It is a fact, sad but true, that the majority of American TV watchers have very poor taste. How else do you explain reality television shows? Because of this poor taste in our nightly entertainment, many decent-to-awesome shows get cancelled before their time. This post is an homage to the fallen.
Touching Evil
Starring Jeffrey Donovan and Vera Farmiga
This show debuted on the USA Network back in 2004. Not to be confused with the British TV show of the same name, this series lasted for thirteen episodes. It was a fascinating show that followed David Creegan, a man re-entering his career as a serial crimes investigator after suffering a near-fatal gunshot wound to the head. As a result of this injury, a part of his brain was damaged, leaving him with virtually no natural inhibitions. As well as having a fascinating main character who was ever so slightly "off", this show also dealt with some pretty nasty serial crimes. Though Touching Evil garnered critical acclaim, networks are swayed by ratings, not intelligent TV. This show lasted only one season, and sadly, has not been released on DVD. (Fingers crossed, everybody!)
Due South
Starring Paul Gross and David Marciano
Due South was a late-nineties show about the ultimate in an unwilling partnership of opposites - at least at first. Constable Benton Fraser (of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police) travelled south of his country's border to Chicago on the trail of his father's killers. After joining forces with Detective Ray Vecchio of Chicago PD, Fraser secures justice for his father's murderers and ends up as a "liason" with the Canadian consulate. Thus, the straight-as-an-arrow Mounty partners up with the-ends-justify-the-means Italian-American police officer to solve crimes with equal parts politeness and cynicism. This show lasted for three seasons, but really only first two are worth watching. The actor playing Ray Vecchio left the show at the end of the second season, and a "replacement Ray" was written into the show in the most half-assed manner imaginable. If you watch it for nothing else, watch it for the handsome upright Canadian (and his pet wolf).
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
Starring Bruce Campbell
Those of you familiar with the Evil Dead films and the TV show Burn Notice surely realize how awesome Bruce Campbell is. He stars as Brisco County, Jr., a Harvard-educated lawyer who turns to bounty hunting after his well-known federal marshall father is murdered by an infamous gang of thieves. Though the show was set in the Old West, it was by no means bound by convention, frequently venturing into science fictional tangents (time-travel, mystical and mysterious Orbs, etc.). Sadly, this show met the same fate as many others that were shunted into the Friday night "death slot" on the Fox network, and lasted only one season.
Red Dwarf
Starring Craig Charles, Danny John-Jules, Chris Barrie, Robert Llewellyn, and Norman Lovett
Many (American) people who refuse to watch British TV blame it on the poor film quality and terrible acting. Both of these elements are present in Red Dwarf, but I still watch it, and that should tell you something. The Red Dwarf was a ship meant to establish a human colony in space, but hundreds of years after it begins its journey, lowly crewman Lister awakens from cryogenic sleep to discover that the rest of the crew perished soon after he went to sleep, and now his only companions are Kryten (an OCD android), Rimmer (a hologram of a former crew mate), Holly (a sarcastic ship computer), and Cat (the humanoid descendent of Lister's pet cat). This unapologetically cheesy series is watchable because of its very British space humor, fueled by the interactions of the characters and the crazy adventures in which they inevitably find themselves.
Mystery Science Theatre 3000
Starring Joel Hodgson, Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Trace Beaulieu
The ultimate cult series, MST3K (as it's known to those who love it) was driven by a flimsy plot to justify riffing on old and terrible movies. Joel (later replaced by Mike), an innocent but inventive maintenance worker, is shot into space by his mad scientist employer. After constructing companion robots with spare parts he could have used to return to Earth, Joel is forced to sit through awful B movies by Dr. Forrester and his henchman Frank TV (they're hoping to find a movie so bad that they could use it to take over the world). Fortunately, Joel's robot pals Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo join him in watching these films, and their comments make the movies more than watchable. Most movies, anyway. Some just cannot be saved. This show had very humble origins, but was picked up by Comedy Central, and then re-run on the SciFi channel after it was cancelled. And in my opinion, the DVDs cannot come out fast enough.
Believe me, there are many more TV shows that never got a fair chance (due to the aforementioned bad taste of the majority of viewers). If you're interested in seeing any of these series, I welcome you to join the cult of Netflix. Come to light! All are welcome!
