FX cancels Terriers

As everyone expected, FX dropped the hammer on Terriers, following the season finale last week. No one can really complain since Terriers was nowhere close to being a viable show on FX, averaging less than a million viewers the entire season and far fewer as the season progressed. All in all, it must be disappointing for FX to see such a promising show unwatched. Pin in on bad marketing, the wacky dog, or going off brand, as Tim Goodman suggests, Terriers badly missed the mark.

Review - Terriers Season 1 Episode 13 Hail Mary

Well, that's probably the last we'll see of Terriers, and I was not disappointed in how it went down. Despite the low, low ratings, Terriers really has been a great show down the stretch. The plots gelled and the characters became more and more likable each week.

"Hail Mary" wraps things up, not perfectly but suitable for the occasion, in a beautiful fashion, with a sense of completion as the season comes to a close. There's not the frantic pacing of last week's episode, but more of an impending end, as Hank discovers this guy called Cutshaw above Zeitland. He cuts a deal, getting Cutshaw to stop the airport in exchange for a set of photos not getting published. It's kind of cool that we never see the pictures, but it's not important either.

We get to see the various characters Hank and Britt have met along the way, the mini-Lone Gunmen, Eleanor, Steph, Laura, and the regulars. Britt has prison time, but it's nothing compared to what could have happened.

As for the ending, almost undoubtedly, we can assume that they continued forward. After Britt's speech to Katie, it would be terrible if they ran off like that, and Britt isn't that kind of person. It was more of a feel good capper, the possibly of Hank and Britt living out a long vacation in Mexico, than a real cliffhanger for the hypothetical next season to resolve.

Score: 9.3/10

Preview of Week 11/28/10 - 12/04/10

Sons of Anarchy - FX, Tuesday, November 30, 10:00pm ET

After last season's big cliffhanger, what will happen this season? The Sons may be headed to jail for a longer period than usual and there's still Jimmy to take care of, not to mention uber-bitch Stahl on the loose.

Terriers - FX,  Wednesday, December 1, 10:00pm ET

Sadly, the final episode of Terriers will probably air this Wednesday. Hopefully we can get a conclusion.

Psych - USA, Wednesday, December 1, 10:00pm ET

Twin Peaks is one of the most important shows in television history, and Psych is paying tribute to it.

Fringe - Fox, Thursday, December 2, 10:00pm ET

Last time Fringe aired, Peter learned that Olivia was a fraud. How does he proceed?

Sanctuary - Syfy, Friday, December 3, 10:00pm ET

Following the capture of Adam, this week's episode will dive into the Five, and it will feature the return of John Druitt.

Review - Terriers Season 1 Episode 12 Quid Pro Quo

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I'll keep this brief since no one will read this and I don't have time either.

In many ways, the characters of Terriers are like the show itself in the real world. The characters on the show precipitously hang onto their lives in the most dire of circumstances. Terriers, likewise, is clinging on to dear life as the ratings are still in the toilet. The difference, however, is that Hank and Britt have to stay alive for the show to keep going while FX certainly doesn't need Terriers.

"Quid Pro Quo" slings a whole bunch of plot developments, including a brilliant kicker in the end. Throughout the episode, there is a dark, foreboding tone, with the possibility of something bad happening at every turn. People are deceiving each other, placing trust in others, and you know something will go wrong. Hank and Laura discover that Zeitland is gobbling Ocean Beach for a new airport. Jason also gets caught up as he's the architect for a piece of land Zeitland wants. By the end of the episode, he's dead, as Councilman Albrecht  is in Zeitland's pocket.

So now what? Hank buys a bunch of guns and Britt still has the battery charges pending. And what about Gretchen and Katie? I hope we get a proper conclusion next week.

Score: 9.5/10

Review - Terriers Season 1 Episode 11 Sins of the Past

Damn, only two episodes left before the inevitable cancellation. As much as fans want to believe their show can come back for another season, don't waste time; the ratings for Terriers are pathetic, a mere 0.2 adults 18-49 for most of the season, and it's on FX, a thriving network which doesn't need the show.

"Sins of the Past" sets up the backstory for Britt and Hank, and half the episode or possibly more is dedicated to a case three years ago in which Hank crossed paths with Britt. At the same time, we see the breakdown in Hank's marriage.

