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TV Cliff-Hanger Mysteries Solved!

EW solves TV cliff-hanger mysteries -- Why ''Miss Match'' didn't find her niche and why no one will ever know the real ''John Doe''

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By Mandi Bierly

In EW's ongoing mission to solve TV cliff-hanger mysteries left by shows that were canceled before their time, we probed for answers from producers of NBC's Miss Match and Fox's John Doe.

MISS MATCHAlicia Silverstone charmed us as Kate, Match's romantically challenged divorce lawyer/matchmaker, but NBC stopped courting the series from Sex and the City creator Darren Star after 11 dates. We asked executive producer Jeff Rake for a debriefing on the six unaired episodes.

Where We Left OffKate cooled her romance with handsome architect Michael (David Conrad) after racy e-mails he wrote to her client -- his former lover Lauren (Dina Meyer) -- were read in court. Lauren's ex Adam (Nathan Fillion) got flirty with Kate.

What Would Have HappenedKate and Adam shared a drunken kiss, leading Lauren to threaten Kate with malpractice. Lauren announced she was pregnant, and after much campy drama (e.g., Kate stealing one of Michael's Q-Tips for DNA testing), Adam was named the father. Finally, both men professed their love for Kate on a booze cruise, and she walked off into the sunset -- single.

The VerdictIn the spirit of those other Star-crossed lovers Carrie and Mr. Big, Michael likely would've been the lingering memory with which Kate compared all future boyfriends. Says Rake, ''We probably would have gone in the direction other than that inevitable happy ending.'' Hey, can we appeal?

JOHN DOE

Who is John Doe? Well, we knew he was a guy (Dominic Purcell) who washed up on an island off Seattle naked and all-knowing -- except when it came to his own identity. But fans never learned more: Fox canceled the Bourne Identity-meets-MacGyver drama after 21 episodes. We got creators Brandon Camp and Mike Thompson to sing.

Where We Left OffDoe was helping the police solve crimes and being tracked by a seemingly nefarious organization called the Phoenix. He finally unmasked the big bad, a villain nicknamed Stocking Cap -- revealing his friend Digger (William Forsythe)!

What Would Have HappenedMake that someone who looked like Digger. It was just a Phoenix member with some fancy facial reconstruction. Turns out, the Phoenix believed Doe was the Messiah and its members were actually protecting Doe from a second group, which wanted him dead. The truth: Doe was injured in a boating accident. That mark on his chest? Metal from the explosion. His Überbrain? A by-product of transcending his body during a near-death experience, traveling to a spiritual place where all the universe's questions are answered, and returning . . . naked!

So Who is John Doe?!''You'd think we would have actually come up with his name,'' Thompson says. ''We have no idea,'' admits Camp, before adding ''Fred.''