Gone Too Soon?

Last week I was singing the praise of a song I heard on the new CBS show “Love Monkey.” This week I’m writing a post mortem. This is the world of TV 2006.

In the past couple of weeks we’ve seen a number of shows shelved or outright cancelled. Some have been mid season replacement shows like “Love Monkey” or Heather Graham’s new show, others have been new series that are going on a mysterious hiatus like “Commander in Chief”. It seems the networks now have a shorter attention span than us viewers which could mean rough waters ahead.

Now I’m certainly not saying that these shows don’t deserve to be cancelled. By all accounts watching a show where Heather Graham can not find a date is at best painful.Still a new show often needs time to grow and evolve. For every “Lost” that comes out smoking you have a “Simpsons.” Most people cringe when watching a first season “Simpsons” episode with their odd voices, smaller supporting cast, and simplistic stories. Arguably it took the “Simpsons” a full 2 or 3 seasons before it really hit its stride and clearly benefited from being on a new network that was willing to give it time.

“Love Monkey” struck me as the type of show that could have become something. Tom Cavanaugh almost made “Ed” a worthwhile show with his combination of comedic timing and straight man looks. He’s like the bastard son of both the Smothers Brothers. The problem with “Ed” is that it jumped full speed into the romance aspect of the show and neglected other parts. “Love Monkey” was the exact opposite. We immediately were presented with a group of friends and an occupation that provided the main conflict yet one knew that the show was heading towards that old cliché where the two best friends struggle towards expressing their romantic feelings. Usually this would get a big yawn from the old El Dog but in the hands of Cavanaugh and the wonderful Judy Greer this could have been worth watching.

While I’ll shed no tears for “Love Monkey” it is worrisome that networks are continuing the quick trigger policy. However there are signs of encouragement. NBC has given “The Office” and “My Name is Earl” full season renewals. Fox has ordered another pilot from Tim Minear who has created two potentially great shows that Fox has quickly cut (The Inside and Firefly). Perhaps the best sign of all is that the networks are cutting down their reality programming. Money will always win out over quality but perhaps the networks are willing to nurture quality programming for richer returns.