Last year at about this time, ABC renewed Pushing Daisies, one of the best shows in its entire lineup -- then yanked it prematurely once the new season began. This year, with the announcements of next year's prime-time schedules only weeks away, there's still time for the networks to make some smart moves -- and some TV-improving renewals -- and, this time, stick with them. But will they?
Some good news is obvious already. NBC struck a two-year extension on the deal with DirecTV to share costs on the production of Friday Night Lights, so we'll have that fabulous show for a few more reasons, with Coach Taylor reassigned to a much lower-rent high school operation. That's terrific -- even if, by the time the episodes get to NBC, they're slightly used goods.
Fringe, on Fox, is a sure bet to return, and a quality show that deserves it. And one of the best new shows of the season, The Mentalist on CBS, also is by far the most popular among all new series, so its renewal is assured. Quality, in this case, has risen to the top of the ratings -- but that doesn't always happen. Quality TV shows, like orchids, can be hothouse flowers that need a lot of nurturing and patience.
Each network, right now, has some shows on the bubble that are likely to develop more in a sophomore season, or be better than most other things coming down the cost-crunched pipeline. If, that is the networks exercise taste and patience -- neither of which, of course, is in strong supply these days.
At ABC, that includes new shows Better Off Ted and Castle, and the still-delightful Scrubs, pulled from NBC's Death Row this season.
At CBS, The New Adventures of Old Christine is such a funny show, the only reason I can imagine CBS might not renew it is that no one at the network's Black Rock headquarters is actually watching it.
At NBC, two veteran shows, My Name Is Earl and Medium, aren't as tired as they should be after this much time, and have earned the right for another year.
And at Fox, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has presented enough inventive surprises and twists to keep the story going. If Fox doesn't renew the show, some cable network should.
But there are two shows TV Worth Watching is begging to see come back -- even if rescued by another network. NBC's Life is one. Fox's Dollhouse is another.
Life, staring Damian Lewis and Sarah Shahi, is almost certainly a goner at NBC. The 10 p.m. Leno decision saw to that, since there are few places to put Life, and its ratings are too modest to argue for its return by any measure other than quality.
Yet the show and the performances are so good, I hate to see it go. The season finale -- which could well be the series finale -- was unexpected and understated enough to provide a haunting coda to the year. But I want more. This is actually the kind of show that would work on Fox (quirky character in the lead) or CBS (self-contained murders, cleverly solved) equally well. Someone, please, let Life live.
Then there's Dollhouse. The latest Joss Whedon series hasn't done that well in the Friday night limbo slot where Fox stuck it, and isn't a good bet for renewal. But last week, the return of Prison Break drew significantly fewer viewers in the same time slot, especially among the younger demographic, so maybe the executives at Fox -- smart and tasteful ones, as TV executives go -- will rethink, and renew.
That would be wonderful, because Dollhouse really kicked into a higher gear the last several episodes, and a second season would be sure to mature significantly. Season two was when Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel deepened and blossomed, and Fox never let Firefly get to a second season. Please, please, don't make the same mistake with Dollhouse.
Or, if Fox lets it go, someone else should pick it up. These shows shouldn't die prematurely, as Daisies did.