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No more "Men in Trees" for Anne HecheSo remember that TV show about a bunch of quirky but lovable romantics living in Alaska, who approach the ups and downs of life and love with an affable sense of humor? No, I'm not talking about the long-dormant Northern Exposure; I'm talking about ABC's Men in Trees, starring Anne Heche.
Earlier this week, TV Guide's Michael Ausiello reported that ABC has officially canceled the series, which suffered from oft-shifting time slots. It has aired on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, at various times, over the course of its two seasons since it premiered in September 2006. It was also pulled from ABC's prime-time schedule several times (once to make room for October Road, and more recently due to the WGA strike), leaving large gaps between new episodes. Not surprisingly, ratings for the show have been uneven. I admit, Men in Trees is not the most revolutionary show on television, but I found myself liking it and liking Anne's character, Marin Frist, a big-city relationship expert (she writes self-help books) who relocates serendipitously to small-town Elmo, Alaska. Yes, there were some annoying (and sometimes offensive) characters on the show, but overall the episodes that I saw were heart-warming and cozy, and I mean that in the best possible way. I freely admit that I have a big soft spot for romantic comedy, and Men in Trees did it pretty well. The relationship between Marin's biggest fan, Annie (Emily Bergl), and Patrick (Derek Richardson) was a little bit odd and a little bit sweet.
Patrick's mom, Elmo police chief Celia Bachelor (Cynthia Stevenson), was dry and funny.
Marin's editor, Jane (Seana Kofoed), was a loving parody of the New York literary set, complete with great glasses.
And yeah, I even enjoyed Marin's dalliances with all the manly men of Elmo.
I haven't caught up with all the episodes yet, but I'm bummed that it's over, because Men in Trees was a sweet hour of fantasy on TV. Yeah, it was idyllic, and yeah, there were fairy tale endings every week. That was the point. So if you feel like the rug was pulled out from beneath you, I agree.
ABC will air the remaining new episodes of Men in Trees beginning Wednesday, May 28. Will you be watching? Submitted by on May 6, 2008 - 9:00am. |
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hmmm...
I was so excited when Men in Trees first aired, because I had missed Anne Heche, but I found myself not caring for all that happened... Yeah, it has really fairy-tale-ish endings, with a not-so-subtle voice over, but still, sometimes I thought things happened too fast, and other times, too slow (Patrick's amnesia?? REALLY??)
I can't say I'll miss it terribly, but I'll miss it from time to time...
and, oh yeah, Seana Kofoed's character Jane was awesome!! and beautiful, too...
MyRants
MySpace
I know how most feel about
Adorkable.
i never cared for that show.
guilty pleasure
I've started watching Men
I've started watching Men In Trees just because Sarah Strange was in it (loved her in ReGenesis) but found that I fell for the series as a whole. Nice characters, nice landscape (actually shot near Vancouver), nice storylines. One of my fave characters was Chief Celia, she really cracked me up :)
Too bad it got cancelled now. The first season was better than the second in my opinion, but the second season is still good enough to continue. Well, I already got used to all my fave shows being cancelled (sorry for whining).
Hmm, now that MIT is over maybe Sarah Strange will return to ReGenesis... (wishful thinking).
And here I was..
..thinking "YAY! Wonderfalls!" =)
I came out to my mom!
I'm going to miss this show.
One word
I liked the show, and I try not to let my opinion of a person affect my enjoyment of a show, but after seeing her interview with Craig Ferguson last month, I'm less sorry to see the show cancelled.
Anne Heche on Craig Ferguson 4/9/08:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mbj1X4p1KY
"I have, yes. Had an open mind." (Anne Heche)
In past interviews when they've brought up her gay past I've liked her responses, but her overall flippant attitude in this interview, and especially that one-word correction, left me disappointed in her.
~ Angie
Wow, so I'm not the only one...
...even if apparently all of us who watch it think we're the only one.
I was entirely prepared to dislike this show, it's so far from my regular tastes as can be (without going into reality TV - won't touch that with a 6-foot spear). But for some reason those little KT Tunstall snippets in the previews kept drawing me in, and when it premiered I found myself watching it, and, to my surprise, liking it. Anne's character is lovely and quirky, the entire town is lovely and quirky, it reminded me a lot of Gilmore Girls (I tried, I really tried for Lauren Graham, but I couldn't do it), but it didn't get on my nerves quite as much.
And Suleka Mathew. Wow. Where has she been my entire TV-watching life? Of course I adore all the ladies, Marin, and Jane, and Theresa (not Annie, so much, I'll have to admit, she makes me nervous just looking at her), but Suleka Mathew's Sara is my heart of the show, unapologetic and strong, and yet warm and caring, not to mention gorgeous (despite the unfortunate dating-Krycek thing).
I'll admit I feel a bit like someone pulled the rug out from under me. I'm really sad there won't be more season's of this show.
Oh, Canada!
ALASKA (and its beauty) was the true heroine of this delightful, escapist show
Uh, no. CANADA is the beauty here. This show, and Northern Exposure and virtually every other "Alaskan" movie/tv show you've ever seen/heard of are all shot in Canada, sometimes LA or - recently - Iceland. And here's a fun fact, this show started off with Marin being freaked by a raccoon. Guess which state doesn't have native raccoons (or snakes)?
If you are interested in what Alaska looks like, the movies "Limbo" and "Into the Wild" - about that fool who died of starvation because he couldn't be bothered with silly shite like a map - were actually shot here; Southeast Alaska and the Interior, respectively.
The show was fun, hope they put it out on dvd quickly.
Oh not Canada!
Don't get me wrong - I love Canada - but Northern Exposure was filmed almost enitrely in Washington state.
Not Only But Also
Can't find the edit button ...
... oh well ...
What I was getting at was that most shows supposedly about life up here in Seward's Folly are not filmed anywhere near here. I was typing a bit fast and neglected to put Washington State on the list of stand-ins for the Last Frontier. It's rare that a film or tv production ever films here; we just get stuck with all kinds of depictions about how wacky & weird we all are.
I've never gotten the whole "hating Anne Heche" thing. Ms. Ellen hooked up with a willing, young, actress who had a well known reputation as a wild child (she had a similar relationship/break up with Steve Martin). It wasn't a secret that Ms. Heche wasn't all that stable and from all reports she took off while in the middle of a psychotic break. I'm not saying that Ms. Ellen didn't get her heart broke, but when you chose cute over sane, well .... to quote Violet: "You make your own choices, you pay your own prices."
It looks like Ms. Heche is still all kinds of wild in her personal life, but since I'm not dating her - I don't care. I do wish the network had taken better care of this show, I did enjoy it - when I could find it.
I hated Anne Heche...
Did Anne dump Ellen?
Did Anne or Ellen ever publicly state the reason for their breakup? I think it was painful for Anne, too, considering she was the one who pulled a Margot Kidder as soon as they broke up.
~ Angie
okay show
thought it was gone
well............
Not an Anne-hater, but...
I can't speak for Anne-haters, but my disappointment in Anne Heche has nothing to do with the break-up. It has to do with her back-pedaling. The more time goes by, the more she tries to make light of her lesbian past. I don't care if she sees herself as bisexual or as a straight woman who once had an open mind for three and a half years. She was such a strong advocate for our community when she was in it, and after their break-up she continued to make positive statements, but that's changed over time. She knows first-hand how hard it is to be gay, and I guess I just expected more from her post-Ellen.
~ Angie
Too bad!