Favorite TV Series: What's Renewed, What's Canceled

R.I.P.

It's that time of year. The networks have announced the shows they have renewed and the shows they have canceled. This means I am happy and a little bit sad today.

Reasons I am happy (favorite shows that have been renewed for the 2016-2017 season):

• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Arrow
• The Flash
• Legends of Tomorrow
• Supergirl (It's been both canceled and renewed. The series is moving from CBS to the CW, where it will join its other DC shows)
• Grimm
• Jane the Virgin
• So You Think You Can Dance
• Sleepy Hollow

Reasons I'm sad: (favorite shows that have been canceled):

• Castle
• Nashville

It's surprising to me that over half of my favorite shows that have been renewed are based on comic book characters. I'm not surprised they have been renewed, just surprised that they've become some of my favorite currently running TV series. I've never read superhero comic books, and I never considered myself a real fan of the superhero movies that came out when I was young, such as the Superman with Christopher Reeve, or the Batman movies with Michael Keaton, George Clooney and Val Kilmer. It wasn't until The Avengers was released that I found myself really enjoying a superhero movie. It could be that it was written and directed by Joss Whedon, the creator of my much-loved Buffy-verse and Firefly. Or, maybe it was Tom Hiddleston. Yea, it could have been Tom Hiddleston. Anyway. So, when I see that five of my favorite TV series are based on comic books, there's no one more surprised than I. I know that it's because of the characters on the show. Sure, I want interesting plots, but unless a show has characters that I care about, then it doesn't matter how good or exciting the plots, I won't want to tune in every week.

Arrow was the first of these current comic book-based series to catch my interest. I watched its first spin-off, The Flash, because they introduced Barry Allen in a few episodes of Arrow. I really liked his character, and how he was played by Grant Gustin. Because I liked these series so much, I was excited when they announced that Supergirl would be getting her own series, and it quickly became one of my favorite new shows of the season. The second spin-off of Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, started out a bit weak, with a couple of characters that I totally cannot abide (and wish they would just abandon them somewhere to live out their destined lives together away from our other "legends of tomorrow), and I fast forwarded through many an episode this season. However, as the end of the season comes closer, the episodes have become more exciting and compelling, and I haven't fast forwarded through an episode in while.

I originally started watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. because it was a new series created by Joss Whedon (along with his brother, Jed). It has gone through rocky times, but I have enjoyed this season, and I find myself anxiously anticipating how this season will end, and what character (if any) won't make it to the next season. I think episode 5, "4,755," is one of the best episodes of any TV series, and the consequences of that episode led to the emerging of a formidable "Big Bad." One of the problems I have with the series, is that it's supposedly part of that big Marvel universe that wants to be connected with all of the Marvel movies, so the Avengers exist in this world, we just never see them in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Hive is the kind of foe that, if this really is supposed to be one big (Marvel) universe, you would think that Coulsen would have wanted to call in the Avengers to help him defeat him. However, since this is television, and the Avengers are only in film, those characters will never (I am guess never) be on this television show, therefore, they can't call them in, and it ruins the continuity they've tried to create in this universe.

It's hard to believe that Grimm is coming to the end of its fifth season. I remember five years ago when I was looking forward to a new TV season that had two series based on fairy-tales. Who knew then how very different these two series would be? Unlike Once Upon a Time (which I'm not going to talk much about in this post, except to say how disappointing it has been since its first season), Grimm has remained very strong in the five years it's been on the air. It has stayed close to its original premise, and it has been exciting, original, and well-written. It has given us some great characters (Nick, Monroe, Trubel, Renard, Wu),  a few surprises (good-bye Juliette, hello Eve), lots of interesting Wesen, and a relationship I really want to hate, but kind of like (Nick and Adalind). I really like episodic TV that has an arc that continues throughout a season, and Grimm does this so well. I look forward to seeing how this season turns out and seeing what next season brings.

It's hard to explain Jane the Virgin to people who don't watch it. It's a comedy, it's a drama, it's a mystery. it's a crime show, it's a soap opera (or should we say Telenovela?). It's nothing like anything else on television. It has a narrator who is not one of the characters in the show, and who has some of the best one-liners on television. It has romance, murder, kidnapping, an evil twin or two (or three), and a Telenovela superstar who has the other best one-liners in television.  It has dream sequences, daydream sequences, and flashbacks, and a TV show within a TV show. It has rich, beautiful people running an expensive hotel, and not-so-rich, average people just trying to make ends meet. It even has a child that isn't ignored by the writers or forgotten about entirely. In fact it deals head-on with single motherhood, postpartum depression, and a mother who would like to stay home with her child, but can't. And it all centers around Jane, an aspiring writer, college student, and mother of a one-year old. This show rarely makes a misstep, unlike so many other series that I watch on a regular basis. The writing is so clever, as is the format of the show. There is so much "meta" in this show that I wish I could think of a clever word to describe it that includes "meta" in it. Metatacular? Metacredible? Metasational? Metatastic? Metarrific? Metanificent?  Sorry, I could do this all day. But I won't. Suffice it to say, I'm so glad that it has been renewed for a third season.

