# In praise of "Wonderfalls" (and other unjustly short-lived series) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2007, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374 "2007-12-17T20:03:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WomanofScorn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@WomanofScorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WomanofScorn)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/21 "2007-12-18T00:33:58Z")
**My So-Called Life** I absolutely adored that show and it was very good. Just came before its time. The world wasn’t ready for those topics yet. Damnit. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/22 "2007-12-18T00:58:51Z")
I totally agree that **Max Headroom** was a great show, sadly aired (and cancelled) before its time. When I was a kid I liked **Eerie, IN**. Anyone else remember that one? Can it be that no one has mentioned **Freaks and Geeks**? That was a great show. It deserved more than one season. ---
**Author:** ![Salmo\_Trutta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@Salmo\_Trutta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salmo_Trutta)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/23 "2007-12-18T01:03:08Z")
Two great ones come to mind. The short lived sketch comedy show on MTV called **The State**. Probably the best show in this format since monty python. The dvd has been in the works for years now. **Freaks and Geeks** despite it’s lame name is an amazingly written and perfectly casted show from the late 90’s. Get your hands on the dvd it if at all possible. ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/24 "2007-12-18T01:08:00Z")
[QUOTE=Hello Again] \ Can it be that no one has mentioned **Freaks and Geeks**? That was a great show. It deserved more than one season. [/QUOTE] Brilliant, brilliant show. Interestingly, I watched **Superbad** over the weekend and one of the DVD extras was a 2002 reading of the script. In it, Seth Rogen (Ken Miller in F&G) is reading the part of Seth, Martin Starr (Bill Haverchuck) is reading McLovin’, and Jason Segel (Nick Andopolis) is reading the part of Evan. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/25 "2007-12-18T03:38:49Z")
[QUOTE=singular1] **Dead Like Me** , which is related, like **Wonderfalls** , to Pushing Daisies, and **Maximum Bob** with Beau Bridges both went away far too soon. [/QUOTE] \*\*Dead Like Me \*\* is one of the two I though of immediately. The other was **Police Squad**. Police Squad was somehow canceled after only 6 episodes. It was pure genius. \*\*Dead Like Me \*\* was a great show with far too few episodes. I was not a big fan of **Wonderfalls** , the lead was a little too frantic for me, I prefered the Snarkiness of George in **Dead Like Me**. The cast was great and of course it has Mandy Patinkin in it. Apparently \*\*Dead Like Me \*\* might get a [second life in 2008](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Like_Me#Direct-to-DVD_film), sadly [without Mandy Patinkin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Like_Me_%28film%29). Strange, but I am very happy to see that Christine Willes as Delores Herbig. She currently has a small wonderful role on **Reaper**. Jim ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/26 "2007-12-18T04:03:46Z")
[QUOTE=Fir na tine] [Keen Eddie - absolutely hysterical show.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318390/) This would have been a fantastic success given half a chance. [/QUOTE] Another vote for Keen Eddie. Also, [Starved](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462140/) should have lasted at least a whole season. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/27 "2007-12-18T04:16:52Z")
By the way, I’ve started watching _The Flash_ in reruns and while I remember thinking it was well done when I was clearly an addled 22-year old, it looks really lame now. It is _very_ much a product of the 1980s, the tragedy being that it came in 1990. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/28 "2007-12-18T04:21:08Z")
Another _Max Headroom_ and _Dead Like Me_ fan here too. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/29 "2007-12-18T04:36:25Z")
I wonder if Futurama at 4 seasons and WKRP also with 4 count. WKRP even had decent ratings and CBS jerked them around and then canceled them. > [@](#): > > [During the third and fourth seasons](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WKRP_in_Cincinnati#Time_slots), CBS moved WKRP around repeatedly, so much so that cast and crew members claimed that even they didn’t know when the show aired. After the fourth season, the network decided not to renew the show. The final first-run episode of WKRP to air was seventh in the weekly Nielsen ratings for all series, specials and sports events. Prior to the broadcast, the series had already been cancelled. Fox constantly screwed around with Futurama. I think that story is better known. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/30 "2007-12-18T04:54:28Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Fox constantly screwed around with Futurama. I think that story is better known. [/QUOTE] I dunno if “screwed around” is the way to describe it. Fox wanted to air baseball on Sundays and they didn’t care if the games ran over _Futurama_’s 7:00 pm timeslot. They chose their priorities and _Futurama_ suffered. Personally, I think the deadeningly slow pace of major-league baseball is a hair short of criminal, but it wasn’t my call. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/31 "2007-12-18T10:56:30Z")
