I was just recently thinking about a canceled show that had a great storyline and concept behind it. That show was My Name is Earl.

The show started with a white trash hick named Earl Hickey who did petty crimes for a living. One day he wins the lottery, one of the scratching ticket types. Shortly after, he gets hit by a car and the wind blows away his winning ticket. In the hospital, his cheating wife wants a divorce and is left with nothing but a bruised up body. He watches a show that introduces him to “karma” and decides to start cleaning up his act. He makes a list of every bad thing he has done and corrects his past actions one by one (there was a lot of things he did bad). “Karma” took note of his change and let him have his winning ticket back. And thus he continued on with his Karma crusade…until the show got canned.

The only reason I bring this up is because it sounds like a great concept for a comic book, even a manga adaptation. It doesn’t have to be the exact same story, mind you, but something like it. Every story arc would involve a character like Earl Hickey trying to make up for all the bad things he has done over the years. A character who doesn’t go about righting the wrongs because of morals, but because he wants to. I know manga titles have some characters that act like moral compasses, Naruto and Allen Walker for example, but they are so outdone. Aren’t you sick and tired of reading themes of “belief“, “justice“, and saving the weak as the main characters’ reason of actions or living? Too extreme if you ask me. How about a small reason, even a selfish one will do. He or she rights their wrongs so they can live a better life. Justice and all that other crap come into play when the character starts correcting the list.

I bring this up because last year (or the past spring) there were a lot of canceled shows, three of which I watched and loved. All three of them, including Earl, had great storylines, characters, and potential. I was so sad to see them go, but if they ever were revived, even in comic book form, I would be the happiest girl around. I know that’s how Buffy fans felt, the comic adaptations are quite the hit.

Any TV shows you wished had a chance to finish their storylines? Or any thoughts or feelings about adaptations from small screen to print? We want to hear them.