I've been watching episodes ...

• Sep 21, 2007 04:00 AM ET
• by Matt Roush

Question: I've been watching episodes of Crossing Jordan on A&E for a few weeks now and find it pretty entertaining, so I looked up the date of the new season premiere and read that NBC had canceled it. Just like that, on a cliff-hanger? I know it's been on for six seasons, but what bothers me most is how it ended. The finale didn't feel like a series finale. The producers clearly didn't know they weren't getting another season. Are the rumors of its cancellation true? If so, how disappointing. By the way, how did the Emmys not nominate Walton Goggins for his fantastic performance on The Shield this season?!
Answer: The snub of Walton Goggins was deplorable, but it probably has more to do with The Shield being relatively and unfortunately under the radar compared to the higher-profile shows that filled that category (Lost, Heroes, Grey's Anatomy, The Sopranos and, yes, Boston Legal). As for Crossing Jordan: It's hardly a rumor. It's finished. At least two of its stars are on new fall series. And the writing was on the wall for that show all of last season. It didn't premiere until midseason, switched time periods and was pretty clearly sliding into oblivion. If the producers left things hanging (I'll admit, I wasn't keeping up) in some false hope they could force the network's hand to keep the show alive, it backfired. And I'd blame the writers for that more than the network, which clearly had given up on the show by then, even if its most loyal fans hadn't.