When Great Shows Die: Monotony Reigns Supreme

Why did they kill a great televisions how like Pushing Daises? If threat show as made this year, it would be the top grossing show on television, and win an Emmy. The show was incredible, and although it came out at a time when television writing was as generic as eat, sleep, sitcom, repeat, the show was a vaccination shot to shoddy television! Remember,this was pre Big Bang Theory, and even on well before the Walking Dead was barely out of the comics. Granted, if I were a young upcoming writ (which I am, kinda) I would take to writing television shows, because the small screen, well the not-so-small screen, as the average television set nowadays can be as large as the living room; there's no comparison. The second they let 4K into my house, and let me stream Orange is the New Black, I knew the future was television writing. I love television shows, I admire the work and admiration put forth inside the confining limits of commercialized television. Granted, Netflix has allowed for a greater variable to be seen in the medium now that it can push the limits of television without the hassle of commercials. Kind of the way HBO and Starz used to be, thus showing an independent idea can truly reimagine the wheel. So I go back to my main point; could a show like Pushing Daises have been saved by this influx of modern television writing? Remember, it's the same sort of ordeal we see in writing today that saved franchises like Doctor Who. Steven Moffat is one of the saving graces of television writing today. American writers are and producers are keeping us enthralled despite the raiding of reality trash on our television sets. Shows like Person of Interest and even Arrow are keeping up and surpassing all expectations. Could Pushing Daises exist today? I believe it could, and it may very well again, the same went for shows like Human Target which didn't get a fair chance to go anywhere, and in my opinion, the biggest letdown in television history other than Pushing Daisies and Heroes: Tera Nova. All great shows killed before they even had a prime, and shows that even the likes of Jericho, which basically started the trend of killing off good shows before they started, showed that people gave a damn about story, and not mindless drawn-out semi plotted ideas. The reason television is growing up all over again today is thanks to such shows as Heroes and Jericho. Lost is one of those shows that was lucky enough to get a final season in an era where final seasons are as extinct as the dodo. However, I believe some of the best shows on television today owe all the credit to Pushing Daises, because it was eccentric, but fun, and had a very strong Douglas Adams/ British humor about it, and came off like a very cartoonish Twin Peaks. Twin Peaks is probably one of my favorite shows in history, which luckily saved grace in an era of trash. Television seems to go in these strange curve ball changes, and we lose a lot of great shows, and keep a ton of chemical waste deposits. Look at The Simpsons for example: granted, I'm a fan, and I sat through the marathon for a good long whole, however, I'm now mostly watching for the Treehouse of Horrors, my favorite episodes in the series. The show is amazing, it's the longest running animated television show in history, and could potentially best out Gunsmoke for most episodes if it goes to season 29. The show gets all my respects, but even I think it's time to end this soon-off. (Remember The Simpsons is a spin-off of the Tracy Ulman Show) and just fill that spot with Family Guy, which also should be candles again in the near future. That show is as stale and has jumped the shark more times than a Jaws marathon. Television is innovative, and seeing even how the reception for Cosmos: A Space Odyssey took off, and yes, the show was a bit sophomoric even for a layman such as myself, I still think the potential for great programming is relatively realistic. So why do they kill off great shows? Replace them with garbage? Perhaps the masses like rinse and repeat, perhaps story and intelligence are to fall by the wayside. Yet, I believe that we as viewers are sick of the executives taking our shows, so-much-so that a short miniseries run of Heroes is expected to come back on, and talks of a season two for Tera Nova are no-longer far-fetched. The world wants their shows back, and with the me technologies available, and the independent, freed programming systems in existence, don't be surprised to see some older franchises once failed and forgotten come back strong. I admit that television is a passing phase, as the real future lies in pay sites, such as Netflix, and shows like Eureka made me feel a sense of joy again, I still believe that we can create better,,smarter shows that captivate and entertain. My dream (one of them) was to write a successful situated comedy that was witty, intelligent beyond the means of everyday recycled garbage, and maybe one day, see the show captivating audiences around the world. I've also wanted to publish a book before I was thirty, and that time is very closely nearing it's end. Either way,mi admire the work on these shows today, and wish some shows were given a proper send-off, not a failing exasperated sigh of quitting from the studio. In the end, I believe Hollywood has much to be scared of, because the little screen ain't so little anymore.