by Carol Campbell

Created on: October 25, 2008

Brilliant but cancelled are hardly two words that coincide with each other. Let's take the word brilliant for starters, what does it mean? Without having to look it up in a dictionary, I know it has to be amazing, catchy, thrilling, embarking on perfection. It is smart, quick, thought provoking, it jumps out at you immediately.

Now as for the second word, cancelled, did any of the brilliant cancelled shows have the brilliant criteria? The script was not funny enough, lines that jumped from one to the next without any realistic drama or humor whatever the case may be.

A comedy for instance, is not funny when the actors are merely acting out a line written for them. Humor should not be forced, it should be flowing, real and dry, yes dry comedy that flows from their mouths as easily as children eating chocolate.

In a drama series, a character playing a serious role, must bring a certain realistic approach to every moment in order for our eyes and our minds to be captured and see and feel the actors emotions.

The writer may be brilliant, but it's the actor that brings the brilliance to the forefront, if it's not there in the first few episodes, the cancellation is inevitable.

I watch new tv shows, and can usually feel immediately which ones will last. There may be good actors and writers, but if it doesn't flow naturally all around, it isn't going to work.

Take for instance the tv show, Friends, a brilliant comedy. The show aired in 1994, and had very high ratings. Why did it last so long? It took to us to an irrestible place, with real people, with real issues and showed us how to laugh at ourselves. Not to mention each actors character coincided with each other in a way that was comfortable to watch. Every line was mouthed with such embodiment that we invited them into our homes like we knew them individually.

Another example of a fine comedy, Roseanne, which brought a sense of reality, humor unforced. You know these people, they are your neighbors, whether you want them to be or not, they brought you down a notch to what life is really about and as stressful as it can be at times, a side of you would feel at ease being a part of this family once a week.

One of my favorites, wonderfully written and produced by Michael Weithorn, is King of Queens. A husband and wife team with a father-in-law living in the basement had all the typical life drama and antics that brought a closeness and humor in my own married existence.

I could go on and on about good television shows and I could go on about not so good television shows, but most of those not so good were cancelled, therefore, I will leave you to ponder why they were cancelled. As for my reasons, well, they didn't bring me back each week with my soda and popcorn to that warm fuzzy corner of my life.

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