Terriers is a show that is largely based on coincidences--Hank and Britt stumble upon cases at random times during the day--so it's fitting that there is a parallel drawn between the case three years ago and the continuation in the present. The case three years ago, in which Hank tried to bring down a rich guy for rape, appears be the beginning of the end, when he loses both his job and wife. In the process, he meets Britt who's a good guy overall. In the present, Gustafson and Hank catch the real rapist, a fellow detective, with the help of the rich guy. While that's going on Britt tracks down Katie's friend from class--not the professor who slept with Katie--and beats him to a pulp. In both Hank's case three years ago and Britt's beating in the present, they're blinded by rage and alcohol and miss the real culprit.

At the end of the episode, Hank tells Britt that Katie told him about the incident and expectedly, Britt blows up. There isn't a right or wrong person in this situation. We can point fingers at Hank, Britt, Katie, but in the end, everyone's at fault in some way. It's hard not to feel bad for them. Things just can't fall in their direction.

Score: 9.2/10

Preview of Week 11/14/10 - 11/20/10

Chuck - NBC, Monday, October 15, 8:00pm ET

The reunification of Jayne Cobb and River Tam! Do we care about anything else?

Weeds - Showtime, Monday, October 15, 10:00pm ET

The end of the awful season of Weeds is here, and with it probably the last time I watch the show. Sorry, but all the pointless running around is too much.

The Big C - Showtime, Monday, October 15, 10:30pm ET

While Weeds has gone downhill at a constant rate, The Big C has had a resurgence as of late and the season finale is actually shaping up to

NCIS - CBS, Tuesday, October 16, 8:00pm ET

Ziva's daddy is back... I don't think he'll be too happy about his daughter's current position as NCIS agent and US citizen.

Human Target - Fox, Wednesday, October 17, 8:00pm ET

Human Target hasn't aired since April (yeah, the length between seasons surprised me too). If you remember back to the season finale, Winston had been kidnapped, so we'll get a conclusion to that--most likely through a cliched rescue attempt.

Terriers - FX, Wednesday, October 17, 10:00pm ET

With only three episodes left and the ratings in the toilet, I though I'd give some promotion to Terriers. Watch it--you'll like it.

Review - Terriers Season 1 Episode 10 Asunder

"Asunder" starts off with Hank in the dumps and Britt in good spirits, having just gotten engaged to Katie. By the end of the episode, however, they are in completely opposite positions than before. Hank, invigorated by the hunt, is determined to follow through of the investigation and not drink. Britt, on the other hand, devastated by the truth about Katie, can only turn to alcohol.

These aren't guys who have anything to fall back on. They're not rich, but they are resourceful, clinging to what they have. For Britt, that was Katie, and once he learns the truth, everything seems over. For Hank, we see him letting go of Gretchen and his previous life, but we also see him, without Britt, tackling Zeitlin head on and largely winning the first battle.

As far as the main plot goes, nothing much is revealed that we couldn't figure out before. Zeitlin is grabbing land for some nefarious purpose.

Terriers has really, really grown on me since it began, and I'll be sad once the final three episodes air, but I'll savor every minute.

Score: 9.2/10

Review - Terriers Season 1 Episode 9 Pimp Daddy

"Pimp Daddy" is a great example of what makes Terriers such a likable show. The investigation with the transgender prostitute was fun in certain places and then quite emotional in the end with the crushing weight that the prostitute they were looking for was dead. Michaela talking to the prostitute's parents was a wonderful way to cap the story.

At the same time, Britt finds a pregnancy test in the garbage, surmising that Katie is pregnant. And as she tells Hank, she is, although she won't know who the father is for weeks. Reacting to the pregnancy, Britt proposes to Katie and all she can do is accept and be even more worried.

While Britt's off doing his own thing, Hank investigates Jason and finds something which might just blow the wedding wide open. Jason changed his name because his parents were accused of molesting kids at day care. This is absolutely huge and kind of justifies Hank's prying. However, when he tells Gretchen about it, she already knew--on her second date with Jason. Like a normal person in that situation, Gretchen blows up and Hank is left with nothing. Sorry, Hank, but you should have let her go. After all these twists regarding Jason, it looks like he's just a regular person in love with Gretchen. Unless he has something to do with the land, he's probably staying with Gretchen.

Only three episodes left this season and almost no chance of renewal. It's a shame no one watches, but what can we do.

Score: 8.9/10

Review - Terriers Season 1 Episode 8 Agua Caliente

The past couple of Terriers have been able to switch things up significantly, putting the other characters in situations we might not otherwise see them in. The twists and emotional scenes between character have made me a fan of Terriers.

