Why 'Ringer' Should Be Canceled
After "Ringer" was rejected by CBS, The CW valiantly swooped in to save little Buffy and her soapy primetime series. And we were smitten with the show at first, thanks to Sarah Michelle Gellar and the promise of lots of dark twists and evil twins. Fast-forward 20 episodes later and we've all but given up on what has now become a forgettable drama that we barely remember exists. The CW has yet to announce any plans of renewing the series, but we have a few reasons why this week's Season 1 finale should be the series finale.
The Two-Month Hiatus Was a Death Sentence
"Ringer" took a winter break at the end of November and didn't come back until the end of January. During that time, life went on -- new shows premiered and we gradually lost interest in Siobhan's schemes, Bridget's relationship with Andrew, Gemma's murder, and everything surrounding Bodaway Macawi and Victor Machado. Since a second season wouldn't start until at least September, there is no way we'll even remember any of their names by then, let alone care about their new secrets.
Everyone Is Massively Stupid
At first, the plot twists and mysteries were kind of fun. Now we find ourselves yelling at characters to use their peripheral vision, stop trusting shady strangers, and never accept obviously poisoned drinks from former arch-enemies. Instead of letting us watch people outsmart one another, "Ringer" became a contest to see which idiot can trick the others first.
[Related: What Went Wrong With 'Ringer'?]
It'll Free Up the Actors
As long as Sarah Michelle Gellar keeps making TV shows, we'll be there to watch -- we owe it to Buffy, at this point. Same goes for Nestor Carbonell, whose permanent guy-liner continues to be one of the few things we consistently enjoy about this show (and the final season of "Lost," for that matter). And now that we've developed crushes on handsome Welsh Andrew, we'd definitely be down to see more of Ioan Gruffudd's small-screen acting chops (this show has been a better American vehicle for him than those awful "Fantastic Four" movies). And honestly, we've followed Kristoffer Polaha since "Life Unexpected," so he can only continue to go up from here.
It Took Too Long to Get Good
It's almost as if "Ringer" forgot it was a series with characters and secrets for a solid six episodes midseason. Just when we swore we wouldn't make it through to the end, "It's Called Improvising, Bitch!" stuck its head out and finally gave answers to some of the show's mysteries. Unfortunately, while it wasn't too little -- Crazy Cattie and Evil Olivia as scheming lesbian lovers! Machado saves the day! Juliet stops being an evil brat! Shiv goes into labor! Henry's on to her lies! -- given that almost 40 percent of viewers who tuned into the pilot had stopped watching by that point, it was clearly too late.
Watch the producers of "Ringer" preview this week's season finale right here:
The season finale of "Ringer" airs Tuesday, 4/17 at 9 PM on The CW.
More from Television Without Pity:
