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TWoP 10: Bubble Shows That Shouldn't Be Renewed

by Angel Cohn April 15, 2011 6:06 AM
TWoP 10: Bubble Shows That Shouldn't Be Renewed

It's that time of year when networks are finalizing their fall line-ups and deciding which current shows to keep or cancel. And while we'd like to see underrated procedural Detroit 1-8-7 get another chance, as well as the ridiculous, nonsensical guilty pleasure Off the Map continue, there are a plenty of other "bubble" shows that truly deserve to get their bubbles burst, freeing their casts and producers to seek better luck elsewhere. Here are the ones that most need to be axed, for everyone's sake:

10. Harry's Law
We would've put this David E. Kelley series near the top of this kill list if not for the unfortunate fact that it's more likely to return than anything else here. We initially thought it was just dull and uninspired, but when it got to where Paul McCrane was stripping down to his skivvies on a weekly basis in the courtroom just to make a point, we were done. Plus: the show almost made us hate Brittany Snow, which is basically unforgivable.

9. three-way tie: Traffic Light, Better With You, Mad Love
If you handed us samples of terrible dialogue from these three shows and asked us to guess which series they belonged to, we probably couldn't do it. There have been multiple forgettable friend/dating shows this season and they are all equally expendable. But if we had to pick just one to be sacrificed, we'd go with Traffic Light, because what kind of dumb title is that? Why the hell isn't it at least plural?

8. Human Target
This series never lived up to its original potential even as it stayed on the air far longer than we ever expected. Time to replace it with another comic book-based show that will initially excite but then eventually disappoint us, while allowing Mark Valley, Chi McBride and Jackie Earle Haley to move on to material that's more worthy of their talent.

7. Mr. Sunshine
Miss Chanandler Bong needs to cut his losses with this one and maybe beg his old friend Courteney Cox for a job on Cougar Town. This series about execs who run a sports arena improved slightly for a minute a couple episodes in, but then returned to its regularly scheduled suckage.

6. Outsourced
We despised this show from the start and every time we catch a minute or two, we are immediately reminded of why. It's the weakest part of the NBC's Thursday lineup (and we're including the all-but-officially cancelled Perfect Couples but not the horrible new Paul Reiser Show) and if the network is trying to build a consistently funny comedy block, this needs to go.

5. Brothers & Sisters
Not even the actors want to be on this show any more. Calista Flockhart's leaving, Rob Lowe left, Emily Van Camp quit. Who's left? Balthazar Getty, Sally Field and a bottle of wine? The show's a shadow of its former self and it's clear that the writers don't want to put any effort into it, so why should ABC continue airing it?

4. No Ordinary Family
This was a show about everyday folks with superpowers that was worse than the later seasons of Heroes, while still in its first season. Not something to be proud of. Toss this into the 25-cent bin and move on.

3. The Event
When aliens blow up the Washington monument, it should not cause us to fall into a deep coma. This slow-paced series lacks any forward momentum and Laura Innes had more credibility as an evil person when she wasn't even trying to be one on ER.

2. V
Can we declare this whole alien invasion thing over already? Not only was The Event a boring misfire, but V had excruciating dialogue, hilariously bad CGI and unintentionally hateful characters that only served to make the original miniseries seem even better than we remembered. Free Elizabeth Mitchell!

1. Two and a Half Men
We don't care if Charlie Sheen comes back or not. This sitcom would be awkward with him and even more awkward with someone replacing him. Either way, we're tired of hearing about all the drama for a show that we were content to spend years ignoring. Besides, with Angus T. Jones rapidly aging, the premise (and title) made less and less sense with each passing season. Cue the farewell vanity card.

Watch TWoP's editors discuss which bubble shows should live or die in this segment airing on NBC's New York Nonstop News:

View more videos at: http://www.nbcnewyork.com.

What are people saying about your favorite shows and stars right now? Find out with Talk Without Pity, the social media site for real TV fans. See Tweets and Facebook comments in real time and add your own -- all without leaving TWoP. Join the conversation now!

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