TVSquad

There will always be Buffy, Angel, Quantum Leap and Magnum, P.I. on my "Oh Man I Want New Episodes of These Shows" list, but what about the more recently canceled shows of the past few years? Are there any worth mourning?

Maybe not in the same way I mourn my culty loves and classic '80s shows, but there are a few worth mentioning....

Moonlight
Yep, I know, I am one of Those People -- a fan of Moonlight. Though I agree it was weak when it returned after the writer's strike, there were lots of things to love about this show: the vampire lore, the episodic mysteries, the way they could have taken the love story (had they not muffed it up in the last four episodes), the actors (Jason Dohring and Alex O'Laughlin; not Sophia Myles). I can't believe that I won't find out more of the back story with Joseph's family and Coraline.

The Nine
We don't have a lot of shows these days that are willing to explore characters in such depth; The Nine was willing to take it slow and really develop the intricacies of the character interactions on the backside of their traumatic hostage situation. There were mysteries regarding that, huge changes in the characters and their lives that we don't really know about, and motivations for actions left a mystery to the viewers. Some viewers may have found the pace a bit boring, but the acting was top-notch and the scripts written with such delicacy that I can't help but think we may have been in store for something great.

3 lbs.
This medical drama was canceled after what, three episodes? Not enough time, network people! A cross between House and Grey's Anatomy with a lead like Stanley Tucci surely would have found a viewership. It really was clever, charming, and interesting, though admittedly, perhaps not too original.

Miss Guided
I only caught an episode and a half of this quirky comedy, but I would have liked to see more. I loved the awkward lead, the oblivious hunk, and the ditsy former cheerleader. It had all the makings of "The Office Goes to High School", with a little "Square Pegs for the Faculty" thrown in for good measure.

Men in Trees
Why, oh why, didn't I watch this show when I had the chance? I probably caught two episodes of it and enjoyed them both. The Northern Exposure vibe, the fish-out-of-water character of Anne Heche's, and the charm of the backwoods hunks: it could have worked. Something didn't, or it wouldn't have been canceled, and probably I would have watched faithfully, but I still regret not watching when I had the chance.

Unhitched
I fully admit it: this show took a serious, plummeting fall into the chasm of Suck. Maybe it is because I went to high school with the creators and writers of the few few episodes that I wanted to give Unhitched more of a chance to come into its own. The episodes the creators wrote were funny, and do you all remember how ghastly Seinfeld was in its first season? I cannot help but think that with the talented cast they had that this show would have found its stride.

The real problem here seems to be that it is not in the best interest of the networks -- financially of course -- to give new shows a chance to reach their stride and their core viewership. What does this say about the future of TV? Maybe Joss Whedon's got it right with his Dr. Horrible online musical... who needs networks, anyway?

How about you? Where do you weigh in on the recently canceled shows?