Every year, the network upfronts are ushered into existence by a mass exodus of series unable to come out ahead of the cancellation conversations, and this year cannot claim to be an exception. There were points during the past two weeks that barely saw a moment of silence for audiences to mourn one show’s passing before the next show fell beneath the ax. And now we’re raising our pitchforks and demanding action, or at least suggesting it with a wagging finger.
Here are 6 recently cancelled shows that need to find homes on different networks as quickly as possible, before everyone involved finds new jobs that make it impossible. That already kind of happened with the first show here.
Agent Carter
Perhaps we should all just be thankful that Agent Carter was allowed to live on for the 18 episodes that we got. On the other hand, maybe angry fans should curse the Hydra hounds at ABC for ever allowing hope to live on strong enough that we didn’t get an all-tied-up ending to the show, but a cliffhanger. There are plenty of other reasons why Season 3 needs to happen as well, so it’s hard to just sit here and watch the cancellation remain unaffected by the arrival of news that Netflix has stepped up with an eight-episode order for a final season. Yes, Hayley Atwell has the new ABC drama Conviction keeping her busy now, but Peggy Carter wouldn’t let something like a busy schedule keep her from completing an objective.
Guys, I’ll be the first to admit that I let my blind love and adoration for Jim Henson's Muppets take over my brain when The Muppets first premiered on ABC, taking the felt-faced ensemble in a slightly more adult and cynical direction. I did like it, but it had problems, and those problems were addressed but not corrected by ABC and one-half of the original creative team with the midseason retooling. It's actually fine that this cancellation happened, because it now allows another network to swoop in and give it a second season, which could then continue the self-aware comedy by centering on the cancellation of Up Late with Miss Piggy and Kermit's realization that they should just stage a musical, because duh. Disney should let another network/company take over for a while, and Mitch Hurwitz should be involved.
The Grinder
Comedies are less likely to follow the procedural route than dramas, but The Grinder exemplified how to do it right, with a lot of its power lying in Fred Savage’s Straight Man living in a world starstruck by Rob Lowe as The Fool. Dean “The Grinder” Sanderson is a role – or two roles, considering we got to see quite a bit of Mitch Grinder over the course of Season 1 – that was seemingly molded specifically for Lowe’s comedic strengths, and creators Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel set up a simple concept that could be taken in many more directions than what we saw in the 22 episodes that Fox produced. The Grinder’s strength at this point is that the comedy is universal enough to work just about anywhere on the small screen.
Nashville
Though it’s the rare musical drama that can boast being around both before and after Empire’s premiere, Nashville has seen the worst ratings of its run in the latter half of Season 4, and ABC called it quits, now on its publicized quest to focus on more procedural fiction. But what ABC clearly wasn’t considering is that the majority of that remaining audience is wholly consumed by the drama continually unfolding in the titular city. People need to know what happens between Rayna and Deacon in the future, as well as further news on all the other relationships, so now would be a good time for CMT to put all of its apples into a single basket by taking Nashville in as its own. They could sell the always-enjoyable music, too.
Castle
Does Castle need to come back to TV for another 8 seasons? I mean, that’d be interesting, but arguably unnecessary. No, what needs to happen here is for another outlet to step in without any problems and knowing only 13 episodes (or something) were being crafted with the express purpose of giving Rick Castle and Kate Beckett’s biggest fans some legitimate and hard-earned closure. Maybe it’s a bigger gamble than other network rescue missions, considering the limited future being invested in, but no one should ever willingly deny the world more Nathan Fillion. Especially not after the torment that fans already experienced prior to the cancellation.
Person of Interest
Yeah, you know what? I cheated here, since Person of Interest was cancelled a couple of months ago and not in the most recent weeks. But those most recent weeks have given us the first five episodes of Person of Interest’s fifth and final season, and this sci-fi-tinged A.I. drama is running on all cylinders in the storytelling department, making its limited lifespan all the more infuriating. As well, CBS head honcho Les Moonves recently explained that Person of Interest got axed over other series because the network doesn’t own P.O.I. as it does with those shows that got renewed. So if that’s the main reason we aren’t getting it anymore, then some other network not as invested in ownership could and should easily swoop in and keep The Machine running for many more episodes.
To see all of the shows met their dooms recently, check out our initial rundown and then the eventual follow-up. And we've also got you covered for everything that's been announced for the broadcast network's upcoming fall schedule. Now onto the poster-making and the petition-signing.
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