On ‘Galavant,’ its success, and early questions about legacy before finale
Through six episodes in, “Galavant” has shown itself to be precisely what we hoped for the moment it was announced: A silly fantasy musical in the vein of an old Mel Brooks film. It’s extremely creative, well-acted, and also exceptionally well-cast. Whoever managed to land Hugh Bonneville and Ricky Gervais on a new series deserves some applause.
Yet, we are sitting here less than a week before the finale, feeling like this “comedy extravaganza” may be taking its bow. If ABC does cancel the show, they can do so easily by claiming that this was just a limited event; the story is probably tied together at the end of Sunday in a way that makes some sense.
With this being said, we do wonder if the network will have a harder time dealing with the potentially-intense fan backlash in the event that they do decide to send the show away. The fans here already seem like a devoted crew, and strong fan bases have been known to move mountains. Take a look at the way that such shows like “Chuck” and “Fringe” were able to rally thanks to the passionate support that they received.
Regardless of what happens for the series, we do feel like it has achieved a legacy already of one of the great underrated shows out there, and one of the few TV musicals to work. Before “Glee,” it was virtually assumed that this genre was just one dud after the next. We just hope that it moves forward, and one of the ways you can ensure something more is fairly simple: Watch the show live Sunday, and try to prove that the lower ratings really were due to the AFC Championship Game and the Golden Globes the week before that.
In the event the show is not picked up by ABC, or after we at least see the finale ratings, we’ll speculate a little more about if there could be a future for it elsewhere if the network does decide to pull the plug.
For now, head over here, where you can preview the “Galavant” finale further! Also, sign up to get some very regal TV news via email courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)