Dec 02 2008
The Mentalist Glams Up and Eli Stone Gets Cut
I must have been focusing too much on the big turkey dinner for Thanksgiving, because I missed the fact that ABC has apparently pulled the plug on Eli Stone. This happened the same day Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money were axed, but I don’t remember seeing anything about Eli. I had no idea the show was even in trouble. Last year I was worried–I even wrote several letters to ABC praising the show and asking for it to be saved. I thought my work was done when the show got renewed for the next season.
Latest word was that ABC had told producers of Eli Stone that they wanted no more episodes than the 13 already ordered, which is apparently a euphemism for cancellation. It’s possible that there’s still a remote chance the show could be reordered at a later date, but I’m not holding my breath. But like the writers over at TV Squad , I really feel like this show deserves to be on the air. As I was just complaining about in my previous post, the airwaves are full of dark and grim shows. I didn’t realize how much I needed a show like Eli Stone until I started watching it. There’s so much joy in it, so much heart. There are plenty of likable characters and different personalities to identify with. The show tackled spirituality, doing right and wrong, fear of the unknown/death, and most of all love. And on top of all that, we got some wonderful musical numbers.
Once again, like Life, and Life on Mars, Eli Stone is a complex show in a world where simplicity and sound bytes are key. People like shows that fit into neat little boxes, that are spelled out easily for them. Eli Stone was a drama, a comedy, a musical, a spiritual show, and a law procedural. ABC never really figured out how to sell it, and it seems after awhile they just stopped trying.
I’ll be sending another letter to ABC, but if the fans fail to bring Eli back, I hope we’ll at least get some semblance of closure or end the show on a positive note. But I’ll be lamenting the loss of yet one more show that I love, and the loss of a positive force that TV so desperately needs right now.
Speaking of shows to love, The Mentalist is at least riding high in the ratings and not in imminent danger of being canceled. Which makes me wonder why the sudden change tonight in Lisbon’s (Robin Tunney) appearance. One of the reasons I liked the show was that Tunney looked closer to a real cop than most TV incarnations, with little make-up and wash-and-go hair. Tonight she had loose, wavy hair, mascara and a shine of bright lipgloss. Realistically, at least, the lip gloss faded by later scenes, but still, what was with the new look? Were male viewers complaining that there wasn’t enough hottie action on The Mentalist to amuse them? It’s definitely possible. CBS’s Cold Case staff apparently got more letters about Lily Rush’s hairstyle than anything else on the show. Sometimes the world frightens me. But I suppose the number of viewers that are only tuning in for a hairdo would explain why a lovely show like Eli Stone gets axed. He did have thinning hair, after all.
Catch The Mentalist on CBS Tuesdays, 9pm Eastern/8pm Central, and watch the beauty that is Eli Stone while you can on ABC Tuesdays, 10/9c.
