One of the worst words to hear for a devoted TV fan is the word "cancellation." Just having to type it makes me cringe. Hearing this word a year in advance allows fans, cast and crew to prepare and usually means that we will get a satisfying ending (I say usually because, let's face it, not everyone was satisfied with the Seinfeld gang ending up in prison or with the black screen at the end of The Sopranos... then again, can we satisfy all fans?).What makes the "word that shall not be typed again in this post" so scary is when it is said after a series wrapped up its current episode order or when it is said almost a mere minute before said episode order is completed. When this happens, it usually means that the shows will not have the money/time/leisure to go back to the drawing board and rework what will now be known as their series finale.
When ABC announced that Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone and Pushing Daisies were
Slight spoilers coming up!
Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello confirmed this week that DSM and Eli both had the money and time to produced series finales that will offer some closure to fans. The word "some" is important here as it was impossible for both series to wrap every storyline up with, well, the time and money they had left. However, DSM fans will be happy to learn that the series finale will give the answer as to who killed Dutch. As for Eli Stone, the gossip columnist reveals that the satisfying ending will offer a scene between Eli and his father.
Sadly, Pushing Daisies fans will need to prepare for the worst. According to TV Guide's Mega Buzz, the only big mystery that will be solved by the series' end is that of Emerson's missing daughter. Both Ausiello and Kristin Dos Santos from E! hinted that the Daisies finale will actually end with a cliffhanger or two! How will Daisies fans get closure? Comic books! During a panel held at the Paley Center for Media, Bryan Fuller revealed that he would like to see the story arcs wrapped up in comic books.
I can understand the reasons why networks don't always give enough warning to their shows about their grim fate, but what they must do is give fans closure one way or another. Without viewers, networks would not exist. So why not reward their commitment to series by either 1) giving enough warning to shows so they can offer a satisfying ending, 2) telling the shows they have been canned when there is at least one episode left to produced so that some storylines can be wrapped up, 3) offering the creators a platform to tell fans how the series would have ended. Personally, I prefer option #1 but sometimes we have to accept that #3 is all we will get (for example, when FOX canceled John Doe, the creators sent out a sort of press release to give fans some closure). Sadly, networks often choose secret option #4: no closure at all.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
12-05-2008 @ 1:42PM
Jason said...
Grrrrrrrrrr. I hate ABC.
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12-05-2008 @ 2:05PM
Leah said...
Bryan Fuller knew Daises wasn't gonna make it, it was obvious. I was so hoping that ABC would give it a shot, but realistically, it wasn't going to happen.
The same thing happened a few years ago with Veronica Mars. Rob Thomas knew Dawn Ostroff was gonna cancel it and he purposely ended without a real ending, hoping he could force the network to give him more episodes. The networks are not gonna play chicken with the shows producers/creators. They're gonna do what they want.
So, I pretty much blame the writers in both of these cases.
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12-05-2008 @ 6:18PM
Leah said...
I forgot to mention this before. I bet Dawn would LOVE to see Veronica Mars' ratings now, compared to what their new stuff is getting. 3 mil doesn't seem so bad.
12-05-2008 @ 10:10PM
Franklin said...
Yeah, if you're a producer of a TV series, never play chicken with the network executives. Ending things on a cliffhanger when it's uncertain if your show will return for another season isn't going to convince the network to renew your show.
This is something Joss Whedon avoided in the early seasons of Buffy. He wrapped things up at the end of each season, and treated the following season as a sequel of sorts to the previous one. 24 did the same thing.
12-07-2008 @ 2:05PM
John D'arc said...
Dawn Ostroff still has a job?
12-05-2008 @ 2:02PM
Lorie said...
I'm gonna miss PD.
I hate you ABC execs!!
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12-05-2008 @ 2:19PM
Fran said...
Once again the television people have ruined the fans' enjoyment of a wonderful show. Pushing Daisies so refreshing, with snappy dialogue and very, very interesting characters. It is fairy-tale time for us adults, who need an escape from the realities of life. It is an oasis in the tv world of cop, medical, cop/science, and reality shows that are on the rest of the week. If we can't get an ending, the least the network can do is make a movie or special to tie up loose ends. Shame on you!
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12-05-2008 @ 2:30PM
0megapart!cle said...
I pretty much hate everybody. Why don't they just cancel the whole season and retry the season next year?
