TV Meme: Day 1 - An Unfairly Canceled Show

When I first spotted this on Rachel's Reel Reviews I was immediately interested, and when Nick at Random Ramblings of a Demented Doorknob also jumped in to participate I thought it would be a great time to finally get my blog up and running again.

I posted the directions of this 30 Day Meme last week and I took some time to think about my answers carefully. I have been an avid television watcher for a long time now, and as I have said in the past, I probably watch too much television. But, for some reason my answers to most of the questions kept coming back to somewhat new shows - I just don't really remember loving too many shows when I was in grade school that weren't cartoons or something of that nature.

Anyway, let's get started.

This is pretty interesting that this would be the main topic on Day 1 of this meme as I have stated in the past how much I hate when shows get canceled prematurely. I have major problems each Fall season as I think about which shows I may want to watch because, for the most part, a lot of the new shows won't last until January much less the entire season. Shows just don't get the leeway they were allowed in the past; they aren't given time to find their audience - if they stink out of the gate in the ratings department they usually get axed.

I have spoken about this before, but a few of the shows that I feel were yanked far too quickly were:

• Standoff
• Las Vegas
• Saved
• Playmakers
• Traveler
• Freaks & Geeks
• Undeclared

And those are just a few. But, the show that always jumps out to me as being unfairly canceled perhaps actually should have been canceled. But, only because the show that it once had been was no longer and it had been changed to something that was not watchable.

SeaQuest DSV was my new Star Trek back when it originally aired in 1993. It starred Roy Scheider (of Jaws fame) as Captain Nathan Bridger. He took command of the Seaquest DSV, much like Kirk of the Enterprise, but instead of being in outer space it was located in the ocean.

Jonathan Brandis was another huge character named Lucas Wolenczak, a brilliant teenager who actually created a device to speak and understand dolphins - including his pet dolphin, Darwin.

The show added a couple new characters in the second season, including the Deluise brothers Peter (Dagwood) and Michael (Tony Piccolo). Dagwood was a GELF (Genetically Engineered Life Form) and Piccolo had gills implanted so he was able to breathe under water.

I remember the first two seasons of the show as being very entertaining. I would always look forward to watching it each and every week. However, the show made a huge change in the third and final season - including losing all but three of the original cast members, Scheider being the major loss - which is why I have sort of claimed that season three is not really SeaQuest (in fact the actual name of the third season is SeaQuest 2032) to me and that this show was pretty much canceled after its second season - when in fact the show was finally canceled after the horrific third season.

It really is too bad because the concept was great, not too many series had been developed under water - and much like Star Trek (which only lasted three seasons itself) could have become something after the show was complete. However, that never happened and the two main characters - Brandis and Scheider - have both passed on so the show and any possible movies are also dead.

Missing in Action

Growing up, you are introduced to a lot of different shows and/or movies. In these are actors or actresses that you sort of start to like, most are child actors/actresses.

Sometimes, however, these actors/actresses sort of vanish. They may appear in the random B-movie, or in a very small guest starring role on a television series, but for the most part have completely vanished from the mainstream.

Here is just a few that have gone missing (this is not a Top 10 list):

Charlie Korsmo

You may remember Charlie from such hits as Hook, Dick Tracy or What About Bob? But not since Can't Hardly Wait have we seen this talented actor. According to his wikipedia page, he is currently a lawyer after being a part of the U.S. government.

Ben Savage

Savage was always in his older brother's (Fred Savage) shadow, until he scored big on the hit show Boy Meets World. Since then, however, Ben has not been seen in too many things, besides low budget movies.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas

Thomas portrayed the middle child on the huge television hit, Home Improvement. He was known for his wisecracks and good looks, and therefore bridged into movies. However, since I'll Be Home For Christmas with Jessica Biel, Thomas has not been a successful movie. His last stint on television was a guest role on Veronica Mars.

Jaleel White

White, as all of you should know, was Steve Urkel on the television show Family Matters. Of course he portrayed a nerd, but in real life was an athletic teenager, much like Steve's alter-ego, Stefan. White has since been hitting the television circuit in the form of guest roles, most recently on Boston Legal. He has also had small parts in movies like Big Fat Liar and Dreamgirls.

Jonathan Brandis

Brandis was a huge star in the '90's, both with his looks and with acting. He had starring roles in such films as Lady, The Neverending Story II and Sidekicks. His most famous role, however, was his portrayal of Lucas Wolenczak on television's SeaQuest DSV. Brandis had sort of dropped off the map in acting, but was hoping to get back in with a role in Hart's War. However is scenes were all cut, and Brandis fell into a depression - committing suicide. It was a tragic loss, for such a talented actor.

Ariana Richards

Best known for her work in Jurassic Park as Lex Murphy, Richards made a handful of movies in the 90's, but has not been in a movie since Tremors 3 in 2001. She has since become a successful painter and is an apprentice under a professional painter in Oregon.

Danielle Fishel

Fishel is another Boy Meets World veteran who has yet to make it out of the show's shadow. She has been on a few shows in a guest starring role, such as Yes, Dear, and has made a couple of B-movies like Dorm Daze and Dorm Daze 2.

Staci Keanan

Keanen made a pair of popular shows during her time on television in My Two Dads and Step By Step. Since the cancellation of Step By Step, however, Keanan has only been in a couple of movies.

Mayim Bialik

Bialik was the star of the television series Blossom. Since it left the television waves, however, Bialik has only been a guest star on multiple television shows - most recently Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Danica McKellar

McKellar has sort of made a small comeback by posing in men's magazine Stuff and being a guest star on How I Met Your Mother. But, she was the girlfriend of Fred Savage in The Wonder Years and has yet to make as big of a splash since then. She has, however, made a huge splash in the world of math - as she graduated from UCLA and has written a book entitled "Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle-School Math without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail". She also has a second book "Kiss My Math: Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss" coming out in August.