Thanks to darq for suggesting today's Question of the Day.
Which shows that were cancelled in a season or 2 do you think could have become classics
These days, for me, there are far too many shows are cancelled before they really have a time to grow and develop. The networks are too quick to cancel shows that I personally enjoyed and felt had great promise.
Here is a quick list of my shows that I was sad to see go.
- Rubicon
- Flashforward
- Firefly
- John Doe
- Drive
- Tru Calling
- The Lone Gunman
- Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
- The Riches
- Dead Like Me
- Life
- Carnivale
- Dollhouse
- Legend of the Seeker
- Pushing Daisies
- Jericho
- Eli Stone
What about you? Which shows that we're cancelled either after 1 or 2 seasons do you think could have been given more of a chance to develop into classics?
Vote in the poll and feel free to add your shows to the poll list.
You can see previous Questions of the Day here
If you have an idea for "Question of the Day" please leave it in the comments or email me @ thespoilergirl@gmail.com
Great question.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to go with FF, Jericho and Eli Stone.
I think I'll soon be adding The Event to this list and probably V
I'll go for Dead Like Me, CÃ rnivale and Pushing Daisies. So sad...
ReplyDeleteJericho all the way
ReplyDeleteI think you're correct about The Event. We will have to see about V but I would be sad if they both went.
ReplyDeleteI voted for FlashForward, Firefly, Life, Legend of the Seeker, Jericho and Pushing Daisies.
ReplyDeleteYep, that's 6 shows that were cancelled too early.
Good choices.
ReplyDeleteJericho really was great in S1
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame there are so many :(
ReplyDeleteCarnivà le
ReplyDeletegreat show that would have at least deserved a decent ending :(
I have watched about half of these shows, and the one that made me most sad seen cancelled was Dollhouse. Even if it had big flaws it still had great promise, and one got a sense of how many great seasons it could have had when one saw Epitaph two, which was absolutely amazing!
ReplyDeleteDon't, I still get upset about that !
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I was surprised it got a 2nd season. If it was not for Joss I don't think it would have but I agree about Epitaph2
ReplyDeleteFlashforward was definately cancelled to quickly! The other show I wished that had carried on was Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip... Thats show was amazing!
ReplyDeleteJericho, Flashforward. Also John Doe was awesome!
ReplyDeleteI picked Firefly, based on it's post cancellation hype.
ReplyDeleteAlso, a couple of years ago I watched 'Kings' which I loved, but it was shafted from about episode 3 :P
You got all my choices in one poll. IDK if I should be impressed or feel like my thunder was taken lol!!!
ReplyDeleteCarnivale, Dead Like Me, Rubicon, (OMFG how could they cancel it after THAT season finale!?) and probably Firefly. I realize Veronica MARS got 3 seasons, but if it hadn't been canceled there's a huge chance that it would be absolutely LEGENDARY by this point in time. :)
Sorry for stealing your thunder :)
ReplyDeleteI would have definitely added VM if it had been just 2 seasons.
Was Kings the one with Ian McShane?
ReplyDeleteIndeed it was.
ReplyDeleteReally well acted and a very visual show!
I was away when it premiered and by the time I was back it had been cancelled :(
ReplyDeletePushing Daises was pretty sad. The others I didn't really watch. Shows I think were cancelled to early include; Heroes, Veronica Mars, Freaks and Geeks, Party Down, and whole bunch of old cartoons on Nickelodeon that were cancelled way to soon.
ReplyDeleteAh, I forgot about Freaks and Geeks. Well remembered.
ReplyDeleteJericho and Pushing Daisies! Although I think PD is considered a classic.
ReplyDeleteStill bitter that CBS cancelled Jericho, uncancelled it, and then recancelled it. I love Jericho so much! Still one of my favorite shows ever.
I loved season two, also.
ReplyDeleteTerminator for me. That show just turned the Terminator and T2 stories into the source of one of the most intriguing mythology on TV short of Lost. The end of season 2 was mind blowing but I already knew that despite the brilliant cliffhanger ending, we would never get answers to the deep questions the show was asking.
