Renew these characters
As ABC continues to air the final episodes of its many canceled series - “Eli Stone’’ began its final four last night at 10 - it’s time to take a stand. OK, so we’re not going to save these shows; but maybe we can fill a lifeboat with some of their best people. From all the season’s canceled network comedies and dramas, are there characters we wanted to know better? Are there ones we can never get enough of? Here’s a proposal to renew a few characters and give them a second chance.
MATTHEW GILBERT
CHARLIE CREWS (Damian Lewis)
“Life’’ After 12 years in jail for murders he didn’t commit, Charlie emerged a perfect specimen of calm vengeance. He was all Zen on the surface, with his neutral poker face, his soft-spoken manner, and his obsession with fruit, which wasn’t available in jail. But in his heart, Charlie was a hound for justice. The show “Life’’ had many great semi-comic moments, almost always thanks to Charlie’s wry, unshakable cool. Let’s drop this red-headed millionaire into another show that’s a little less uneven and a little more overtly funny - maybe “Zen and the Art of Money Maintenance’’?
DET. RAY CARLING (Michael Imperioli) “Life on Mars’’
It wasn’t just the 1970s mustache. But the mustache, of the Fu Manchu persuasion, was definitely a plus. And so were the polyester duds. Carling was macho and he was a sleazebag, but he had the potential to offer a new twist on Sipowicz from “NYPD Blue.’’ Yeah, Imperioli was and always will be Christopher from “The Sopranos,’’ but as Carling we almost forgot that. Let’s give Ray his own 1970s cop vehicle, “Fu Manchu Blue.’’
DET. ALLISON BEAUMONT (Monique Gabriela Curnen) “The Unusuals’’ On this show, so crowded with cops and quirks, and so focused on star Amber Tamblyn, she never got enough screen time. But Beaumont was one of the detectives you could really take seriously, with her cynical point of view and her ability to slug back a few shots of whiskey. She had a slight “Wire’’ vibe about her. Let’s send her over to NBC’s more straight-ahead cop drama, “Southland,’’ which is set in LA, and see if she can fit in better with that crowd.
RANDY HICKEY (Ethan Suplee) “My Name Is Earl’’ The rest of the gang almost wore out their welcome, and the show’s cancellation is not a tragedy. But I will miss Randy - the full-grown child, the prince of simplicity, the gentle 32-year-old giant. His sweet stupidity was so endlessly human. Remember how he wanted Earl to kiss his boo-boos? He was a real fountain of brotherly love/codependency. Come on, let’s give him another crazy family, and this time let’s make him a Bluth. That’s right, folks: “Arrested Development 2: Randy Edition.’’
NED (Lee Pace) “Pushing Daisies’’ He was the pie maker in this fairy tale of a TV show, and he could bring a person back to life with one touch - but kill them again forever with a second touch. Such hard rules! Such obvious metaphor! Ned was a sweet, fragile, emotionally guarded guy trying to make his way into a more engaging life of love. I say we should pull him out of the “Daisies’’ wonderland, put him in the kitchen at a contemporary bakery, and see if he can come out of his childlike stupor. Drop all the quirky symbolism and the precious narration and show us “Ned for Real.’’ With his dog Digby, of course.
ROSEMARY (Megan Mullally) “In the Motherhood’’ The sitcom was bad. Oh baby, was it bad. But amid all the failed, whiney domestic humor, there was cynical Rosemary, bursting bubbles all over the mommyhood and sparking all the local nannies to revolt. A veteran of a tacky 1980s band, she was a subversive character who deserved much better writing. Plus, Megan Mullally - love her. How about her own sitcom, “Sage Rosemary’’?
DR. FRANK CHEN (James Saito) “Eli Stone’’ He’s a relatively peripheral character in the “Eli Stone’’ universe, but he could carry a show, I’m sure of it. He was Dr. Chen, the Chinese acupuncturist, herbalist, and spiritual guide. But - psych - his real name was Frank Lebakowski and he was from New Jersey. Still, he was a healer and a loyal leader, even while he never failed to make me laugh. I say let him keep his shop and customers for a half-hour single-camera comedy called, simply, “Chen.’’
PATRICK DARLING (William Baldwin) “Dirty Sexy Money’’ There were many rich characters on this show - rich as in wealthy and rich as in colorful. But Patrick, the oldest Darling child, and the least crazy, had plenty of potential. As he climbed a political ladder that might have taken him to the White House, he also determined to be more true to himself and his love for the transsexual Carmelita - before she was murdered, of course. Patrick needs to be on TV, not just because he was in the middle of a struggle to be true to himself but also because, well, how many men are attracted to transsexuals on prime-time TV? Give him a political drama that neither exploits nor ignores his sexual orientation: “The Senator.’’ Matthew Gilbert can be reached at gilbert@globe.com. For more on TV, visit boston.com/ae/tv/blog/. 