Gone Too Soon?: What New Fall 2014 TV Shows Have Already Been Cancelled

November sweeps are now underway, with deaths and breakups and special guest stars and other twisty twists and turny turns to grab viewers. For some shows it's already too late: they lost the popularity contest and got the axe. The only show that I'm upset about is Selfie. It was not a good show, but it had the most potential of any of those cancelled so far. I was hoping the network would give it time to find itself, but alas. 

This season has not been kind to comedies. So far the five cancelled network shows have all been comedies. For those of you who are looking for new comedies, two good ones that have so far survived are ratings smash Black-ish (I had my doubts, but it is funny) and underdog Marry Me (filling the quirky Happy Endings hole in my life).  

Manhattan Love Story was the very first new fall show to get cancelled. Given the fact that the trailer was such a turn-off, I never even watched an episode. And now I never will. The show supposedly got you a look inside the minds of a couple who meet in the Big Apple. With annoying voice overs, not those cool '90s pop-ups from Blind Date. The guy's mind was an unappealing place to be. And the show was apparently an unappealing one to watch.

As I said, Selfie was a show I actually liked. Not in a "this is objectively good and I will recommend it without shame" way. No, there was a little bit of shame. Which is kind of the definition of a guilty pleasure. A comedy about a selfish, social-media obsessed woman and the straight-laced man who tries to help her be a better person, it was a bit ridiculous, and Karen Gillian's Valley Girl accent could be grating. But leads Gillian and John Cho had loads of chemistry. And Da'Vine Joy Randolph was a scene-stealer as the receptionist. Randolph is quite a find and has sharp comic timing. Someone get her on another show, stat. With a strong cast that was gelling, this show had a shot at crossing the line into "actually good" territory in the future. Many comedies (Parks & Rec, Cougar Town) can take a season to grow into themselves. I wish Selfie had been given the space and time it needed to prove itself. It's an understandable decision by the network, but one I regret. I will finish watching whatever episodes show up on Hulu, and hope the actors have better luck next time.

Like Manhattan Love Story, I cringed at the trailer of Mulaney. So I again feel vindicated that the show got quickly cancelled. America agrees with my snap judgment. Thank you, America!

I watched 1 1/2 episodes of A to Z and none of it worked for me. Not the oddly cloying voice overs. Not the misplaced zaniness. Not the supporting characters, who were universally annoying. Not Andrew's strident idealism (why is he working for a hookup app if he is so morally opposed to it? Get a different job, man!). It was like How I Met Your Mother without all the things that made HIMYM great (mostly, Neil Patrick Harris). 

 

I hated even the premise of this show. And now it, too, is cancelled. The 2014-15 season has been kind to me. Except for How to Get Away With Murder. America does not back me on that one (okay, I get it, it is delicious and soapy and insane and that is what has made Scandal a hit. But it makes so little sense my brain hurts trying to follow it). Anyway, Bad Judge is gone, and that is some satisfaction.