ReplyDeletelengend of the seeker goes without saying!!!!!!!!! but wha about shows lke eastwick i loved that show it got and cancelled just as it was starting to get good. oh and the gates i loved that awell
ReplyDeleteI never saw those I'm afraid.
ReplyDeleteRubicon, Carnivale and Dollhouse among the regular options, John From Cincinnati as the "other".
ReplyDeletewell its all abc's fault they like to bring out the hammer of cancellation a lot
ReplyDeletei actually really liked Moonlight ( seeing Alex in hawaii 5-0 is a great)
ReplyDeleteand Knight rider.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. I was a huge West Wing fan, and Studio 60 filled that vacuum for me. I loved the relationship between Bradley Whitford's and Matt Perry's characters and that quick banter they did so well. And the supporting cast was superb, especially Amanda Peet.
ReplyDeleteOf course, if you'd asked me this question 10 years ago, I'd have said Kindred the Embraced. Watched the pilot a couple of years ago, and didn't know why I'd bothered.
My vote was for Voyagers. That show had the coolest premise ever... an organization of time travelers who are sent to specific historical settings where something has gone wrong, and they have to fix things so that history continues on the correct course. NBC cancelled it after one season because of parental concerns that it was too violent for a "kids show." Way, way, way ahead of its time (literally !).
ReplyDeleteSays all you need to know about the show :P
ReplyDeleteHad never heard of the show so googled it, and ended up reading about the death of Voyagers lead actor Jon-Erik Hexum. Pretty shocking death!
ReplyDeleteCarnivà le, Firefly, FlashForward and Jericho had a good chance, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteFor me mostly Pushing Daisies, because it was such a unique show, still miss it from time to time :(
ReplyDeleteI miss Pushing Daisies!! I also love Eastwick Happy Town and Persons Unknown!!
ReplyDeleteThanks! :-)
ReplyDeleteCarnivale is one of the best TV shows ever even with only two seasons.
ReplyDeleteAt least It came full circle and ended well though. In my top 3 favourite shows of all time. Just amazing.
ReplyDeleteJohn Doe! Anyone else?
ReplyDeleteI LOVED Eli Stone and Life. Glad to see that someone else remembers them too.
ReplyDeleteThe one that I'll always want back, though is Sports Night, for more reasons that anyone wants to know about. Not only was it a great show, but it was the reason I became a TV writer.
Actually it's a great question, my answer is definitely Dollhouse. My best friend had just bought me the first season on DVD for my bday like two weeks ago, cuz she knows how much I 'grieved' that show:)
ReplyDeleteI'd have 3. Firefly, Freaks and Geeks, Flight of the Conchord
ReplyDeleteFirefly was so fantastic. I truly cannot see why this one was dropped since it appealed to more than just the sf fans.
ReplyDeleteJericho being dripped was sad. The last part of it they compressed too tightly together I felt. But they were trying to complete as much of the story ideas as they could.
Surface was on for 15 eps 2005-2006. They canceled it just when it started to get VERY interesting. Genetic engineering, cloning, changing the face of the Earth by activating faults and continental plates and more or less showed that they had all the genetic info on all the species of flora and fauna chilling out in cryogenic storage....what was not to love?
Firefly, Legend of the Seeker, and T:SCC should have been given longer runs. But especially Legend of the Seeker. Still hurting about that cancellation. :/
ReplyDeleteFreaks and geeks, definitively.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the Event. I've been patiently watching, but it seems to be missing something and I have a hard time caring about any of the characters.
ReplyDeleteI didn't watch Freaks and Geeks until recently when it was aired on IFC. I was left wanting more, so agree it should have lasted longer. So many actors got big since then, Franco, Segal, Rogen...
ReplyDeleteAnybody else remember Earth 2? I loved that show, although they aired an episode or two out of order I think which messed it up some. I know it was in the 90's, but I'm still not over it. I'd definately like to see something like Earth2 again.
