2016-2017 Cancellations, Renewals, And Pick-Ups: Critical Writ's TV Round-Up

Once again, the time has come to dissect the good, the bad, and the ugly of this year's upcoming television news. First, I'm happy to report that the standard networks weren't as cancellation-happy as last year. It especially irked me because a lot of genuinely promising material wasn't necessarily given a full chance. The critically-acclaimed The Office, Parks And Recreation, and 30 Rock didn't necessarily have the best ratings going into the initial season, but with a bit of leeway, they soon became some of NBC's most popular comedy programs.

A lot of quality programs have been axed in the past purely due to ratings, even if the critics adored them. Thankfully, we don't have any Muppet documentaries, awesome shows about a family of lawyers with enough meta content to rival Community, or unconventional follow-ups to sci-fi films to break our hearts by getting cancelled this year. Let's get to the round-up. As a disclaimer, this does by no means cover all of the news, just whatever I find interesting.

Cancellations:

Hell yeah! We're done!

Making History and Son Of Zorn (FOX): Yeah, this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. According to many reports, Fox had three shows produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and with ratings lagging for the trio, something had to go. I'll admit, I'm not as saddened by the departure of Son Of Zorn. It never really went past being just okay for my taste, but Making History was great. It had a semi-serialized plot and social commentary.

The Great Indoors (CBS): Starring snark-master Joel McHale, it's a show about a rugged outdoorsman who is pulled back into the office. How can he work with a group of millenials on an outdoors living magazine?! This calls for some irritating, laugh track-infused shenanigans! At the best of times, The Great Indoors simply felt like your average mediocre sitcom. At the worst, an offensive portrayal of the differences between generations. If you want to see a show that has a similar focus, but with a mostly positive manner, try Superior Donuts. It's on the same network and it got renewed earlier in the year.

Renewals*:

The Last Man On Earth (FOX): Thank goodness! As always, the most recent season ended on a massive cliffhanger, so ending the drama-comedy now would be irritating. TLMOE, starring Will Forte, Kristen Schaal, January Jones, Mel Rodriguez, Cleopatra Coleman, and Mary Steenburgen focuses on a group of survivors after a virus seemingly kills off most of the world's population. Obviously, the title no longer reflects the cast, but it's still a darkly humorous insight into just how to survive and tolerate annoying people. If you don't count Gotham, then it's the closest thing Fox has to a high-concept comedy, and even then, Lucifer definitely beats it in that category.

Gotham (FOX): I'll admit, the show is getting more entertaining. I'm still bored whenever the show focuses on Bruce Wayne or Jim Gordon, but the villains are getting even more entertaining. Riddler finally has his alter-ego up and running, Poison Ivy has been entertaining (Editor's Note: albeit incredibly problematic), and it has one of my favorite live-action portrayals of Mr. Freeze. Really, as long as the bulk of the plot continues to focus on the villains teaming up, I'll be fine. Just, please, ditch the Court Of Owls. They don't even have the proper masks.

Great News (NBC): I'll avoid the obvious joke. From Tina Fey and Tracey Wigfield, the show is set to return for a thirteen-episode second season. In regards to my earlier rant about networks giving shows a chance, I find that this is a positive example.

The Goldbergs (ABC): Eighties nostalgia is alive and well! Say, I wonder if the upcoming Ready Player One film will cast anyone from the show as an in-joke. I haven't seen a lot of the show, but I like reading about it, especially because it's currently the most prominent example of a Jewish family on tv.

Agents Of SHIELD (ABC): I'm excited to see what the next season brings, especially if they continue with the specialized story arcs. Having three serialized villains over the course of a season really helps get us attached to the villains and really see them as a threat. AIDA is one of the best characters on the show, in that regard.

Timeless (NBC): Alas, the glut of time-travel focused programming didn't help out the noble crew in this program. They traveled throughout time to stop a mysterious organization from changing history for the worse. Sadly, I guess the Agents Of SHIELD-esque cliffhanger, wherein the finale ended with the team somehow working for the bad guys, will never be solved. (Update: Literally the very next day, it was renewed for a second season. Neat! Unexpected, but neat!)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine and New Girl (FOX): About halfway through the season, I began to suspect that season six of New Girl might be the last wacky offering from the show. It seemed like the plot threads were quickly being wrapped up, especially with an increased amount of references to past episodes. Fox did officially announce that the show would be renewed, albeit for a shortened finale season, a la Parks And Recreation. Meanwhile, Brooklyn Nine-Nine will return, which is good, because it ended on a massive cliffhanger.

