TV Resurrection: The Ok, The Good, and The Great

It’s been a busy few weeks since the 06-07 TV season came to a close. The networks announced their new fall lineups and with that we lost a few shows that were cut before their time. However there are 3 that are now all in some form of resurrection with various results.

The Ok- CBS listens to the fans that have gone nuts for Jericho
Jericho was a show I wanted to like last Fall. However it got off to such a slow start and was basically a nighttime soap flush with family values. Later in the year (and I mean late as in the last 3 episodes) the show finally seemed to find a new gear and pushed out more action and mythology then the previous 20 episodes had. Still when CBS pulled the plug I didn’t shed a tear. Even though the show had shown promise at the end I was ready to say goodbye to Skeet Ulrich and his post-apocalyptic band of brothers. Apparently this is one geek bus I missed because there were plenty of folks hopping mad with CBS and they deluged them with letters and yes, nuts. Now Jericho has been renewed for a limited 7 episode midseason run and I must say I’m intrigued. Will we get the show that resembled Party of Five or the one that reminded me of the X Files? Either way it just goes to show that these fan campaigns work sometimes, which sadly brings us to the good.

The Good- Veronica Mars lives, no she dies, no she lives, well maybe?
After the success of the Jericho folks people started a campaign for a show I can really get behind and that is Veronica Mars (the first two seasons are on sale at Target for $22 people, check it out). The CW was inundated with Mars bars and Snicker’s with almonds which, unbeknownst to me, replaced the Mars bar a few years back. Unfortunately this did no good and the CW reiterated their commitment to shut Ms Mars down. This was the latest of many efforts to bring Veronica back, the most promising of which was the flash forward to FBI Cadet Mars that would surely have featured a new cast except for Kristen Bell but would have had the trademark wit and humor Mars fans have grown to love. Of course that failed as well, but fear not fans there seem to be two new avenues that have come out that point us in the good direction. First there is talk from creator Rob Thomas himself of a big screen adventure for the gang much like Joss Whedon’s Firefly transformed into the big screen Serenity. Now there’s word that inspired by the sales and success of Joss’s Buffy Season 8 comic book, DC comics has approached Thomas about a V Mars Season 4 book. Now Buffy tends to lend itself to comics with the monsters and the action but Mars would be a bit different, still I’m jonesing for a fix anyway I can get it.

The Great- Studio 60 Finally Shines Through!
The last show I want to talk about is one that has zero hopes of a literal resurrection. There won’t be a midseason return, or a movie, or a comic. No, Studio 60 will fade out from our lives in the near future. However the show has gone through a creative resurrection that has transformed it from a decent show into truly outstanding television. I knew Aaron Sorkin had it in him but between the over the top even handed political statements and the insipid faux skits the show was stuck in the decent but not great realm of TV. That was until it came back from its hiatus and has hit us with 3 great episodes. The first featured none of the shows big 3 stars, Bradley Whitford, Amanda Peet, and Mathew Perry, and in doing so really allowed the supporting cast to shine and to give real depth to their characters, especially Timothy Busfield’s director. The last two have focused on seemingly the entire cast. The story of Nate Cordrey’s character has been particularly emotional and almost difficult to watch with its heart wrenching developments. Peet and Whitford have also returned with a vengeance and have truly made their characters sudden romance not only believable but attractive to the audience who is now rooting them on full speed ahead. The show had two eps left and I can only hope they match the quality of the previous 3. If they do we’ll be losing a great show but at least we’ll see them go out in a blaze of glory.