Help revive The Unusuals – Open Letter

Dear television watchers who panned The Unusuals,

I am outraged! The greatest new show on television delivers less than a dozen episodes and then craps out on us. Or, rather, has the rug pulled out from under it by ABC. What the hell have you done?

I know that tastes are subjective, but how much more enjoyable can a show get? The Unusuals has a little bit for everyone. The cop drama is about as good, clean, and digestible as any other similar show out there. And the comedy can stand toe-to-toe with the best of them. Not to mention the fact that the stories never lag, the pace is just right to keep things interesting and still keep viewers involved, and the talent is off the charts. To name just a few: Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia), Jeremy Renner (S.W.A.T., amongst other movies), Adam Goldberg (yes, that one), Harold Perrineau (Lost), and Terry Kinney (Oz), all provide intriguing characters who are immensely enjoyable and watchable.

This was the first show in a really long time that immediately clicked for me and my wife, and I had it seasoned passed on our TiVo before the opening credits of the pilot stopped rolling. Finally, a great show that deserved the effort it takes to get invested in it!

So, where were you? It’s quite possible that people were simply wary of getting hooked, for fear of the show meeting the same fate that so many others on ABC have of late (for me, Sons and Daughters, Commander In Chief, The Nine, Day Break, Six Degrees, Big Day, Carpoolers, Notes From the Underbelly, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, and Boston Legal. And that’s just the last three years.)

But, come on; is it really worth never putting yourself out there on the off-chance that you might get hurt? Should you not jump into the deep end just because you can’t swim? Or pass on the blowfish roll just because it might be lethal? Man up! Put yourself out there for the world to fondle, because you never know which uninvited grab will be from the person of your dreams!

I mean, how’d you find all of the other shows that you’re so dedicated to? You gave them a try. You said, “I know this will likely only end in heartbreak, but, doggone it, I sit on my couch watching television twenty hours a day anyway, so, why not?” And if it was good, there you go. If it was great? You won. So what if it was usually bad, or if you were one of the few people who actually liked it, only to see it get yanked a few weeks later? At least one day you could tell your grandkids that you had experienced some adventure in your life. That you’d taken some risks.

Well, The Unusuals is awesome! And you’re really doing yourself a disservice by missing this smart, funny, slightly different series. And, as a result, it’s costing those of us who love it, too, because ABC announced the show’s cancellation. They need to make room on the schedule to ply us with new crap, at the expense of the weakest producers (read: smallest audiences). Sometimes the numbers are right; but, sometimes, people just miss the diamond for all the rough that obscures their views. Can you imagine if NBC had just gone by the numbers in 1990 and canceled Seinfeld?

The word on the street is that The Unusuals will air its final episodes now that primetime is wide open, following all of these season finales. Do us all a favor: give up the four hours it will take to view them all live. I’m willing to bet that if ABC gets blown away by the surge of interest in the show, they’ll be willing to at least give The Unusuals another mid-season pickup, and a second shot at making it.

Plus, you’ll have found your new favorite show. Now, how can that be bad?

With thanks, from down on bended knee,

The 4.6 million of us fans who could sure use your help

Clacked by Aryeh S.
on May 20, 2009 @ 11:00 EST5EDT