ReplyDeleteFirefly was canceled because Fox totally screwed them. They aired all the episodes out of order and nobody got caught up in it.
ReplyDeleteDo you know the story about Jericho? It got canceled after the first season, but the fan reaction was so strong (after the "Nuts!" Bastogne story in the finale, the fans mailed over 20 tons of nuts to CBS) they agreed to give it a few more episodes to either give it another chance or wrap up. The audience still wasn't sustainable, so they gave it a hurried wrap up. Hence the compressed feeling. Still, more than most canceled shows get.
Carnivale, Rubicon, FIREFLY, Invasion, LIFE, others...
ReplyDeleteWow so many shows in that list I would want to see more of!! If I had to limit it to 5 (eeeek!) I would say.... Rubicon, Firefly, Carnivale, Pushing Daisies and Life! Each of the 5 is so unique and sorely missed. I might Also add Rome and a show few people watched (obviously sinc eit was cancelled midway thru its first season) on NBC called Kidnapped. Jeremy Sisto, Dana Delaney, Delroy Lindo, Timothy Hutton all on one series! Atleast the first season had a true series wrap up of the plot, albeit a little rushed in the final epsiode. I so wanted to see how the psycho escapee would have ben in season 2.
ReplyDeleteHonrorable mention to John Doe, Legend of the Seeker and Eli Stone.
I LOVED Jericho season 1 but honestly after how they ruined it with season 2 I was glad it ended. Doll House had some incredible episodes, but overall it was more bad than good.
I waited for years for the movies that HBO said would be made (much like Deadwood) to finale gt made and still get angry thinking of it!
ReplyDeleteKnowing that the series was fleshed out to be three acts and we were only at the end of act one..... I cannot begin to state how how much I miss this show for its creativity, mood and overall exceptional writing and acting.
I totally agree. It seemd to me that Joss never seriously found his way with the series and was feeling around for a way to pull it all together without success. I was shocked it got a second season and agree with the reason it did. They knew Joss was looked at as a genius by many and they did not want to alienate a possible future relationship with him.
ReplyDeleteVeronica Mars is one of my all-time favorite series! Ther may be good news on that front however, Rob Thomas the show creator said recently that Warner Brothers registered an email address VeronicaMarsMovie@warnerbros.com. He said all the stars want to do it but WB will not release them from the studio but will not finance it either. All the actors want a movie to give it closure and Ms. Bell actually said at one time she would finance it herself if WB let her. So maybe WB registering an email addy means they are considering it.... o r just evil, twisted, dark-hearted bastards that cherish schadenffruede above all else!
ReplyDeleteParty Down was an incredible and underwatched series!! It did lack somewhat in the second season without Jane Lynch, but I would have taken a nother season or two without her!
ReplyDeleteSome may not remember it but one I was so sorry to see go was dark Skies.from List I picked DollHouse(So upset over that I am done with anything NonSimpsons from Fox) Firefly,Sarah Connor Chronicles,and
ReplyDeleteTru Calling.
At end of the season we will be adding the event to this list(I love it and will continue watching but the 3 month hituas will kill It like Jericho and FlashForward) and we may also be adding V to list as well(Cutting order down to 10 Is bad sign for It)
I loved Moonlight too!! O'laughln, Sophia Myles and Jason Dohring were incredible in it. I enjoy Alex in Hawaii Five-0 a lot, but that show is mindless action police procedural fun... not vampire goodness!
ReplyDeleteArguably the most unique and wll crafted series ever on TV. I still sigh with disappointment whenever i see a nametag or tee-shirt with "Management" on it!
ReplyDeleteThere was a show called Smith on couple of years back, starring Ray Liotta. I absolutely loved that show and it was cancelled in the middle of the first season, with episodes unaired.
ReplyDeleteI was extremely pissed off and my entire attitude to watching TV shows has changed and it was only reinfored after:
- the Black Donnellys came on (great show) and it was cancelled after Season 1 ended on a cliffhanger.
