The 4400 Cancelled

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:52:24 GMT

Just read that The 4400, one of the better serialized shows out there, just got cancelled. Rather unfortunate, seeing the potential the show could have had with the setup from the season finale (Seattle basically becoming it's own country run by Jordan Collier and the remaining 4400 along with the tens of thousands of Seattle people with new powers, including most of the cast whose job so far has been to track the 4400).

TV Season Finales

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 00:52:19 GMT

My favorite type of TV show is 'serialized' shows -- shows that don't hit the reset button at the end of each episode. This started with Wiseguy long ago, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is my favorite TV show in part due to this. Even my favorite cartoon show, Gargoyles, followed this format.

Well recently, Lost started on TV based completely around being serialized, and has been a big hit. At the same time, Battlestar Gallactica's new version has also been a big hit on cable, and is also serialized. Thus, many other shows have started to air that allow stories to continue and characters to grow as the show goes on... though not all are great or successes :).

I wrote most of this in May, season finale time (but postponed postingas I had to catch up on Battlestar Gallactica). All the main TV shows I watch were having their season finales, hoping to return next season. Since the number of shows I enjoy and watch has gone up recently (in part due to Media Center), I figured I will do a quick summary here of the shows and their seasons... ohh, and Spoilers (I discuss plot points, season end points, and even character deaths) for those who haven't watched them follow... especially for Lost!!! So if you haven't watched a show and want to avoid spoilers, only pay attention to my star ratings ;).

Lost *****, Season 3: My favorite TV show out there, Lost is just amazing. This season started with a singular focus on Jack, Kate, and Sawyer, who were captured in the season 2 finale by the Others, but once Kate and Sawyer escaped and started trying to rescue Jack, the show turned up things a notch with Locke going on a rampage, blowing up communications stations and submarines, killing the eye-patch wearing Mikhail (and then beating him to a pulp when it turned out he didn't die), having Sawyer kill his father after finding him on the island, and taking the Others leader Ben hostage. Locke finally forced Ben to take him to the Others real leader, Jacob -- leading to the show's most shocking episode ever, as we learn how the Hostiles purged DHARMA from the Island, and Ben adds Locke to their mass grave. But the finale managed to top all, a bloodbath with 15 people killed, and a change to the storytelling method that makes the story not only about the Island and the characters past before the crash, but also the characters future after they leave the Island!!!

Prison Break *****, Season 2: My breakout show of the year. Season 1 hooked me midway through when I realized the show was taking it's serialized nature seriously, with the return of the insane Haywire character into the storyline after the prison break had to be changed to involve the psych ward. Season 2 took the characters lead by Michael and Lincoln out of prison, on the run, with multiple storylines running for the various characters -- ending with Lincoln officially being set free, but Michael, Mahone, evil T-Bag, and Bellick in a Panama prison -- and President Caroline stepping down rather than being exposed. I liked how they built Kellerman (assassin)'s character to end up working with the heroes, and loved Mahone (FBI agent)'s character, complete with him taking no prisoners. The story was clearly not without risk for it's characters, many of whom died... RIP Abruzzi, Veronica, Kellerman, Tweener, Haywire, Steadman, Gov Tancredi, Geary, Aldo Burrows, and smarmy Bill Kim. On second thought, Bill Kim can rot :).

Heroes ****, Season 1: A cool concept show, about people discovering super powers, and getting involved in an attempt to stop a nuclear bomb (actually a radioactive 'hero'). The characters are all over the place though, and many don't have much of a connection to anyone else. Plus, two of the heroes seemingly can't really die, atleast not easily... Still, the evil Sylar has been built up as a significant villain, and the best character on the show, Mr Bennet (formerly shown as a villain, yet caring father) has turned out to be a highly intelligent and awesome character -- and he is perhaps the only character without superpowers. The finale disappointed however, with the long awaited super battle between Sylar and Peter lasting only a couple of punches, and all characters acting stupid at various points.

Supernatural ****, Season 2: Supernatural is mainly a show with an 'episode of the week' structure, encountering a new supernatural ghost or monster every week -- however it does it while maintaining a continuing storyline involving a Yellow-Eyed Demon who killed the 2 heroes (Sam and Dean) mother and who is planning an end of the world battle. The show ends it's second season with the Demon opening a gate to hell, releasing an army, but the heroes father (who had last year made a deal with another demon and given up his soul) also came out of the gate, and helped kill the Demon. I guess next year is going to be about tracking down the army, and finding a way to save Dean's soul (as he made the same deal their father did to save Sam).

Battlestar Gallactica ***, Season 3: It started with a bang, with a neat set of episodes about survival on New Caprica, and ending with a killer escape / battle. But then it got embroiled in an overlong love quadrangle between Starbucks, Apollo, Dualla, and Anders, with Starbucks character in particular continuing on a self-destructive path until she finally, surprisingly, dies... Plus, the Cylons really didn't have much involvement with the fleet for most of the season. Dr Baltar remains the most interesting, complicated character, even though for all the heroes, he is the villain. The ending meanwhile appears to have come out of nowhere, specially with Starbuck coming back and characters being revealed as Cylons wholesale seemingly randomly... here's hoping they have something good planned for next season, which has been announced to be the last.

The 4400 ***, Season 3: In this summer cable show, 4400 people who were abducted by future humans all returned, and gradually discovered they have various powers -- all apparently a plot by future humans to save the future. Season 3 ends with a new drug being distributed, which has a 50% chance of either killing you, or giving you an ability. I guess Season 4 (which started in June 2007) will be all about all the new people with abilities.

Jericho **, Season 1: It used to be that shows I really liked, usually died off their first year... Examples include Invasion last year, Nowhere Man some time back, and Legend when I first came to the US. Jericho is the latest such show. Basically, Jericho is about a small town that survives when 23 American cities are nuked, and how it survives. More than that though, is the story of how America rebuilds, possible Civil Wars between survivers, etc. Jericho ended with a war continuing between the towns of Jericho and New Bern (which wants the farmland Jericho has), while the military from the new US government headed to Jericho intent on finding the nuke that didn't go off (hidden by a CIA agent in Jericho). Sadly, the show's pace was slow, with a heavy emphasis on farmers and grocery store owners and so on, that likely led to it's lower ratings and just announced cancellation (though it got renewed after a fans 'Nuts' campaign, and will return after all for a shortened second season). Farah gave up on Jericho early...

24 *, Season 6: Of all the shows I watch regularly, 24 has been running the longest. 24 normally only keeps it's plot for the season, resolving it at the end and then starting a new 'threat' for the next season. Season 6 is where they have actually tried to connect the show with the past, revealing Jack Bauer's brother and father as being the evil people behind President Logan in Season 5, as well as ending Season 6 with Jack going up against the evil Chinese who held him prisoner from the end of Season 5 to the start of Season 6. Unfortunately, this has meant that the main plot Season 6 started promisingly with (terrorist attacks on the US culminating with a nuke going off in LA) has seemed pointless, and 24 had it's worst season ever... 24 needs to stop killing off characters for shock value, as it has nobody interesting left now other than Jack! Or is it too late?

Doctor Who *, Season 2: The current incarnation of Doctor Who continued the mostly episodic season 2 with a new reincarnation of the Doctor, and while he was good, I still preferred the season 1 Doctor. What was worse though, was the emphasis on the family of his companion, Rose -- with a loosely serialized plot that ends up sending Rose and her family to live in an alternate dimension in the finale. Thus, Season 3 will have a new companion for the time traveling Doctor Who... Farah didn't care for Doctor Who after the Doctor changed as well...

Shauntu شان: Entertainment

The 4400 Cancelled

TV Season Finales