A great show, but it was showing signs of heading toward the shark-jumping ramp as early as the middle of season 2.
I don't mean to be hatin', because I really like the show. But the wacky sensibility and pacing that made it so fresh in season one was starting to settle down into a predictable formula of its own. Probably this was inevitable. Some shows are designed to run for 12 years; others are fireworks that burn brightly for a season or two, but fizzle out soon after. Perhaps AD's early cancellation was all for the best.
Fiance and I only just discovered AD recently and have been enjoying the first season DVD. It's the most delightful thing I've ever seen on TV (uh, retroactively). Then again, I don't watch much TV, so I also had pretty low expectations.
I often think TV would be better if shows ran for a maximum of three seasons. Good idea, write an arc, close the arc, new show.
But then we'd have missed the glory years of the simpsons.
I often think TV would be better if shows ran for a maximum of three seasons. Good idea, write an arc, close the arc, new show.
This is what British tv traditionally does, and it's why the British "Office" is so much better than the American one.
I'm disappointed in the iPhone because it doesn't do the exact things I want it to and Macs are for pussies anyway. It's a good thing Arrested Development went off because it looked like it was about to start sucking.
Clearly, everything that the Unfoggeteers like sucks, so can you please just stop liking things?
6: The Simpsons are an exception, certainly. But I can't think of many shows that I enjoy where I think, wow, I'm really glad this went six seasons. Most of my favorites seem to burn out around four years.
Seinfeld, like the Simpsons is another show that only really got going around season 3. However, it went out on top, whereas the Simpsons appears doomed to an endless trailing-off into mediocrity.
Actually, I take that back. Season 2 of the Simpsons was awesome. I apologize for my earlier reckless misstatement.
You say Seinfeld sucked now, but it was one of the top-rated shows of its time. It just didn't age so well... in part because aspects of the comedy style it pioneered have been ripped off by countless other shows. And probably also because Kramer went all racist in that comedy club.
I only watched Seinfeld in reruns, so maybe that's part of why I don't get the appeal, but I honestly don't find it all that funny.
That's like how if you saw the Matrix today, you wouldn't think it was anything special, because everyone uses bullet time effects now.
Another effect you'll have to get used to is shows you're too old for. I was too old for Seinfeld, being in my late thirties in its heyday. I "got" it, but it couldn't hold my interest. It's grim, but there it is.
Gaijin - you know, for the briefest moment, I took you at face value and had a little "aw, I like you too!" reaction and then of course I got it. See? That's why liking is for suckers. Nothing is good enough for me, I tell you.
Liking stuff's for pussies - unless the stuff in question is so widely disliked that liking it becomes cool again, unless enough people start liking it for its unlikability that liking it just becomes tawdry and commonplace in which case you just have to hate it, but then if everybody's hating it there's no way you can't not like it again, unless ARRRRRGGH! ARRRRGHHHH! MY BRAAAAAIN IS ON FIIIIIIRRRREEEEEEE!
Futurama was another good show that Fox cancelled early. #20 reminded me of the following exchange in episode 1ACV04, "Love's Labours Lost In Space":
Fry: "Why's everyone wearing those rings?"
Amy: "Guh! Because nobody wears them anymore! Rings are stupid!"
Fry: "I think they look cool!"
Amy: "Shh, don't let anyone hear you say that!"
Man: "Hey, did that lad just say rings are cool?"
Amy: "No. He said they're stupid."
Man: "Cool!"
Arrested Development is just pure comedy genius - how I miss it! Sigh...
I got series 1 & 2 on DVD for Christmas. I'm enjoying it, but I wouldn't be calling it genius.
The best TV show that no one ever saw was Wonderfalls. It lasted all of four episodes in Fox's Friday night death slot before it was cancelled.
But the whole 13 episode first season was released on DVD. Buy it.
It's the only TV show I know of in which the protagonist was a philosophy major (from Brown). And the theme song is by Andy Partridge of XTC. And Caroline Dhavernas is hott.
I found Seinfeld, both when it was really on and in reruns, to be chock full of characters I was incapable of liking. I did not want to have them in my living room for 22 minutes. To each, of course, their own.
I submit that the sitcom genre reached its acme with The Jeffersons and it has been one long trailing off since then.
Exactly. Four unlikeable people in bad clothing.
You really think so, Clownae?
And laffs -- don't forget the laffs!
22, you should make it clear that the "Man" was in fact wearing multiple rings.
Also, every sitcom contains primarily unlikeable characters. Seinfeld seemed different because the characters were not idiots. Around the 7th season, though, George became an idiot, and the show became formulaic; I think that made all the characters seem less likeable.
Neither The Jeffersons nor Good Times held a candle to Sanford and Son. Champipple!
21: Futurama's coming back. Not to say that Fox didn't suck for cancelling it in the first place, of course.