Monday, October 17, 2011
Television Memphis Beat: The Last Farewell
Posted by Greg Akers on Mon, Oct 17, 2011 at 1:46 PM
Our long civic nightmare is over.
The TNT show starred Jason Lee as Dwight Hendricks, a Memphis police detective moonlighting as a barroom blues and Elvis cover singer. Memphis Beat's formula: Hendricks, his partner Whitehead (Sam Hennings), their boss Lt. Rice (Alfre Woodard), and their PD officer buddy Sutton (DJ Qualls) would investigate an episode-standalone crime ostensibly representative of the city, get up to their ears in minor personal dramas, then resolve the parallel storylines in sometimes palatable fashion. Hijinks occasionally ensued.
Yahoo reports the season two finale got 4.05 million viewers, the show's best number since the series opener. Wasn't enough.
On the cancellation, the show's executive producer Liz Garcia said:
"To the fans of #Memphis Beat, thank you for watching, critiquing, singing along and supporting our show. It was a pleasure TV-ing for you."
Qualls had two comments on Twitter:
"Its over. Had a great time for 2yrs, but MB had run its course. My magic 8 ball is telling me, Ill find a new show soon...so there's that."
"Gotten so many kind words & wishes. Yes Memphis Beat's cancellation is final. Thanks to the fans for watching. We had a blast entertaining u"
Notoriously, though set in the Bluff City, Memphis Beat was filmed in New Orleans. (The one in Louisiana.) This was a budgetary decision and is what it is. It wasn't the producers' fault. Blame the state of Tennessee for not incentivizing Memphis film production. (Memphis filmmaking industry cheerleader Craig Brewer has something to say on that topic, kind of taking a different stance on the matter.)
The first season was more focused on the city, with plots often spinning from city tropes, including ones that the writers made up. Hendricks was a Southun Sherlock who was a self-appointed protector of Memphis, righting wrongs and making the streets safe for citizens like him who loved their hometown. The affection for Memphis was infectious. The show was dumb at times, but its heart was the right place.
The second season was a let down, from a Memphis perspective. The plots were increasingly unrelated to the city, and there was a general sense that the show just didn't care anymore about where it was set. Hendricks became more of a "human whisperer" whose homespun advice and insight into the human condition propelled the character. Memphis edged further into Mayberry territory. The season highlights — notably Red West as the man who murdered Hendricks' father years before — came at a less frequent clip.
Though a failure creatively, Memphis Beat's demise is not necessarily a referendum on the viability of setting a show in one place and filming it in another. I still believe that it's possible. Justified proves it can be done in a rural setting. What about shows set in recognizable urban places? TV New York is often studio Los Angeles.
But I do think Memphis Beat's failure underscores how difficult it is to pull off the feat. Would a Memphis Beat filmed in Memphis have been a success? Impossible to know. But it would almost by default have been more authentic and agreeable. Alternate-reality Memphis Beat would have had some love handles a local viewer could have grabbed on to.
That probably wouldn't have translated to the crime-of-the-week plots, which ranged from mildly enjoyable to mildly execrable to, at their worst, boring. However, denying the show's writers, filmmakers, and actors immersive access to their subject matter (the city of Memphis) potentially denied them inspiration for plots, acting points, and settings that could have elevated Memphis Beat from a third-tier show deserving of cancellation to a second-tier program deserving of DVR'ing (though likely nothing short of a different concept would have made it worthy of the gold-standard tell of great TV: marathoning episodes.)
Filming Memphis Beat in New Orleans didn't kill the show, but it didn't help.
A constant stream of regional cultural and geographic inaccuracies didn't kill the show, but it didn't help.
Lazy writing and underdeveloped ideas killed the show. The city of Memphis was just another victim of another inane Memphis Beat crime with another unsatisfying conclusion.
End credits.
Comments (54)
Showing 1-50 of 54
HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT!! Finally a show that just may be a little quirky - but it was a fun show to watch with the music topping it off!! Let's just start some more REALITY shows - yea like that is what we need!
like
dislikeby all means lets clog up the networks with more trashy dance and reality shows!! wow tv is hardly worth watching thank goodness for pay per view..This was a fun show,loved the cast!! well too bad another lost gem
As someone who has visited Memphis many, many times over the past 30 years or so I have become quite fond of the place even with all it's quirkiness but hey any place that could bring us someone like Elvis has got to be good, right? As soon as I found out Memphis Beat was actually filmed in N.O. I was really disappointed even though it was really, really obvious if you were paying attention. I guess N.O. is just more 'photogenic' and probably gave better tax deals anyway. We all got rooked on this cancellation deal if you ask me! Especially Memphis. Now no one will want to do a tv show there for quite some time I am afraid. Can't wait to see what Jason Lee will do next. Great show you guys.
