MovieChat Forums > The Agency (2001) Discussion > Only cancel the good shows...

Only cancel the good shows...

posted 21 years ago by heykobes
16 replies | jump to latest

Why is it that only the TV shows that require a little thought from the viewer are canceled? A show where the plot is fully mapped out for you or one in which 20 people prompt you to laugh are the only shows Americans are interested in. Mindless entertainment. This is why excellently written shows like The Agency, UC: Under Cover and Robbery Homicide Unit have only a one or two season life. I am highly disappointed in the networks for dropping these progressive series. Boomtown should be the next one to bite the dust...

[–] franzenman-1 20 years ago

agree, but UC undercover did deserve it though

[–] jevans47403 20 years ago

i know they always seem to cancel the shows that we like but don't cancel the ones that are really bad like all the reality tv shows! i loved The Agency, i can't believe they canceled it! Well you were right boomtown did bite the dust for sure! boo hoo!

>>>A Few Good Men<<<
"I WANT THE TRUTH!"
"YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!"

[–] snipolk 20 years ago

Im tired of CBS murdering shows by putting them on saturday

[–] ddbanddtt 19 years ago

In Australia there are only three commercial networks. These three compete over reality tv, absorbing the popular hours, and shamefully treat the drama to changing off peak times. Typically, a show might be scheduled for 11:30 pm but shown at 12:10 pm because of reality tv over-run.

The non commercial public broadcaster can't spend the money the commercial networks do by buying a program and not showing it. That is why sensational programs fail in Australia ..

[–] Osibi 19 years ago

Sadly this is true of Uk too,which has no excuses at all.. but which just bulges at the seams with garbage reality shows of such mindless banality,gardening,cooking,clenaing,diets, WW2 repeats and documnetaries endlessly about Hitler... and the dreadful cheap tp slp together 100 best/worst..of well everytihng you can think of..songs,movies,guitarists,pop,videos, romantic movies,love scenes.
And horrible game shows that are fo radio nto spectator sport.

Anything that requires one to think a bit is shoved to post 10pm slot and then taken off due to lousy ratings..with no consideration that people have to get to work next day.

This applies to decent music too..sit up until midnight to hear anything other thna the top 40 pop rubbish music.Commercialism is jsut rampant even on the non commerical BBC.

It is despairing...........

[–] bakers_dozen_delight 18 years ago

This was such a good show, it's a shame this was cancelled by CBS.

I remember staying up really late watching this series right til the end.

[–] ns2103 18 years ago

I saw a few episodes and likeded the show.
If you enjoyed this one give Spooks (aka MI-5) a shot. It is quite a good show and is based on the UK's MI-5 security branch. The dvd's are available for the first 2 or 3 seasons.

[–] chelsea-cf 18 years ago

Why did they cancel this?

[–] LTUNG28 18 years ago

Will "The Agency" and all its episodes be produced on DVD....and if so....WHEN!!!

[–] oikoumene 17 years ago

This is a mystery to me as well why networks (especially CBS) so much love to cancel the best shows. This is quite a phenomenon!

That was one great TV action series. I would call it "CSI meets Alias" in likable way. The characters as I remember them were more likable than even those of CSI, and way more likable than those of Alias.

In this case I have one explanation: maybe the portfolio of plots was exhausted and the creators were afraid of not keeping up.

[–] brs7 17 years ago

Up through the end of February of Season II, the ratings
were holding up. But the ratings for the last 6 episodes
sank to apparently unacceptable levels. NBC put in
reruns of the then fairly new and popular LAW AND ORDER
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT against THE AGENCY and it stole
some viewers.

Supposedly, it was a close call between HACK and TA for
renewal, and conventional wisdom had it that TA was more
expensive to produce and didn't get better ratings.
This choice surprised even critics who were lukewarm about
TA.

But who knows what the real story is? TA had a more intense
following and had a great storyline going into a Season III,
and costs could have been cut. But the show had a troubled
life, starting with not airing its pilot due to 9/11, getting
criticism for being propagandistic, and was being compared
unfavorably to ALIAS and 24 on rival networks. Maybe CBS
thought the show was a rock around its neck, got marginal
ratings, and just decided to get rid of it. I have also
thought it was possible a key person or two was going to
leave the series.

[–] RocketInNYC 17 years ago

You can find episodes of The Agency on HDNet at 5 am ET Tues-Thursday.

Decisions are made by those who show up! So VOTE!

[–] Josh-is-not-you 16 years ago

Hey, occasionally a good series will last! Lost, Prison Break, The West Wing, 30 Rock (despite low ratings), Arrested Development (2 and a half seasons, longer then some), just to name a few. However, the good shows to crappy shows ratio is way outta whack.

[–] dlbach1 12 years ago

It was also a Canadian show and American's can't handle Canadian intelligence in the television programming. They prefer the stupidity that comes out of Hollywood.

[–] rik-938-114271 12 years ago

Couldn't agree more. The Agency was a rare show. The Unit very similar in its quality and depth. Also - check out the one partial season of Threat Matrix. It's another in this category.

[–] 12 years ago

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