Have you ever developed an emotional attachment to a TV show?

[bluestateguy]

I have. times. First as a kid with the Dukes of Hazzard, then the Wonder Years, All in the Family (reruns) and now with American Dreams. I'm not really sure why this happens, but you start to almost feel like the characters in the show are members of your own family. You go through the emotional roller coaster rides with them, laugh with them, cry with them and start to feel as if they are members of your family.

Then you remember that it's just a television show. Then you are reminded some years later that this is a brutal, cut throat business dictated by market forces, and your show is either canceled--sometimes without the dignity of a series finale episode--or retired by the producers. You see the show off, cry a little, and then are left wondering sometimes, "what do you think would have happened?" to your characters as time marched on. How would have Archie Bunker handled the 1980's and 1990's? What if we had seen Kevin Arnold of the Wonder Years in college into the mid-1970's? You can imagine things, but you will never know for sure because the producers and actors on the show have moved on to other things.

Now I fear the same thing is going to happen to American Dreams, which will really upset me. No show can or should last forever, but too many good shows get cut short because they fall victim to the cruelties of the marketplace.

[Longhorn]

1. Yes, too often, probably.

And American Dreams is one of those shows for me, now, too. My husband and I were nearly basket cases during the episode when JJ comes home from Vietnam. Our son is a Marine and JJ went to boot camp at about the same time that our son went. Fortunately, our son is not in Iraq but that connection still gets to us. We were Patty's age in the 60's but can still identify with the issues that the family faces. When Jack comes off as a total jerk, we remember that he was actually somewhat enlightened compared to how dads could be back then. At least he seems to learn and grow.

As far as how the characters would have continued after the series are cancelled, reunion shows are almost always a disappointment, aren't they?

[NashVegas]

2. St. Elsewhere

When that show was canceled, it broke my heart so badly I didn't allow myself to get addicted to another weekly series until Carnivale came along.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. Here's another St. Elsewhere fan

I, too, was despondent when the series ended.

[Beaverhausen]

16. Me too. I loved so many of the characters

Especially Drs. Westphall, Auschlander and the wacky Mark Craig.

Not to mention that Denzel Washington's first big role was on that show, and that Alfre Woodard had a recurring part. I could watch her do just about anything.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

17. David Morse (who has been a secondary player in a lot of movies)

was in the cast, too, as was Mark Harmon.

[Patiod]

28. David Morse lives near me

My SO did an episode of his TV show Hack, and was told to drive a car and "almost" hit Morse. No one asked him whether he even had a driver's license.

One of my girlfriends was sitting next to his wife at a school sports event, and the wife complained that she didn't think the show was very "safe" (he had just cut his hand doing something). If only she knew...

[Chovexani]

23. Something interesting for Elsewhere fans

I stumbled across this on a TV fandom board and thought you might find it interesting, if nothing else. There's this fascinating theory stemming from the last episode of Elsewhere (you know, where we found out the entire series was all in the head of an autistic child?). Basically it goes that a big chunk of TV is part of the "multiverse" inside Tommy's head. Most of it involves Tom Fontana's other shows, since he likes to make frequent references to his past work, but it starts to get really mindbogglingly weird when the shows Elsewhere has had crossovers with are involved. And those shows crossover. Ad nauseum. There's a ginormous chart that's just...there's no words. Here's the page:

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~kwgow/crossovers.html

My mind was blown.

[soleft]

3. X Files and Cagney and Lacey my all time favorites

Scully and Mary Beth - loved those women

[kaitykaity]

4. Yes, to the Gilmore Girls.

I have a love/hate relationship with my own mother,
and I dream of being able to eat like Lorelai eats
and be as skinny as she is.

Also I think her love interest is totally hot.



The show is five years old, will probably end next
year. Then I must buy all six seasons on DVD. I
have Season 1 already.

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

5. Yes. Several times. In fact, all my favorite shows...

[cynatnite]

6. There are a couple

Starsky & Hutch was the first I got hooked on and I was crushed when it went off the air. I had just finished my first year of high school.

When Johnny Carson's show went off the air I was upset. It had been with me for so long and a regular part of my nights before going to bed. Even now, I miss it and when Johnny passed on I missed it again. I miss him too :(

[Piperay]

7. American Dreams

I will be sick if the cancel that. :cry: I was also attached to Homefront and Thirtysomething.

[AwakeAtLast]

8. For me, it was "Homefront"

When it got axed, I swore to never get emotionally involved in any T. V. show again. I still don't, really. I also try not to watch new shows at all unless I think they are going to be really (I am very picky) really good.

Which of course is why I am very upset about the possibility of "American Dreams" being cancelled.

I will recover better this time if it happens, though. ;)

[flygal]

21. I was just going to post this one!!!

I was devastated when they kept switching it around on the schedule - I knew it was doomed! I loved loved loved all the actors on that show! It was the episode with the wedding where Ginger and Jeff hook up - I was so gone!!

TV Land had a marathon and I was able to tape a bunch of episodes but missed a lot of the first year but have the first episode and the wedding so that's what I wanted most! There is a petition to get it on dvd on the homefront web page!!

edit to add - do you remember when Dear Abby had a campaign to keep the show from being cancelled? It didn't help but I thought that was cool!

[Dervill Crow]

9. Quantum Leap

Besides enjoying the premise of the show, I think I was actually in love with Sam Beckett for a while. I hope if it's true that Donald P. Bellisario is bringing back the show we'll find out that Sam did in fact make it home.

