TV Eye

Endings are tricky things. The end of relationships, friendships, jobs, and many other big and small life-altering events mark new chapters in most of our lives. But nothing is as traumatic as the end of a TV series, or so it would seem from some recent reader e-mail.

The recent announcement that Angel would be canceled sent many viewers scurrying to their keyboard, not just to get the 411, but also to express their outrage and sadness and to ask what could be done. This is what I know at press time.

More than 45,000 fans have written online to the WB to express their support for Angel, which just celebrated its 100th episode. Many of the fans want the show to continue, while others suggest it move to UPN, like its predecessor Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For those who are resigned to the fact that the show will end, the online chatter seems to revolve around whether it's a good idea for the Angel and Buffy love story to be resolved (much like Big and Carrie were reunited in the series finale of Sex and the City), while others feel that Angel doesn't need Buffy.

Series creator Joss Whedon asked Sarah Michelle Gellar to appear in this season's Angel for a multi-episode arc during one of the sweeps months. She turned him down, hoping it seems, to move past her slayer days. But now that Angel is presumably in its last days (things could change by the time you read this), Whedon will reportedly offer the invitation again.

The good news in all this is that the network gave Whedon plenty of lead time to allow him ample opportunity to wrap up the series in fine fashion. In other words, the network respects Whedon and his work and wants to give him a wide path to complete his work, but the show is canceled. Who says working in Hollywood won't make you crazy?

As for myself, I'm more worried about what TV will be like without a Joss Whedon project to look forward to week after week. Whedon, who grew up in the industry, has a knack for the small screen. And for those of us who love the mythology of vampires, werewolves, and other creatures of the night, he brings intelligence and humor to what, in other media, is often played for blood, gore, and gratuitous sex.

As for me jumping on any Save Angel bandwagons, I have to say I won't be joining this time around. I had trouble keeping up with the show after that strange season when Conner and Cordelia hooked up (eeew). This season, I was thrilled to see Lindsey return, but what a limp end to that storyline. No, instead of clamoring that it go on, I'd rather see what Whedon and crew can cook up to send this show, like Buffy and the sadly short-lived Firefly, off with grace.

As always, stay tuned.

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Coming in March

Trio, the cable network dedicated to finding rare or obscure works made for the small screen, brings a new package to the air in Uncovered TV, a collection of series and rarely seen documentaries and specials from the U.S. and around the world. Opening Uncovered TV are two enormously entertaining series from abroad. Footballers' Wives is a drama focusing on the lives of the women married to members of the fictional Earls Park soccer team. Set against the backdrop of high-stakes soccer – alongside the personal dramas of wives dealing with cheating husbands, cocaine addiction, crazy women who like to bed players for sport, wedding planning, and searching for adopted children, all while living under the constant glare of the media – this UK drama is a delicious and devilishly addictive prime-time soap. Footballers' Wives premieres Monday, March 1, at 8pm.

From Australia comes Kath & Kim, a hilarious half-hour comedy featuring a mother and daughter (Kath is mom, Kim is the daughter) who endure each other's company when Kim returns home after leaving her husband of two months. Fancying themselves cultured suburbanites – with every middle-class accoutrement necessary to prove it – the comedy is as much a satire of conspicuous consumption as it is about the relationship between a single mother on the brink of love and her spoiled daughter who's already been replaced by a workout room. The only downside of Kath & Kim is that there are only eight episodes in the first season, which Trio presents starting Monday, March 1, at 9pm.

Unscreened at press time: Johnny Staccato. John Cassavetes stars in the title role, in this half-hour drama which originally aired on NBC in 1959. Part-time jazz pianist, part-time private eye, Staccato takes clients between gigs at a small Greenwich Village jazz club. Johnny Staccato premieres Monday, March 1, at 9:30pm.