TNT IS A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT!!!! THIS SHOW WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE SUMMER.
SO DISAPPOINTED that this show is canceled! Maybe the storylines weren't all that fantastic, but it sure was better than seeing another "Keeping up with the Kardashians", "Dancing the the Stars" (who really aren't stars any more), "The Real Housewives of (pick ANY TOWN)" etc.
As for not being set in Memphis, it still was a better hour spent in front of the TV than ANY of the reality shows.
Memphis Beat was a great show. The cast was amazing. Agree that the second season faltered and changed direction too much, but all this whining about it not being filmed in Memphis! It was fiction! Many shows are filmed in cities other than the ones portrayed in the show. The show may not have been true Memphis but it did a lot for the city. And most of the millions of viewers didn't know and didn't care if the skyline wasn't true, if the bridge was in the wrong place or even if the river flowed backwards. The finale by the way had over 5 million viewers. RIP Memphis Beat. It will be missed by many.
I predict "Dallas" will flop after one season..It was and will still be an overrated soap opera.(Not a big draw these days).I guess the 80 year old JR will be chasing the old gals down at the nursing homes..If they spent a third of the money they are spending on Dallas on "Memphis Beat", "Memphis Beat" would have been a top ranked series during any season..As it goes- To TNT- Sometimes there are diamonds in your own back yard..Just look..
I am so upset. I did not even know Memphis Beat was going off the air.. I thought it was great and it was a show that my adult children would come in and watch it with us. So it was also great for family time. I sure hope you play the last one again. I think you guys are making a big mistake. I am so sick of reality T.V. I think I am just going to cancel my direct TV and get back to just doing things with the family...
I can"t wait to see what will replace this great show. After The Closer finishes will not really have a reason to watch TNT. They really dropped the ball on this one.
Very sad to see this show cancelled. It was one of my favorites and thank goodness I DVR'd most of the episodes. I really loved watching it, loved the pace and the down to earth story lines. The cast made the show what it was. All were excellent. Whitehead was quick with comments that made me laugh. Loved the intro song and music performed by Keb Mo. Now he's a great blues singer. Memphis Beat will be missed by many loyal viewers.
I loved Memphis Beat. Yeah, the plots and dialogue were lame most of the time, but I'll watch Jason Lee in anything. DJ Qualls is always fun to watch too. Oh well....they tried.
Loved the show and can't believe TNT cancelled this show. Maybe if they gave a bit more thought into when it aired (summer, really?) and not promoting it more fervently. I wonder if the powers that be are being run by ABC/NBC/CBS execs who throw out good shows just to be replaced by mindless crap. I miss the days when stations actually invested time to find an audience, if they hadn't we'd never have MASH, Happy Days and many others from decades ago.
Loved Memphis Beat. Jason Lee was my favorite and loved his singing. Will really miss that it is not on this year.
Sorry to se this show go. One of the very best on tv. When the Closer goes there will really be nothing left to watch. No wonder my husband just watches old western movies over and over again. I looked forward to this show all week. All that is left are mindless reality shows. I hope the networks start to wake up and put some something back on that has some meat on the bone sort thing. I do not think they have any idea what is really going on anymore. It is all about who can act the worst and get away with it. Not a good message to the children of this country. They should be ashamed.
Horrible decision to end this show! TNT has just lost my vote as "favorite network" When "The Closer" goes off the air... as far as I'm concerned - TNT will too - there's nothing left for me to watch on the network - or any other for that matter! All these stupid reality shows makes me want to toss my TV out the window. I'm sick of hearing about them. They are nothing but TRASH! I agree with the earlier comment: "It is all about who can act the worst and get away with it. Not a good message to the children of this country.
I looked forward to this show always--wondering if it was on a break or gone. Just now finding it *is* gone is a sad comment on the taste of those who choose which show to feature. This had an actual story (even though some say lame or dull) and characters that were different one from another and from other shows on tv. They were likable and soon became more like friends than tv actors. I refuse to watch ANY reality show. They are becoming a spreading joke--especially the Kard's! They are everywhere! anytime! and always awful. TNT is one of the few channels I check for content (still some favorites there). Local broadcast channels are mostly a joke, cable is becoming more so--I'll echo the writer who said it's about time to throw out the tv!
really loved this show, I just went looking for info on it since I had not seen it in a while..we need more good shows set in the south..I thought it was a show with good heart..Justified is a great show set in the south, I was hoping this one would be back..I was looking forward to both..great actors..too bad..everytime a good show comes up, it seems to get knocked off, and then they keep so much garbage on..don't get it..
