S. O. S. - Save Our Shows

It is my understanding that in about a week the TV networks announce their upcoming shows for the 2010-2011 Fall TV season. I'm as giddy as a kid on Christmas. This is also a time to reflect on what shows currently on the bubble will be getting another season or not. Without any further ado, here are my favourite shows that may not see the light of day after May, and why they should be renewed.

Flashforward
This is probably my favourite show of the most recent TV season and I don't understand all the hate directed towards the show by critics. The show's been laying down some pretty solid mysteries and are delivering answers at a decent rate. I understand critics complain about the character depth on the show, and I'll agree to them up to a point. The winter hiatus was a major godsend for the show. The creators really paid attention and did their best to try to minimize the story. Their sprawling epic was flavoured with too much "What did you see?" and not enough focus on character reactions (apart from Mark Benford). So why should this show be saved? Because it's gotten a lot better than it started. I've been a fan since the start but I can understand that the grandiose scale it started with can be offputting for some fans. Since the winter hiatus the show has worked hard to minimize it's plot in the storyline. They've chosen to work at one mystery a week and just hint at the other mysteries. They've improved the depth of their characters and frankly, more than any other show out there, this show feels the most like the spiritual successor to Lost.

Human Target
I know Human Target isn't the best show on TV right now. It might not even be a good show, but it is a decent show. More importantly, there is no show out there like it on TV right now. Watching Human Target is a throwback to shows in the 80s like Macgyver or The A-Team. It's escapist television. I don't watch Human Target to be challenged intellectually, I watch to see what trouble Christopher Chance is going to wind up in this week, and how he's going to escape it. If there's one thing the show needs to lay off of, is their attempt to graft an ongoing plot into the story with that FBI agent. It gives the show too much gravitas, something the show doesn't need. As well, it already has that storyline going on with Christopher Chance's backstory, we don't need 2 of them at once. Human Target is a fun show to watch and just turn your brain off to enjoy. As I understand it, FOX will decide between renewing either this show or Lie to Me. I say that Lie to Me has already had 2 seasons to establish it's base and it's struggled. It's tough to carve a market in an already crowded marketplace, especially with more flashy shows like CSI or broader shows like Criminal Minds. Human Target deserves their chance.

Law and Order

So this is cheating a little bit since it's more than likely that Law and Order will be renewed for a 21st season. However in the same respect I would say that most people don't watch Law and Order anymore and that should change. Law and Order is finally starting to tap into it's history in a way it should. Benjamin Bratt was on earlier this season, and they recently mentioned Arthur Branch in one episode. The Law and Order franchise is huge, and it's about time they started to have more crossovers and callbacks. The writers are also starting to turn the episode into a constant commentary on the real world. The show has stopped living in a vacuum and now starts to feel more and more integrated into modern life. Every episode seems centred around something a writer read in a newspaper the other week, apart from the even more obvious 'Ripped from the Headlines' episodes. I realize the cast isn't what it used to be, I think giving us Anthony Anderson instead of the Old Cop was a bad trade, but I am becoming big fans of Jeremy Sisto's Lupo and Linus Roache's Michael Cutter. Lupo is rough around the edges but is always the cop I want in my corner. Cutter always has the gears turning in his mind. He feels like a con artist, always trying to find some way to outwit the defendant or the jury. Perhaps instead of looking at the cast as losing some of their old stereotypes, we should see it as them trying something new and pushing the show. With S. Epatha Merkerson leaving the show at the end of this season, I look forward to seeing what new character they are going to come up with next.