Cancelled, yes. But brilliant? [Part 1 of ?]
I have decided to watch as many "brilliant but cancelled" tv shows as I can stomach. This entry is part 1 of what promises to be at least a two part series.
Today:
Firefly
Wonderfalls
Later:
Jack of All Trades
Drive [?]
Plus:
Special Bonus Feature: Pushing Daisies
Firefly
Nobody is in doubt that I love this series. I came to Joss Whedon backwards-- always assuming I would like what he did, I ventured to the theaters to see "Serenity." I was, of course, confused and had to see the series the movie was sequel to, "Firefly."
And it's pretty freaking awesome.
TV series are generally not great for world setting-- to set up a world, characters, and plot takes a good two hours, never mind hooking a (probably confused) audience onto the next segment. The initial pilot, "Serenity" shows that was indeed an issue-- the first scene, though I now look at it fondly, is difficult to comprehend. Less adventursome TV viewers would be liable to jump ship in the first five minutes. FOX, evidently, was aware. So an entire new 1st episode was produced within a week (written in two days!). The problem? It was much more confusing than the longer, world-setting pilot. And FOX never got a chance to see if enough viewers were adventursome to hop on for the ride on Capt. Reynold's spaceship.
But luckily there are DVDs and hulu.com, both of which provide the entire series for cheap (or free!). Nathan Fillion, soon becoming a household name, is brilliant as Captain Malcolm Reynolds, the troubled space pirate with a heart of mostly-gold. He is joined by an incredible cast, each character fully fleshed out and differentiated. Summer Glau is particularly excellent as River, the troubled genius girl with a horrible secret. But the entire cast became my friends within a few short episodes-- dependable Zoe, comedian Wash, fatherly Sheperd Book, and [he is so freaking handsome!] Dr. Simon Tam.
The plots are where the episodes can fall short. A fantastic setting and characters leaves a lot to be desired and weak episodes, that cannot manage to be both fun and character-building hurt the series' short run. Of particular note is the infamous "Train Job." But my least favorite, by far, is "Heart of Gold," whose standard save-the-whores plot cannot pull off its heartbreaking ending.
The DVDs sold well enough to manage a movie, which couldn't make back its production cost but did manage to bring tears to fan's eyes. Overall, it's hard to be tough on a series that tries so much and succeeds 90% of the time but this little project of mine has some standards.
Grade: A-
Wonderfalls
Bryan Fuller was destined for great things from the start (he now is the showrunner for "Pushing Daisies") and "Wonderfalls" shows you why. A great cast lead by Caroline Dhavernas (someone cast her in something new, quick!) explores the ups and downs of post-college life and family in general despite the odd premise. Jaye, a college graduate who is overwhelmed by adulthood, works at a Niagra Falls tourist shop. One day, she finds a mashed plastic lion talking to her, leading her on an adventure that seems to be the will of the higher ups. If it sounds like "Joan of Arcadia" and looks like it, congratulations, you've discovered the reason it couldn't get an audience.
Which is a real shame because this show is brilliant. Unlike "Firefly" even the weak episodes manage both a mildly-titilating plot and strong character arcs. The writing is across-the-board amazing, never failing to be both insightful and humorous. Even the season-long arc seems to grow at exactly the right pace-- characters don't discover things just in time for fall sweeps, romances don't stall until the big finale. What really breaks my heart about this shows is that it seemed to have a million places to go and many seasons to create. Like "Firefly," the cast quickly became my friends but more than that they examined the world around me in a poignant and prophetic way.
Truly brilliant, sadly cancelled.
Grade: A
Today:
Firefly
Wonderfalls
Later:
Jack of All Trades
Drive [?]
Plus:
Special Bonus Feature: Pushing Daisies
Firefly
Nobody is in doubt that I love this series. I came to Joss Whedon backwards-- always assuming I would like what he did, I ventured to the theaters to see "Serenity." I was, of course, confused and had to see the series the movie was sequel to, "Firefly."
And it's pretty freaking awesome.
TV series are generally not great for world setting-- to set up a world, characters, and plot takes a good two hours, never mind hooking a (probably confused) audience onto the next segment. The initial pilot, "Serenity" shows that was indeed an issue-- the first scene, though I now look at it fondly, is difficult to comprehend. Less adventursome TV viewers would be liable to jump ship in the first five minutes. FOX, evidently, was aware. So an entire new 1st episode was produced within a week (written in two days!). The problem? It was much more confusing than the longer, world-setting pilot. And FOX never got a chance to see if enough viewers were adventursome to hop on for the ride on Capt. Reynold's spaceship.
But luckily there are DVDs and hulu.com, both of which provide the entire series for cheap (or free!). Nathan Fillion, soon becoming a household name, is brilliant as Captain Malcolm Reynolds, the troubled space pirate with a heart of mostly-gold. He is joined by an incredible cast, each character fully fleshed out and differentiated. Summer Glau is particularly excellent as River, the troubled genius girl with a horrible secret. But the entire cast became my friends within a few short episodes-- dependable Zoe, comedian Wash, fatherly Sheperd Book, and [he is so freaking handsome!] Dr. Simon Tam.
The plots are where the episodes can fall short. A fantastic setting and characters leaves a lot to be desired and weak episodes, that cannot manage to be both fun and character-building hurt the series' short run. Of particular note is the infamous "Train Job." But my least favorite, by far, is "Heart of Gold," whose standard save-the-whores plot cannot pull off its heartbreaking ending.
The DVDs sold well enough to manage a movie, which couldn't make back its production cost but did manage to bring tears to fan's eyes. Overall, it's hard to be tough on a series that tries so much and succeeds 90% of the time but this little project of mine has some standards.
Grade: A-
Wonderfalls
Bryan Fuller was destined for great things from the start (he now is the showrunner for "Pushing Daisies") and "Wonderfalls" shows you why. A great cast lead by Caroline Dhavernas (someone cast her in something new, quick!) explores the ups and downs of post-college life and family in general despite the odd premise. Jaye, a college graduate who is overwhelmed by adulthood, works at a Niagra Falls tourist shop. One day, she finds a mashed plastic lion talking to her, leading her on an adventure that seems to be the will of the higher ups. If it sounds like "Joan of Arcadia" and looks like it, congratulations, you've discovered the reason it couldn't get an audience.
Which is a real shame because this show is brilliant. Unlike "Firefly" even the weak episodes manage both a mildly-titilating plot and strong character arcs. The writing is across-the-board amazing, never failing to be both insightful and humorous. Even the season-long arc seems to grow at exactly the right pace-- characters don't discover things just in time for fall sweeps, romances don't stall until the big finale. What really breaks my heart about this shows is that it seemed to have a million places to go and many seasons to create. Like "Firefly," the cast quickly became my friends but more than that they examined the world around me in a poignant and prophetic way.
Truly brilliant, sadly cancelled.
Grade: A