No One Saw the Completely Precedented Happy Town Failure Coming
Happy Town, ABC's small-town mystery that plays like a blander Twin Peaks, will be pulled from the network's schedule following this week's episode, then won't return until June 2. But Sam Neill was just getting started doing his grizzled thing! I'd feign surprise, except that a show just like Happy Town failed last year at this very time. Can you help solve this sad caper?
Harper's Island. Remember it? CBS's whodunit about a mysterious isle and a cast of characters knocked off one by one every week? No? You're silly. It was built as an interactive mystery where viewers could chat with the bumped-off cast member every week online. I think I was busy watching Kris Allen ballads on YouTube and crying into huge bowls of ice cream at the time.
Now, if ABC wanted to bring back whodunits that I'd actually watch, they'd reboot The Mole again and properly promote it. The season six petition begins here! And maybe ends. Who's got Anderson Cooper's BBM pin number?
'Happy Town' Bumped [Zap2It]
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Comments
ABC also did the Damon and Affleck-produced "Push, Nevada," where viewers could follow clues and actually win the cash that was at the center of the plot. God, it was dull.
According to the almighty Wikipedia, it was canned after 6 episodes, but due to contest/gaming laws, ABC was required to give the prize away and doled out the remaining clues during Monday Night Football. Ouch.
I loved Push, NV -- especially for the ARG-ish elements -- but I was also roughly 12 years old at the time.
The Monday Night Football bit is new to me -- hilarious/awesome/tragic.
Sigh...Kris Allen, yummy! Wait, what were we talking about.
The writing is just off, but nothing is amiss with the acting. I hope that the producers use this hiatus to eliminate (fire) some dead weight.