I've only watched it a couple of times since it's back on SciFi at night. It's so dated now that it's a bit embarrassing to watch it. Sort of like watching That '70s Show and realizing how ugly the clothes were that we wore back then.

[robbedvoter]

10. Good writing gets me all the time: Star Trek, Farscape, Carnivale

Angel ...

[SharonRB]

11. I think American Dreams is one of the best shows on TV

right now. I'll be really upset if it gets cancelled. I love how timely last night's show was with the whole right to die thing. I kept wondering if they rewrote whatever they originally had for last night in light of the events of the last week or if this coincidentally was already filmed.

I felt the same way about some of the other shows noted on this thread -- St. Elsewhere, Homefront, Thirtysomething. I'd add Murphy Brown and Sisters to that list also, among others.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

13. Homicide: Life on the Streets

Great characters and great situations

[Patiod]

14. Homicide and Buffy

We literally didn't know what to do with our Friday nights when Homicide ended - up until then, we made our Happy Hour plans so that we could be home in time for our favorite show. We even took a trip to Baltimore just to see the places where it was filmed (and had a drink in the bar they used in the series)

Buffy, although it had its ups and downs, really drew us in as well. It used to be the one thing that made Tuesdays bearable. God, Joss, why are you wasting time on Wonder Woman? Bring us a new series!!!!!

[Chovexani]

24. Joss is doing Wonder Woman?

Got a credible link for that info? Not jumping down your throat or anything, but I have literally seen damn near every comic book-turned-film project have Joss' name attached at some point, only to have it turn out to be unsubstantiated rumor. It's like clockwork, hehe.

I think only Kevin Smith gets falsely attached to comic films more than Joss.

[Patiod]

26. will CNN do for credible?

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/17/film.wonderwoman.reut/

[Kashka-Kat]

15. "life as we know it"

a short lived thing which (I guess) ended recently, prob. because of too much S-E-X in it. Or maybe it was the wrong kind of sex, it was NOT the smirking juvenile s-e-x that seems to be OK on TV, but incredibly complex, beautiful, and believable portrayals of humans as sexual beings-- I really bought the white-hot intensity of the teenagers' experience-- the exhilarating highs and crashing lows, the entire world conveyed in a glance -- contrasted with and bouncing off of the different kinds of experiences of adult sexuality. I was wondering if many parents watched that show with their kids and were able to talk to them about it. I don't have kids myself, but I think if I did I would want them to watch it... or wouldnt mind if they did. Was done by the same people who did "freaks and geeks" which I've never seen, but now think I may want to pick up on DVD.

I also had a thing for Northern Exposure. Then there were a couple of things by the same producers who did "thirty-something"-- forget the names, they too were brief series that weren't given a chance but had some excellent writing and characters of some complexity and depth.

Sorry, no offense, but I really don't get "American Dreams" at all! I tried, but just not believable. Too much like Forrest Gump showing up in all the key events of the 60s!

[cedahlia]

20. I really liked that show, too!

It was definitely honest and had a lot of potential. And I was pleasantly surprised by Kelly Osborne's acting chops...I would have loved to see her character develop, but from what I've read, I don't think the show will be back. It really is sad and frustrating when great shows like that don't ever make it past their first season, while stuff like Fear Factor and According to Jim manage to hang around forever.:wtf:

You mentioned Freaks and Geeks, which is another prime example of a great show that didn't make it. You should definitely check it out...it won't disappoint. It's sheer brilliance! And talk about "emotional attachment!" I felt like I had lost a friend after I watched the last episode of the DVD set.

[mandyky]

18. CBS's Promised Land

It did not appeal to the 18-25 year old male marketing target and they cancaelled it. I did not watch the first season of Survivor because I refused to watch CBS on Thursdays between 8 and 9 PM.

[dsc]

19. Several

Brothers a Showtime show about a gay man and his brothers. It was the first time I saw someone like me on TV. It allowed me to understand what I was.

All In The Family I loved that show so much. It was Edith who made that show. She was wise in her own way.

My So Called Life I could so see the obsession with Jordan and Ricky's story was both heart breaking and uplifting at the same time.

West Wing So many speeches, so much great dialogue. I want a President Bartlett.

Joan of Arcadia I was Luke in high school (except he is straight).

[Chovexani]

22. God yes. All the time. Way too much.

The magic box, it owns me. I fully expect to be whining about Angel's cancellation to my uncaring grandchildren 50 years from now.

"Damn WB!" *shakes cane angrily*

[onager]

25. Yep. F*cking "Deadwood."

:hi:

[Patiod]

27. Figures a c&cks*cker like you would say that, onager

:bounce:

god, does Powers Booth do good sociopath or what?

[onager]

29. Heh! Thanks, I guess, #$$%$#...

Yeah, Boothe is great. Figures. He did a helluva job playing another psychopath, Rev. Jim Jones.

Did you see the History Channel "Wild West Tech" show about the real Deadwood?

One of the consultants on the show is a librarian at the Adams House historical site in Deadwood. She gave an example of how people talked, and it was such a great, stream-of-consciousness cussing streak that most of it was bleeped.

In real life, Al Swearengen had 3 wives. He beat 2 of them so badly that they divorced him for "spousal cruelty," which was probably a lot harder to do in the 19th century. I believe his third wife died after a beating.