BETTER OFF TED, YOU ARE MISSED.

On August 24th 2010 the final episode of BETTER OFF TED aired. In Australia. On May 13th 2010 the show was cancelled by ABC, but two episodes remained that had not aired. They still haven't aired in America, but through some corporate magic they were show to Australian audiences only.

I pretty much ignored the show during its live televised existence and it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I had enough interest in the show to stream the first episode via Netflix. The first episode promised that BETTER OFF TED would be a clever series full of the wacky misadventures of the employees of Veridian Dynamics, the colorful casts place of employment. Veridian represents the peak of corporate greed as well as capitalist innovations. They made weapons, light bulbs, computer parts, super foods, and any other piece of technology that showed off intellectual prowess as well as the mundane aspects of human living.

Ted, the lead of the series, does quite a bit of voice over to guide the audience through the story lines as well as breaking the fourth wall to narrate in scene to the audience. In this first episode it is his job to introduce us to the world of the show, to the company, and to the characters. When he introduces us to two scientists at Veridian Dynamics he refers to them as, "The smartest men in the world." Of course what comes next is we meet them and see that as smart as they might be, they fail at anything requiring courage and social interaction. What struck me is the fact that Ted refers to them as the smartest men in the world. Seeing as Veridian is the pinnacle of of its industry requiring only the smartest brains available, we can confidentally assume that Ted is correct in calling these men "The Smartest Men in the World."

In our real world, companies such as Microsoft, NASA, and Lockheed Martin only take the mightiest of brains. If Veridian were real they would top this list.

Does this mean that the writers of the show BETTER OFF TED must be of equal intelligence to these scientists to write them? Of course the answer is no. It's a sitcom. No one who writes for HOUSE is actually as smart as Greg House and no writer on the BIG BANG THEORY needs to swim in the same vat of knowledge as Sheldon and crew do. What it does mean though is that the writers have made a promise to the audience on behalf on the characters. Elements are in place to ensure that this statement of Ted's cannot be false. They are in fact the smartest men alive.

That statement irritated me from the start. I didn't know why until I started writing this and considered what made me focus on the writer's choice of words for Ted in regards to his co-workers. The truth is that I was looking for a flaw from the start. I wanted to find a reason why the show failed, or why I failed to watch it while it was still on network television. There had to be something there that made it not work. I looked to the writing.

After watching the first season it's clear it was not the writing that got the show canceled. Not the acting, directing, set design, pace, or humor. All of those elements are solidly in place, unbreakable - so what made it fail to find and audience? I don't know. It's an incredible show that deserves to be seen and enjoyed, and definitely deserved to at least run a few more seasons. I'm doing my best to promote the show within my circle of friends. You never know, with enough word of mouth it could gain the cult the status of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT and give Portia de Rossi two revered shows.

It is depressing to watch a television show with such great writing and such a strong concept fail. There are no answers here either, beyond money. It's gone and if you asked the network executive who's decision it was to cancel BETTER OFF TED why he did it, the answer would come down to money. Cost too much or didn't earn enough.

Maybe it didn't attract an audience because of its title, BETTER OFF TED. Is this a riff on the movie BETTER OFF DEAD and if so, is it saying we'd all be better off being Ted than being dead? It does imply a certain relationship to death, an element the show doesn't have. Did audiences stay away because they thought it would be another show like DEAD LIKE ME or REAPER? I got to say, the name does give the impression of suppressed doom, comedic tales of hapless fools tricking death.

Well, it's gone and that's it. One thing it did make me realize is this --

I wish I looked as dapper as Jay Harrington does in a suit.

ARNOLD AT THE CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE

A few weeks back I found myself at Pebble Beach for the Concours D'Elegance to mingle with wealthy car enthusiasts. This event is all about cars and their stories. Each vehicle on display had a story, some start with the idea of what it will become and others are shaped purely by history. Some cars were built for kings and queens, celebrities, and others survived world wars. To truly appreciate these cars you need to have an understanding of where they came from and what they've been through - these stories is where you find what makes them special beyond being well-formed pieces of metal.

Among those in attendance were the governor of California himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was crowded by men in black sunglasses and ear buds as he made his way to an elderly couple and their car.

 

Of course, I was brushed aside, told to move along because, "The governor is coming." I understood and in my excitement didn't care at all to be pushed aside for The Terminator, Conan himself. If it had been a normal government official I would not have bothered to hang around for a photograph and I wouldn't remember it beyond the next beer, but Arnold - that is going to be remembered. Forever.

It makes you wonder, or at least me, about the nature of actors and the characters they play. Did Arnold make the Terminator what he was? Would it have been as successful without Arnold's presence? What about Conan the Barbarian or Predator? My honest guess is that no, without Arnold's charisma and charm, those films would not be remembered how they are today. Not too sure how that reflects on California politics, but hopefully some of his counterparts felt the same way and made his job a bit, at least a little, easier.