Age of the Geek

Canceled for 2017 
     It's that time of year again when we find out which of our favorite TV shows will be returning for the fall season. For the most part, this year's culling has been pretty light. Most of the mainstays of genre television will be back again for another season next fall.
     But for some shows, this is the end. Whether concluding a successful run or getting shut down before their time, here's a list of ten TV shows that didn't make the cut for the 2017-18 season.
The Catch
     It looks like this ABC comedy-drama about a con-artist engaged to a private detective didn't have the legs for a long run and was canceled after two ten-episode seasons. The show looked neat enough but I never watched it when it was on the air. I assume it will be on Netflix soon enough.
Conviction
     Another ABC show that fell under my radar, "Conviction" is what Hayley Atwell decided to do this year instead of another season of "Peggy Carter." The legal drama looked interesting enough, with Atwell playing a self-absorbed defense attorney tasked with getting wrongful convictions overturned. Unfortunately for Atwell, the show was canceled after it's initial 13 episode run.
Time After Time
     Of all the new shows this year, this one had the most unique premise. H.G. Wells travels to 2017 to chase Jack the Ripper in a stolen time machine. That's a heck of a set-up, but if you missed "Time After Time," don't feel bad. You're far from the only one. Low ratings got the show pulled from the air just five episodes into its eight episode season.
Emerald City
     Of all the shows that were cut down before they had a chance to get off the ground, "Emerald City" is probably the greatest missed opportunity. The high fantasy reimagining of the "Wizard of Oz" had a lot going for it but it wouldn't surprise me if the show's budget was too much to justify its continuation.
Powerless
     Another NBC misfire, "Powerless" had a complicated production. Tagged as the first sitcom set in the DC Universe, "Powerless" was originally introduced as a comedy about insurance adjusters in a world where Superman might decide to use your car as a weapon.
     However the show was retooled before hitting the air, changing the concept from mundane insurance adjusters to wacky researchers developing silly public safety inventions. I suspected at the time that eliminating the contrast between mundane office work in a super-powered world would hurt the show and it looks like I was right. "Powerless" got pulled from the air after just six episodes.
ABP
     What if Iron Man ran a police station? That's basically the premise of this FOX police procedural where a billionaire tech genius bribes his way into control of a Chicago prescient.
     But it's okay. Horrific corruption of the justice system aside, he has good intentions and he outfits the police with lots of cool high tech gear. It's a neat concept with plenty of potential, but one season is all we're going to get out of it.
Bones
     On the other hand, "Bones," another FOX crime procedural, came to a well-earned conclusion this year after 246 episodes across 12 seasons. It's the longest running one-hour drama ever produced by 20th Century Fox.
     Sadly, even after twelve years there is one achievement the show never managed. It didn't get people to stop asking David Boreanaz questions about "Angel."
Making History
     A somewhat ridiculous comedy about time traveling friends screwing up the past, "Making History" had its charm but still didn't make the cut. Fox cut the show down to nine episodes and canceled it after one season.
     A similar fate seemed to fall on another time travel show, "Timeless," on NBC. Eric Kripke's time travel drama was declared canceled after its first season, but three days later it was un-canceled and fans will get a 10 episode second season next year.
Sleepy Hollow
     One might say that "Sleepy Hollow" really ended last year as the recent season changed the setting and replaced most of the cast. Sometimes shows can survive and even thrive after such transformations. This was not one of those times.
     As much as I liked Tom Mison as the time-displaced Ichabod Crane, it's time to say good-bye to "Sleepy Hollow."
The Vampire Diaries
     "The Vampire Diaries" has been a guilty pleasure of mine since it started, but at some point in the last couple seasons it stopped being a pleasure. The eighth and final season puts the show to rest once and for all, which is probably for the best.
     Amazingly though, "The Vampire Diaries" isn't taking its spin-off, "The Originals," to the grave with it. Things looked bleak after an abbreviated fourth season, but the show will be returning next season.
 
     Travis Fischer is a news writer for Mid-America Publishing and made it through this year's culling relatively unscathed.