Tarquin's Top Ten Premature Cancellations

Ahoy hoy chaps and chappettes! It’s been a while, but it’s Tarquin Time once again here at Silver Screen Lining. This week, we were going to look at the Top TV Commercials of the ‘90s, but, having got lost in some Strange over the last few days, I figured we’d spend some time looking at some of the casualties and fatalities of televisual past.

So, without further a-Jew, I give you Tarquin’s top ten TV shows that got axed before their time…

10. God, The Devil and Bob (2000)

Short-lived philosophical animation featuring the voices of French Stewart, Alan Cumming and James Garner as the three most important figures in Christian mythology. One of whom goes by the name Bob.

9. Scrubs Med School (2009-2010)

When it was first announced that Scrubs was to continue after Zack Braff’s departure, I had more than my fair share of doubts. I was however, pleasantly surprised by the well drawn characters and consistent comedy that still managed to emanate from Bill Lawrence’s award winning concept. But then, just as the story arcs began to get good, the show went on mid-season hiatus. And then didn’t come back. Like its forefather Spin City, Scrubs was doomed from the moment its lead player left the building.

8. Greg the Bunny (2002)

Puppets have always been a hit and miss concept, indeed, even The Muppet Show took years to find a producer, and the ill-fated sock-based sitcom Greg the Bunny unfortunately just couldn’t find the viewers. Cuttingly funny, and delightfully crude, Greg paved the way for cult hit Avenue Q, but alas did little for Seth Green’s career…

7. Primeval (2007-2009)

A surprise smash hit when it started back in ‘07, even giving Doctor Who a run for its money, Primeval took a nose-dive when main player Douglas Henshall bowed out in the middle of season 3. His successor, Jason Fleyming, sucked, and by the end of the season it seemed that the plot had wandered off with the vast majority of viewers. There’s talk of a come-back next year, but maybe some things should stay buried…

6. Strange (2003)

Set to be Britain’s answer to Buffy, Strange told the tale of a disgraced priest who spends his life hunting demons. A great cast and entrancing writing couldn’t save one of the UK’s finest supernatural dramas from ever-changing time slots and a cut in BBC funding. Strange-ly, the BBC haven’t even released this classic on DVD yet, and the copy I have is from a very helpful chap I met via IMDB during my MA research.

5. The Sarah Silverman Program (2007-2010)

I have in the past gone into some detail as to why I love The Sarah Silverman Program so very much, and it was with deep regret that I learned of its cancellation after only three seasons. Too rich for most audiences and critics it would seem, Silverman’s biting humour will nonetheless continue as she steadily makes her way into the comedy hall of fame.

4. Kitchen Confidential (2005)

Based on Anthony Bourdain’s memoirs, Kitchen Confidential was a deliciously hilarious comedy that I believe simply went over most viewers’ heads; the kitchen situation was only funny to those who have worked in the industry, and the humour often too smart for many of those who do. Axed after only three episodes were aired, a deluxe DVD of all thirteen shows that were shot is one of my prized rarities.

3. Pushing Daisies (2007-2009)

The first of Bryan Fuller’s wonderful creations to hit the list is the Technicolor marvel of imagination that is musical fairytale detective drama Pushing Daisies. Funny, touching and infuriatingly addictive, this, like everything else Fuller has ever created, was pulled after just two seasons.

2. Dead Like Me (2003-2004)

Another of Bryan Fuller’s ill-fated productions is the deliciously bitter Dead Like Me, a show that centres on a group of grim reapers as they go about their daily lives. Despite the occasionally dull story arcs involving the deceased lead George’s family, Dead Like Me was a consistently funny and thought=provoking show that really managed to give you the funnier side of death.

1. Firefly (2005)

Of all the shows that have been ripped prematurely from our screens, Joss Whedon’s too-cinematic-for-television masterpiece, Firefly, is undoubtedly the most tragic. The concept, cowboys in space, is ingenious, and delivered with such aplomb by the exquisite cast and top-notch writers that one would have expected this to have run for years. Unfortunately, FOX, being the great minds that they are, messed around with viewing schedules, ran episodes in the wrong order, and all about acted like douchebags. Taken from us long before its time, Firefly truly was a leaf on the wind that we never saw soar.