*Early renewals include Superstore and Lucifer.

Pick-Ups:

Unnamed Deadpool series (FX): Coming as a complete surprise to anyone not in the television industry or actively working on it, FX announced that a Deadpool cartoon would be coming to the airwaves next year. Community's Donald Glover will be working as the executive producer, showrunner, and one of the writers with his brother, Stephen Glover.

As of the time of this writing, ten episodes have been ordered. I don't know where the show stands in terms of rights to use MCU Marvel characters, but I hope that they make the most of whatever they can use. I do know that because the show will air on Fox's grittier network, the writers probably won't have trouble with adapting Deadpool's crass jokes on the air.

Unikitty (Cartoon Network): In even more unexpected news, The Lego Movie will be getting a television spinoff starring the eponymous Unikitty, with Tara Strong set to voice her instead of Alison Brie. I don't know how well a show about the ever-cheerful kingdom will hold up as a full-length show, but you can be sure that it'll be colorful.

Unnamed Black-ish spinoff: Zoey Johnson is set to be spun-off into her own show, but on Freeform, rather than ABC's main network. The show, if it does get picked up, will feature Yara Shahidi's character at college. Seeing as Black-ish is fantastic at covering social issues through a comedic lens, and just plain funny to boot, I see no reason why this potential spin-off wouldn't be just as good.

Krypton and Happy! (Syfy): Really? Okay, they're serious with this. Gotham might be laughably bad at the best of times, but at least it has a bit of a foundation to go on. You have your villains and a young Bruce Wayne training. (Disclaimer: It only has the villains. Yeah, I'm disappointed, too.) I get that they're going for a Game Of Thrones-type of vibe, but it's hard to believe that anyone could care about Superman's grandpa. Who are they going to use for villains? I could see Brainiac or even Darkseid, but that's a stretch. Hey, if the show ends with it being revealed to be Ambush Bug telling a bedtime story, then I might give it a chance.

As for Happy!, it's not an adaptation of Pharrell's song, but I predict it might be used in the marketing. It's an adaptation of one of Grant Morrison's weirder comics, and that's saying something. A foul-mouthed cop-turned-hitman survives a life-threatening injury and begins to see a talking blue horse, as voiced by Bobby Moynihan. Together, they fight crime. I promise you, none of that is a joke. I may have disliked the comic, but I'll gladly check out the pilot just to see how they pull this off.

Ghosted and LA To Vegas (Fox): First up, Ghosted stars comedy legends Adam Scott and Craig Robin as paranormal investigators, one cynical and one a believer. It will have a serialized element, but the show is primarily comedy-based. You might be thinking that this sounds like The X-Files, and you're right. It's set to air alongside the next revived season of the famed sci-fi drama. LA To Vegas has a fairly unique premise. Unlike your average cookie-cutter work-com, it takes place on an airline. How much do you want to bet that the pilot will be re-filmed to include a sprinkle of United Airlines jokes? It's being produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, leading me to hope that it'll be promising.

Black Lightning (The CW): The CW's adding another superhero program to their venerable lineup, along with a healthy dose of diversity. The show will feature Black Lightning coming back into the superhero game after retiring to be with his family. Formerly picked up as a pilot by Fox, it moved over to the CW. I have a feeling that it'll air after Arrow, due to the similar tones. On a personal note, I hope that this will lead to the DC characters embargo finally being lifted, if only for a Batman And The Outsiders reference.

By The Book (CBS): Fun fact: My synagogue actually has the book that this show is based on. Titled The Year Of Living Biblically, it chronicles the story of a man who attempts to improve his relationship with religion by living his life according to every edict in the Bible for a year. It's a humorous and educational book, and I definitely recommend it. The show is produced by The Big Bang Theory's Johnny Galecki. I'm not so sure how I feel about it being turned into a sitcom, potentially afflicted with a laugh track, but I do appreciate the increased representation for Judaism.

