For me 2012 turned out to be the year of good-byes in both my personal life and in my TV world. For the purpose of this post, however, we’ll just talk about TV.
The 2012-13 television season has taken its toll on what I’m now watching. There were a lot of shows that got the boot this season. Some shows got cut because the powers that be decided it was time and others because I decided.
Three of my most-loved TV shows that ended this season were The Closer, Fringe and Eureka. They all were extremely different, but each one was excellent in terms of writing, acting, and characters that you cared about and loved. While The Closer lives on somewhat in the guise of its spin-off Major Crimes, both Eureka and Fringe are completely done. I’ve gone through all the stages of grief about these shows signing-off, and I will always love & miss them. They have been added to my list of my all-time favorite TV series ever. FYI, Fringe & The Closer are in the Top 5.
Unfortunately, there were other series that ended this season that I really liked a lot as well. Thankfully, most of them had enough notice to shoot finales that if not entirely satisfying at least offered some closure. Leverage, In Plain Sight, Political Animals, Alphas, and Make It or Break It are on this list. In addition, although I must admit that I wasn’t very fond of it at first, Jane By Design on ABC Family eventually won me over so I was sorry when it got canned too.
Then there were the shows that I decided to stop watching. I call it “voluntary cancellation” since it’s my choice and not the networks. I do this when a show has in my opinion “jumped the shark” or I’m just too involved with other series to keep up with it any more. Basically, if the show is more of a chore to watch than a pleasure. I don’t take voluntary cancellation lightly because once I decide to go this route then there is no turning back. I have never started re-watching a show once I’ve vc’d it.
I voluntarily cancelled Hawaii Five-0, Covert Affairs, and Rizzoli & Isles this season because I got involved with other series I liked more. I kicked Beverly Hills 90210 to the curb because I just started to hate all of the characters and the so-called story lines. I was actually going to vc Gossip Girl too, but then The CW decided to wrap it up, so I watched through the end. I heard 90120 is aslo ending, but since I’ve already stopped watching I won’t tune-in for the series finale. In addition, I vc’d Project Runway and America’s Next Top Model, the only two reality shows I ever regularly watched, as they had both jumped the shark. I’m sure it’s difficult to keep these types of shows fresh after a few seasons, but the challenges were just getting too over the top as where the contestants. I also never liked the manufactured fighting reality shows think they have to have.
Whether it’s a guilty pleasure or a great drama, it’s sad for me when a show loses its way so much that I have to vc it. I don’t, however, regret my decisions about the shows I personally cancelled. Even with DVR, OnDemand, iTunes, etc. there are only so many hours in the day to watch TV. And with the current plethora of great shows if you can’t compete then see ya!
As we come to the conclusion of the 2012-2013 TV season, I’m looking forward to seeing if Summer/Fall 2013-2014 will offer up anything good to replenish what I’ve lost this past year. I will also say to all of the series listed above – I’m so glad we had this time together and thanks for all the memories!
What series were you most sad about losing this season? Any that you stop watching on your own accord?
