Monday, March 20, 2006

Yet Another Great Show Fox Didn't Get


With the prospects of Arrested Development ever being shown on TV again diminishing by the day, I think it's about time to recall another brilliant show that no one watched, and got cut loose by Fox.

I'm speaking, of course, of Action, the 1999 Jay Mohr vehicle that got canned after eight episodes. Action told the story of Peter Dragon, a powerful movie producer attempting to get his next project off the ground after his last movie turned out to be a monumental flop. What unfolds is what a living hell it is to be Peter Dragon.

I think this show may have been too hip for its own good. It was a little before its time (although the cheesy production values now look reaaallly dated). It was full of Hollywood in-jokes, had out-of-character celebrity cameos years before Will and Grace, and was filled with (bleeped, of course) profanity. It all added up to one of the funnier shows on TV at the time. And, of course, since it was so funny, Fox canceled it.

It not all Fox's fault, though. (I like to blame them for everything, because they've brought Family Guy, a very unfunny show, back from cancellation twice, yet refuse to keep Arrested Development on the air. They are pretty fucking dumb.) It's the idiot viewers' fault. Fox just renews and cancels shows based on ratings, and Action just didn't have them. Mainly because idiots watch sitcoms that aren't funny, and that why Friends was a hit and Action flopped.

Oh well. At least now we can watch all the episodes to our heart's content on the recently released Action box set. Check it out.

6 comments:

Jesus Melendez said...

Great show...great DVD set.

Remember FOX canned Undeclared as well...another show with some great cameos that was WAY funnier than people want to admit. Of course, it was a Judd Apatow production...and we all know how that loser and his previous shows (The Ben Stiller Show and Freaks and Geeks) turned out.

Hmmm, Ben Stiller, Judd Apatow...I wish I knew how they were doing. Anyone heard?!?



And yes...Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared had great Ben Stiller and Will Ferrell cameos LONG before EVERYONE did.

E said...

Fox has always been kinda ahead of the curve with their shows. Their only problem is that they let ratings dictate what they keep on the air, which tends to be shit.

Jesus Melendez said...

I, for one, am glad they stuck with shit shows like "Married...with Children" for all those many years and send "Get a Life" to the scrap heap. Or more recently...I'm glad that "War at Home" is around and "Arrested Development" is not AND they are thinking of bringing back "Futurama".

Way to go, FOX!

E said...

I was always pissed that they canceled Woops!, that sitcom about the nuclear holocaust. That show was waaaaay ahead of its time.

Jesus Melendez said...

I always liked "Snoops" with Tim and Daphne Maxwell REid!




Wait...no I didn't.

E said...

It's Your Move was a great show. I think I saw every episode first run.