However, there's something unsatisfying about "Agua Caliente." After a entire episode where Katie is in imminent danger and Britt is in Mexico trying to protect her by helping the cartel, it looks as though everything will come down to a crazy climax where Britt learns about Katie's cheating and something major will happen since everyone has their guns out. As quickly as the potential arises, it's instantly defused. By the end of the episode, everyone is where everyone was at the beginning of the episode. Britt is none the wiser about Katie, Hank is still pretty much the same (even though he gets shot), Katie still feels bad about keeping the big secret, and Gustafson is still a cool guy.

Part of my disappointment comes from the fact that Terriers episodes rarely start with something insane. Most of the time, episodes start in average procedural fare and only later in the episodes does something really significant happens. "Agua Caliente" doesn't build to that point. It dishes out the initial shock, Britt's kidnapping, and then slowly resolves the problem from there.

Score: 8.6/10

Review - Terriers Season 1 Episode 7 Missing Persons

Terriers is a procedural, but the execution is largely free-form, with no definite timings or twists that you'd see on a normal procedural. Cases don't present themselves in the beginning, and Hank and Britt do whatever they want during their investigation. It's very freeing compared to the restraints on typical procedurals.

"Missing Persons" only features one person who's actually missing, a college student, but almost every other character is missing inside their heads. The guy who kidnapped her is missing almost all his memories. Steph realizes she isn't getting better after imagining a long sequence of events, forcing Hank to let her go to a hospital. At the same time, Hank is bound by Katie's secret and struggles to keep the truth from Britt, as Britt is more and more distressed about Katie's attitude. And of course Katie doesn't know what to do and pulls back into a defensive shell.

I'm disappointed we won't be seeing Steph, at least for a few weeks, but the overall effect is that everyone's problems deepen as this season progresses. It's not Lindus or the trial anymore that keeps them down--it's themselves.

Score: 9.0/10

Review - Terriers Season 1 Episode 6 Ring-A-Ding-Ding

Following the whole Lindus thing, which went from 0 to 60 in half an episode, Terriers returned to a calmer, breezier place. The episode begins with cheery music, but that soon dissolves and the episode ends in the darkest of places.

The case serves as a portend to the impending avalanche with the cheating, but doesn't make up the majority of the episode. The focus is on the characters--Gretchen's engagement, Hank's feelings for her, Jason confronting Hank, and Katie's screwup.
 
Regarding Katie and sleeping with her professor, I'm don't really like where it went. Maybe it's because of Jax did on Sons of Anarchy last night, but the situation was clear from the very beginning. She drinks and makes a mistake that'll haunt her for the rest of life. Until now, Katie was just the girlfriend, and she has something interesting now, but I would've liked to see more backstory or expansion of her character before she gets thrown in this position.

In the previous two episodes, we were shown that Terriers can work as a high-intesity action drama. With "Ring-A-Ding-Ding," we're shown that Terriers can also be immensely compelling, even without a strong central story to drive things. However, the ratings are picking up, so we'll likely only see the first season.

Score: 9.0/10

Review - Terriers Season 1 Episode 5 Manifest Destiny

The pacing for the overall season of Terriers is quite odd. The pilot introduces a central conflict revolving around Lindus, but the next two episodes don't really follow up that much. Then episodes four and five come around; they take off from the get-go and by the end of the fifth episode, "Manifest Destiny," this beginning arc is over. Hank realizes that although there is something very fishy going on at the construction site, he has to put the people he loves first.

I can't complain, given how fast paced "Manifest Destiny" is, but I have to wonder what happens next. Will everything slow down to the usual cases? Will something happen that forces Hank to go after whoever's working on the site?

Given Terriers's ratings struggles, I wanted to put in some thoughts on why people aren't tuning in. The name "Terriers" implies a show about dogs (it probably would have done better if it were about dog fighting), but it's a metaphor for the characters, and it's hard to convey through ads. Second, there's nothing that revolutionary about the show that we'd usually expect from FX. On the outside, it looks like a regular procedural.

Score: 9.3/10

• Stephanie is my favorite character on the show, and she better be in the rest of the episodes. 

Review - Terriers Season 1 Episode 4 Fustercluck

The first season of Terriers plays out much like the first season of Justified. The pilot introduces a central conflict while the following episodes are generally standalone episodes with splashes of overall continuity. Then, there's an episode which sends overarching plot into overdrive. For Terriers, it's "Fustercluck."

Lindus goes from the rich bad guy who Hank and Britt framed to dead guy who probably didn't do anything wrong. Instead, the target is now developers of a resort who probably are doing something with chemicals. Mickey must have seen too much and needed to be gotten rid of, which we learn was simply a drug dealer providing a means. There's still a bigger person higher up the chain who is responsible.

