Submitted by The Stupid Cancer Blog

Despite a boisterous and impassioned campaign by numerous groups of cancer survivors to save the acclaimed freshman hour series “Side Order of Life” from the chopping block, Lifetime quietly pulled the plug on the show today without bothering to release a statement. (The information was discovered via unofficial sources mere minutes ago — so this is the first word.) It’s not the classiest way of handling things, but it is, unfortunately, the way of the television world. So the bottom line is, a hoped-for second season of the show is not to be.This is sad news indeed for several hundred thousand cancer survivors all over the United States who had been drawn to the seriocomic “Side Order” by its uncompromising realism in depicting a cancer victim named Vivy (Diana Maria Riva). It was widely praised for portraying this character’s cancer as a manageable life trauma rather than a manipulative and maudlin plot point that need end in wrenching pain and a protracted death.That “Side Order” didn’t burn up the ratings charts is clear, having averaged below a 2.0 average during its 13-episode original run last summer and early fall. But neither did it tank entirely. Its numbers wre low when compared to the breakout Lifetime hit “Army Wives” but decent in comparison to the network’s other original series productions (particularly in the reality realm). Given the grassroots effort to rescue the series, there remained hope for a return engagement. In the end, it was not to be. Too bad. It deserved far better. And given how few of the network’s shows seem to strike anything close to the passionate chord this one did, I believe it’s Lifetime’s loss.

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