Lessons In TV

Why Minka Kelly is blue, while Sarah Michelle Gellar somehow still sits prettierthan Playboy Club

NBC's The Playboy Club
CW’s Ringer
NBC’s Up All Night
ABC’s Suburgatory

Many different television-viewing tactics can be employed when it comes to choosing which new TV series to devote your time to — time that's increasingly precious.

Some diehard television enthusiasts choose to watch all the new shows and make their decisions based on pilots alone, while some viewers give a show three or four episodes before deciding whether or not to continue watching the series. Some simply wait until they know the show will last before even starting the series because, let’s face it, nothing is more frustrating than starting a TV show you genuinely enjoy only to find out it's getting canceled halfway through its run.

Unfortunately, many shows aren’t lucky enough to even get halfway before the cancelation axe comes down, so to help you avoid such devastating disappointment, here’s a rundown on what’s been canceled and what’s been picked up for a full season so far on the top five networks:

Canceled:

Charlie’s Angels (ABC) – canceled after four episodes, despite Minka Kelly's best efforts.
How to be a Gentleman (CBS) – canceled after two episodes
H8R (CW) – premiered Sept. 14 and was canceled four episodes
The Playboy Club (NBC) – canceled after three episodes
Free Agents (NBC) – canceled after four episodes

Full Season:

Suburgatory (ABC)
Revenge (ABC)
2 Broke Girls (CBS)
Ringer (CW)
The Secret Circle (CW)
Hart of Dixie (CW)
New Girl (FOX)
Up All Night (NBC)
Whitney (NBC)

The series that received full-season orders are fortunate enough to get a complete 22-episode first season, but the next hurdle the shows have to jump is getting renewed for the next fall season. NBC’s Up All Night is a great addition to the network’s crop of comedies and ABC’s Suburgatory has surprisingly delivered as a perfect lead-in to Modern Family.

Jane Levy, who stars in the new comedy series, has been described as television’s Emma Stone and has serious breakout potential once the show ends.

But then there's Whitney, a show that defies the very laws of the universe by receiving a full season pickup even when it clearly doesn't deserve it. CW’s wildly disappointing Ringer should have been canceled as well, but because the show is on the CW and because Sarah Michelle Gellar is the star, they’ve given it a go.

I’ve now realized the only reason I continue to watch that show is because of Gellar, but even her hypnotizing power over me is beginning to wear off.

As for the list of shows that have gotten canceled, well, there are no surprises there — especially if you’ve taken into account their struggling ratings. Because as much as Charlie’s Angels tried to be hip and cool and remodeled, it just wasn’t connecting with audiences. The same goes for Free Agents, The Playboy Club and H8R. CBS’s How to be a Gentleman on the other hand, well, who’s even heard of it?

The only silver lining (depending on whether you were a fan or not) is that ABC has chosen to air the rest of the already-filmed Charlie’s Angels episodes — all eight of them.

Meanwhile, Deadline reports that CBS procedurals Person of Interest and Unforgettable have each received full season pickups. ABC has been doing pretty well, too — Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing has a good chance for a full season pickup with the help of a strong premiere and steady ratings. And Sunday, ABC’s Once Upon a Time also made its case, premiering as the No. 1 drama debut this season for adults 18 to 49.

Shows like ABC’s Pan Am and FOX’s Terra Nova are still in the air. Pan Am, which delivered respectable ratings for its premiere, has unfortunately been free falling ever since, both in the ratings and creatively. Terra Nova, on the other hand, debuted to underwhelming ratings but has kept steady.

If there’s one thing to take away from all this, it’s that the TV industry is ruthless. If a show’s not a hit right out of the gates, networks are quick to swing the axe down, but that’s show business for you.

Which shows are you tuning in to? Do any of the cancelations disappoint you? Tell us in comments.

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Movie Review

Reminders of Him taps into grief, grace, and the power of moving on

Photo by Michelle Faye / Universal Pictures

Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers in Reminders of HIm.

Texas author Colleen Hoover has gone from being a popular writer to a full-on celebrity in the 2020s. The new film Reminders of Him marks the third adaptation of her books in just 19 months (a fourth, Verity, is scheduled for release in October 2026). All of her books that have been adapted so far — most notably It Ends With Us — are female-led stories that feature elements of romance and trauma, catnip for studios looking to appeal to the underserved demographic of women.

Leading the way in this film is Kenna Rowan (Maika Monroe), who returns to her hometown of Laramie, Wyoming after spending years in prison for killing her boyfriend, Scotty (Rudy Pankow), in a car accident. That relationship resulted in a daughter, Diem (Zoe Kosovic), whom Kenna gave birth to while imprisoned and is now being raised by her grandparents, Patrick (Bradley Whitford) and Grace (Lauren Graham).

Yearning to be a part of Diem’s life, Kenna tries to reconnect with Patrick and Grace, only to be rebuffed by Scotty’s best friend, Ledger (Tyriq Withers), a former NFL player who now owns a local bar. In running interference, Ledger starts to become closer to Kenna, discovering that her tragic mistake shouldn’t be the only thing that defines her.

Directed by Vanessa Caswill and written by Lauren Levine, the film features mostly surface level examinations of its themes and average performances, yet it winds up being effective thanks to a willingness not to rush through its storytelling beats. The filmmakers take the slow and steady approach toward the coupling of Kenna and Ledger, setting up their bond through a series of heart-to-heart conversations that makes any romance feel earned.

The majority of the focus is on Kenna reclaiming her place in the world, and on Ledger coming to terms with the fact that the person who killed his best friend is not inherently a bad person. The film definitely could have gone deeper in its explorations of grief and anger, but the sheer amount of time it takes in addressing the characters’ doubts and fears turns out to be sufficient for a film that’s not aiming to be considered a dramatic masterpiece.

It also helps that Caswill and Levine do a solid job of establishing the variety of characters that inhabit the film. Kenna and Ledger don’t always feel like fully-formed people, but they become so through their interactions with each other and the other townspeople. Lady Diana (Monika Myers), a girl with Down syndrome who lives in Kenna’s apartment complex, and Roman (Nicholas Duvernay), Ledger’s co-worker at his bar, help to broaden the appeal of the two leads.

Monroe has, to this point, been best known for starring roles in horror films like It Follows and Longlegs. While she does somewhat well in this role, her delivery is often more flat than you’d expect for a character going through what she does. Withers thankfully doesn’t remind viewers of his recent bomb Him, demonstrating a crossover appeal that should serve him well in the future. Whitford and Graham don’t get to do much, but their combined experience gives their roles exactly what is needed.

It may sound like damning with faint praise, but Reminders of Him is a competently made film that knows how to serve its core audience without insulting anyone who may not automatically be all-in for such a story. The filmmakers don’t try to force any of the key moments down the audience’s throat, and that stands out in a genre that’s not always known for its subtlety.

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Reminders of Him opens in theaters on March 13.

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