What Kind Of Day Has It Been?

I thought that my Monday nights were perfect. Monday was the only night that I actually scheduled three hours of prime time viewing.

8 pm: Countdown with Keith Olbermann - I don't consider it a news source, but I do think that it is one of the funniest shows on television. Regular segments like 'Oddball' and 'Worst Person in the World' make me laugh, and Olbermann's sharp wit and biting commentary make me long for the years he paired with Dan Patrick on the "Big Show" edition of 'SportsCenter.' If you haven't seen the show - and your political leanings would allow it - you should check out 'Countdown.' Be there...aloha.

9 pm: 24 - I would watch James Bond movies if they were on every night (and I do when they run those holiday marathons on Spike). '24' is my way of getting a Bond fix once a week. Sure, the show is flawed - we all know that you can't get from Point A to Point B in LA in under 8 minutes - get over it. Once you can suspend reality for an hour, the show is usually non-stop excitement. I haven't been thrilled with this season yet, but I am willing to give Sutherland, Surnow and gang a chance to let this one run a little, but we are on shaky ground. Wayne Palmer as the PRESIDENT? Come on. Nobody dug up his extra-marital affair from a couple of years ago during that campaign? Morris is seemingly unfazed by some guy drilling a hole in his shoulder, but Chloe bitch-slapping him gets him back to work? Still, the pluses outweigh the minuses weekly and (now) it is the one show every week that I will arrange my schedule around watching.

10 pm: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - If you are an Aaaron Sorkin fan, you probably recognized the post title as the namesake for the final episode of Season 1 of both 'The West Wing' and the "Brilliant But Canceled" 'Sports Night.' Unfortunately, a disturbing parallel exists between 'Sports Night' and 'Studio 60' - their respective networks never really gave the shows a chance to succeed, and, in one of the most depressing things to happen this year, NBC placed the show on hiatus - a network term that is usually the equivalent of death row. Sure, the governor may call at the last minute to stave off execution, but it just isn't going to happen.

There is some excellent analysis as to why 'Studio 60' failed on this thread found on the nbc.com chat boards.

The cast was a bad fit. Aside from Matthew Perry (who was a wonderful surprise) and Timothy Busfield (who was underused), not much else worked. Sarah Paulson and D.L. Hughley were not funny in this series playing comics. Nate Corddry is funny in real life and was funny on the show, but his part, like Busfield's, was too small. Had Amanda Peet, as the fictional network president, flipped roles with Paulson, it would have been a major improvement. Bradley Whitford is a wonderful actor but he at first seemed to be rejiggering his "West Wing" role, then his character became periodically unlikable or annoying. Either way, it's not the mix you want.

Steven Weber went from bellicose chairman of the network (which didn't work) to beleaguered chairman of the network (which did, and he became funny while everyone around him went dour by apparent accident.)

The biggest surprise for me was that Matthew Perry escaped being forever typecast as Chandler Bing - a near certainty in my mind, while Bradley Whitford could not set aside his role as Josh Lyman. I have already seen him play Josh - and I liked Josh - my favorite character on 'The West Wing.' Still, it's already been done.

The story arc between DL Hughley and "the new black guy" got tired quickly. We get it - DL Hughley doesn't want TNBG to be an "Uncle Tom" - so, instead he treated him like his own personal bitch for a few episodes. Beating this dead horse was incredibly unneccessary.

Lastly, like the article states, the show just never got better. I kept waiting for it - heck, I kept ROOTING for it. My personal take is that Sorkin and his team got worried when the show started bleeding viewers and tried to tweak the show on the fly. They tried to fit their square peg into NBC's round hole. It doesn't work - it never works.

The reality is that 'Studio 60' is a work in progress that will likely never be completed. It may have been more suited to a cable outlet, like HBO, which can give shows time to develop an audience. Network television is just too competetive to allow a show as expensive as S60 is to produce to falter - at all. The star power that the show packs is probably also responsible for the downfall. For those that lament the lack of quality written television, shame on you for not tuning in early when viewership would have made a difference. Instead, you are left to roll around in the gutter with 'Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?'

