TV Shows that Don't Suck

How NOT to schedule a good show, by the FOX network

A show whose fate is up-in-the-air as I write this:

Boston Public.

Fox is clearly to blame: They switched the show from its Monday night 8 PM slot to Friday night at 9 PM against CBS' J.A.G. To make matters worse, they would pre-empt the show for as much as two or three weeks in a row for idiotic reality shows and specials, which I'm sure didn't help the ratings. Then, they pulled it altogether earlier this year and the last I heard, the show was on "Indefinite hiatus."

Needless to say, my hopes for the show's return aren't very good.

Too bad - Boston Public is a quirky comedy/drama that is one of the best shows on TV. I will miss Principal Steven Harper's perpetual sighs and rolling of the eyes over the latest disaster at the fictional Winslow High School.

 

I am currently enjoying Deadwood immensely. It is definitely not everyone's cup of tea. That said it has some meatyy acting in it, a great overall story arc, and fantastic looking HD picture.

 

MST3K
Fernwood 2-Night
Mythbusters
The Monkees
The Ben Stiller Show
Space Ghost Coast To Coast
Pinky And The Brain
Good Eats
Countdown With Keith Olbermann
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Letterman
Conan O'Brien

 

I forgot to mention the show in my earlier post. One of the best! Second last episode is tomorrow night. Can't wait!

 

I watched Boston Public on a regular basis. One of the issues with the show I think was David Kelly continually re-tooling the cast. I was a big fan of Jessalyn Gilsig. According to reports she quit the show when Kelly brought in "7 of 9", Jeri Ryan and the storyline started revolving around Ryan rather than Gilsig. Also, I thought Dennis Miller was supposed to be a regular cast member this past season. I only saw him once or twice. The listing for the show at Internet Movie Database (IMDB) says it's finished. Interestingly it also shows that this would have been the final season for Jerry Ryan and Michael Rapaport. I think Rapaport is a great actor. His work in such films as Copland and Higher Learning as the creepy skinhead were great, however his Danny Hanson character was getting a bit tiresome, which in part, may have had to do with the writing. TV characters can get that way after a while.

Fortunately for us Jessalyn Gilsig fans, she surfaced this past season in a reoccurring role as a sex addict on a new drama Nip/Tuck with the great Dylan Walsh. CTV Canada ran the show Sunday evenings. I think it was on the FX network in the U.S. It aired last summer there. There is a second season scheduled soon. We probably won't get it here til later in the year as we did with the first season.

 

miike,

Thanks for the update on Boston Public. I guess the continually shifting supporting cast members might have been an issue with some people, but I was glad when New Kid On The Block Joey and the other young teacher were dumped after last season - I never felt that either one was a strong character and their departures didn't impact the show negatively in my view.

The core characters are still there: Harper, Guber, Marla and my favorite for comic relief, Lipshultz. Some of his off-the-wall/out-there remarks really broke the tension and on a show like BP, it's a necessary thing.

One thing used to bother me is that when Jessalyn Gilsig was on the show, she was first billed above Chi McBride. To me, the principal/principle character (pun fully intended) should be first in the credits. But I guess that what's agents, managers and negotiators can get an actor/actress if they have the right one.