Nice Girls Gift Guide: The Canceled Series Fan

Odds are you’ve got a TV watcher (or twelve) on your holiday gift list this year, but you may be stumped on what to give them. Nice Girls to the rescue! Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be bringing you a slew of gift ideas for various TV fans on your list.

The Canceled Series Fan

Do you have someone on your list who is doomed to love series that don’t last more than a season or two? The TV landscape is littered with shows that were loved passionately by a (not enough) fans, and axed by Grinch-like execs. Fortunately, DVDs, graphic novels and memorabilia can lengthen a show’s run beyond mere broadcast television. Here are some gift ideas for the (TV) lovelorn.

Moonlight – A vampire series that aired on CBS in 2007-2008, Moonlight could have been the leader of the vampires-on-TV pack. It could have been the show that took vampires mainstream. Instead, CBS decided that 8 million viewers on a Friday night wasn’t good enough, and canceled it in May 2008. In September 2008, True Blood debuted on HBO. In November 2008, the first Twilight movie hit movie screens. Within six months of CBS’ decision to axe their vampire series, their Friday night viewership was averaging 5 million and vampires had become a pop culture phenomenon.

In spite of behind-the-scenes turmoil (the show went through major casting changes between the pilot and the series, and at least three different showrunners during its brief run) and the writers’ strike, Moonlight found a sizable audience who tuned in every week to watch hunky private investigator, and vampire, Mick St. John (Alex O’Loughlin) woo spunky reporter Beth Turner (Sophia Myles) and trade snarky comments with wily vampire Josef Constantin (Jason Dohring) while fighting crime. Fan efforts to save the show were unsuccessful, but many continue to hope that one day we’ll see a movie or mini-series to wrap up the series. In the meantime, the all-too-brief series is available to watch on DVD and think about what might have been had CBS had the foresight to see the forthcoming vampire craze. ~ Melissa

We also recommend…

Pushing Daisies seasons 1 & 2 – Whimsical and prone to the occasional burst of song, thanks to star Kristin Chenoweth, this was another show before its time. Pair this with a pie server for an extra touch.

Firefly Vehicle Decal – Subtle but sure to bring a smile to a fellow Browncoat, this “Engineered by Firefly” decal is perfect for the earthbound. Keep the signal going by pairing it with Firefly: Still Flying: A Celebration of Joss Whedon’s Acclaimed TV Series.

Mord Sith Guide to Fashion T-Shirt – Legend of the Seeker fans are the most recently heartbroken by their show’s cancellation. If you have a LotS fan on your list, give her the gift of a joke only other fans will understand with this t-shirt.