Well, by the looks of things the last new episode of ‘Ed’ has been shown, unless NBC decides to pick it up for a 5th season. At this point, that looks very unlikely.
I’ve always been impressed with the high quality of the the show, from the actors to the writers, this show was just well made. In an age of reality TV, ‘Ed’ was my safe haven from the nonsense that grips a majority of television executive’s attention spans today.
Unfortunaly, like many good shows, ‘Ed’ never really caught the time slot it needed. It would have been much better in a later time slot, given the Northen Exposure feel to the show (the producers have also made this comment). We would have seen more of the supporting cast, which in my mind was masterfully cast. But alas, it was not to be, or at least seems that way.
All in all, ‘Ed’ lasted about 3 seasons longer then I thought it would. I didn’t think it would last past the first season, given it’s poor time slot. Then I though the low overall ratings would haunt it over the next three seasons. But the show hung in there, and drew an affluent (read: intelligent) crowd with high incomes which advertisers love.
The irony is, that ‘Ed’ is one of the last shows I’ll even watch on NBC. With ‘Friends’ finishing this year, and ‘Scrubs’ likely to fall victim to a similar fate as ‘Ed’ (honestly, they mistreat their best shows) NBC will have lost another viewer. Sure, I’m just one viewer, but I know many who feel the same way.
In between all the madness, ‘Ed’ stood out. The actors created a world that you could slip into and feel at home. Few shows ever get close to accomplishing this feat. But Stuckeyville became just that: home. The cast, the writers and the entire crew that made ‘Ed’ the great show it is, and was, I thank you.