Much like my last installment in Brilliant But Cancelled -- in which I reflected on the bitingly funny genius of Chris Lilley's Summer Heights High (and hell yes, you better believe I'm excited about the recently announced Ja'mie spin-off show) -- it's technically unfair to call this week's choice a cancelled series either. That's because Ricky Gervais, like Lilley, knows that shows only have a certain shelf life. Gervais -- whose new series Derek debuts on Netflix on Thursday, September 12 -- applied that theory to The Office and, the show under discussion here, Extras.

Despite the fact that I have been out of school for a number of years that are irrelevant to this article, I still get nervous pangs whenever I see back-to-school commercials or feel that undeniable click in the air from summer to fall. Maybe it's because I don't like coat season or maybe it's because high school is a nightmarish hellscape that operates on an outdated social hierarchy and I have empathy for anyone going through it. It's probably more the latter.

In the series finale of The Hills Kristin left for Europe after Brody revealed he was dating someone else; Lo moved in with her weird, old boyfriend; Audrina got a place by the beach; and it was revealed that the entire show was a carefully constructed fake, complete with painted sets and directors, confirming our belief that no group of people could actually all be that vapid and superficial in real life.

Oh Tyra. Ms. Banks is one cuckoo lady, y'all, and I am so thankful that someone was clever enough to give her her own talk show for five seasons. Of course, we can still catch all the crazy when America's Next Top Model returns August 2 -- and I expect to see even more weirdly sexual remarks and desperate grabs for attention this cycle, considering that male models are competing as well.

For me, it's going to be hard to find a show with the same emotional relevance, gripping storylines or sheer brilliance as Six Feet Under. The show depicted the lives of the Fisher family, who owned and operated a funeral home in California. Each episode began with the death of the individual they would bury that episode, but it wasn't all black hats and Kleenex boxes. The show also had terrifically funny moments -- like fantasy sequences, when characters would act out what they'd really like to say or do -- and a profundity and realness that has seldom been matched, on cable or pay-per-view.

While it would be disingenuous for us here at TWoP to write anything in praise of Cory Monteith after we so openly snarked on his performance as Glee's Finn Hudson, our hearts do go out to his loved ones. But the cancellation of The Glee Project? Now there's something we can gush about.

This week, we honor the bravery of our founding fathers who, over two centuries ago, fought a war against an empire so that we could have the freedoms we enjoy today. And what better way to celebrate American exceptionalism then by watching a made-for-TV movie about aliens? Syfy is airing its latest flick, Independence Daysaster, starring Tom Everett Scott on June 27. Scott's character, Sam, must defend the planet from invading extraterrestrials along with a team of "rogue scientists." Scott, as you may well remember, played Detective Russell Clarke on Southland, the guy who was kicked off the force for selling pictures of a celebrity crime scene. Independence Daysaster looks like quite a step down from the critically-acclaimed Southland -- though who knows, maybe this alien flick will reinvigorate the entire genre. Whatever the case, this momentous occasion provides a great opportunity for us to take a look back at Southland, which was just cancelled in May after its fifth season finale.

ABC's upcoming Mistresses may not actually have any major concrete connections with Desperate Housewives, but the parallels are obvious, given that they're both dark series about unhappy female friends struggling with their relationships. I'm not sure whether the series will be an upgrade or a downgrade of Desperate Housewives in its quality (though it won't have to work hard to beat the series finale), Mistresses has certainly inspired me to check in on how the working actors of Desperate Housewives are getting along. Basically, what I've learned is this: Either join the cast of Mad Men, land a starring role of Dallas or live in TV purgatory:

It's been seven years since Arrested Development's departure from the terrestrial airwaves and its digital realm return, but the cult show's beloved ensemble hasn't exactly been idle during that gap. Some have moved on to big-screen careers (most notably Jason Bateman and Michael Cera), while others have bounced from series to series, the majority of which have followed Arrested's trajectory of low-rated runs to cancellation. Unlike Arrested, though, few people are clamoring for these shows to make a comeback on network television, Netflix or even YouTube. And while it's true that the last thing the world needs is more episodes of Welcome to the Captain, Retired at 35 or Up All Night, there are a handful of shows featuring members of the Arrested cast that would merit a second chance. Here are five post-AD series we'd like to see find a new home.

FX's Elmore Leonard-inspired neo-Western Justified is closing out a stellar fourth season, with a fifth already greenlit for January 2014. It just reinforces the old adage about the third time being the charm, as Justified represents television's third attempt at launching a successful Leonard-based series. The first was Maximum Bob, which came and went in 1998 and while that show has its fans, it never had the makings of a breakout hit and the author himself reportedly didn't care for it one bit. That was followed by Karen Sisco in 2003, which seemed destined for success. It had a gorgeous star (Carla Gugino), a great setting (Miami), an experienced producing team (including Danny DeVito and future FX head honcho, John Landgraf), sparkling scripts (including a handful by Leonard himself) and a high-profile primetime berth on ABC's Wednesday night line-up. The ace pilot alone deservedly inspired critical hosannas, suggesting that U.S. Marshal Karen Sisco -- previously seen in the form of Jennifer Lopez in Steven Soderbergh's equally great big-screen Leonard adaptation, Out of Sight -- would be solving crimes for years to come.