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12-05-2008 @ 2:37PM
Claire said...
words cannot express my disappointment that pushing daisies isn't being given proper closure. That is the least they could do for a cult show that performed only slightly less than they required. ABC sucks the same as FOX now.
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12-16-2008 @ 3:17PM
Damiel said...
It´s not fair with Eli Stone :(
ABC is making a terrible mistake, this show is absolutely beautiful and has a BIG HEART & SOUL.
I´ll Hate ABC till Death...
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12-05-2008 @ 3:38PM
rtms said...
I think it sucks that PD won't get any closure.There should be a union rule or something that networks have to give productions at least a two episode warning before cancellation so they can have time to produce a satisfying ending. On the other hand Fuller knew that it wasn't looking good long before the end happened and refused to do anything about it so he's as much to blame as anyone.And I really think the comics or movie idea was just to placate fans, and won't amount to anything happening. This isn't Heroes which fit that sort of thing perfectly.
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12-05-2008 @ 6:23PM
Leah said...
Actually a comic book does suit Pushing Daisies. There was a comic book to go along with the first episode before it even aired. Here's a copy on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/PUSHING-DAISIES-2007-Comic-Con-Exclusive-Comic_W0QQitemZ260274417261QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116
12-05-2008 @ 3:54PM
JRM said...
YES, i am so thankful i get a semi good series finale for DSM. I was dreading not knowing. Atleast now i can enjoy the rest of the episodes knowing that its going to end decently.
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12-05-2008 @ 5:41PM
cret said...
I'm still waiting to find out what happened in Deadwwod
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12-05-2008 @ 6:32PM
Jake said...
RE: Pushing Daisies, this is why I let the episodes accumulate on the DVR when it got bad ratings. Now I'll be deleting them.
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12-05-2008 @ 8:35PM
Leah said...
You should still watch the episodes. They are awesome and totally worth it. I'm just gonna enjoy it while I still have it and then watch the dvds A LOT.
12-05-2008 @ 7:37PM
tv junkie said...
honestly, i don't blame ABC at all, they tried their best, before the season started, they did promo the hell out of their Wednesday lineup (PD, PR, DSM) and stunt casting on Eli Stone, but the rating was brutally bad. the majority of people who prefer unoriginal shows just aren't tuning in.
i'm glad at least some closure for DSM and Eli Stone, but I'd love to see that Pushing Daisies movie Fuller proposed get made, i think the appeal for a fantasy movie is greater than tv.
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12-05-2008 @ 11:50PM
Rebecca said...
That does it. I'm never watching anything on ABC again. For whoever said that Pushing Daisy's should have tied things up, it wasn't the end of the season, it's only partway through the year. ABC didn't give the show a decent chance. It didn't bring it back after the writers strike last year and worse, didn't even rerun the episodes from the first season this past summer. It quietly brought it back to die. Becoming a fan of a show on ABC is not worth it and fortunately I have cable and netflix.
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12-06-2008 @ 6:01AM
BHcolin said...
the thing is will we see the remaining episodes at all. They are airing the last episodes of the year on the 16th and 17th from all that I've read. That would make Eli's 8th episode, Dirty Sexy Money's 10th (well 9th that aired cause we never got to see the Thanksgiving episode) and Daisies 10th episode. Now I at first heard we'd get to see all the episodes then ABC released their plans for Jan. and such and none of the three shows were mentioned. I mean Lost returns Jan. 21 with Life in Mars following the next week - so Wednesdays is
locked all but 7pm ct. I bet they put the previous weeks lost at 7 so the whole night is full. And the week before is last seasons 3 hour finale
I can see them still showing Eli once Scrubs hits the air Jan. 6th but nothing formal was said. Actually scratch that Primetime starts the 6th as well So that leaves DSM and PD in limbo
I'm just worried cause I want to see what they have left. I really
like all three of these shows
I just hope it's not just put online. I mean I have a nice computer
but I like my 42inch better
just my thoughts
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12-06-2008 @ 8:04PM
James said...
I don't watch sports or reality TV show, and I barely/rarely try new shows anymore because of these poor decisions (although if I was a *lame-ratings-guide* Neilsen family I'd consider watching them).
In a nutshell, I'm hardly a TV viewer these days. Kiss my advertising bucks goodbye.
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