Deception (ABC): I've recently discovered that I'm something of a magic nerd. My nerdy interest was only increased when I heard about this new show from Greg Berlanti. Side note- Seriously, does he ever sleep? I don't know who has more shows in production, him or Ryan Murphy. It stars a disgraced magician who decides to use his powers of illusion for the FBI. I'll definitely watch it and I already hope for a Zatanna joke. Or a cameo, considering that the creator is helming the CW superhero gauntlet. (Now including Black Lightning!)


Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Son Of Zorn Pilot Review: "Return To Orange County"

The pilot episode of Son Of Zorn was surprisingly compelling. Not only was it suitably funny for a comedy show, but it also had a touch of drama. Essentially, the episode revolves around precisely what the promotions advertised: Zorn returns to Orange County after seven years to reconnect with his estranged wife and son, only to find that his wife is engaged to another man and his son doesn’t like him.

The animation in the pilot is fluid, but occasionally off-putting when combined with the live-action settings. This is most likely intentional, given the show’s plot, but I still found myself getting distracted by it at certain points. That being said, it is very well done for a television show’s budget, and I do want to see more of Zorn’s village of Zephyria. Judging from the opening scene, it does have modern technology, but later scenes suggest that the culture is deeply patriarchal. Despite all evidence to the contrary, Zorn is convinced that his boss is a man because his mind rejects the notion of a woman being his superior.

The creators have stated in interviews that Zorn will become more fleshed-out in later episodes, specifically emphasizing that the intention is not to have Zorn try to win his wife back, but to learn about the needs of others and actually showing empathy. Along with that, I do hope that we get more characterization for the rest of the main characters. So far, Zorn is fairly well-developed, being a pastiche of a He-Man type character, cluelessly trying to bond with his former family after a long absence.

Tim Meadows plays Linda’s fiance, Craig, a college professor in Psychology. I really want to see more of him because I think that the potential for humor is great in his interactions with Zorn, especially because Zorn has made no secret of wanting to kill him. Additionally, I want to see more of Edie’s past and current character. What possessed her to begin a romantic relationship with Zorn? When did she officially decide to move on? Seeing as she is currently the sole female main character, this is especially important. How did she get to Zephyria? Zorn's son, Alan, gets the lion's share of the attention in the pilot. Technically, he was named Alangulon, but he refuses to go by that moniker, and wearily rejects any attempts to bond with Zorn.

Overall, I believe that Son Of Zorn has the potential to be incredible, especially once everything has been established. I've noticed that after a sitcom introduces characters and formulas, it has more freedom to make jokes and have the characters interact without mystifying the viewers. For example, once the two pilot segments in Phineas And Ferb established the a, b, and c-plots, they were able to stretch out creatively, even completely abandoning the basic episode structure a few times and increasing the amount of time for jokes and character interactions.  

I also believe that the show does have a lot to say about toxic masculinity and the expectations of fatherhood. Zorn wants to reconnect with Alan, but only has the barest concept of how to connect with him. His ideas are mostly based on stereotypical father-son interactions. As for the toxic masculinity aspect, Zorn is not actively malicious, but attempts to solve everything with violence. When he gets angry at work, he smashes a desk with his sword and lies about who did it. When he sees Craig, he immediately wants to kill him in an attempt to win Edie back.

Did you watch the pilot for Son Of Zorn? What did you think? Tell me in the comments below!

Son Of Zorn is currently airing on Fox. You can also find it online on Fox’s website or the app.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or the Harry Potter books.

Son of Zorn Acquires New Cast Members, Earlier Premiere Date

As the premiere grows ever closer, Fox has been pushing Son of Zorn closer and closer into the spotlight. During the most recent SDCC event, they held a panel with several members of the cast and crew, mentioning several interesting tidbits in the process. Thankfully, certain clips were recorded for promotional purposes and placed on YouTube.

The first one has some fascinating details on how the show is produced and the level of care that goes into making the animated interactions seem realistic. Improvising is allowed on set, both for the voice actors and the human cast. Additionally, they have a person on set to stand in Zorn’s spot to ensure continuity. I enjoy learning about how television shows are made, so I found it quite engaging.

