Mid-Season Casualties

Well, it seems "The Cape" has already fallen off the schedule, though apparently you could watch the remaining episodes online - though why would you bother?  Here we have a classic case of one of the two reasons shows get cancelled after tons of hype and high expectations: The writers didn't pay attention to what the audience craves.  They had a great premise, that of the creation of a superhero as a result of getting too close to discovering the identity of the villain.  They had a perfect sidekick-type character, a hot woman who doubles as another type of hero via her manipulation of information.  They even provided a fairly useful location for training and power-development purposes, an underground circus troupe.  Then they screwed the pooch by making the titular object the ONLY super thing about the hero, and it wasn't that super on top of that.

That was only the start of the problem.  They focused at least one too many episodes on the circus troupe, trying to give more background on where the cape came from, and also attempted to give the cape some kind of supernatural personality bent on evil, so it had to be tamed to be used for good.  Too much boring, not enough action.  Then, to make sure that anyone devoted to superhero-type storylines would also be alienated, they took one of the sexiest young actresses working television today, Summer Glau, and hid her body to the point that if you had only ever seen her in this show you'd barely notice she even had woman parts.  Even my wife questioned the logic in this move.  If you weren't intending to show legs and hotness, why include her stunning figure in a spot that ran before the premiere...in fact, if you didn't intend her to be hot at all, why hire Summer Glau?  There are lots of actresses who could have played the role as they laid it out, and that's the problem.  They squandered what they had, and the show failed.

Other shows that I've been watching and paying attention to are also being discussed for cancellation or pick-up.  Here's how things look so far for dramas:  "No Ordinary Family" is on the bubble, and that's a show that knows exactly what the audience wants, so hopefully the studio (in this case ABC) will see that and keep it around.  "Off The Map," also on ABC, is coming along really well, and though they have yet to really speak about the feedback they are getting in regards to the show, considering there is only one other show that really focuses on the medical profession purely, it will also hopefully stick around for a while.  Both "Hawaii Five-O" and "Blue Bloods" are likely to return, as is "Survivor," though at this point it is uncertain whether Jeff Probst will still be hosting.  Personally, I hope he does stay, as the show just wouldn't be the same without him.  It is also apparently too early to tell what will happen with "The Chicago Code," though again I hope it stays as the depth of the plotline from episode one has been great.  Again, "Chuck" is one to worry about, and for the third year in a row I hope that the studio keeps this one going.  "The Event" is also on the bubble, which does not surprise me.  We stopped watching it early on, but the spots hyping the return of the show this week have made us PVR it again, and we'll see what we've got later today.  Surprisingly, "Harry's Law" hasn't gotten renewed yet, and it is arguably the most anticipated show in this house since it started airing.  NBC, don't screw this one up!


The best sitcoms on television are going to be back next year.  I'm talking about "Big Bang Theory" and "How I Met Your Mother."  "Mike and Molly" is likely to return as well, but with the recent firing of Charlie Sheen from "Two And A Half Men," that show could go either way.  Oh, and you read that right, he has now been fired from the show permanently.  Not surprised, given my last blog post regarding it.  "Raising Hope" has been renewed, and hopefully "Community" will be too.  "Outsourced" is still on the bubble, so I'll keep my eye on it.  "Mr. Sunshine," to my knowledge, has also been renewed for next season, though "Perfect Couples" still has to show off some numbers before getting the nod.

"Glee" is returning, which should surprise absolutely nobody.  In that vein, "90210" is likely returning, and "Hellcats" will probably do the same.

As for the rest, here is what is returning so far:  "Hell's Kitchen" and "Wipeout."  Likely to come back are "Kitchen Nightmares," "Rookie Blue" and "Celebrity Apprentice."  "Mad Love" is on the bubble, as are "Fringe" and "Brothers And Sisters."  That pretty much covers everything to date, and when I know more I'll probably rant about it here.

Until then, keep that recliner warm for me!