MovieChat Forums > Revolution (2012) Discussion > Now that it is officially cancelled, wha...

Now that it is officially cancelled, what do you think killed it?

posted 11 years ago by redjacket1972
155 replies | jump to latest

I really enjoyed the show and I hope we get a satisfying conclusion.

However, in looking over the series I think they did some things right, but got others wrong.

1. For all of Season 1's faults, two things it got right 1) we had a clear goal - restore power and 2) we had some mystery - why did it go out and how to turn it back on. It was fun to tune in week to week to learn a little more and see how our heroes were going to turn it back on.

2. For Season 2, I felt that the characters were better written than in season 1, however, a few things that went wrong stood out in my mind

1) there was no clear goal - was it destroy the Nanos? destroy the Patriots? no chance of ever turning on the power? None of this was really explored.

2) The story never seemed to progress. We find out about the origin of the Patriots and that is about it. Nanos are good or bad? We can't tell as it changed. Will Aaron devise a way to destroy the nanos? Doesn't seem to have a clue. Will the Patriots be destroyed? Don't know, as the group of heroes doesn't seem to come together with a common goal (remember the Rebels from season 1, where are they)? The show turned into capture, rescue and repeat.

I always felt that they should have let power be restored at the end of season 1. Then we could have spent several seasons on battles between the various factions, see the rebels fight for freedom i(really play up the patriotic theme), etc.

[–] IveGotASecret 11 years ago

I think the problem laid at the core of the show and that's it's characters. In some cases, the supposed good guys were just as bad or worse than the bad guys.

Take Rachel. This psycho kept the power off for years so her son wouldn't die and the nanites that saved him wouldn't stop working, then when he dies she wants to put the power back on knowing if she does it could destroy the entire world and murder everyone that's left on the planet.

There's you're big bad ugly and villain. But she's sold as a hero.

And the problems just continued from there.

I quit watching a month or so ago because I got tried of it being the same thing every episode: someone's in trouble and they need to be rescued, they're rescued, and then it ends with someone being in trouble so the next show can begin with them being rescued and then the next show will end with someone being in trouble and needing to be rescued. And the show after that will begin with someone being rescued and end with someone needing to be rescued.

[–] skuggvarg-13 10 years ago

Agreed about Rachel, though Monroe mentions in season 2 that "She's buckets of crazy",

Both Rachel and her father despite in her father's case working for the patriots on plenty of occasions and herself for starting the whole mess in the first place, they are both self so righteous that I started sympathizing with Monroe more and more (He WAS afterall the character that evolved the most),

Aaron's BS quest about the nanos was a definite killer since Aaron was the most annoying and boring character and all that about early on the nanos obeying him and turning people on fire was simply too MUCH!

And then the nanos going all "Skynet" was another killer.

Charlie was becoming ever more annoying as well!

But all in all I liked the show very much despite these flaws and that it lost out against such a thriller garbage like Hanibal is beyond logical explanation.

[–] TheDarkKnightMatter 10 years ago

I hated Rachael, she was a selfish person. And you're right about it bwing the same over and over. I believe that the season should of been half that so they don't have to drag continuity series. 15-18 episodes a season could of saved it.

[–] patbuddha 11 years ago

The fact that it sucked from episode 1 is what killed this show. It had a compelling premise that
drew people in but dropped the ball 5 minutes in.

http://www.youtube.com/user/patbuddha

[–] salvodaze 11 years ago

Yeah, pretty much this. Just a few minutes ago I got exposed to a few lines from this show again and I decided this is the worst show ever. It's even worse than Heroes, which is hard to top.

Salvo Daze

[–] monstermayhem32 11 years ago

Think the nantech story dragged

[–] judycyg 10 years ago

Let's put it this is a great series is unique and special and you exactly why it was over.
1. Inability to NBC-related professional incompetence and airtime allocation. A series of bloody enough if only such Kripke see Supernautral too. Of course, if there is something more to go prime time viewership, it is clear, even though they did not even approach this series.
2. The average people are impatient, superficial, unimaginative and dilettante fashion and faster and faster create their unsubstantiated opinion and also more and more critical. The following TV channels are getting this rushing pace trying to sell their products increasingly retain only the average mainstream. The process itself indicates.

