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that has to do with the last three seasons of Charmed), explained, "Like some of the great series that are leaving the air this year, including Frasier and Friends, the cast, crew, writers and producers of Angel deserve to be able to wrap up the series in a way befitting a classic television series and that is why we went to Joss to let him know that this would be the last year of the series on The WB." How on Earth is it possible for a series to wrap up eight years of mythology (and that's what the Buffyverse is-mythology) with five episodes? Never mind the fact that the WB press release concerning the shows 100th episode, which aired on January 21st, stated the following. "ANGEL is currently The WB's second highest-rated series with adults 18-34." While a look at the ratings will tell you that Angel has been steadily gaining since the start of Season five, the network is said to have axed Angel because, while the show had a cult following, it could not gain new viewers-um...excuse me! How can there be a steady increase in the ratings of a show that is not gaining any viewers? Hmm....something smells fishy...
This is not the first time that a great show has been swept away like so much rotten cheese. Last season, the much beloved Sci-Fi Channel born show, Farscape, which was one of the channels first original series, was axed merely a couple of days after filming the last episode of the season, leaving viewers in horror as they realized that the season finale cliffhanger, one in which series leads John and Aeryn are literally blown up into tiny bits seconds before the end, was actually the series final bow. Thankfully, the WB was kinder with the timeliness of their announcement than Sci-Fi, but the insult is still there-when you fall in love with the shows characters, when the writing is such that it inspires others to write, when the series has more websites about it than you can fit on a top 100 list, a show has a following. And a following should not be ignored!
There are still some original shows on the airwaves that should still be around next year. Much like this season of Angel was a Vampire story dressed in a law backdrop, the CBS series Joan of Arcadia is a brilliant family drama with one quirk. The main character speaks to God on a regular basis. Now that's TV that has (almost) never been seen before. I'll take any series like this one as opposed to the Gimmick-a-week offerings of media "gems" like Charmed and Smallville.
Basically, I'm pissed and this is me in my anger. If you're a viewer that likes reality TV and you don't agree with my ravings, answer me this-Why should it all be reality TV? The problem with networks today is that they find one thing with a mass market appeal, and then that's all they can have! Especially when the show is cheaper than the actual plot-driven television shows we've all grown to know and love. Ever since Survivor, the reality phenomenon has continued to blossom, while networks leave their established fictional shows to die a slow death. Turn on your TV-any station-and count how many commercials they show for, say, Survivor as opposed to Joan of Arcadia-you'll find the ratio to be very biased. Variety is the spice of life people! Get something new in your repertoire! Until then, I'll tune into the measly offerings you network executives have presented to me and when I find that diamond in the rough, I'll grab onto it and run with it until the very end! I guess my TV will spend alot more time off than on this year.
Send your comments and or questions to JManzano@ybfree.com.