WELP... some initial thoughts about "Good" bye. (And then some later thoughts.)
(Here’s the part I wrote on January 11, the day “The Farewell Season” was announced.)
DAMMIT!
So THIS is why they didn’t have a longer trailer out yet for the new season.
And (maybe) THIS is why ABC passed on picking up The Good Lawyer.
And (probably) THIS is why they’re moving it to Tuesday nights after 6 successful seasons in the Monday night slot… they don’t need to worry about its success anymore. They don’t CARE.
Every TGD fan will draw a conclusion, whether it’s supported elsewhere or not. Some will blame the strikes outright. Some will blame ABC’s possible “housecleaning” mindset. Some will blame the money it costs to produce a scripted series– especially one that’s been around several years, where contracts for services likely go higher and higher– and how appealing the costs of airing a newsmagazine, “reality” program, or game show are by comparison.
(Hint– no matter how important a show is to anything, anyplace, any particular community, it’s still part of Show BUSINESS. So always follow the money.)
Maybe it was always going to end with season 7, but we haven’t had the chance to worry and wonder about it this year because we were simply worrying and wondering if ANY scripted show was going to return this season. Personally, my mistake was deluding myself into thinking most networks wouldn’t issue a lot of cancellations… if only because the season was so screwed up as it was. Ha, The Powers That Be would say in their mocking if they were to read this. HA!
I can almost read the speculations on social media without reading them today:
I heard Shore wanted to keep going, but…
I bet Freddie decided 4 months ago that…
ABC probably made this decision when…
Maybe it’s one thing. Most likely it’s a lot of things. And as is the case with most shows that stick around long enough for people to care about it, odds are we’ll never know the whole story.
It’s not fair. TGD deserves better. Every single person involved with the show deserves better. WE deserve better. Fuck this fucking network.
Please accept this photo as an illustration of my feelings…
Some context: Every Chirstmas season, my kids– now both in their early 20s– build a gingerbread house from a kit. Traditionally, they bust it up on New Year’s Day. But they both got busy watching American football on NYD this time and neglected to get out the hammers.
So I did the honors myself, shortly after learning of TGD’s 7th season fate. Demolition therapy is REAL, friends.
(Aaaand here’s what I started writing 10 days later.)
Well, I’m still gutted about this (of course). But TGD fans and #Shea Nation, please indulge me for a few minutes here as I allow two of my blogging worlds to collide…
This is the U.S. ice dance team of Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean Luc Baker. They’ve won international senior-level events and four national bronze medals; even if you don’t follow figure skating much you might have seen them at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing (where they finished 11th).
They’ve been a team for over a decade– a long time in a sport where partners can change almost as often as they choose music for a new program. But Hawayek & Baker have also suffered multiple concussions and other injuries together… are being chased by several newer, younger, very good teams… and are unlikely to win a National title so long as current U.S./World Champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates continue to compete.
They posted this video on January 16 (just 5 days after TGD’s cancellation was announced). Shot and produced by the incredible Jordan Cowan of On Ice Perspectives, it both showcases one of the programs they’ve worked on all season… and shares that, despite such effort, they’d withdrawn from the 2024 U.S. Championships, extending their year-plus competitive break while they “reevaluate their options for future seasons.” Many fans, including me, suspect that they won’t compete again.
In other words here are two people, seemingly still in the prime of their long, well-rewarded (but not rewarded enough) run, facing the finish line far sooner than desired or expected. Maybe for one reason, maybe a lot of reasons, and odds are we’ll never know the whole… well, you know.
I’m not sure how great an analogy this is to the news about TGD,, but I DO know I’m processing a couple of imminent losses this month…
And they’re both the kind that are utterly unimportant to everyone around me.
Physically around me, at least.
Meanwhile, social media is a lot of things– usually far-from-great things– but roses bloom above the thorns at times. The bonding of a community that simply seeks to celebrate and commiserate its cause accordingly? That is one of those times.
Here is a place where we can ride that tilt-o-whirl of emotions, brought on by undesired change, and talk about it later. Or even as it happens (provided we aren’t throwing up at the time, hee hee). I, for one, have taken a couple of deep breaths since January 11 (the date TGD’s cancellation news broke) and curated a list I’m calling the “At leasts.” Perhaps you’ve thought of these as well:
At Least we are getting the news in advance, and The Powers That Be can tie up as many loose ends/give as much closure as they like rather than learn of cancellation after S7 ends.
At Least (because of the strikes) we have a “Farewell Season” as opposed to wondering and watching the ratings with bated breath, anxiously hoping that something is decided one way or another in time for Shore & Co. to wrap things up properly.
At Least we now have this article from Deadline that might contain the most “sensible” reasons for the cancellation we’ll ever get…
(While yes, I knew about “Year 7” being a traditional crossroads for scripted TV programs, my hopes were high for many reasons that TGD would transcend that rule.)
At Least we know the show is introducing another doctor on the autism spectrum (played by an actor also on the spectrum), thereby adding another barrier-busting layer to TGD’s rich character tapestry.
At Least there appear to be no major time hops starting the season (according to the “official trailer” that just dropped, meaning we’ll get to appreciate the ups and downs of newborn Steven Aaron Murphy for a while rather than start with him as a toddler…
I would be remiss if I didn’t share THIS PETITION that’s been making the rounds on TwiXter, asking fans to sign to get ABC to change its mind. I’ve signed it, and if you haven’t signed it already, here’s your chance.
Having said that, I think I’m moving on through the 5 Stages of Grief as I process this loss (probably still lingering at “depression,” to be honest) and I’m curious to hear where YOU are at, especially if this has hit you hard. Seriously.
Because television shows– especially long-running shows– build communities that care much more than one might expect. They laugh together, cry together, rage together, and debate anything from far-reaching arcs to episodic details. They connect over message boards and DMs and long TwiXter threads and hashtags and group chats that start three minutes after the end credits. Some of you I’ve talked to via email at length over the past four years, often about much more than TGD… so many, in fact, that I often kick myself for not being able to follow up consistently. But as far as this here blog can manage, both for #SheaNation and TGD in general… I got you :)
I purposely have not asked (OK, pestered) my usual sources about any updates on how many episodes we’ll get in this abbreviated final season. I’ve heard 10; I think I’ve heard 12, but nothing definitive since the announcement. I know there are 14 weeks between Tuesday February 20 (the season premiere) and Tuesday May 21, which seems the latest a finale would air. But I also know we’re unlikely to be blessed with continuous TGD that entire time.
So let’s watch and wait it out together, OK?
