Greetings,
I don't think I've ever done one of these so soon after the show in question has been cancelled. I mean, it's barely been six months, but I do have my reasons for doing this. More on that later. Let's take a look at the short-lived, very recently plug having been pulled, Manhattan Love Story.
Manhattan Love Story was a half-hour comedy that aired on ABC from September 30, 2014 to December 4, 2014. Yeah, it's another one of those shows that technically has a season under its belt, but just barely. It was actually cancelled after four episodes, only half of which I watched at the time, but, since ABC had them, all eleven episodes that had been taped were available OnDemand up until a couple of days ago. Hence, the reason why I decided to write about this series. Eleven 20 minute episodes? That's less than four hours of "research". I figured, why not? So, what exactly was this show about?
Well, as the title predicts, it was about a man and a woman in Manhattan who may or may not fall in love. The woman is Dana, played by AnaLeigh Tipton, a hopeless romantic who comes from a small town and has just come to the big city of New York trying to make it. As you do. As many characters have done. The man is Peter, played by Jake McDorman, a guy who has always lived in New York and has dated many women in it. The two are set up on a blind date, which results in many shenanigans that carry on throughout the short run of the series, as does this gimmick that we can hear what they're thinking to themselves as well as what they are saying out loud. Yeah, that happened. Actually, it was kind of interesting to hear what they SHOULD have said as opposed to what they actually DID say. It was a lesson that sometimes telling the truth can save a lot of trouble. Anyway, I liked these two together. They had potential.
Of course, Dana and Peter weren't the only people on this show. We also have Peter's brother, David, played by Nicolas Wright. He was kind of an enjoyable character. I found him to be the funniest actually, playing the older brother, but the sometimes seemingly less accomplished in a lot of areas. There was also Chloe, the half sister of the boys, played by Chloe Wepper and their dad, William, played by Kurt Fuller, who both, along with Peter and David work at the family trophy making business. Sure, why not? And I liked these characters just fine, which is a good thing. But then, we have David's wife, Amy, played by Jade Catta-Preta. I would like to make it clear that I have nothing against this actress. She's not bad, and I'm sure she's nice in real life. But this character? Holy smokes, she was annoying! I mean, there's always that one friend we have who can get on your nerves, but we let it go, because we love them. But there is a fine line between a friend that makes us say "Oh, you!' and a friend that makes others ask "Why in the heck are you friends with that person?!" This character crossed it. And I hate to say this, but sometimes one bad character can affect an entire show. Again, I do not believe this was the fault of the actress. She was just doing her job. Yet, I think things could have been fixed, if given a chance. It was NOT given a chance, because...well, we'll get to my opinion on that in a moment.
So, the question. Did it deserve a second season? If I consider the state it was in at the time of its cancellation, I can give it a solid maybe. If it had been tweeked a bit, I'd say, sure. Let it have another year. Or at least let it finish the first season in its entirety. But, no. Four episodes that weren't watched by tens of millions of people and good bye. You know, I've probably said this before, not every show has a cinematic pilot like Lost and not every show has a big name in the cast. I mean, I did watch it for two reasons: I love NYC and I think AnaLeigh Tipton is quite adorable. I guess that wasn't enough for other people. It certainly wasn't enough for the studio. I mean, for crying out loud, you didn't really expect them to let this little show build an audience and spread through word of mouth and then listen to the fans, what they liked and what they didn't and adjust the show accordingly so it could end up being something successful and long-lasting. Please! That would require work and patience, and THIS is Hollywood. Don't let's be silly!
Look, I'm not saying this thing was going to be the next I Love Lucy, but they could have given it a bit more of a chance. It had potential, and from what I've read, mostly in comment sections, the show did have fans. I just hope that someday someone gets into power in these studios who cares enough to...well, care. I don't think that's too much to ask.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