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As I Lay Dying...

I am so over being sick right now. The last three days have found me horizontal on the couch. I have eaten all the chicken soup and toast that I can stomach and I have consumed enough orange juice and tea to almost float away. I am pretty sure that I can also name all of the peripheral characters on 'Saved by the Bell.'

I dare say that tomorrow I will either be at work, or in the hospital. I don't even really care which.

While catching up on the joys of daytime television (apparently, Luke and Laura aren't an item any more), I found that Bravo has a new project called Brilliant but Cancelled. The idea is that the shows featured where shot down by network execs before they were able to reach their full potential. I have to admit -- I got sucked into watching The Jake Effect. The show's not bad, but I don't know about brilliant. NBC never even ran the show -- EVER! Besides, one of the stars is Nikki Cox, which is kind of an unfair distraction for a sick boy. And, on a complete side note, Jay Mohr is now married to Nikki Cox, which proves that there is a Satan, and someone named Jay Mohr has sold his soul to said Satan. Look at that picture again and tell me I am wrong!

But, I digress....

The idea of 'brilliant but cancelled' made me think of which of my favorite shows over the years got the axe before their time. So, I present to you, The Travelin' Man's Top 5 Shows That Got Prematurely Axed:

1. The Honeymooners -- Long before Cedric the Entertainer turned in a blaxploitation version of Ralph Kramden, The Honeymooners defined television. There is a reason that the show refers to 'The Classic 39.' Yes, there were some additional episodes, but this show was really about one year of episodes -- 1955. I am a huge fan, and REALLY wish that there were more episodes of this show around. I remember watching WPIX when I was a kid. The Honeymooners came on TV at 11 pm every night, and I would watch them on my black-and-white television. I realized quickly that I got to see every episode almost once per month....and I didn't mind at all. The Honeymooners was also the foundation for other shows that came along later -- The Flintstones, King of Queens, and, heck, even Married with Children.
2. Clerks: The Animated Series -- Compared to this series, The Honeymooners was on television as long as M*A*S*H. ABC torched this show just two episodes into it's summer run. The ratings were not at all stellar, but you would have thought that ABC would have had some money invested in the show and aired all six original episodes to see if they could find an audience. Of course, thie summer was also right when the original 'Survivor' aired, so no one may have watched anyway. This show was clever and on-topic -- you know, just like a Kevin Smith movie.
3. Brooklyn Bridge -- No, this is not a theme developing (but, I do love the Bridge). CBS bounced this show around in a couple of different time slots before finally bagging it after just 33 episodes. Perhaps airing the show, about Brooklyn Jews on Friday nights (the Jewish Sabbath) wasn't the brightest idea any network executive ever had.
4. Murder One -- Now this list gets serious. Talk about another series that was completely jerked around by the network. Wow. ABC didn't know what to do with this series. You could make the argument that it was a little ahead of it's time -- a crime drama whose one plot develops over the course of a full season. Imagine '24' without the shackles of being filmed in real-time. One hour dramas to this point were always wrapped up with a tidy bow before the big hand crossed back over the 12. This show told the story of a crime, from commission to arrest to trial, over the course of a whole season. The lesson that Fox learned very quickly for '24' was that in order to build an audience and make this work, they needed to show the episodes in order, at the same time, every week, without interruption. Unfortunately, ABC never caught on to this, and Murder One died a premature death, never earning ratings equal to the critical acclaim. It's a shame -- a fabulous cast (Daniel Benzali, Anthony LaPaglia, Mary McCormack, Stanley Tucci, D.B. Woodside, Jason Gedrick, Barbara Bosson, and more); an intriguing story and Stephen Bochco -- all wasted.
5. Sports Night -- In my mind, the single most egregious misuse of a television show by a network. ABC shuttled this show around it's schedule with no regard for developing an audience of any kind. I was a FAN of the show, and I never knew when it was on. The creators behind this show are the legendary duo of Aaron Sorkin and Tommy Schlamme. I suppose that if this show had not failed, there may not have been 'The West Wing.' Like 'Murder One,' the writing and acting were superb. Unfortunately, in addition to the challenges faced by the ever shifting time slot, the show also had to fight the stigma that it was a show about sports. Anyone who gave this show the time of day would have found out that this was a sharply written workplace comedy/drama -- the kind of show championed nowadays with programs like 'The Office.' Again, maybe this show was ahead of it's time. Maybe ABC just wanted to deprive me of seeing more of Sabrina Lloyd? The final episode was one of my favorite, as the fake CSC network was sold to a company called "Quo Vadimus" (Where are We Going?). In one of the final scenes, the new owner tells the producer (Desparate Housewive's Felicity Huffman) that "anyone who can't make money off of 'Sports Night' should get out of the money making business." Umm...hello, ABC? Can you hear me now?