Along the way, Hank and Britt stage a cool heist and we meet Hank's off-kilter but brilliant sister Stephanie. By the end of the episode, things just get worse and worse as the problems are compiled upon each other, and Hank and Britt somehow manage to stay safe for the time being.

Sadly, the ratings for Terriers are really, really bad, almost as bad as the third season of Damages. I have a very hard time seeing Terriers get more than a season, so hopefully we'll get some kind of resolution.

Score: 9.3/10

Review - Terriers Season 1 Episode 3 Change Partners

"Change Partners" took a break from the Lindus plot to explore Britt and Hank. Last week's episode hinted at Britt's shady past, and we get most, if not all, the details. He was once a burglar, and through his profession, meets both Hank and Katie, though in much different circumstances. Hank catches Britt and lets him go, but Britt burgled Katie's house and saw her picture and later tracked him down to a bar. Creepy? Not in the least for Katie, who proceeds with some kinky stuff.

But none of what Britt and Katie did came close to the Fosters. The husband forces the wife to cheat on him, and she pretends to cheat on him--double deception! The whole affair ends sadly when Hank sleeps with the wife in order to get his loan, which in turn, pushes the husband the kill himself.

And wow, that final scene of a hooded figure climbing into Hank's attic. Very trippy. If I had to guess, it's Britt playing a trick on Hank since we see him in a hood in the previous scene.

Score: 9.0/10

Review - Terriers Season 1 Episode 2 Dog And Pony

I like Terriers and the writing is sharp, but I'm not invested in any of the characters. I know it's only the second episode, so there's room to grow, but the basic set-up isn't that interesting, at least for me. Hank used to be an alcoholic, reminisces about the past, and is unwilling to let go if what he once had. Britt has a shady past, as implied by Detective Gustafson, but seems like a good guy.

And while the PI work feels fresh so far, there's already a pattern occurring. In the pilot, Hank and Britt end up investigating the rich guy who paid them, eventually planting a gun on him, and in "Dog And Pony," they end up helping the guy they originally wanted to catch. As for the ongoing murder case, Gustafson is already onto them and their gun planting, though it looks like it'll be a long while before a resolution.

Score: 8.8/10

Review - Terriers Season 1 Episode 1 Pilot

Terriers finds a nice medium between darker cop shows like The Shield, and the eternal cheeriness and wise-cracking of shows like Psych. There's certainly plenty of charm in the cast headed by Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James, and the dialogue is littered with fun lines. However, there aren't any of those unrealistic, overt jokes in Psych (it's on my mind since the summer finale was tonight). And a good part of the episode is dead serious, the result of being attacked and seeing dead bodies. The air of cheer on Terriers is always predicated by the sad fact that these two scruffy guys have major problems.

The plot was fairly interesting, as Hank and Britt work for a rich developer named Robert Lindus who also is their prime suspect for two murders. At the end of the episode, they frame Lindus for murder--in addition to cashing his check--but it looks like Lindus will be a thorn in their sides for quite a while. The other part of the episode develops Hank and Britt's relationships with their women, Gretchen and Katie, respectively. Clearly Gretchen is conflict about Hank, but she's getting married soon, and Katie would like a son, though Britt is not that kind of guy right now. While Hank doesn't make a move on Gretchen, Britt makes a small, and in his case, meaningful gesture, offering to get a dog with Katie.

From the pilot alone, it looks like Terriers will be a show that's not too deep that viewers have to watch each episode to get what's going on, but will be extra-awarding for those who do so.

Score: 8.9/10

Preview of Week 9/05/10 - 9/11/10

White Collar - USA, Tuesday, September 7, 9:00pm ET

The overall storyarc of White Collar is a cluttered mess, and it's unlikely to change, but we'll what happens in the summer finale.

Sons of Anarchy - FX, Tuesday, September 7, 10:00pm ET

Although the Emmys completely ignored it, Sons of Anarchy remains a critical hit and became a ratings beast in the second season for good reason--the show is amazingly well-rounded from individual episode writing, larger arcs, acting, and directing of the badass action scenes. The third season should continue down the same path and we should see the club's roots in Ireland.

Terriers - FX, Wednesday, September 8, 9:00pm ET

The premise of Terriers doesn't necessarily scream the usual innovative FX fare, but with Shawn Ryan behind it, it shouldn't be too bad.

Nikita -  CW, Thursday, September 9, 9:00pm ET

Ever since I watched the pilot at Comic-Con, I've wanted more, and it's finally here. The slick action sequences, intricate plot, and, of course, Maggie Q should be enough to draw in any television viewer. It's nice to know that for every Smallville, the CW gives us Supernatural, and for every Hellcats, the CW gives us Nikita.