Well they were partially treading water waiting for TWS although I agree it still took them awhile to find their sea legs
If S.H.I.E.L.D. had 13 episodes, they would have trimmed off the shitty episodes, figured out Tahiti faster, hunted for the clairvoyant faster, introduced/evolved Deathlock faster, Got into Skyes backstory faster, got Ward and May on top of each other faster, had Hydra attack faster, and Ward turn on them faster... Actually since that would have still had to have happened when the movie happened, it just means that S.H.I.E.L.D. would have had to have happened later to coincide with the movie's synchronism. Point is, if all this shite was planned from the get go, and had to be done, it would still be done with in the limits of a 13 episode time frame. Meanwhile.... Almost everything Almost Human set up was either not pursued or self concluded within the episode that it was originated in. If you gave them another 40 episodes, they would still not explain what is behind the wall or why it was put up. You remember Hamsterdam from the Wire? Whatever as behind the wall can #### itself.
The only problem with that is we know Shield had the first 13 episodes done before the rest of the season got the go ahead.
So was Almost Human expecting a Back Nine and wound up with cancellation? How sad. What was the likelihood of S.H.I.E.L.D. not getting their back nine? They must have planned a 22 episode season. If Almost Human planned a 22 episode season one, then partial script outlines and plots are going to be revealed at some point, maybe. I remember feeling sad reading the unfilmed scripts of Crusade.
I'm pretty sure that Almost Human was meant to have just 13 episodes. The possibility of a back 9 order was never brought up anyone involved with the show IIRC.
If the 'treading water' was purposefully orchestrated (and the claim is everything Marvel does is purposefully orchestrated now) then it was a bad idea - AoS shed a lot of viewers in that timeframe and it's doubtful they'll all come back.
It was purposeful, but I still think mishandled. They wanted to establish SHIELD before tearing it down. In that sense, I think they did a good job. But they also had too long of a delay waiting for the movie to come out. On top of that, some of the scripts were just fairly mediocre without much in the way of stakes. That combined created problems that can't be blamed entirely on The Winter Soldier. On the other hand, The Winter Soldier also created roadblocks that couldn't be fully overcome. All that being said, shows inevitably shed viewers. The show has been consistent for some time with strong demographics, so it's tough to say if they would be in a different place otherwise.
Kevin Reilly stepped down as Entertainment Chairman of Fox Broadcasting today, and in an interesting bit of news, he had ordered a second season of Almost Human but was vetoed by Fox Networks Group CEO Peter Rice. Prior to Fox, Reilly had been with FX when they made The Shield, Rescue Me and Nip/Tuck, and NBC when they made 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, The Office and Chuck.
Some details about Reilly's departure, and the reasoning behind axing AH can e read here. http://www.vulture.com/2014/05/kevin-reilly-leaving-fox.html?mid=facebook_vulture
Well there's your "either/or". You could have had your Almost Human, at the expense, the execution of the Mindy Project and Brooklyn 99. But honestly, is it safe for anyone to leave Andy Sandberg unmonitored in the wilderness sauntering around without a leash?
I hate reading this, mostly because it assumes people are idiots and can't follow a (basically) episodic television series. Episode order had zero to do with this, at least with what was filmed.
Yes it did. Episode order is important especially with character (or story) development. Watch "Best of Both Worlds Part II" first, then Part 1. Did it matter?
No, any such person is an idiot if they don't notice. The episodic nature of the show just makes it a little harder to fathom unlike if new episodes of 24 were played randomly or even backward to the continuity suggested by the producers.
Other than the relationship between Dorian and Kennex, episode order meant nothing because I think there was only one instance where an event of a prior episode was brought back into play. And even though it was noticeable, considering the baby steps they were taking, it still wasn't the end all. The show was too concerned about the procedural plot of the week and not enough with the world building and character building.
People did point out that the relationship between the two characters seemed inconsistent and that seems to be attributable to airing out of order. I agree there are plenty of shows where the order doesn't matter at all and plenty of shows where it's vitally important. This show was neither. It wasn't vitally important, but that doesn't mean nothing was lost by doing it this way.
The Mindy Project should have cancelled itself, knowing that Almost Human was in danger. My god what a pile of shit. And while I find 99 amusing, I would have sacrificed it in an instant for AH. Dorian and Kennex were the shit. They should put together a movie, or a comic series or some books or an RPG setting or something to further entertain me with their adventures. If lame-ass Veronica Mars can get a direct-to-dvd crapfest kickstarted, I want more from actual good shows. The smart guy who left needs to go join up with a channel that doesn't have its head firmly lodged up its ass.