Age of the Geek

By: 
Travis Fischer

The good, the bad, and the canceled
     The title of this column is a lie. Good or bad, they’re all canceled. As the 2015-16 television season comes to an end we’re already looking forward to what’s coming up next fall. However, before we get too excited about what the future has in store, let’s take a minute to look back a few of the show’s that won’t be returning next season.
 
Castle
     Nathan Fillion’s last television show was ended far too soon, cut down before it’s time. “Castle,” on the other hand, was allowed to run for far too long. As much as I’ve enjoyed the show in the past, it feels like they’ve been running on auto-pilot for a few seasons now.
     It’s hard to say how much that has to do with the off-screen drama between Fillion and co-star Stana Katic, but I suspect that their characters, Castle and Beckett, probably wouldn’t find themselves in increasingly convoluted situations that keep them apart if the two actors got along better.
     Things apparently got to the point where Katic was fired from the show, meaning that even if a season nine were to happen, it would mean a big shake-up in the cast. Fortunately it looks like “Castle” has finally been granted a merciful death and Fillion can now go on to do more interesting things.
 
Galavant
     You should feel bad for not watching “Galavant.”
     I know I do.
     ABC’s musical comedy flew in under my radar when it first aired. I only happened to discover the show’s existence when I heard the singing coming from my roommate’s room.
     I liked what little I saw of “Galavant,” and eagerly await the day it shows up on a streaming service so I can see exactly what I missed out on.
 
Heroes Reborn
     Heroes Reborn was a mid-90s event in Marvel Comics that served as the company’s first attempt to reboot their universe before such things became a regular occurrence. It was confusing, poorly written and not a lot of people liked it.
     Among the writers involved in the event was Jeph Loeb, who would go on to work on NBC’s “Heroes,” a show that started out great, but eventually collapsed under its own writing. By the time it was over, it was confusing, poorly written and not a lot of people liked it.
     This year the “Heroes” franchise attempted a comeback with “Heroes Reborn” and while Loeb wasn’t actually attached to the 13-episode mini-series, the show was about as well received as its namesake.
 
Marvel’s Agent Carter
     Nobody likes reruns, so when “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” heads off for its mid-season hiatus, it’s nice to have a filler show to watch in the meantime. For the last two seasons, Agent Carter was that show. Unfortunately it won’t be back for a third.
     Hayley Atwell getting the lead role in next year’s “Conviction” probably didn’t help matters, but even then it was questionable whether or not “Marvel’s Agent Carter’s” ratings could justify its continued existence.
     Quality wise, it’s not the best TV show Marvel has ever produced. In fact, technically, one might argue that it’s the worst, simply due to the quality of its competition. But I still always thought it was better than nothing.
     Others apparently disagreed.
 
Person of Interest
     Some shows are ended too early. Others are ended too late. With “Person of Interest” wrapping up its fifth and final season, I can safely say that this show is ending exactly where it should.
     I can’t think of many shows that have taken the typical “vigilante saves victim of the week” formula and used it to tackle heavy concepts like the dangers of the surveillance state or the implications of creating an artificial intelligence. All while delivering on some great action and drama.
     “Person of Interest” has built itself into something special and I’m glad it’s getting the chance to go out on a high note.
 
     Travis Fischer is a news writer for Mid-America Publishing and can’t believe “Supernatural” isn’t on this list.

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