Sunday, June 21, 2009

'Reaper' stays dead, another loss for quality TV

In my post yesterday where I mourned the loss of ABC’s “Cupid,” I had meant to say a few words about another good TV show that got the cancelation axe – the CW’s “Reaper.”
The comedy-drama had a good two-year run, with 31 episodes. That’s more than lots of shows I like. Better to burn short and bright than to fade out like other shows.
For the uninitiated, “Reaper” is about a slacker, Sam Oliver (Bret Harrison), who finds out his parents sold his sold to the Devil and now he must work as a bounty hunter for Hell. Sam later finds out that the Devil (Ray Wise) is his father and wants him to one day rule the underworld. But Sam would rather lounge around with his buddies and do nothing. Each episode, the Devil gives Sam a vessel (Dustbuster, Super Soaker, etc.) to capture escaped souls from Hell. Sam’s main goal is to survive long enough to find a way out of his parent’s contract with the Devil.
“Reaper” fans had hoped the show would be picked up for a new season in syndication or on a cable network like the Sci-Fi Channel, but those options withered, TV Series Finale wrote June 9.

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