The story is full of screws, surprises, good tempo, brilliant actors joy to watch as they play, good characters, romance (it would have been in three seasons, but many viewers hasn't noticed that unfolds ... the superficiality strikes back), and it also killing in this case the series. No time to unfold, that to enjoy even those who are squeamish because I did not realize that this series is not only to be seen, but it should be understood to be accepted, and should it think, what would you do that you will live. Everything is consumed quickly. This series is not about that. People who need to see the new Transformers movie. This is about people, the unspoken feelings internal struggle desires relations. Must be time to get to know and accept them one season to 10 parts. I admit lack of time I started it three times before I was able to calm down the series and to the world's problems and focus on problems of the caracters. f you have it and do not just look out of your mind as the inhabitants of Willoughby, but see what was going on, you can only appreciate this series. This is all about capable as Miles small team proportional to as the Willoughby council sheep. The series concluded with the parts strongly linked to therefore the one episode per week lose the momentum. If you give yourself time series and the players realize that it's one of the best series I have ever invented and you yourself can begin to think about the sequel and will miss the players. The fans have not given up. Save revolution, their incentives to NBC and Erik Kripke change their minds. It was a mistake to delete this series. David and Tracy were a lot of people and wanted to see them again wonderful. Already 81,000 signatures for the show.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/553/454/200/revolution-season-3/

[–] crankycanadian 10 years ago

Agreed. Was so excited for the premise, but yakked at the result. It was so clichéd and contrived and boring and badly acted.

I would have loved a show that actually explored what it would have really been like if the power went out. Forget this show, tell me what it was like in the 15 years in between? How did people survive? What did they do? What was it like? That would be the real mystery.

[–] joeandbobbysdad 9 years ago

totally with you. i really tried to like it. i wanted to... it just never overcame its contrived plots. and some of the performances were not very good.

[–] Emanuel_5 10 years ago

Dude, Shut The *beep* Up!!!

The show was good from the begining. TV is REAL LIFE. The characters know themselves as real people as we think of OUR selves as real. You don't say, "Oh, man….my life is boring…it must be fake! I think I'll kill myself." NO! You ride it out and see what adventures are in store. People's problem is that they see a show as a SHOW and not another demention of REALITY.

Just let the people live their lives and follow them on their journey. If you don't have the patience to do that, STFU and go SUCK A DICK!\

GREAT SHOW. NBC are *beep* for cancelling it. I can name 10 shows off the top of my head that were gems and were cancelled within the last 10 years.

[–] bigpgross 10 years ago

LOL, this guy ^. I'd love to hear your list of 10 shows that were "Gems."

[–] skuggvarg-13 10 years ago

For me it was Terra Nova and Revolution and Falling Skies, maybe a couple of others but not on the same level as the ones I just mentioned.

[–] xcmbm 10 years ago

Agree. This is the only show I root for the bad guys, because the "good" guys were so annoying, especially the blonde girl

[–] dudestein 11 years ago

This show had so much potential. But I was convinced it was doomed halfway into this season. Why? It didn't have a story line that made sense in regard to the story premise it started with. It felt like all season they were writing stories to keep people busy, fight over and over the same irrelevant side issues, and have no coherent idea of where it was going.

It was like no one knew where it was suppose to be going. We have a premise about a world wide black out and anarchy. What do we get? A season long fight over some town in Texas! What, are they just trying to get Midwestern ratings? Why a fight over sme Texas town? Made no sense.

Oh my god, I've been smoking Cheese Whiz!
Howdy Doody Circus Army; President

[–] mikeflw1 11 years ago

Wow. Cancelled...

