All Shows

They were brave men. They were complex men. And, thanks to Spanks’s crack casting agents, they were also hot men. (Well, except David Schwimmer.) The Tom Hanks/Steven Spielberg-produced HBO mini-series only spanned ten episodes, but the eye candy will feed us forever: Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, the third extra from the back in that one scene in the middle…they’re all pretty. And pretty brave. Relive the World War II heroics, offensives, and friendships ripped from the Stephen Ambrose biography; then, bask in the added glow of suppressed man-love and unbridled fan lust that only an TWoP recap can provide.

It may have been the perfect reality show — the best rock-and-roll behind-the-scenes docu-drama since Spinal Tap, and some of the worst music since Warrant’s power ballad “Heaven.” We’re talking about VH1′s Bands on the Run, which for one perfect season made Mr. Stupidhead and Alex Richmond very, very happy recappers. We knew it couldn’t last.

Despite some less-than-stellar episodes and an infuriating finale, this generally brilliant, provocative and utterly relevant reimagining of the failed late ’70s series set a new standard for television drama – and we don’t just mean science-fiction.

This modeling drama was cancelled by The CW due to measly ratings after just two episodes. If only a fraction of excecutive Ashton Kutcher’s Twitter followers had bothered tuning in, it may have had a chance. It’s a relief to know that even Kutcher’s fans don’t take him or his “work” seriously.

Consider this a divorce.

Two episodes was two too many for us.

We liked her better on EastEnders.

What worked for Smallville should have worked in Gotham City, right? The WB certainly thought so. Turning a comic book in a television show is fraught with risks, since the ready-made audience can be hypercritical of any changes between their beloved printed version and what finally makes it to air. But if one change is that the comic book is good and the television show kind of, well, sucks, then you’re done for, cult audience or not. And stop sending us email. We’re not the WB, we didn’t cancel the show, and we’re not putting it back on the air.

It turns out that all the hardcore Angel fans really aren’t that interested in watching David Boreanaz pretend to be a former sniper turned FBI agent who works with a forensic anthropologist to solve crime cases. Or it could have been the writing. Or the magnificently ridiculous crime-solving tools. Or the fact that there are eight million other crime procedurals on television, and this one was either too different, or just not different enough. Whatever the reason, no one cared, and you can go ahead and insert your own “Bore-eanaz” joke here.