Great ensemble cast. Just different enough to make it last - or so I thought. It made me want to visit Memphis (although I since found out it was filmed elsewhere.) Maybe some reruns will discover a bigger audience.
Shame, shame, shame on TNT.....this was a GREAT show that we looked forward to watching EVERY week....we would watch TNT over the major network channels...becauase TNT had better shows....Now, you take one of the BEST off the air.......might make me think twice about the major networks........Again, SHAME, SHAME, SHAME on you, TNT.....
Brenda D., Concord, California
Too bad. There were some things that needed improvement...like Dwight always performing in a bar to loud applause, especially when he's at best a mediocre singer, but other than that the show was entertaining. The mother and her boyfriend were miscast, although both actors are good and it was good to see Daniel Hugh Kelly back on TV.
But...compared to what's out on the major networks...this was one of the better ones.
So no more Memphis Beat, last year of The Closer, no Monk, no Good Guys (quirky show but entertaining)...and all we have to watch are silly comedies like The Middle and Last Man Standing. Thank goodness for the Cooking Channel.
Now that the best show on tv has been cancelled, will they finally release the DVDs. Reruns are better than nothing.
Loved the show. Upset to see it has been cancelled. Not much worth watching on television any longer. It's about time to get off the reality show kick. I refuse to watch any of the reality shows because they are stupid. Once NCIS, Psych, Closer and White Collar are done, I am done with TV except for the NFL and MLB.
Sadly, as so many of you have commented, MB was a odd, quirky show. Each season when these shows start up, in my house, we say "uh-oh" because we know it has a limited shelf life. I'm still crossing my fingers about Justified, Bones, Boardwalk Empire, White Collar, Southland & the insanely crazy, funny or incredible dramas that the BBC offers. I even don't believe any of the real estate shows. They rarely result in a sale or realistic requests, maybe I'm just becoming spooked about what is real or not real.
this sucks and so does TNT. Between this and Eureka being cancelled. I heard Hawthorne was also, but actually do not care because I did not like the way it was going. I hope the rest of my shows are safe.
My wife and I will have to stop falling in love with anything on TNT. We believe Memphis Beat was one of the freshest and most enjoyable character driven shows on any network. Cancelling it rather than just bringing in some new writers was a moronic idea. I sure wish TNT would finally figure out that sometimes it may take a while for the personality of a program to catch on.
I'm a bit slow catching the news. Verrrry disappointing! Loved the show; everything about it was new and fresh. Boo Hollywood...
I could not believe they cancelled Memphis Beat. My friends and I have been waiting for it to come back. The scheduling of the shows on TNT and USA are so spordic that no one knows when the next one is coming. I'm with everybody else about the reality shows. I have never nor will I ever watch one. What else was cancelled while I waited patiently for the two or three episodes before they took another break?
What a disappointment to see the show go. I just adore Alfre Woodard and her character in MB. I never cared that the "plots" were strained. Honestly, I'm tired of crime shows; none of it seems realistic or clever anymore. The reason to watch MB was to see the interactions between the characters--it would have been just as good if they had worked at a bar or car wash. And the City of Memphis was one of those fascinating characters (played unevenly by the City of New Orleans). The show made me interested in Memphis, it's history, culture, and music.
I will miss Memphis Beat no matter where it was filmed. I'm so sick of "reality" shows that are anything but. To bad TNT didn't try to promote this show more. It was fun.
That's it. I'm done with TNT and TV in general. Every single show that I've liked over the years gets cancelled one by one abruptly. If you think all your viewers want to watch trashy reality shows then you are sadly mistaken. Sooner or later more people will cut their cable and satellite subscriptions and just go with Netflix or similar. It is much cheaper, no annoying repeat commercials and we can pick what to watch and when. Keep it up and you'll see lots more like me doing the same thing in utter frustration...
TNT, take note. There isn't a negative comment to be read about Memphis Beat. Shouldn't that tell you something? The show was wonderful and I was really looking forward to its return. The only reason I know that it has been cancelled is that I Googled it after noticing that Jason Lee seemed to be a regular on UP ALL NIGHT and it made me wonder. Now that I know, I have to agree with some the comments and I think I might be finished with TNT too. This isn't the first time they have cancelled some good shows, but this one beats them all. Shame on you.