The trouble with catching _Keen Eddie_ now on DVD is that one of the best parts of the show, the stellar soundtrack, is brutally murdered because of licensing rights. What used to be great brit rock, creatively used, became generic tv show background techno. Madness or random thumping? The Specials or nothing special? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/32 "2007-12-18T13:52:41Z")
[QUOTE=levdrakon] Also, [Starved](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462140/) should have lasted at least a whole season. [/QUOTE] Yes! I knew there was one I was forgetting. Actually I think it’s a defense mechanism, forgetting about “Starved,” because every time I think about it I’m brutally reminded that it was killed after a handful of episodes while the horrifyingly bad “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” is in it’s what, third or fourth season now? Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/33 "2007-12-18T14:03:25Z")
I agree with **Eerie, Indiana** (the networks evidently liked it, too – the show was rerun as a Saturday morning show, and they even tried to do a continuation. Also **Best of the West, Max Headroom,** and **My So-Called Life** (The episode “So-called Angel” is the best Christmas show ever to be on TV). Others I like: **[Bob](http://www.sff.net/people/rothman/GBF/Bob.htm)** – Bob Newhart as a comic book writer, filled with comic in-jokes. **[The Duck Factory](http://www.sff.net/people/rothman/GBF/duckfactory.htm)** – comedy set in a cartoon studio, starring Jim Carrey. **[Flying Blind](http://www.sff.net/people/rothman/GBF/flyingblind.htm)** – very funny comedy starring Tea Leoni **[God, the Devil, and Bob](http://www.sff.net/people/rothman/GBF/goddevilbob.htm)** – James Garner as God. Alan Cumming as the Devil. French Stewart as Bob. Very funny animated series. **[VR.5](http://www.sff.net/people/rothman/GBF/vr5.htm)** – Nice little SF series about virtual reality, predating the Matrix. This is why Anthony Stewart Head was cast in Buffy – he played the same sort of role. **[Wish You Were Here](http://www.sff.net/people/rothman/GBF/Wishyou.htm)** – A weird travelogue comedy, shot in real time, about a man who videotapes his travels in Europe and sends them home. ---
**Author:** ![stanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@stanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stanger)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/34 "2007-12-18T14:30:08Z")
“Hidden Hills” aired in 2002/2003 and I loved the show. I don’t know why the ratings were low and what caused the show to be canceled, but I suspect the fact that the lovely Paula Marshall was the female lead had something to do with it. I adore Paula, but she has a track record of starring in short-lived series. If you like “Notes From The Underbelly”, you would have liked “Hidden Hills”. Underbelly is very similar, only ir revolves around pregnancy. I also loved Paula in the 1999 series “Snoops”, another short-lived show with Gina Gershon in it. The eye-candy alone made this show popular in my household. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/35 "2007-12-18T14:44:51Z")
[Now and Again](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212395/). Considering how popular action/comedy/warm-hearted dramas are this year (e.g., Chuck, Pushing Daisies) this would have been a huge hit had it come out now. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/36 "2007-12-18T14:47:14Z")
[_Profit_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profit_%28TV_series%29) had such awesome potential it was **doomed** to mid-season cancellation! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/37 "2007-12-18T14:52:02Z")
[_Dark Angel_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Angel_%28TV_series%29) ran for two full seasons – but that still ain’t enough, dammit! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/38 "2007-12-18T14:56:33Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] [_Dark Angel_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Angel_%28TV_series%29) ran for two full seasons – but that still ain’t enough, dammit! ☹ [/QUOTE] Or one too many, depending on your point of view…Stupid STUPID plot arc! ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/39 "2007-12-18T15:19:39Z")
Two of them: _Andy Richter Controls The Universe_ and _Andy Barker P.I._. Really anything starring Andy Richter. Well, not _Quintuplets_. That one was justly short lived. ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-wonderfalls-and-other-unjustly-short-lived-series/430374/40 "2007-12-18T15:26:54Z")
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