Categories TV
My Love/Hate Relationship with Fox
Fox keeps shows for too long or kills them too soon. Andy G talks about the love hate relationship with Fox.
Almost Human was my favorite new television show from this year’s past television year. The cast was great with Karl Urban and the up and coming Michael Ealy ad was a very easy watch. Plus, Minka Kelly is just pretty to look at. The 14 episode rookie season garnered critical review as well as a carryover audience from Fox’s series The Following. Normally, this means that you can expect a sophomore follow-up and a chance to build their audience. Well, you would be wrong.
Fox, in the genius that is the fourth best over air network has once again canned a series that piqued the interest of the sci-fi community. (Firefly fans still haven’t forgiven them, nor will they.)
It is hard to find engaging storylines for the sci-fi genre that allow for maintaining the series for long term success. Star Trek’s ability to continue for years is its ability to adapt the storylines in its constant search for new life. It gave writers, directors, and producers a broad range of stories to broach only limited by their own imagination and the budget that is network television. Dr. Who’s brilliance lies in the same formula with the Doctor’s only limitation being imagination and budget.
Almost Human had the ability for this with a cop drama set in the future. It had a little bit of the cheesy factor with Urban’s character Det. John Kennex having the robotic leg and the sensationalized crime drama storylines we are now used to after series like Law & Order, NYPD Blue, and many more I don’t feel like spending the hour it will take to write them down. However, the writers had set themselves up with a long term storyline with Dorian’s creator John Laroquette and the ability to solve other crimes in the interim. Criminal Minds spent two seasons finding the man who was going after their team while solving other murders and viewers never grew tired of this. Almost Human could do the same thing, except they have cars that drive themselves and robots running around. Criminal Minds can’t boast any of that.
Fox has green lit series for years that live on the fringe understandably as they are the fourth network. The problem they have created for themselves is that rather than stick with the shows, they let them die in a fire as they drink scotch and laugh maniacally. (I can’t actually prove this, but this picture paints the evil more and that’s what I am trying to get at.) Rather than stick with a show that has the potential for success, they move on to the next best thing. If someone could preach to them that sometimes a show gains traction as it goes, they would not be the fourth best network.
Every time a show like Gotham is announced, it is more frightening than exciting. Gotham has the potential to be a strong long living show to setup an entire DC universe. If the writers are allowed to do as they please, this can be the type of show that Fox can hang programming around. However, will the show be canned after half a season for something they feel is better? This leaves everyone in a pickle. Does the public give it a chance or look for something else in fear they will pull the rug out from under it?
