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These Two Shows Deserved Better
These two shows deserved better. Instead, they were ignominiously killed off by some honchos who think they know better. Both were comedies, with one being straight up zany, while the other always left you with food for thought. The shows in question? “American Auto,” and “Not Dead Yet.” That’s right, two shows with names so interesting, that I had to check them out.
And that’s saying something, because I’m somewhat old school and skeptical of new shows.
And I was glad I did, because both of them impressed me. So impressed, I looked forward to the next episode as soon as one ended. Let’s check out them out and, and why I liked them. Maybe you share my feelings and feel they deserved better?
1. American Auto
I had heard the name, and thought it was some business news program that covered, well, the American auto industry. I was completely wrong, partially at least. American Auto does touch on the American auto industry, but in way very different from what I imagined. It’s a completely off the wall satirical look at the corporate shenanigans that play out daily in American corporate offices. In this case, an imaginary US automaker, “Payne Auto.”
American Auto portrayed what happens when wide range of people, each with their own egos and peculiarities are thrown together to work out the daily issues their company faces. To top it all, they are led by a CEO who has no idea about cars, as she comes from a completely different background – a humorous take on the reality of the corporate world.
What Made it Fun
While the team is already a train wreck waiting to happen, it is their over-the-top overthinking while coping with the daily crises the company faces that makes it a riot. Coping with a product fail, product marketing, being innovative, and even something as small as the choice of wording in a press release etc., tuns into a corporate nightmare. Anyone who watches business news as much as I do, would see the absolute craziness of it all.
Their issues are fertile ground for throwing up a wide range of sacred cows including a minefield of biases, gender/race discrimination, corporate culture, cultural differences, walking the fine line between facts and falsehood etc. In fact, I wondered what real auto makers thought of it all, not to mention the stock market types as it seemed to lay bare the machinations going behind the scenes in any corporation.
Brilliant Writing and Cast
The writing on the show was brilliant, as laughs came a mile a minute. Writing for quirky characters calls for skills on a different level. Regarding the cast, I have my personal bias in the comic skills of Ana Gasteyer.
I’ve always enjoyed her since Saturday Night Live, and here as the hapless CEO constantly in the eye of the storm in her inimitable style, she is wonderful. While I’m not naming the rest of the cast, I think they were outstanding and did their bit to make the show a joy to watch. So, it was quite a shock when the producers pulled out, and tossed away the key on American Auto. It still had potential for so much more. Apparently, not everyone shared my joy for American Auto as it was cancelled in just two seasons.
Why Cancel It?
So why did they cancel it? Was it not appealing enough? It was a perfect satire on how corporate America works, and often messes up trying to please too many people all the time. Or was it because some corporations threatened the producers for being too close to the truth? Relax people! It’s just a sitcom, and we love the zany stuff after a hard day at work in situations so similar to those being portrayed.
I’ve not watched all the episodes, even though there only 23 of them, and can take comfort in knowing I can catch up on those. Who knows, I might find a storyline that did not work? But I doubt it, because American Auto was too full of potential to mess up. In fact, messing up was what it was all about in the first place.
2. Not Dead Yet
“Not Dead Yet” lasted exactly as long as “American Auto” Despite an interesting name, I had no clue what Not Dead Yet was going to be about. But tuning in, “Not Dead Yet” introduced me to one of the most likeable characters I’ve seen in a while on television. I loved Gina Rodriguez’s easy, self-deprecating, down to earth style playing a young single woman struggling to make it professionally and personally.
However, I was initially disappointed by the scenario of someone able to see dead people. Too close to another popular show still airing currently. But I realized soon enough, this one was different.
The Lead Protagonist Won Me Over
Not Dead Yet pulls you into Mel’s (Gina Rodriguez) life. After a major setback in her life, and is trying to put everything together again. In doing so, she winds up working for a small Los Angeles newspaper writing the obituaries – something, in her opinion, is the pits careerwise. All the while, she’s navigating the singles scene again.
You can’t help rooting for her as she navigates her issues, while dealing with an interesting retinue of people in her life ranging from a quirky apartment mate, wise widowed bar owner, interesting colleagues, and pushy boss. Not to mention the potential suiters she meets.
In Mel I found a sitcom character that I haven’t been so fond of in quite a while. Just watching her is a joy in itself. Even my wife who hardly watches sitcoms grew a fondness for her.
Here’s the Twist
But, here’s the twist. Every time Mel starts working on an obituary, the person in question materializes – only to her. While these individuals help her get a better image of them, she also gets a philosophical lesson on life at the end of these interactions. This simple twist is what makes the show so unique. Along with hysterical situations in her life, and interactions with people only she sees, the lesson she learns from each experience builds her as a person. What’s more, it touches one emotionally with food for thought. And all the while, a wiser Mel after her funny/educational experiences with the dead who vanish at the completion of their obituary.
Interestingly, while we are rooting for her romantic life too, we hope it fails as we like her too much and feel she deserves better.
Credit: ONE Media Coverage
Why Cancel It?
So why did they cancel Not Dead Yet? Who knows? I think the show was not just a sitcom, but also a manual on life. Mel is helped by a combination of the living, and the dead to face the various predicaments and choices that come in her life. And each time she overcomes it, so do we learn something. It’s rare that a show makes you laugh, but also touched and in deep contemplation. With each episode, I my fondness for the protagonist grew. I am loathe to talk ethnic background, but I will make an exception in this case, as I was impressed with the presentation of a positive, understated Hispanic character in Mel. Hollywood has a hard time creating “ethnic” characters and usually makes a mess of it. With Mel, it was wonderfully done without any stereotyping.
Maybe I Should Have Seen It Coming
I should have seen the cancellation coming as the last shows seemed to go off the rail somewhat with the introduction of Brad Garrett (much as I like him) returning to take the reigns of the company, and Lexi (Lauren Ash) who played Mel’s domineering boss having an affair with, of all people, her apartment mate. Things seemed to get out of hand there, with too many moving parts, and the focus on Mel dangerously close to blurring. The producers tried too hard, I guess. As the saying goes: “if it works, don’t fix it,” because that seemed to do it in for them. Very similar to the catastrophe that ensued when they tweaked “B Positive,” a few years earlier – which I reviewed here.
Sadly, they truly killed a show that was actually “Not Dead yet.”
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