Seven "Brett Favre" TV Shows

Hey Hi Hello!

We interrupt this TV week with an extra special post, also about TV shows.

Herc wrote this as a follow up to my shows that I miss post. Inspriation wins!

Herc’s 7 “Brett Favre” TV Shows

Shows that limped on too long when they should have gotten out while the getting was good. Most of them were due to either on-screen or behind the scenes changes. While Herc relishes and embraces change in all areas and aspects of his own life, these particular changes hastened the end of more than a few quality television shows. There are some “jump the shark” moments here as well.

1) Gilmore Girls - Do not misunderstand me. This was an awesomely written and performed show for six seasons because creator and show runner Amy Sherman-Palladino and her hubby, Mr. Amy, were very hands-on: they wrote, produced and or directed most episodes. They were the heart and soul of the show. At the end of their six-season contract, they could not come to terms with the CW network and were forced to leave their “baby” behind. If you can honestly watch it and not notice a HUGE change in the whole vibe of the show in Season 7, then you are a not a fan. It was basically a let’s tie up loose ends season devoid of any of the wit and charm of the earlier seasons. It all seems very forced. And, in the end, the show still left many questions unanswered and plots unresolved. There are rumors of a movie. Is it worth noting that the three projects the Palladinos have been involved with post-Gilmore have fizzled out? (Nah, they didn’t.)

2) The X-Files - Mulder and Scully. Nuff said. Seven Seasons and a theatrical movie. Fox wouldn’t pay Mulder/David Duchovny the bucks after season 7 so he “walked” but actually appeared on half of season 8’s episodes and returned for the two part series finale in season 9. And another theatrical movie. But there were subtle changes in the tone of the series even before his departure. After filming the first five seasons in and around Vancouver, production moved to Los Angeles. Many key crew members did not make the move and the look of the show suddenly brightened, a combination of a new director of photography and the new shooting locale.

3) Heroes - It’s old news now but season 1 of this show was nothing short of revelatory. Every. Single. Episode. Then came season 2 and the slow slide into mediocrity over three seasons as it limped on through season 4. So sad.

4) Miami Vice - The show was decent for about four seasons. However, after two seasons, show creator Michael Mann left to do another show and handed the reins over to Dick Wolf. There were a few changes - a new car for one and some elaborate multi-episode plots. But season 5 sucked - plain and simple. Did you know when star Don Johnson was threatening to quit, the producers had lined up Mark Harmon as a replacement before Don came to his senses?

5) CSI - I’ve been a Grissom man from episode one but I’ve lost interest in the series since he left less than halfway through season 9 (!) although there have been flashes of brilliance in the writing since then. Yeah, I still watch. But it ain’t the same. I’ll give Ted Danson a shot. And officially, in Herc’s world, there are no other CSI shows.

6) Alias - Forget your Nikkita and your Annie from Covert Affairs, Alias’s Syndey Bristow will always be the kick-ass female agent all others aspire to be. For three seasons, the show operated within and without the Rambaldi’s Artifacts arc beautifully. So many betrayals, so many double-crosses and so many reveals. But then it went horribly wrong in season 4 culminating in one of those surprise car crashes that have since been used way too much by other shows.

7) Charlie’s Angels - We’re talking the original trio of heavenly bodies of season 1 not the various replacements that followed in seasons 2-5, not the cast of the two movies and not the cast of the all new now we are in Miami version debuting this fall. Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith and Farrah Fawcett-Majors had chemistry and it was never the same after Farrah left after season 1.


Dishonorable mention to Ally McBeal, Happy Days, Three’s Company, Smallville, That 70s Show and 24.