- another show comes on, called Heist, which I kind of liked (I think it was really soon after Smith) and it was cancelled mid-season as well.
These were all on at around the same time.
Since that season I don't watch shows until they have a complete season. If there is even a rumour of a show being cancelled (in season 1), I stop watching instantly. I just don't want to get into anything that's going to die anyway.
This season I started watching Rubicon, but ratings were bad and I stopped, too. It was doomed anyway.
I also watched the first episode of Lone Star and Outlaw, but word was out really soon and I didn't bother watching the other episodes even though I liked them.
If they can't bother at least producing and showing an entire season, I can't be bothered to watch until there is (and I can forgive the Black Donnellys, since there was an entire season, but somehow it's still connected to that year for me).
Pushing Daisies was AMAZING. I still can't believe that they actually cancelled it.
ReplyDeleteLong live the piemaker! ok, well not long neough .... sigh.....
ReplyDeleteyep, the same three for me.
ReplyDeleteI loved Earth2! We recently rewatched it through Netflix and we were very sad when it ended.
ReplyDeleteI voted for Kings (it's not even in the list...), I think it could have been great.
ReplyDeleteI voted for Jericho, but Joan of Arcadia was a really good show that was cancelled after two seasons, even though it was doing ok. Never understood why they cancelled that show.
ReplyDeleteI thought I was the only one who remembered this one. It was one of the first shows I really liked that got cancelled so I remember it with mixed feelings.
ReplyDeleteFlashforward, Terminator, and Jericho
ReplyDeletePushing Daisies was unbelievably awesome, i miss it. and tru calling what a stupid point in the storyline to axe it ;(
ReplyDeleteTerminator and Firefly - freaking Fox and their inability to stick w/ a show through the bumpy 2 seasons.
ReplyDeleteWhat do TSCC and Firefly, the two leading shows of this poll, have in common ?
ReplyDelete..................................SUMMER GLAU.....................................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Middleman and Better Off Ted are the two that i yearn for
ReplyDeleteI absolutely LOVED Tru Calling and I'm glad to see that someone remembered it! It was at its best when it got cancelled, but so was Dollhouse! Tru Calling was better, but Dollhouse pulled off a great last 8-10 episodes. If it had been as good at the beginning, I doubt it would be cancelled right now. FlashFoward had me on the edge of my seat for a long time, but the ending was so disapointing I'm disgusted to think I wasted time on that.
ReplyDeleteNBC has gone through several quite amazing shows like that; Friday Night Lights (Thank God for DTV picking that up), Kings, Southland (thanks, TNT) and I think Studio 60 as well...
ReplyDeleteoooohh where did you read about that email? I've been waiting for more info on the movie for a while!
ReplyDeleteBetter Off Ted was all kinds of AWESOME!!! I miss it already... maybe tomorrow I will make a statement at work and steal all the creamers!
ReplyDeleteYeah, Eastwick would probably be doing quite a bit better than No Ordinary Family. It was more watchable too...
ReplyDeleteCheck out FOX next Fall: that sounds similar to "Terra Nova"...Maybe you'll find happiness in that show?
ReplyDeleteReally was not much to the story. rob Thomas said he had NOT heard from WB in a year, but then someone told him they reegistered the email addy so he stll has hope he said. He said he has a rough script Maybe I read some of that in a different story... I was on an info hunt in september. I read a different site's story but this is ver similar... here is a link. :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tvsquad.com/2010/11/10/veronica-mars-movie-rob-thomas/
Just thought of another series I loved but it was on cable... USA channel to be specific. Touching Evil with Jeffrey Donovan pre-Burn Notice. Based on a UK show that had Robson Green as the star. The US version was at times both darker and sillier than its UK cousin, but I loved it for Mr. Donovan!!
