Well, that headline says it all, doesn't it? The Stuart Townsend/Gabrielle Union re-imagination of the Kolchak mythos (currently airing Thursday nights at 9:00 pm on ABC) has gotten the axe. And after just six episodes aired, too. This week's episode (the second installment of a dire two-parter...) will be the last time we see this version of Kolchak in action.
The 1974-1975 Kolchak: The Night Stalker ran for 20 episodes, and when all is said and done, the re-imagination will have produced a paltry nine shows. So when people think of Kolchak years from now, guess which version people will still recall with fondness?
Yet I was trying to give the new show a chance - a fair hearing - and I think it's a shame it's been cancelled so quickly. Especially because Supernatural is still on.
And more trouble for sci-fi TV shows looms ahead: CBS aired Close to Home on Friday night in Threshold's usual time slot. The crime-drama earned some strong numbers there, so figure that Threshold may be homeless soon too...or at least moved to another time-slot.
The 1974-1975 Kolchak: The Night Stalker ran for 20 episodes, and when all is said and done, the re-imagination will have produced a paltry nine shows. So when people think of Kolchak years from now, guess which version people will still recall with fondness?
Yet I was trying to give the new show a chance - a fair hearing - and I think it's a shame it's been cancelled so quickly. Especially because Supernatural is still on.
And more trouble for sci-fi TV shows looms ahead: CBS aired Close to Home on Friday night in Threshold's usual time slot. The crime-drama earned some strong numbers there, so figure that Threshold may be homeless soon too...or at least moved to another time-slot.
CBS has already said they are going to move Threshold. I think they are moving it to Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteHey John,
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised that Night Stalker was axed either. I really tried to get into this show, but it just never found its own identity. I would watch and say "X-Files did that, but better."
I doubt that Threshold will hold on much longer either. Also, I know you don't want to hear this, but Surface is probably still 50/50 on lasting. Surface has improved greatly, but it may be too late.
Hey Marx!
ReplyDeleteI was hoping there would be good news for Surface. It's improved so much, and has become genuinely entertaining. Hope it doesn't get the axe too!!
Threshold...I'm ready to see it go.
John, as we've discussed, I'm not surprised that "Night Stalker" has been cancelled so quickly. From the beginning, it lacked the charm and quirkiness of the original series, instead becoming a journalistic version of "The X-Files" crossed with "Millenium." And while it did add a theme song with episode 2, its 10-second length hardly qualified it as a classic piece of music.
ReplyDeleteIf, instead of "reimagining," they had made Townsend's Kolchak the son of McGavin's, plagued by the "Kolchak curse" of writing unpublishable stories about unspeakable horrors, they might not have alienated the fans of the original series, and still appealed to a new generation. Plus, it was on against such mainstream powerhouses as "CSI" and "The Apprentice, so it really never stood a chance.
Hey Howard -
ReplyDeleteI know you're right on all accounts there. And I agree with all of your points (and I like your idea for a Kolchak continuation). And yet I'm still sorry the show is cancelled. There was a kernel of something good there. Maybe just a kernel...