas, because he is Teh Artist! and is all about characters. Which is fine, but like always, you need to learn to use your tools before you make art with them. He says "Our stuff tends to be more about the big, giant, morally ambiguous character moments, and less about 'bag it and send it to the lab,' because we don't know anything about that," - but in order to move to another level, you need actually to "know something about that". Otherwise, talented writer ends up like one of those fanficcers who didn't bother to make research because it's teh boring!!!1! and readers skip their stories when in first sentence they call Frodo - Frudo.

I'm enjoying The Closer more than I thought I would. The cast is good and the stories are interesting and who wouldn't like a show with a knock-out like Kyra Sedgewick with her charming Southern accent...... oh..... did I mention she sounds just like me....

I like Medium a lot too and I saw a piece in a magazine about how she's modeled after a real person. I thought that was neat. Surely the real lady isn't married to someone as cool as "Joe" though... he's unreal....charming, but so nice about her dumping the kids on him and skedadling off somewhere following her dreams.....it's just not like any guy I've ever heard of.... most of 'em want their dinner on the table and the old lady home.....