ReplyDeleteI had been reading how great FlashForward was and just when I made up my mind to get into it -- WHOOSH! Gone. I liked Dollhouse and was sad it was gone. I was just getting into Rubicon also, and now it's gone. The Event didn't grab me at first, but the last two weeks were great and I am into it now. I need a little more time with it. I see a lot of people liked Firefly. Never heard of it. Maybe that's what the problem was there.
ReplyDeleteWait.
ReplyDeleteAre we supposed to vote for the shows we loved/miss or shows that we think could have become classics? There's a difference.
Substance? Plot? Character development?
ReplyDeleteI think Terra Nova is more like "Land of the Lost," what with the dinosaurs and stuff. Voyagers was more about meeting historical figures. A good example of what it was like... they land in 1890 to discover that the telephone hasn't been invented yet. If there's no telephone in 1890, Dwight Eisenhower can't be born, because a telephone call was placed by his mother to assist in his birth. So, they have to travel to 1875 to help Alexander Graham Bell invent the telephone. Then go back to 1890, and voila, baby Ike !
ReplyDeleteThat's why I am talking about Voyagers... that show would be considered a CLASSIC today if it hadn't been canceled after 1 season.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like Quantum Leap to me.
ReplyDeleteExactly.
ReplyDeleteWhile I adored "Dollhouse" and "Pushing Daisies," they aren't the type of shows that would become 'classics.'
Looks like a lot of people are just voting based on shows they think were cancelled too soon, rather than voting on shows they think would become classics.
"Land of the Giants"... now that's a classic! XD
Quantum Leap is closer... but it premiered (1989) six years *after* Voyagers was canceled (1983). If Voyagers (which had excellent ratings, by the way) hadn't been attacked by "parents groups", it would have had a long and healthy life and... Quantum Leap (which was also a NBC show) might never have even been put on the air. I think we need a Voyagers episode to stop the show from being canned !
ReplyDeleteFirefly, so gorram hard. I'll be somewhat homicidal if Fringe or V ends up on here.
ReplyDeleteFirefly was aired around 2002, and after getting aired out of order and on Friday night with lots of preempting and the like, Fox cancelled it, despite screwing it over so much that you'd wonder if they wanted it to succeed in the first place. I highly recommend it.
ReplyDeletePerhaps if we are lucky it will be bought by someone who will show the eps in order.
ReplyDeleteSadly, Fox owns the rights and I doubt anyone will revive it. That's why the movie sequel had to be called "Serenity." Fox refused to sell the rights to "Firefly" to Universal Pictures.
ReplyDeleteI obviously love shows that are destined to be cancelled! My list included Flashforward, Firefly, Eli Stone, and Jericho...and I added two more, Invasion and Moonlight. Sad to see every one of them go.
ReplyDeletehonestly, I think this is a really poor list, I consider only Carnivale a great show.
ReplyDeletethat was deep, rich, elegant, creative, everything what means TV sucks, if they cancel it...
others: The Middleman, Police Squad
I miss TSCC, Pushing Daisies was fun to watch too.
ReplyDeleteWell, that would be why that list is the opinion of the author.
ReplyDeleteIt's not the ten commandments.
Why do the networks do this?! They move shows all over the place so no one can ever find them. I will definitely go to Family Video and pick up Firefly. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI think you pretty much covered it!
ReplyDeletehopefully her next show will do better
ReplyDeleteThe Event seems to be stalling the way Flashforward did. As for Firefly, hells yes you should check it out.
ReplyDeletenice Firefly lingo! If Fringe ends up this way, I'll have to find a way to travel to the other universe where reality shows don't exist.
ReplyDeleteright, I forgot BoT
ReplyDeleteit was brilliantly written
you are stating the obvious
ReplyDeleteNetworks care about one thing. Money. Reality shows are cheaper and easier to fool millions of drones into watching. Quality shows and fans of quality shows suffer so some douchebag networks can get richer. It's like American politics, kinda.
ReplyDeleteI had totally forgotten about Invasion. Nice one.
ReplyDeleteGood question today TSG.
One that could have been interesting was Persons Unknown but they screwed it.
Sure, other links are fine
ReplyDelete