Occasionally when I'm bored, I start wandering the web looking for lists. Lists of things to like. Lists of things to hate. Lists of things to lament. Lists of things to applaud. Of late, I've been seeking out lists that help me counteract my negativity about all this "reality" I'm being asked to consume on TV. One recent list praises five television shows whose runs were cut short because the masses simply weren't bright enough to catch on. (Bionic Woman does not fall into this category.)

I expected the list to be an homage to one-hit wonders of the television world. Instead, I found a couple of one-and-done examples of sheer brilliance, but also a few shows that got more than one shot at gaining an audience. For example, I agree that Arrested Development was brilliant, but it did get a three-season run. That's a far cry from a 12-episode complete series DVD box set. So I came up with my own list of TV shows that the throngs missed out on, thus depriving the rest of us of the opportunity to see these story lines play out over more than a single season.

1. My So-Called Life

In my opinion, this was the best teen drama ever to grace the airwaves. There was no shrinking away from so-called adult issues. Those of us who did catch on to this show got a chance to watch Claire Danes develop her craft while her character, Angela Chase, and friends dealt with teenage romance, alcohol abuse, homosexuality and midterms. Oh, and despite the series' all-too-brief 19-episode run, Time magazine found a spot for MSCL on its list of the 100 best television shows of all time. … continue reading

Seeing Pushing Daisies on the American Film Institute's list of the best shows of 2007 reminded me that I'd heard no recent news about another Bryan Fuller project: the Dead Like Me straight-to-DVD movie.

My quick search for updates uncovered the first trailer for the movie. The trailer itself needs some editing, but I'll take whatever I can get. Give it a look and let me know what you think.
… continue reading

Now that shooting for Dead Like Me is a wrap, MGM has released casting news for the movie. As expected, all the original cast is back except for Mandy Patinkin (Rube) and Laura Harris (Daisy Adair).

Ellen Muth returns as George Lass, who’s as comically cynical about death as she was about life. George narrates the movie, just as she did the series.

Replacing Laura Harris, who has a lead role in ABC’s Women’s Murder Club, as Daisy Adair is Sarah Wynter, perhaps best known as the perpetually shocked Kate Warner on season 2 of 24. (A trivia tidbit: Harris played Warner's sister, Marie.)

… continue reading

There's an interesting list over on DoubleVixen.com showcasing positive female TV characters. The list includes Buffy Summers from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Liz Lemon from 30 Rock, George Lass from Dead Like Me, Zoe Washburne from Firefly and Rose Tyler from Dr. Who.

Looking at this compilation suggests several things. First, it suggests that the number of positive female characters on the telly is even lower than I thought. I know that the number of strong, intelligent women I see staring back at me from the TV screen is woefully inadequate. However, I didn't think it was so bad that we could only find five such examples, especially since three of them come from shows we can only see on DVD or in rerun land. Second, it suggests that Joss Whedon knows how to write wonderful women. Both Buffy and Firefly provided more than one example of a positive female character. Clearly this guy needs to write more TV shows. … continue reading

A couple of months ago, I blogged about the upcoming straight-to-DVD Dead Like Me movie. Today the Pop Candy blog noted that star Ellen Muth (The Truth About Jane) has given us a little more to hope for. Here's the news, direct from Muth's MySpace page:

"Just to let all you DLMers out there know that this past week, I have been informed that after this Dead Like Me movie comes out, it may, go back to series. After seeing the movie, you'll have to be the judge of whether or not you like the new concept. Give it a chance. I know we all hate change but it has been two years since season 2 so there has to be evolution."

Hooray! But ... wait! An evolution? Not just that, but the sort of change we might hate? And not just cast changes, but a new concept?! I thought the whole reaper-verse was pretty well established. When pressed for more, Muth had this to say: "Not allowed to spoil the doilies quite yet." Her Dead Like Me character George Lass would roll her eyes right about now.

Muth also said she has no idea whether DLM will be on Showtime again or find a home somewhere else. And this is all just a glimmer of an idea; if the DVD movie doesn't sell well, the series is probably DOA. Or DNR. Yeah, now I'm rolling my eyes too.

Wondering what your favorite grim reaper has been up to lately? You won't have to wonder much longer: The canceled-too-soon Showtime series Dead Like Me is getting a new life (groan, sorry) on DVD. Or at least a new couple of hours: A made-for-DVD movie is in the works.

Dead Like Me starred Ellen Muth (The Truth About Jane) as a young woman named George Lass (and yes, I think her name was probably intended to make you think of Jan Brady's imaginary boyfriend, George Glass). George met an early demise when a toilet seat hurtled down from space and smashed right into her. And then, just to make matters weirder, a grim reaper named Rube (Mandy Patinkin) came along and recruited her to be a harvester of souls. … continue reading