Lonestar, Greg Giraldo, and the Like.

To be honest I watch more television than I probably should. I get pissed when my DVR doesn't record something and I probably shouldn't. I watch stupid shows that I probably shouldn't waste my time with and get annoyed when they get canceled. I should say, that I used to get annoyed. Lately, I don't get annoyed with the cancellations of television shows, because it's honestly nothing I can help. I remember calling FOX, yelling at them about canceling "John Doe" and now looking back at that I can't help but realize how absolutely fucking pathetic that was.

I was ill informed back then about television. Like anything else, TV is a fucking business and if people aren't watching then people aren't buying the shit that are in the ads that play during your TV show. "Lonestar" is the first casualty of the 2010 Fall TV schedule. "Lonestar" is a show about a Con man, who has two wives in the same state. It stars a fairly newcomer in James Wolk, who if you do a double take, looks exactly like Kyle Chandler's offspring. Actually, so much so that he could be Chandler's son. The show - which was delicately explained in this article - was adored by critics and shit on by audiences. Critics loved the shit out of this show, because unlike everything else coming out this season it was unique. It wasn't that it was the greatest show to ever grace television, it was just that it was a unique concept. Unfortunately, unique doesn't necessarily garner ratings in the TV-biz, so therefore "Lonestar" bit it. Shit happens.

I remember becoming infuriated when "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" - the first show from Aaron Sorkin since "West Wing" - and feeling robbed of an opportunity to watch a great, well-written show. I also remember refusing to watch "30 Rock" because of it and now that I've seen "30 Rock" (completely caught up) and I love that show as much as I loved "Studio 60." It's absolutely a crap shoot as to what show is going to stick and which one isn't. It's like throwing shit at a wall in all actuality. So, when I made the presumption that "Lonestar" would be canned after 3 episodes, I wasn't kidding. I literally thought the show as going to be canned after 3 episodes. I did not look at ratings or at reviews or anything like that, I just know that good shows get canceled. Good shows, such as "Lonestar" which can only be described as "too smart for it's own good" get canned, because people just don't get the allure. The show was exceptionally acted and completely different than anything else on TV and that was the problem. I've come to terms with the fact that we live in a world where cop shows (ie: "Law and Order" "CSI" even the new "Hawaii Five-O") are what people want to watch. Cop shows and 30 minute comedies that you don't have to think about.

If it's not a cop show and it's on the big three (ABC, CBS, NBC) it's either Science Fiction or a cop show. If you watch FX or HBO or Showtime then you're in luck if you want to watch something different. FX started the whole thing with "The Shield" on Cable television and now they have "Sons of Anarchy" and some of the best 30 minute shows on TV. I digress though, because the point of this - if there is a point - is that TV sucks. Plain and simple. Movies are superior and much easier to love.

Anyway....

Greg Giraldo died. It's a very, very sad day for comedy, because this guy was one of the funniest fucking guys on the planet. He was blunt, honest, and a complete asshole and since he wasn't on a mainstream TV show, no one knows who he was. He did the majority of the Comedy Central Roasts (that I watched at least) and it's very sad that he's gone.