Cancellation Nation

By Michael Massey

It’s happened time and time again. You find a show you love. And you love everything about it; the characters, the story line, even the marketing that goes along with it. And then, just when it will be revealed if the demise of the bitchy main character was murder or suicide, the show is cancelled. The proverbial axe has fallen and killed off the show. With the short little span of attention of the consuming public these days, writers better wow them and if they don’t, it’ll be nothing more than a bad romance and over quickly. But on the other hand there is some pretty useless content making it on to the screen and I have to wonder how that happens. I thought it would be at least moderately entertaining to take a look back at some of the losers.

Cancelled after one episode:

'Co-Ed Fever CBS 1979 Imitation of National Lampoon's Animal House
'Emily's Reason's for Why Not' ABC Jan 2006 A single career woman unlucky in love
'Quarterlife' NBC Feb 2006 Myspace series
'Lawless' FOX March 1997 Brian Bosworth stars as a private eye.

Top 10 Cancelled Shows:
"The Tick" (FOX)
Premiered: November 2001
Cancelled: January 2002

"My So-Called Life" (ABC)
Premiered: August 1994
Cancelled: January 1995

"The Ben Stiller Show" (FOX)
Premiered: September 1992
Cancelled: January 1993

"Sports Night" (ABC)
Premiered: September 1998
Cancelled: May 2000

"Firefly" (FOX)
Premiered: September 2002
Cancelled: December 2002

"NewsRadio" (NBC)
Premiered: March 1995
Cancelled: July 1999

"Family Guy" (FOX)
Premiered: January 1999
Cancelled: 2001

"Homicide: Life on the Street" (NBC)
Premiered: January 1993
Cancelled: August 1999

"Freaks and Geeks" (NBC) / "Undeclared" (FOX)
"Freaks" - Premiered: September 1999
Cancelled: July 2000
"Undeclared" - Premiered: September 2001
Cancelled: March 2002

Mr. Show with Bob and David" (HBO)
Premiered: September 1995
Cancelled: December 1998

Of course I could go on and on with this list as I’m sure you could. And I’d like to hear from you. Send along your cancellation favorites or others that you’d like to see gone! michael@youradherethebook.com or tweet us at @youradheremedia or facebook us at http://www.facebook.com/youradheremedia