Most Unfortunate HBO Cancellations
Though HBO tends to have the best shows on television, occasionally they'll unfortunately end a show's time before its due. These are some of those shows.
The reason why I'm not including shows like "The Wire" is because I'm focusing on those short lived shows that didn't get a chance to truly finish out their tales.
The reason why I'm not including shows like "The Wire" is because I'm focusing on those short lived shows that didn't get a chance to truly finish out their tales.
-
82
Votes -
47332
Views -
6
Items -
3
Comm.
Expand All / Collapse All
-
Unlike the other shows on the list, Rome was actually allowed to have a true series finale but with only two seasons, a lot of history was glossed over and missed.
In two seasons, Rome told about the rise of Julius Cesar to the rise of Octavian and the fall of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. It was a lavish show about the corruption and intrigue that led to the Roman Empire. The show also had one of the best gladiator fight scenes ever filmed where condemned man Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson ("Punisher: War Zone")) savages those sent to defeat him.
Comments (2)
-
The recent rash of Western movies such as 3:10 to Yuma and Appaloosa have gravity and give a realism to the genre. But David Milch's "Deadwood" might be responsible for bringing back this style of Western.
Set in the corrupt South Dakota town during its boom years (and using genuine historical events and milestones), Deadwood was a gritty Western written in prose. Not only did it work, but it quickly became one of the best written shows ever on television.
The show boasted an impressive ensemble cast, particularly Ian McShane as the ruthless entrepreneur Al Swearengen but also Timothy Olyphant ("Damages"), Garret Dillahunt ("Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles"), and Powers Booth ("24"), among others.
The show lasted three seasons before being canceled by HBO, never getting its proper finale.
New Comment | Expand All | Collapse AllComments (0)
-
One of HBO's earlier comedies (it started in 1995) was the brilliant sketch comedy show Mr. Show with Bob and David. Bob being Bob Odenkirk ("Breaking Bad") and David being David Cross ("Arrested Development"). The cast also featured appearances from Jack Black ("Tenacious D"), Mary Lynn Rajskub ("24"), Janeane Garofalo ("24"), and Brian Posehn ("The Sarah Silverman Show").
Cynical, sardonic, satirical and off-beat, Mr. Show poked fun at a lot of society's sacred cows while still being funny and clever. One of its best features was how the skits connected to one another in a Monty Pythonian fashion.
HBO canceled the show after four seasons but it has since become a cult favorite on DVD.
New Comment | Expand All | Collapse AllComments (0)
-
Arguably HBO's best show, Carnivale followed a traveling freak show in the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression and the story of evil preacher/possible prophet Brother Justin (played by Clancy Brown as one of television's best villains).
The show was a surreal, bizarre trip of fantasy, mythology and religion. What made Carnivale special was its amazing ability to tackle deeper themes such as good/evil, destiny and magic in a way possibly unequaled on the small screen. Carnivale also had a highly talented cast, a grasp of creating quality suspense/mystery and captured the desolation of the dust bowl in the pre-war period.
It was canceled after two seasons, without any proper finale or closure.
Comments (1)
-
0
ismcrazy - Sep 3rd 2009, 21:20
Carnivale was one of the absolute best shows to have ever been put on television. There was a depth to the characters and production value unlike anything before or since. I have heard the criticism of the first season being too slow, I disagree. It was compelling and connected the viewer on such an intense level to the characters that you literally felt like you were there with them. You could feel the heat and the dust. It was brilliant, and an unparalleled tragedy that the show was canceled prematurely. By the end of the second season, I was hooked. HBO, should be ashamed. I understand that there was a tremendous production cost to the series, but for the first time - there was a series that was truly a combination of art and entertainment. I would give anything to see that show return, watch the story play out, and If HBO is unwilling to produce it themselves, don't just squash it, let it be completed in some other medium or by another network. This story needed to be told. It needed to be completed. They should do the right thing and either make it or sell it to another company.
-
-
Tenacious D was the story of a struggling music duo (Jack Black and Kyle Gass) as try to make it in the business. The show only lasted ten episodes in 2000 and was brought back in a 2006 movie ("Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny").
The band itself achieved its own success and its first album is an excellent blend of music and comedy. It features such songs as "Tribute," "Dio," and "Wonderboy."
New Comment | Expand All | Collapse AllComments (0)
-
David Milch's follow-up show to "Deadwood" was not for everybody. Even now it's kind of hard to explain what it's about. The main character, magic-powered John Monad (Austin Nichols) with his own collection of enigmatic repeated lines*, might be an alien or he might be Jesus. For some reason, he was sent to help a dysfunctional family of surfers in a small California town populated by increasingly odder people and events.
It was clear that the first season was being used to set up the pieces for a second season that, even if it didn't answer questions, would have been a fascinating experiment in television. It never got that second season.
*e.g. "I've got my eye on you Bill," "I don't know Butchie instead."
New Comment | Expand All | Collapse AllComments (0)
http://www.petitiononline.com/rome_hbo/petition.html
What American audiences and producers don't understand is how to properly put down a show. A perfect example of this is The Office. In Brittan the show ran for two series and two Christmas specials. Because if they had kept milking it it wouldn't be plausible- why would they keep that boss in the job so long?
Rome knew how to end things, and ended well. Shows in the US have endless run on seasons with no closure in sight.