From your comment, I think you could have been describing the series LOST. And that series ran six(?) seasons.

I saw they really had some BADLY tarnished heroes in this series, and that had to hurt. And, there were a lot of frustrated revenges going around too. Furthermore, they overused the nanites/AI as well, especially since **some** of the characters died and got resurrected, and some didn't. (Was THAT some screwball contract negotiating ploy?)
The series dropped into a mess that got SO tangled...
And they had more than a few technical problems written into the show as well.

In some ways, it almost seemed like it might have been a nod/tribute to the series FIREFLY, minus the outer space part, and that series only got one season. Maybe the long running series STARGATE SG-1, and SG ATLANTIS spoiled audiences with their larger story arcs, and how they still managed to make good weekly episodes. Even FARSCAPE picked up the larger story arcs and went for a long run; and it was puppets! (No knock to Jim Henson and company!)

Even with all that, I was looking forward to seing a lot of resolution to the problems next season.
I will miss it.

[–] dudestein 11 years ago

I agree. In fact I believe I left pretty much the same analysis during the Lost Finale. Lost did manage to get to a series finale though. Poor Damon Lindeloff running from its fans like he had kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby.

Oh my god, I've been smoking Cheese Whiz!
Howdy Doody Circus Army; President

[–] thomas-746 10 years ago

I agree with you. I really loved season 1 there were a clear goal and almost every episode we learned something new about the World and the characters. It was trilling to watch and every one had a fixed role in the series.

In season 2 the story was all over the place and people changed sides in almost every episode. Lets kill Monroe, no we can use him, no lets kill him. The same with Tom except that he changed side like every other episode.

Besides that our "heroes" were in danger every episode and no matter how outgunned they were they got away with it. In the end I just didn't really care anymore.

[–] dickbigdong 11 years ago

simple... people did not believe the *beep* they made up to explain why there was no electricity

from the get go... THE SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF WAS NOT THERE

[–] Purk 11 years ago

I agree, it was the writing, but not entirely. The NBC press release in April of 2013 said:

"NBC has announced the renewal of five key drama series for the 2013-14 season: Revolution.... Revolution is the season's top-rated drama on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox and top-rated new series among those networks in adults 18-49, scoring a 4.6 rating, 12 share and 11.8 million viewers overall in "most current" averages for the season to date. "Revolution" has teamed with "The Voice" to help improve NBC's Mondays this season versus last by 24 percent in 18-49 (with a 3.6 rating vs. a 2.9)."

So, what did NBC do for season two?

They aired the entire second season on Wednesday night at 8pm.

[–] mikeflw1 11 years ago

Aw shucks...

There was a lot of competition on Mondays with the "performance" competitions, (dancing, singing...).

But even the SyFy Channel (formerly Sci-Fi Channel) moved their best shows off Fridays and put them on Mondays. (The Canadian LOST GIRL, and the knockoff of the British 5-season BEING HUMAN.) I seriously thought they put them out as sacrificial lambs, but... the renewals haven't hit on those yet. Maybe the SyFy execs are too distracted with their 'rasslin programming...

[–] evalina06 11 years ago

poor casting (the leads), wildly inconsistent writing, absolute refusal to listen to fans and critics, the partnership with UN, and kripke.

so much kripke.

[–] pam43525-1 11 years ago

I stopped watching halfway through season 1 because I couldn't stand watching Tracy S. attempt to act. She was/is atrocious in this show.

[–] lamont-hard 11 years ago

The good is Nevelle and Bass, maybe even Charlie but they tried to force the Miles and his cheating sister and Law on her husband on a male show and did not fly. They should have sopped after Nora with Miles.

[–] drmokedweed123 11 years ago

Apparently most places think it was the excessively long hiatus that caused it to lose steam

[–] bobafett669 10 years ago

Yes I agree. I loved this show and the network killed it. not the actors or the plot lines. Same crap we dealt with losing Heroes.