More discussion seems to focus on those shows that stay beyond their welcome, but, for me, these five shows are the antithesis of 'jumping the shark'.

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"I am the Lord, Your God..."

Relax, I am not getting all Jesus on you. The quote above are the first words uttered by President Josiah Bartlet in the pilot episode of "The West Wing." I had almost forgotten what a wonderfully written and powerful show this USED TO BE. I know that very few television shows can keep up the quality writing and fresh style for too long, but the first year(s) of "The West Wing" were some brilliant television.

Last night, the show ended it's seven year run with a closing look at the Bartlets and the gang who made life in the White House, well, interesting. There is a new president taking office, and we won't have the opportunity to see the transition team, because NBC mercifully axed this dying quail before the ratings plummeted to zero. I guess the reason for quoting the First Commandment was the powerful delivery in which Martin Sheen made his entrance in the first episode. Seems the whacko fundamentalist Christians couldn't identify which was the First or the Third Commandment. Enter stage right, POTUS.

Sheen BECAME the President. Come to think of it, I am pretty sure that I would rather have him (and his wacky family) in the White House than the guy who occupies the REAL West Wing right now.

A few newspapers have taken the time to memorialize "The West Wing" with tributes this past week. The New York Daily News did a "Best/Worst" column; USA Today offers a less-than-stellar epilogue; and even Yahoo! offered a good-bye. Each makes a case for their favorite scenes or moments, but all leave out what I consider to be one of the most pointed moments in the Bartlet administration -- and the scene which made me a fan of the show. Bartlet enjoins a Dr. Laura-esque character in a debate about the Bible, as she claims that the Bible says that homosexuality is an abomination.

"I wanted to ask you a couple of questions while I had you here. I'm interested in selling my youngest daughter into slavery as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. She's a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, always cleared the table when it was her turn. What would a good price for her be? [silence in the room] While thinking about that can I ask another? My chief-of-staff, Leo McGarry, insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly says he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself or is it okay to call the police?

"Here's one that's really important, 'cause we've got a lot of sports fans in this town. Touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean, Leviticus 11:7. If they promise to wear gloves can the Washington Redskins still play football? Can Notre Dame? Can West Point? Does the whole town really have to be together to stone my brother John for planting different crops side-by-side? Can I burn my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads? Think about those questions, would you.

"One last thing. While you may be mistaking this for your monthly meeting of the ignorant tight-ass club, in this building when the President stands, nobody sits."

This scene takes place on the heels of an assisination attempt, and some of the senior staffers are still not handling it all too well. In this case, Toby (played by Richard Schiff) wanted to step down from his post, but was talked out of doing so by Bartlet. As he walks out of the room, Bartlet simply turns to Toby and says "THAT'S how I do it," referring to keeping focus.

I am going to try to remember that sharp, biting dialogue as the memory of this show. It was a stark yin and yang moment -- seeing the first and last episodes in sequence.

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