NBC stands for “NOT BACKING CHARLIE”

[Okay, I know this isn’t my usual topic for this blog; nothing “vintage” or "musical" about it, but I just had to get this little television rant off my chest, so please, if you'll just indulge me…]


FAREWELL TO LIFE!

No no no – I’m not going to off myself! I’m talking about the procedural cop show, Life. Last Wednesday we saw the Season 2 finale, which couldn’t have looked more like a Series finale if NBC (a pox on their house!) had put yellow crime scene tape around it. In case you aren’t familiar with it, Life is/was a smart hip funny show with a terrific cast, notably starring Damian Lewis as the wrongly accused, newly exonerated, fresh-fruit addicted Detective Charlie Crews, recently released from prison, returned to the job, and backing his badge with a Zen attitude. Then there’s Sarah Shahi as his fresh-out-of-rehab no-nonsense partner, Dani Reese. The mismatched detectives are thrown together, but soon bond into a quirky delightful team. The third main star of Life is Donal Logue, who is letter-perfect as Captain Tidwell, a transplanted NYC cop finding his feet in his new L.A. precinct—oops I mean station (a little inside joke for the fans). And Tidwell's hook-up with Reese was one of the best romantic pairings out there, IMHO. I must admit, there was no middle ground with fans of the show; they either loved or hated Tidwell/Reese (or “Tideese” to the diehards). Personally, I thought the sometimes awkward, finish-each-other-sentences chemistry between the two was sexy and appealing—but I’m what you might call a “Tidwell bunny” so maybe my opinion is biased.

Regardless of who or what anyone liked best about the show, it was the entire ensemble that endeared Life to it’s devoted fans. Evidently not enough devoted fans, you’re probably thinking. Well, NBC (I spit on the ground at the mention of that name!) really didn’t do diddlysquat to properly promote the show right from the get-go. And when they got the expected results that too little promotion brings, they started playing time-slot roulette with Life, either burying it a ratings dead zone or putting it up against giants like Lost and American Idol. The 2008 writers strike probably didn’t help, either. Anyway, although NBC (boo, hiss!) has all but officially declared the show DOA, fans are signing polls and petitions like mad, and writing snarky letters to the network. Will it be enough to bring the deeply comatose Life back to life?

If you’d like to join the throng of Life Supporters giving NBC an earful, go to this LINK and scroll down to “feedback” at the very bottom.

[And thank you,readers; I feel much better now]