I am very happy about So You Think You Can Dance being renewed. I have loved this show since season 1, and I look forward to many outstanding dancers and routines. I really hope they have good choreographers this year. The routines of the last few seasons haven't seemed to live up to the excellence of some of the early season routines. There have been some gems sprinkled here and there, but I'm hoping for some memorable routines, because we never know how many more seasons this show will last. This could its last.

I'm really happy that the CW decided to give Supergirl a new home after CBS decided to cancel it. I really like this show. Not just because its main character is a woman, but because Kara is a superhero who isn't full of angst. She's an orphan whose whole planet was destroyed, but she isn't fighting against something - she's fighting for everyone she can.

Sleepy Hollow's final episode of this season was hard to watch. Not only did Ichabod have to say good-bye to his partner, but we had to say good-bye to one of the best things about the show: Abbie. Who knows where it's going to go from here, but I hope it can not only survive, but thrive without her. I feel like the show was finally getting its footing back after a really rocky season 2, and then this happened. Oh, Nicole, I will miss you. If they only could have given Abbie the stories she deserved. I loved the chemistry Tom and Nicole had together. This could be such an awesome show, a combination of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, National Treasure, and Grimm, however, much like Once Upon a Time, they just haven't been able to recapture the magic of that first season.

Three other series that I've been watching, even though they are not "favorites," that have been renewed are Once Upon a Time, The Big Bang Theory, and Reign. I really think that Once Upon a Time has overstayed its welcome. I still watch it, but I get so infuriated with it. I've written a few posts already about my frustrations with this show, and I just don't see it ever getting better. I feel it will never be able to match the magic and originality of its first season. If it does, I'll definitely post about it. I can honestly say that I do not know why I even watch The Big Bang Theory anymore. Maybe it's because it's only a half hour show and it doesn't feel like I'm wasting that much time (or brain waves) watching it. I'm very surprised that Reign has been renewed, but maybe that means we'll finally get Mary in Scotland and we'll get into the real history that's more interesting than their fictional plots.

Even though Castle is one of my favorite TV shows, I'm not sure that I'm too broken up about it being canceled. It's had a good eight season run, and that's nothing to cry about. I've enjoyed watching Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, and I've loved how you could have a crazy episode about an actor from a cult TV show being murdered at a comic-con-type convention, and also a serious episode where Rick's daughter is kidnapped, and Rick goes rogue to try to find her. I generally dislike procedural TV series, but when it has a great premise, such as a mystery writer teaming with a NY detective to solve murders, great characters, and not-your-run-of-the-mill murder plots, then I'll watch - for eight seasons.

Oh, Nashville, Nashville. What you've done in the name of prime time soap operas has really put the final nail in your coffin. This series started out great, as a story about the rivalry of two country singers, one who was an older, established superstar, and the other a young up-and-coming starlet. I was interested in seeing where these characters' stories would take them. I loved the original music from the show. I looked forward to going to iTunes every Tuesday so I could buy my favorite tracks. Three seasons later, I just get angry every episode at the choices the characters make. And if I'm not getting angry at the characters, I'm getting angry at the writers for not letting ONE character have any happiness or joy. It's become such a depressing show. Not even the music makes it enjoyable. So, why, you ask, do I still watch? Good question. I guess because I've grown to like a lot of the characters, and I want to see if any of them will have anything good happen to them this week. I'd just like to see one thing before this show goes away forever - Maddie, you have to see what a conniving, opportunistic jerk (yes, I could use another word here, but I won't) Cash is! If you don't, and you don't apologize to your Mama for being a selfish, teenage brat, then a shoe may make contact with my TV, and then I'll be really sad. If Juliette and Avery, and Scarlet and Gunnar get back together, and Will gets a number one hit, and Layla falls off the edge of the stage, and Daphne has a solo hit, and Rayna and Deacon have one moment of happiness, then that would just be icing on the cake. And Autumn? Well, she could just fall off the edge of the stage with Layla.

Another canceled show that I watched, but never really became a favorite, was Galavant. I was so excited when it was announced two years ago that Alan Menken would be writing the music for a TV musical set in medieval times. I am a musical junky, and thought it was such a great idea. However, there were only small bits of it that I liked. Most of it fell flat for me. I thought the music was quite generic, which was so disappointing because I usually love Alan Menken's music. I felt like he phoned most of it in. I did read that there is a possibility that it may be adapted for the stage, with a possibility of going to Broadway. If so, I hope that it aims much, much higher - especially the music.

Now, I'm looking forward to hearing what new series will be starting in the fall. I hope there are some gems in the bunch.