Veronica Mars and the Mystery of the Canceled Cult-Favorites

Where Do All the Smart Shows Go?

At the same time, shows like Veronica Mars are disappearing. Well-executed reality television is very "of the moment" and in that moment, it was entertaining to watch. It may or may not be in seasons to come. Time will tell. The real question is, in five years, will anyone care about those people? Shouldn't television networks still want to also produce the kind of program that people will be watching reruns of in five, ten, even thirty years? No joke, I have a friend who owns all of the seasons of M.A.S.H. and still watches them often. Syndication of The Golden Girls has found a new generation of fans, too young to remember when it aired and possibly too young to even catch all of the jokes. The artistic value of really good television lives on.

I can promise, that in five years, I will still be watching my Veronica Mars seasons on dvd and in syndication and wishing it had gotten a chance to continue. I won't be able to remember that I wanted Chelsea to be the next Pussycat Doll. I've already forgotten Chelsea's last name (if I even ever knew it, I can't recall if it was ever said it on the show.) I can tell you that I will be watching Kristin Bell's next show and buying tickets to see her in movie roles, because that is the kind of memorable sticking power a strong character like Veronica creates. Unfortunately, I will also probably be complaining about yet another show, with another great female character who has been canceled amidst wild protest from its cult-following.

WWVQ? (What would Veronica quip?) Can't a network give her another chance? And if not, can't there be a network for all of these "failed" great shows to live? Imagine! They get canceled, but wait... that doesn't mean they are off the air, that just means they move immediately to the Cult-Favorites TV Network. Why not? There's a freakin' cable network for everything else. I'd buy it.