Runaway
When UPN and The WB merged, they created The CW, which launched with the best shows from UPN, the best shows from The WB, and...this. Like a combination of The Fugitive and Beverly Hills, in reverse, Runaway was about a high-powered D.C. lawyer framed for murder who took his whole family on the lam so he could try to find the real killer. Meanwhile, his kids had to find a balance between fitting into their new small-town surroundings and not blowing their cover. It turned out to be an easy balance, because they sucked at both equally. The FBI never found them, and neither did the show's audience; it was pulled after three episodes, which was one episode longer than we lasted with the recaps. Everwood fans are still bitter. -- M. Giant
Six Degrees
It's hard to believe that Bridget Moynahan has more on her résumé than a very suspiciously timed pregnancy with ex-boyfriend Tom Brady, but way back in the fall of 2006 she had a little show called Six Degrees. Remember that one, where six different strangers were going to slowly learn how their lives were intertwined? Yeah, neither does anyone else. After two bland episodes, TWoP bid it adieu, and it wasn't much longer before ABC and the rest of America did as well. --Lauren S
Smallville
You could have knocked us over with a feather after Season Five, when we were forced to admit that this anchor show on The WB had exceeded expectations and rebounded creatively and in the ratings. The move to The CW, however, proved bloody for the long-running superhero show, which often felt rudderless and flat. Despite a few highlights (the "Justice" episode that brought together D.C. guest stars was action-packed and fun), you could see the strain of several actors on the show itching to get on with their careers after their contracts expire. What started out as a promising idea for the season -- Clark hunting down escapees from The Phantom Zone -- was quickly pushed aside for gimmicky episodes like Jimmy Olsen's '40s noir fantasy and the usual one-off villain-of-the-week episodes (one of which featured Tori Spelling; 'nuff said). The season will probably best be remembered for its ludicrous "Lana is pregnant with a phantom baby" storyline; her inevitable and disappointing marriage to emotionally cuckolded Lex, which lasted all of six episodes; and the squandering of Martian Manhunter, who could have taught Clark a thing or two about being a bad-ass superhero. Lex Luthor, still a shadow of a villain to his Magnificent Bastard dad, acted inconsistently all season. Worse, he was dumb and insecure. Why trick Lana into marrying you when she was clearly already falling for you? Creating an army of genetic supermen wearing silver tights? Really? Who are you, Dr. Frank-N-Furter? Bright spots included Justin Hartley as Green Arrow (in an alternate universe, he's gearing up for Season Three of Aquaman) and a delicious almost-romance between MamaKent and Papa Luthor that ultimately went nowhere (she's off to the U.S. Congress, so consider that storyline kaput). At times, Clark grappled with the emotional and metaphysical consequences of being a Super Man, but that kind of reflection was always shoehorned in, never fully explored. Add two of the worst episodes of the entire show's run, "Subterranean" (immigration-themed fecal matter) and "Trespass" (more stupid Lana stalking) and you get a season that was big on potential, short on delivering upon it. We wish things were better, but usually we're forced to exclaim, "It's a turd, it's a pain! It's Supermope!" as the show stumbles, Earth-bound, toward a possible Season Seven finale. -- Omar G
The Sopranos
By The TWoP Staff
Runaway
When UPN and The WB merged, they created The CW, which launched with the best shows from UPN, the best shows from The WB, and...this. Like a combination of The Fugitive and Beverly Hills, in reverse, Runaway was about a high-powered D.C. lawyer framed for murder who took his whole family on the lam so he could try to find the real killer. Meanwhile, his kids had to find a balance between fitting into their new small-town surroundings and not blowing their cover. It turned out to be an easy balance, because they sucked at both equally. The FBI never found them, and neither did the show's audience; it was pulled after three episodes, which was one episode longer than we lasted with the recaps. Everwood fans are still bitter. -- M. Giant
Six Degrees
It's hard to believe that Bridget Moynahan has more on her résumé than a very suspiciously timed pregnancy with ex-boyfriend Tom Brady, but way back in the fall of 2006 she had a little show called Six Degrees. Remember that one, where six different strangers were going to slowly learn how their lives were intertwined? Yeah, neither does anyone else. After two bland episodes, TWoP bid it adieu, and it wasn't much longer before ABC and the rest of America did as well. --Lauren S
Smallville
You could have knocked us over with a feather after Season Five, when we were forced to admit that this anchor show on The WB had exceeded expectations and rebounded creatively and in the ratings. The move to The CW, however, proved bloody for the long-running superhero show, which often felt rudderless and flat. Despite a few highlights (the "Justice" episode that brought together D.C. guest stars was action-packed and fun), you could see the strain of several actors on the show itching to get on with their careers after their contracts expire. What started out as a promising idea for the season -- Clark hunting down escapees from The Phantom Zone -- was quickly pushed aside for gimmicky episodes like Jimmy Olsen's '40s noir fantasy and the usual one-off villain-of-the-week episodes (one of which featured Tori Spelling; 'nuff said). The season will probably best be remembered for its ludicrous "Lana is pregnant with a phantom baby" storyline; her inevitable and disappointing marriage to emotionally cuckolded Lex, which lasted all of six episodes; and the squandering of Martian Manhunter, who could have taught Clark a thing or two about being a bad-ass superhero. Lex Luthor, still a shadow of a villain to his Magnificent Bastard dad, acted inconsistently all season. Worse, he was dumb and insecure. Why trick Lana into marrying you when she was clearly already falling for you? Creating an army of genetic supermen wearing silver tights? Really? Who are you, Dr. Frank-N-Furter? Bright spots included Justin Hartley as Green Arrow (in an alternate universe, he's gearing up for Season Three of Aquaman) and a delicious almost-romance between MamaKent and Papa Luthor that ultimately went nowhere (she's off to the U.S. Congress, so consider that storyline kaput). At times, Clark grappled with the emotional and metaphysical consequences of being a Super Man, but that kind of reflection was always shoehorned in, never fully explored. Add two of the worst episodes of the entire show's run, "Subterranean" (immigration-themed fecal matter) and "Trespass" (more stupid Lana stalking) and you get a season that was big on potential, short on delivering upon it. We wish things were better, but usually we're forced to exclaim, "It's a turd, it's a pain! It's Supermope!" as the show stumbles, Earth-bound, toward a possible Season Seven finale. -- Omar G
The Sopranos