Sad farewell to “Men of a Certain Age”
I was rejoicing a couple of weeks ago because the TNT network had renewed “Falling Skies” for a second season.
“Falling Skies” is a great show – a sci-fi-drama with realistic characters and interesting story lines.
It also features another outstanding role fashioned by former “ER” star Noah Wyle as a Boston history professor and the father of three sons who becomes one of the leaders of the survivors of a desolating alien attack on Earth.
But then my happiness about that show’s renewal turned to disappointment when I learned about the demise of another.
Friday I read that TNT had canceled “Men of a Certain Age,” which stars Ray Romano, Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher, and is another first-rate series only just ending its second season.
According to an Associated Press report, the network said it was a “difficult decision,” but the show failed to attract a big enough audience despite its excellence, averaging 2.7 million viewers for the episodes that concluded this month.
The AP story also mentioned that “Men of a Certain Age” received a prestigious George Foster Peabody award earlier this year and co-star Andre Braugher was recently nominated for an Emmy as best supporting actor in a drama series,
Romano and Bakula consistently delivered award-worthy performances, along with Braugher, and the writing was always above-par as well, in this show about three longtime friends going through mid-life and various other life crises in authentic, humorous and poignant ways.
Sorry to see you go, “Men of a Certain Age,” and sorry there wasn’t more support for you from TNT and from viewers, who were missing out on an extraordinary series.
– Melissa Hayer
mhayer@opubco.com
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