The second clip showcases the actors discussing their reactions to the script and reveals some interesting guest stars. As previously reported, Olivia Wilde will be voicing Zorn’s ex-girlfriend, and Nick Offerman will voice a doctor from the animated kingdom. Additionally, from Key and Peele and Keanu, Keegan-Michael Key will play one of Zorn’s old friends and Sarah Koenig, the host of Serial, will narrate a documentary on Zorn’s home world of Zephria. Additionally, it was revealed after SDCC that Fred Armisen would voice an enemy of the kingdom... who has the head of a vulture. Yeah, that’s going to be weird.

Finally, it was announced recently that the first episode of Son of Zorn would premiere as a post-football preview on September 11th, slightly earlier than the originally intended air date. The second episode will air on the twenty-fifth, two weeks later.

Are you looking forward to Son of Zorn? As I’ve said before, it certainly seems unique and I’m not opposed to trying it out, especially with the great cast, crew, and guest actors.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or the Harry Potter books.

New Casting Announcement For 'Son Of Zorn' Gets Meta

Hey, here’s a fun fact for you! In between spending approximately seventy-five percent of the year frantically coming up with ideas, writing said ideas, rehearsing sketches, and finally performing those sketches in a fast-paced setting on live TV, Saturday Night Live cast members also have personal lives! I know, it’s shocking.

This includes Jason Sudeikis, star of the soon-to-be airing animated show, Son Of Zorn. His fiancée, Olivia Wilde, will soon be joining the show. To my delight, we’ll be getting a second animated human character as she voices Radiana, Zorn’s ex-girlfriend.

She will reportedly be appearing when Zorn has to have a date for his ex-wife’s engagement party. In case you don’t remember, his live-action ex-wife is played by Cheryl Hines and her fiance, Craig, is played by Tim Meadows. I sense hijinks! What’s going to happen when they meet each other? Will some of the guests accidentally be decapitated? Will Zorn be a jerk?

In all seriousness, I do like meta humor and I hope that this will lead to a good plot. Despite my misgivings about the show, I do trust Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Plus, Olivia has experience in comedy and voice work for animation. Her television record includes, but is not limited to, Portlandia, Bojack Horseman, Robot Chicken, House, American Dad, and even The High Fructose Adventures Of Annoying Orange. She can currently be seen in Vinyl, assuming you have HBO.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or the Harry Potter books.

Fox Will Get Intergalactic With 'Son Of Zorn'

Wow. This is a thing that exists. Sometime this year, Son Of Zorn will be on the airwaves. Jason Sudeikis will voice a barbarian from Zephyria named Zorn who returns to visit his ex-wife and son. He gets a job where he has to sell industrial soap dispensers (PLEASE be a door-to-door salesman) and has to deal with the “minutia of daily life.” Seinfeld meets Conan The Barbarian or He-Man.

I had a conversation with my fellow Critical Writ contributors that can best be shown in this format.

In case you haven’t guessed, I’m the one with the creepy smile. This idea could be either really good or really bad. I heard rumors about the series last year, but I just disregarded them. I guess Fox really liked the pilot, so it’s becoming a series.

Face it, Fox might finally transform from the channel with awful McFarlane-esque cartoons to the premiere place for high-concept sitcoms. Someday, viewers can have their pick of seeing a comedy-sitcom drama about the final group of survivors on Earth after the apocalypse (made before NBC’s You, Me, And The Apocalypse, I might add), a sitcom featuring a thirty-four year-old woman playing a teenage boy, and a live-action/animation sitcom about a barbarian warrior coming to Earth to spend time with his son.

Despite my shock at something as bizarre as this making it to a series, I’ll be checking it out. Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The Last Man On Earth, The Lego Movie) are producing the series. At worst, maybe it’ll just feel like a slightly lengthy SNL skit. At best, it could be a polished sitcom, worthy of three or four seasons.

Who knows, maybe it’ll inspire a new genre. Over at NBC, a sitcom is being developed about a woman reuniting with her long-lost imaginary friend, featuring a combination of live-action shots and CGI animation. Let’s hope that it’s not as much like Drop Dead Fred as it sounds.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or the Harry Potter books.