I found the show to be quite entertaining. A quality not found in all of the offered fare.
I loved the 1st season, but the 2nd season palled in comparison. I think Jason Lee's weight loss was one of the factors. He became less attractive for me (I know that's shallow, but what can I say). I didn't think it would make it another season, because the whole feel of the show was off last season.
Now if you want to watch quirky and fun watch Franklin & Bash, unless they find a way to screw this one up too. The 1st season was truly fun!!!
This is a shame, the show was entertaining, a litte off beat good story lines. TNT needs to reconsider this option, they have lost a viewer.
I am missing this show and hope another (smarter) station will pick it up and actually advertise/promote the show. With great, fun characters, good music, and most importantly, a morally centered group of people doing their jobs. Not sleeping with each other, or stealing from the drug busts, or hiding a secret drug abuse problem, etc. Just good old fashioned action, funny lines and bad guy vs. good guy. You know, a show a family could watch together...too bad TNT, what a shame.
What a shame another great show gone I miss it so much Loved all the charcters you screwed up TNT nothing good on your network anymore after the closer ends hate reality t I wanted to be entertained not immersed in ogther peoples problem. Jason Lee is hot can sing and I loved him in this role all of them were wonderful. TNT u are really messed up
I can't believe this show was cancelled. Like so many other viewers I am tired of reality shows, talk shows and hospital drama shows. I think the TV networks need to clean house and install some execs that will make better choices for the viewing audiences.
Alfre Woodard and Jason Lee plus supporting actors canceled to put on some half-rate drama??? They should have fired the nitwits who made the decision to cancel...Very disappointing that show is cancelled...more disappointed in the decisiion-makers who should have gone instead,,,
Just read the bad news about the cancellation. Too bad. Boardwalk Empire isn't filmed in Atlantic City, yet AC benefits and is capitalizing on the success of the show. Memphis could have done the same. When we were in Memphis for the first time this past December, one of the pictures I took was of a Memphis police cruiser, simply because we were such big fans of Memphis Beat.
The show was great and the sound track even better. The cancellation leaves a void in the TNT programming. Will miss Memphis Beat, I really enjoyed the show.
I hear that the same folks who killed Firefly, killed Memphis Beat. Just kidding but not really. Please, not one more episode of CSI: ANYWHERE. Memphis beat was good TV.
funny, quirky, something to look forward to that the Networks weren't giving us...uneven, sure but that's true of a lot of shows (just look at how Harry's Law nosedived after a really promising start).....so, of course, now it's gone. It's true...after the Closer is gone, TNT just doesn't have a lot left.
I just found out about the cancellation of "Memphis Beat" and am SO disappointed. I can't believe all the crappy reality shows, lame talent shows, and silly sitcoms that are still on the air when this fun, quirky, entertaining show has been removed. I guess TNT wants to cater to the uninformed masses. What a sell out! Shame on you!
Unbelieveable. My wife & I just found out Memphis Beat was canceled. This has to be one of the dumbess decisions TNT tv could make. We have looked forward to this show & especially the upcoming season. I read some of the reasons, but not enough justification to cancel, This show has been just as good as any other crime show on tv, if not better. Looks like about a 100% of the folks writing agree it's a great show. Jason Lee & the rest of the cast made it work. I would hope the TNT people would reconsider or at least another network would pick it up. I am sorry TNT responsibles, you are a bunch of idiots.
this is bs.ive been waiting all this time for my show to come back on and i find out they canceled it..you guys suck.bring it back.
My heart is broken! Shit, Shit, Shit! Everytime I find a show I LOVE, this happens. I Loved this show!
All I can say to the cancellation of Memphis Beat is BOOO HISSSSS! Compared to most other trash tv this show full of real people with real lives portrayed with compassion. I will miss this show. I know when I like a show it will be short lived; have lots of time to listen to audio books. Reality tv sucks!
SHOCKING!! Favorite show.Bring it back!!! Down with all who
cancelled this show. NO more TNT for me. WE WANT MEMPHIS BEAT!!
I loved Memphis Beat!! I can't believe it. TNT has such crappy shows left, this is one channel I won't have to choose between. The characters on Memphis Beat were passionate and fun to watch. Guess USA or a good book wins again. With all the horrible reality shows that stay on, how do they justify taking off one of my favorite shows.
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