Hopefully, people aren’t too surprised about The Moody’s being canceled, since like it or not, a lot of shows have been getting the chop lately. That tends to happen when ratings aren’t where the networks want them to be, but one might have thought with a lineup including Denis Leary that this wouldn’t have happened. The main reason that the show won’t see a season 3 is due to ratings, but one thing that kind of stands out is the whole idea of the dysfunctional family trope. Granted, the Moody’s were still a rather tightly-knit family that pulled together, but it’s a trope that, like everything else, kind of comes and goes when it has to do with popularity. The truth is that dysfunctional families have been one of the biggest attractions when it comes to TV shows since many upon many people have enjoyed such families for so long that it’s hard to remember a time when such shows didn’t exist. The term ‘dysfunctional’ has been used with many families over the course of cinematic history, but what’s been easy to note is how often people tend to enjoy watching a dysfunctional family more than they do a well-balanced and loving family.
A good deal of it has to do with context and how the family pulls together when they have to while tormenting each other the rest of the time. When it’s comedic in nature and the comedy can be used to dampen the otherwise horrific real-life experience by making light of it, then people are usually at ease and can relax. Of course, even if a show touches on the reality of dysfunctional families and the damage that can be inflicted at times, people still watch for the drama. The truth is that comedy and drama have been two of the biggest elements of the most successful TV shows throughout history. The wholesome, family-oriented shows that people have loved over the years have still had plenty of drama, which is part of what’s kept them alive since otherwise people tend to get bored with the nice and well-adjusted lives of those that don’t get into trouble, don’t fight, and don’t have any serious issues to speak of.
But even the fans of dysfunction get bored after a while since the trope can get a bit old after a while if it’s not given a different look, a different feel, or something that might differentiate it from so many other shows. The Moody’s simply didn’t have that ‘wow’ factor apparently since their ratings were starting to drop by the second season, which made it clear to Fox that there was no need to continue onward. It’s not known whether or not the show will find another home on another network, but at this time it does feel as though it might be placed to the side and possibly left to sit for a while. Unless someone picks it up quickly it’s very likely that the show will sit for a while and collect dust before finally being forgotten for a while. The hope is that this won’t happen, that something will be done to make it stand out and be more attractive to someone that could use the show in a more effective manner, but don’t anyone hold their breath just yet.
The number of shows that have been canceled lately might make people wonder if some kind of revolution or upgrade is coming to the TV industry, but the best thing to count on is that things will continue pushing forward as they have been. Shows get canceled more often than people appear to realize since the fact is that finding out what works and what doesn’t is a process that’s ongoing and isn’t bound to stop so long as new ideas are brought forward and old ideas are found to be less than appealing after one or two seasons. The process of trial and error is bound to continue for a while since this is how networks discover which shows are really worth something versus those that are good for one or two seasons before they fade out.
Shows do tend to come back now and again, so it’s fair to say that people shouldn’t give up on The Moody’s just yet, at least until it’s announced that the show is DOA and won’t be seen on any other network. There’s always a hope that someone else could use a show on their roster, especially since different networks are capable of putting a slightly different look on various shows that get recycled from time to time. So yeah, it’s possible that this show might come back, and it’s entirely possible that it might see increased ratings if things change for the better. Just don’t count on it right at this moment.
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