The Touch of Death

Woe! Utter woe! Cult favourite series (and best damn comedy on television) Community has been pulled from NBC's mid-season schedule, starting in January. Officially it's not cancelled, and NBC has stated that all 22 episodes this season will be completed and air. But it's not exactly reassuring.

It's not like my life revolves around what's on TV. I've got too much going on. I do have a small list of shows I watch regularly, but even then it's hard to keep up with them all the time. Community, though, I almost always watch live, because I'm too damn excited for each episode not to. And that's the thing - the show may not be getting huge ratings, but the fanbase is extremely passionate and devoted. The writing is some of the sharpest, funniest stuff out there right now and the cast is phenomenal across the board. In that way it makes me flash back to Arrested Development, another brilliant show that struggled in the ratings and failed to find a large audience for reasons I just can't understand.

I'm used to having my finger a bit removed from the pulse of the general public. It's not something I seek out, but it seems to happen pretty regularly; I like what I like, and what I like isn't always a massive hit. This isn't always the case -- I mean, it's not like Spider-Man, Back to the Future and the White Stripes are in any way obscure -- but I've fallen head over heels for a lot of series teetering on the brink of cancellation, and it almost feels sometimes like my love for something is essentially giving it the touch of death.

(Okay, I'm being dramatic. But it's a pattern!)

What's popular, on the other hand, I can't always (or even often) get into at all. Not that I haven't tried. I've watched about a dozen episodes of The Big Bang Theory, for example, which is a pretty massive hit. I don't think I've laughed once at it. I even get most of the geeky references, but its format just feels too safe and played-out and the characters all feel to me like the same "nerd" stereotypes that have been overused -- and used badly at that -- for the past 25 years or so. It doesn't feel fresh, it doesn't take risks, and that means it bores me.

But it's popular. Very popular. A lot of people love it. I may not dig it, but it's hard for me to claim it doesn't have value. A lot of people love American Idol and Two and a Half Men and the Twilight movies and the Black Eyed Peas and comics written by Jeph Loeb, too. Me, I really don't. And time was I might be inclined to judge those things and their audiences, but for whatever tongue-in-cheek jokes I may make about them, that's a time I've moved past. Those things are popular, they have large audiences of people who value them, and that's just fine. Ones' personal tastes and opinions aren't facts, and that's something I learn more every day.

So where am I going with this? I don't know, honestly. Maybe I'm feeling like I've got a family member in the hospital and I'm making peace with the idea that they might not pull through. (Okay, being dramatic again...) But until the prognosis comes in, I'm gonna keep watching my favourite show and I'm gonna hope that it comes back soon and strong, and if I'm lucky, even gets picked up for another year. I'm gonna keep telling people how great it is and hope that they start following it too. And if it does wind up being cancelled, I'm going to appreciate the years of entertainment the show, its cast and crew gave me, and feel good knowing that, like Arrested Development before it, it'll be fondly remembered and respected for a long time to come.


That said, now I'll end this on a video proving that the show was made just for me:

Reactivate

Sometimes you just disappear for months on end. It happens!

My focus has been pretty firmly on work lately, and some degree of financial stability is what I have to show for it. Creative energies have been charging, but haven't been used. I've been on hiatus. I'm a dull razor. But I'm in a pretty comfortable place right now, so let's see if that changes.

Big plans afoot. I'm visiting Toronto again in July, followed directly by my first-ever visit to New York. It's been my number one travel dream for as long as I can remember - and when one spends a great deal of their childhood absorbing as much Spider-Man, Ninja Turtles and Ghostbusters as possible, I doubt that's surprising. I have friends in Tokyo and Paris right now, other friends who've just visited Italy and Scotland, and lived in Cannes, but three days in New York trumps all of that for me. (Okay, except maybe Tokyo.)

Financial security (at the moment, anyhow) also allows me to make a few luxury purchases. The next one will be joining the 21st century and buying an HDTV. My girlfriend seems to be down with the idea, and she's far more level-headed than me when it comes to entertainment purchases, so I'm going for it. However, window-shopping has been... well, let's just say "frustrating but educational." I'm currently debating the pros and cons of LCD vs. Plasma (and if anyone has advice there, I'd appreciate it).

And that's where I'm at right now. Pretty much zero-level on the excitement and intrigue for now, but uh, I'll keep you posted?

Go Team Conan

Okay, this whole Conan O'Brien/Jay Leno situation just got really interesting. (And if you don't know what I'm talking about... well, just Google it, there have been countless articles written about it since Friday.)

In short? Leno agreed to retire in 2004, and NBC offered Conan "The Tonight Show" in five years' time (he took over in June). But somewhere along the line, Leno "changed his mind" about retiring, and NBC gave him a 10PM show to keep him from moving to a rival network. His 10PM show bombed hard, and now NBC's looking to put him back at 11:30, which will push Conan back half an hour and make him Leno's second fiddle all over again - after they spent 5+ years grooming him as Leno's replacement. He's understandably pissed.

Well, Conan just released a statement:

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I've been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I've been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky. That said, I've been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn't matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it's always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

Adding more frustration to the whole debacle is that Leno has been making cracks the past few episodes on his current show about being "canceled" in 2009, in an attempt to look like the victim in all this. This is completely dishonest on his part, as he willingly went along with NBC's plans in 2004.

I'm a huge fan of Conan O'Brien. Hell, he's something of a personal hero of mine. I developed a huge appreciation for television comedy watching his work as a "Simpsons" writer, followed him closely for years on his brilliant "Late Night", and I've been really enjoying him on his so-far short run on "Tonight". I sincerely hope that NBC realizes the error of their ways and keeps Conan right where he is. But either way, Conan just showed he's got more class and integrity in one red hair than Leno has in his entire body.

EDIT: in the short time since his statement, the Web has exploded in support of Conan. Here's hoping NBC is listening.