With new shows starting to drop like flies, I started thinking about which cancellations would break my heart. Here are five series that absolutely must survive the season, along with this week’s odds of it being cancelled, as determined by the good folks over at BrilliantButCancelled.com.
“Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” (Mondays, NBC) (144:1)
NBC has put its weight behind this new Aaron Sorkin series, which follows the goings-on behind the scenes at a late-night comedy show. The dynamic between Bradley Whitford and Matthew Perry (who play the fictional show’s producer and writer, respectively) is terrific, while Amanda Peet is shockingly convincing as the network exec in charge of programming. But the most pleasant surprise has been the performance of Sarah Paulson, who is so convincing as the show’s star (coming up with killer Juliette Lewis and Holly Hunter impressions), it makes me wonder why she didn’t go into sketch comedy in the first place. “Studio 60” has quickly filled the void left after “The West Wing” left the air, and while its ratings are way behind “CSI:Miami,” the word is that the numbers are still well ahead of the baseline that NBC needs to keep the show on the air. Sorkin’s cred can’t hurt, either.
“Heroes” (Mondays, NBC) (483:1)
This series has been a strong ratings earner, so it doesn’t appear to be in much danger of being cancelled, as evidenced by the long odds. The separate storylines are starting to come together and the acting is getting better. The show is darker than expected; it deals with date rape, drug use, infidelity and murder, which makes perfect sense – in order to have heroes you must have villains. Plus, it can’t hurt to have arguably the best new character of the season – Hiro Nakamura, the Japanese time traveler.
“Friday Night Lights” (Tuesdays, NBC) (72:1)
While the series based on Texas high school football hasn’t been a ratings giant on Tuesday nights, it has done well with young men, which is the toughest demographic to reach. I was concerned about the casting of Kyle Chandler (his eyebrows bother me), but he’s been solid as the team’s head coach. I’m especially interested in the future of the backup QB, played convincingly by Zach Gilford, who was thrust into the spotlight when the star QB went down with an injury. The show is shot in a herky-jerky sort of way, which adds to its realism, especially during game sequences. I might have put the series on Wednesday night – smack dab in the middle of the week to give football fans a fix before the weekend, but I’m sure more scientific thought than that went into the show’s scheduling.
“Jericho” (CBS) (34:1)
This show needs to make it through the year, not because it’s particularly good, but because I want to know what the hell is going on. In many respects, the show has been “CBS’ed.” That is, there are too many heart-heavy, family-oriented moments and the soundtrack generally sucks, but the show’s terrific premise and the subsequent questions will hold my attention throughout the season. Who attacked us? What do they want? Where do the citizens of Jericho (and its country) go from here? I sure hope that if the show is cancelled, they’re at least given enough notice to provide answers to those questions.
“30 Rock” (NBC) (134:1)
My wife would kill me if I didn’t include this show on the list. Tina Fey’s half-hour comedy about the goings-on behind the scenes at a late-night sketch show (sound familiar?) has proven that “30 Rock” and “Studio 60” can co-exist. “30 Rock” is schticky, while I find “Studio 60” wittier. Even though the two shows have the same premise, they go about it in very different ways. Aside from “The Office” and “My Name Is Earl,” there is a dearth of good sitcoms on the air, so “30 Rock” is more than welcome to join the party. By the way, Alec Baldwin is hilarious as the network exec in charge of the show.
For those that missed an episode or would like to get caught up can go to each show’s website to watch back episodes. The NBC shows have this week’s episodes available for streaming, while “Jericho” appears to have all back episodes available for online viewing.
