Canceled, But Not Forgotten: Part 1

My talk with Mr. Erwich has put me in the mood. The newest feature to my "will actually be updated" blog is Canceled, But Not Forgotten, which will take you on short adventures about shows that were canceled before they caught on, despite being made of awesome. (Or, they possibly sucked and I just didn't notice.) I will definitely delve into my world of FOX-hate, but to begin, I'd like to look at this year's TV season's two losers that make me make that sad pouty face that is adorable yet heartbreaking.

Aliens in America

The CW doesn't really do comedy. It's known for love triangles, booze, and product placement. So when they decided to produce a delightful new comedy about a Muslim foreign exchange student's crazy antics fitting into his new American family, everyone was a bit surprised. Surprised for a fewof reasons: the premise was actually good, the writing was heart-warming and funny without relying on stereotypes, and the show didn't fit into the CW line-up. Basically the biggest surprise? Why would the CW produce a show they knew wouldn't be embraced by their viewers and was bound to be canceled? The CW, like FOX, rarely cares about the praise of critics.

Has there been better comic gold than Justin and his mom playing Roger and Mimi in their community theatre production of Rent? Or Justin and Raja pretending a random woman in the hospital is Justin's mom in order to avoid being beaten up? Or, my personal favorite, when the town thinks Raja is a terrorist when he buys supplies for the Rocket Club? (Answer: No.)

Plus, Raja is totally my brother, in a totally awesome way.

I totally loved this show even though I knew it was dead before it aired. If you ever feel like having a good laugh, watch episode 3, "Rocket Club." Here's a taste (it starts slow; the end thirty seconds are classic):



Cashmere Mafia

Loved it for four simple reasons: Mirando Otto is a bitch and she knows it, Lucy Liu is disarmingly hilarious/poignant, Frances O'Connor is realer than dirt, and Bonnie Somerville is charmingly flustered. Of course, the title is ridiculous (yet catchy) and apparently Lipstick Jungle, despite an even more ridiculous title, is better, although I've never seen it. To me, Cashmere Mafia was the next generation of Sex and the City and not just merely a rip-off. These were actual working women, not just women who happened to work, who had actual lives outside of each other. Admittedly, it wasn't highbrow or high-concept, but the characters were well-fashioned, if the plots seemed a little flippant for a drama, although the angst was high (Juliet is out of a husband within five episodes; Mia and her ex-fiance are dating other people in less than that; Caitlin is gay with no prior history in her 30s?). In fact, the only plotline I truly loved was Zoe's work relationship with her male colleague at her firm who gave a promotion to his sex buddy to keep her quiet, asking the very real question of how can a woman who puts her serious self forward hope to be successful if other women are using their sexuality to do the same thing?

Additionally, the men were all insanely attractive. (Tom Everett Scott? Peter Hermann? Please give me a call.) The show had dramedy promise and it's a shame we won't get to see these four wonderful actresses work together again.