# Fox drops John Doe **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 9, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-drops-john-doe/174110 "2003-05-09T14:46:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-drops-john-doe/174110/1 "2003-05-09T14:46:53Z")
It was getting crummy as a cop show, so I can understand; but what about a conclusion for that season finale? Damn. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-drops-john-doe/174110/2 "2003-05-09T14:49:55Z")
Sorry, here is the [link](http://www.thefutoncritic.com/cgi/gofuton.cgi?action=newswire&id=5931) ---
**Author:** ![kasuo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8c91f0/32.png) [@kasuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kasuo)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-drops-john-doe/174110/3 "2003-05-09T14:59:13Z")
Friday night sucks for TV. I still don’t get why bother having shows on that night. Having movies on Friday night I can undersand. ---
**Author:** ![kasuo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8c91f0/32.png) [@kasuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kasuo)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-drops-john-doe/174110/4 "2003-05-09T14:59:38Z")
Friday night sucks for TV. I still don’t get why bother having shows on that night. Having movies on Friday night I can understand. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-drops-john-doe/174110/5 "2003-05-09T16:02:05Z")
I’m upset to hear this, but I am by no means surprised. It’s the Friday night of Fox curse. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-drops-john-doe/174110/6 "2003-05-09T19:53:14Z")
_sigh_ I’d been growing bored with John Doe… until that season finale. DAMN, that was a great plot twist. Maddening, but a damn good twist. And now I’ll never find out more. Color me not surprised. ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-drops-john-doe/174110/7 "2003-05-09T20:58:54Z")
I taped it but didn’t watch yet. So I should just throw out the tape, then? ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-drops-john-doe/174110/8 "2003-05-09T21:14:10Z")
The show had promise, but it was based on sort of a fatal premise, that he could never figure out where he came from. The same problem that Gilligan’s Island, the Fugitive, and Lost in Space had – every plot and scheme is futile, because if you solve the essential problem, the show is over. Now some shows (e.g. the X-Files) can overcome the built in futility of their character’s quests because the shows are well-written or have engaging characters. John Doe wasn’t original enough for that – you had the quirky assistant, the suspicious but friendly cop, and the Mysterious Cabal who managed to bury every clue at the end of the episode. Meh. (I stopped watching fairly early on after the writer’s proved that they couldn’t do convincing crime detection, so maybe it changed later on.) ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-drops-john-doe/174110/9 "2003-05-09T21:17:48Z")
**Lightnin’** , what was the twist? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-drops-john-doe/174110/10 "2003-05-09T21:28:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fiver \* > \*\*\*\*Lightnin’\*\*, what was the twist? \*\* Digger (the bartender) appears to be a part of the Phoenix organization who’s been after Doe. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-drops-john-doe/174110/11 "2003-05-09T21:30:33Z")
I quit watching after a) Firefly got cancelled as the lead-in and b) they iced Grace Zabriskie. Not that upset, really. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-drops-john-doe/174110/12 "2003-05-10T04:30:51Z")
:mad: I really wanted a follow-up. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-drops-john-doe/174110/13 "2003-05-10T13:49:45Z")
We will never find one why no one ever washed their hair on that show… ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-drops-john-doe/174110/14 "2003-05-10T18:10:00Z")
Yeesh, while the source is less than authoritative, this seems like the sort of dipshit move Fox is famous for. And keeping “Fastlane” instead. Idiots. :mad: