Having instead amassed a vault of useless knowledge stored in his head, Erik instead tackles your questions and tries to find the answers you care about (or a reasonable facsimile). Or, if you don't care, he'll at least try to make you laugh and forget you just wasted time you could spend doing anything else.
To Erik: If the shows that Fox cancelled after not giving them a true chance had been on different networks would they have had a chance to succeed?
People might know, I tend to not watch FOX. I don't really have strong feelings about the company, I just really don't like any of their shows. I haven't watched a Simpsons episode in years, I would sooner not watch any television than watch Family Guy or any of the other animated programs (yet, strangely enough, I'm a fan of Seth Macfarlane himself just almost nothing he's made, peculiar). I never watched American Idol, Hell's Kitchen, Bones, or a lot of other programs they've aired over the years.
That's not to say I haven't watched FOX. I remember it used to have great cartoons when I was young, and I indulged the occasional soap episode when Tiffany Amber Thiessen went "bad girl" on 90210, and I'll admit to a rather sizable crush on a bunch of the women on Melrose Place, so if there was nothing on, I'd let the channel sit there until the drama made my head hurt (usually about five minutes).
But man, do they have a reputation for axing TV shows before they get a chance to get going. People know about Firefly, Arrested Development, and others, but let's look at ones that could've been more than they were. Now, I can't do every single show FOX ever cancelled, so here are the ones that catch my interest.
Keen Eddie:
Okay, this show I watched, but not on FOX. I think it was on FX by that point, and I found it fun to see an American "action cop comedy" show tackle English humor. Would it last on another channel? I'm not sure, unless you could get it on a channel where people look for English humor.
Where I'd put it: BBC America. How long I think it would last: Four seasons, tops.
Werewolf:
Yeah, okay, this one isn't recent (1987), but it did get the axe before it had the chance to get a decent ending. The story of a young man trying to hunt down the werewolf who bit his roommate who in turn bit him) to end his curse, all while being hunted himself and wanted for the murder of his roommate. To last, this show would either have to play up the teen drama aspect that's so huge these days or try for the older Twilight fan base. I don't think we could justify increasing the sex to turn it into the next True Blood, but considering the source material, I think we can find it a home.
Where I'd Put It: CW. How Long It Would Last: Three seasons before you start to lose the "teen drama" aspect.
Drive:
So yeah, despite having decent ratings and winning an Emmy after it was cancelled, this show got the axe, and I'll admit I was surprised. I mean, I didn't watch it, but if they can get seven films out of the Fast and the Furious franchise, I thought this would work. Especially when you look at its cast now. You had Nathan Fillion, Emma Stone, JD Pardo and a bunch of other well-known TV celebrities. Oh well, it did leave Nathan Fillion open to start Castle. Now, if you played up some of the crime behind a hugely illegal race, kept the wit up, and gave us mini-interviews or had characters address the camera, we could find it a home.
Where I'd Put It: Showtime. How Long It Would Last: 2 Seasons. The problem is the race has to end eventually...and it doesn't take that long to drive across country...
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.:
I love Bruce Campbell and (almost) everything he appears in, but I'll admit I never really got into this show. I have no idea why, since it has so many things I love, but I can understand it was "out there" for a mainstream audience. Try as I might, I can't really think of a channel where this program would have had a better shot...except maybe SyFy, but their track record with wacky isn't great either post-Stargate.
Sorry, Bruce, this one ain't happening. Besides, you had a good run.
The Tick:
You know where this show would've worked? It would've worked on a channel willing to take risks and hold onto them, one willing to one moment give a show to Louis CK and have a program where a man in a dog suit talks to Elijah Wood. They could play this program up as wacky as they want to, and it might have still held an audience.
Where I'd Put It: FX. How Long I Think It'd Last: Three seasons, but viewership would dip partway through the second season.
Millenium:
This is another show I got into after it was cancelled, and I think it's brilliant. Have someone working for an ultra-secret agency who seems to either be trying to prevent or control the end of the world, have supernatural threats meet conspiracy theory meet technology as we get to play off those deep-rooted fears we have about the future and the unknown, and have villains that range everywhere from common psychopaths to Satan herself. Yes, I said "herself." I'll cover that another time.
But man, with the right budget and a good home on a channel not afraid to play up the horror aspect along with some of the heart-wrenching drama that came along, this place needed a better home where people would watch then stand around the water cooler talking about what they saw.
Where I'd Put It: HBO. How Long I Think It'd Last: As Long As The Writers Wanted It To.
Seriously, it's a great show. Go find it cheap on DVD.
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