TV as it used to be?

[Menard]

The topic on favorite TV themes (as it rose from the dead) had me thinking of something else along the line of TV shows: What TV shows from the past would you like to see return?

Did it end too soon?

Did they have a few good years, then go downhill?

Would they be able to make it any good a second time around?

A show which tried to resurrect itself several years ago was 'WKRP in Cincinnati'. It failed pretty miserably as it just could not re-capture its former self. It was a novelty for a while as we got to see many of the old characters return, but that novelty ran out of steam quickly.

I would liked to have seen 'Hunter' return to TV. NBC actually ran a promo for a new 'Hunter' series, but it unfortunately never surfaced. The show suffered from the case of losing its steam in its last season after Stephanie Kramer left the show. It lost some of its sense of humor and fun as it apparently tried to become a standard cop show with more of a serious streak; not saying that the early show did not have its serious moments, but it had a certain sense about its characters which seemed to evaporate in the last season.

'Remington Steele' was another fun show. It did itself in in its last season as it tried to play with the characters and introduce a triangle in Laura and Remington's relationship. Doris Roberts leaving the show, and Jack Scalia entering, was a death knell to the final season. Of course, if they tried to resurrect the show today, I think it would be quite costly to get Pierce Brosnan to play the role again.

I would have seriously liked to have seen the TV series of 'The Magnificent Seven' continue. It was a fun show, at least to me. Its main detraction when it was broadcast is that it was a mid-season show which unfortunately played during the winter olympics and was pre-empted many times during its first run. It was pre-empted so many times that many people had no idea that it was a series.

What shows would you like to see return?

[Fearless Freep]

Check out jumptheshark.com

[peter johnson]

TV is ephemeral -- I often get p**sed that some show I like is cancelled, but after a year or 2 I have trouble remembering it was even on --
That said, I thought "My So-called Life" deserved more of a chance, but the actors are probably too old to pull it off again.
I expect I'll be mourning the passing of "Arrested Development" before long.  Best show on TV -- been given lots of chances -- still can't find an audience.
Bye-bye . . .
peter johnson/denny crane

[trekgeezer]

I've got a list of shows that's far too long to list that I thought died early deaths. The nature of the business has changed and TV exec's want instant hits and rarely give anything a chance to develop an audience.

Some shows that you remember fondly, upon rewatching many years later seem very silly or just down right bad. Now some of them get a new lease on life through DVD.

My favorite shows as a small kid were Johnny Quest, Star Trek, Man from U.N.C.L.E, Twilight Zone, and The Outer Limits (even though I was hiding behind the couch a lot.).

[Menard]

That strikes me as interesting. If Star Trek had continued as a series and run itself into the ground, would they have become the franchise they are today?

I would think they most likely would have, but it is interesting to ponder that several shows which were struck down too early, before they had a chance to do it themselves, have been cult hits since. Other shows which fall into that category, I believe, would be Gilligan's Island, Outer Limits, and The Munsters.

Any thoughts about a show becoming more successful in its death than if it had continued to the point of annoyance?

[AndyC]

Star Trek, Gilligan and others have that wonderful combination of enough episodes for syndication, but not enough to use up all of the good story ideas.

I kind of wonder if there are more than three or four seasons' worth of really good stories for any series. Relatively few shows have lasted much longer, and even those, when you look back at them, were strongest for no more than three or four seasons.

There are exceptions both ways, shows with premises that set fewer limits on ideas (Seinfeld, Simpsons, etc.), and one-gimmick shows that, although good at first, barely offered enough possibilities for a season or two (the 80s was full of such shows). The odd time, cast changes can work to revitalize a show for a while, as in Cheers or MASH, but they can also kill a show. Takes some care to do it right.

The ones that go the longest often tend to fall harder. Shows like Happy Days or The Simpsons build enough momentum to carry on for years after they hit their peaks, making writers more and more desperate, and stories more and more ridiculous.

While not all of the most highly regarded shows were cancelled before their time, it's something that most of them share. Generally speaking, those that aren't tend to carry on beyond when they should be cancelled, and wreck their own reputations.

Anyway, I'd only meant to type that first line. The rest is just rambling.

[Fearless Freep]

A very few shows have been smart enough to quit while they were still on top

[Ed, Ego and Superego]

Well, I don't know if it ended too soon, but I really really like Taxi.  I wasn't old enough when it was run, but a while ago in the 90's it was on NIck at Nite, and I faithflly watched it.  Thats was a fantastic show.
-Ed

[ulthar]

You can say that again.  A big gripe I have with many GOOD tv shows is that they slide downhill and the producers won't let them go.  Here are some examples of shows that I thought the first season or two was GREAT, but in the end, they just went on too long:

ER
St. Elsewhere
Hill Street Blues
Saturday Night Live

In each of the drama cases, I claim the JTS moment (love that site, btw, burned up many an hour reading comments there) is when it became more of a soap opera with the personal lives of the main (and not-so-main) characters than true to the original premise.

As for shows that I think were never given a 'proper chance,' I'd say "High Incident" and "Brooklyn South" are on my list.

As for current shows, does anyone else really enjoy Medium?  I know it's not the most thought inspiring bit o programming, but I do sorta look forward to it each week (though the now formulaic constant quibble between hubby and wife is getting tiresome).  Also, I enjoy Numbers, but MAN is THAT cheesy.

I really liked the first season of Joan of Arcadia, but the second season was quite disappointing.  Though saddened that they cancelled it, I'd rather remember it as a good show than see it rurn't (as we say down here in SC).

And long live Blue Collar TV!!

Finally, very few shows on TV can make me laugh out loud - gut hurting laugh.  But tonight's Simpsons (Bart and Homer become Catholics) absolutely cracked me up.

[trekgeezer]

Yea, Ed I remember Taxi winning a Emmy the year it was cancelled and Judd Hirsch made the irony of that known during the acceptance speech. It originally ran on NBC, then they cancelled it and it moved to ABC. It was a great show and I've always wondered why they couldn't get enough people watching.

Some networks have taken to cancelling even shows that are getting great ratings due to them not bringing in the right demographic of viewers.

[Ed, Ego and Superego]

I think we need to keep in mind that shows are really the draw to force people to watch commercials.  You want people with lots of money, and few compulsions against spending to watch your shows, so you can sell ad time and make money.  Its a really strange thing, but its  true.  
-Ed

[ulthar]

Which is rather amazing, considering WHO ACTUALLY WATCHES the commercials?  I either mute them, or go to the other room (snack, bathroom, check on work, read badmovies.org, etc, etc).

But, they must be reaching somebody, or companies would not spend so much on tv ad time.

I'd like to know just effective/efficient they really are.  I mean, in web advertising, we have cost per click and click-through rate to assess how often an ad is seen vs. acted upon.  Considering tv ads are on millions of sets at once, and only a handful of ads lead to a sale (probably), the efficiency has to be rather low.

[raj]

Loved Taxi.  Probably the best show, certainly Seinfeld isn't.

What does a yellow light mean?

[AndyC]

That could explain the idiotic programming that seems to win out most of the time. It caters to the idiots who are most influenced by the advertising.

[Ed, Ego and Superego]

Nice theory.. the "weak minded idiot program choice hypothesis".  Start writing the grant applications, I'm off to buy consumer goods I do not need.  Must buy tire cleaner...  

-Ed