10 TV Shows That Were Doomed From The Start
5. Cop Rock
Airing for one 11 episode season on ABC in 1990, and created by legendary writer and producer Steven Bochco, Cop Rock was a down and dirty police procedural with a difference: it incorporated elements of musical theatre into the production of every episode.
Yeah, I'm not sure how they sneaked this one past ABCs executives either. Bochco was, at the time, one of the more reliable hitmakers in American television, having shepherded seminal US television shows like Hill Street Blues, LA Law and Doogie Howser to the screen. Critics noted the gritty dialogue and flawless production values, while remaining utterly nonplussed at the juxtaposition between the procedural elements and the choreographed gospel, rock and pop tunes that the cast would break into at key moments in the drama.
The show would be cancelled amid low ratings and the kind of bemused amusement normally reserved for people who believe in fairies. Bochco was accepting of the early cancellation of the project, shrugging that viewers seemed unwilling to make the leap with them. It's more likely that Cop Rock violated the first rule of narrative: it didn't allow the audience to suspend their disbelief. Musicals require a different, greater degree of suspension to realistic cop shows - the audience could handle one, but not the other.