With TV ratings down across the board, several shows have been or are in danger of being axed. One of these victims is the amazing Pushing Daisies which was just to intelligent for the average viewer to "get". In that vein, here are "5 Shows the Networks Were Idiots to Cancel".

5. The OC

Axed because...Ratings were down, way down, from previous seasons, and when it comes to FOX shows, that's the only thing they care about.

What I think: I don't care if Marissa died and that the show had jumped a few sharks, towards the end of the fourth (last) season, the show was getting back to its roots. As long as Adam Broody and Rachel Bilson were on the show, I would have watched regardless of plot.

Instead watch: The OC creator Josh Schwartz's two other shows, Gossip Girl for your teen drama and Chuck for the lovable smart-mouth nerd with a sexy love interest (heck, Chuck even dated a character played by Rachel Bilson for awhile).

4. Veronica Mars

Axed because...Ratings, again. This time the CW dangled the hope of a fourth season in front of viewers before pulling it like the cruel sadists they truly are.

What I think: Veronica Mars was one of the most creative shows on television. The show was a classic noir detective serial disguised as a high school drama. The main characters were some of the most three dimensional in the genre, and the story-lines where as "real" as anything you'd find in CSI or Law and Order, if not more so.

Instead watch: If you like quirky characters solving murders with some humor thrown in, Bones is for you. If you want a genius "private eye" (I use the term loosely) solving a myriad of different crimes with a father mentor who's also a former officer, check out Psych.

3. Firefly

Axed because...Once again FOX cared more about ratings than quality.

What I think: This was one of the best shows to ever air on television. Just as Veronica Mars reinvented the detective series, Firefly was at its heart a western. More than that, it was an existential drama that creator Joss Whedon pitched as "nine people staring into the blackness of space and seeing nine different things." This was a show that transcended its sci-fi roots.

Instead watch: You're best bet would be the critically acclaimed Battlestar Galactica, another character drama masquerading as a space opera. Also, you might check out Joss Whedon's new Dollhouse, when it premiers next month.

2. Arrested Development

Axed because...it was just too awesome. Really though, it was those bastards over at FOX again.

What I think: I really don't think there's a single person who has seen Arrested Development who thinks it should have been canceled. Unfortunately FOX shuffled the show to so many time-slots, it was never able to gain a strong enough viewer base. This was probably the funniest "sitcom" to air in recent history. It's psuedo-documentary style played with meta-narrative, making the characters almost self-aware.

Instead watch: There are a few shows that live up to Arrested Development, and none that are truly analogous. I would recommend It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia if you identified with the mostly morally bankrupt Bluths.

1. Freaks and Geeks

Axed because...NBC aired the series out of order, preempted episodes without warning, and played it at odd hours when no one watches TV.

What I think: Judd Apatow is nearly a household name thanks to his highly successful run of comedy films, including Superbad and Knocked Up, but Freaks and Geeks is, in my humble opinion, his greatest work. Set in early 80s Michigan, this show captured the reality of High School better than any other show I've seen. There were no outrageous twists and no drama beyond the believable. The two parallel story-lines of "freak" Lindsey Weir and "geek" Sam Weir strike close to home. The DVD of the first (only) season is one of the best selling box sets, a tribute to the show's influence.

Instead watch: I can't name a single show on the air anything like Freaks and Geeks. My recommendation is to get or rent the DVD's and see what you're missing.

- Nick out