Top Five Favorite Cancelled TV Shows

Why does it seem that every time I get into a great TV series, it gets canceled in record time? At least all but two of the shows I’m going to discuss managed to get more than one or two seasons.

Something my readers will quickly discern is all the shows I have listed below have one common factor. They are all science fiction. Again, long-term readers of mine should easily recognize SF is my absolute favorite genre bar none.

Of course there are dozens upon dozens of canceled shows I really got into over the years, and some I would dearly like to see return. A few have made the attempt and have had varying degrees of success. Take, for example, Battlestar Galactica. It was essentially re-imagined from the original series. Unlike the original series, the re-imaging lasted for five seasons.

I would dearly love to see another classic from my childhood make a comeback. There have been rumors for a couple of years now that we could see a brand new Space: 1999. In this case it would have to be Space 2099 since 1999 is now sixteen years in the past.

As long as they have some of the iconic ships and props, I’ll be in nerd heaven.

Now there are quite a few shows I have mentioned over previous blogs that did not make it into this list. The reason is quite simple – I have already covered them!

So, in no particular order, here are my favorites.

1. Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles – The Terminator comes to the small screen! Luckily, this series managed to get two seasons. I can see why it did not last, as really, the terminator of the week did grow rather over-used quickly. Still, it’s a pity because the series went a long way to fill in a lot of gaps and flesh out the characters. And Summer Glau made a cute terminator. It’s also a serious shame the series ended on what was essentially a cliff-hanger. In many ways I found the series far more enjoyable than the last two movies. Here’s hoping Terminator 5 will be worth my money.
2. Lost – What a ride. This was a series that needed a definite end. I guess the producers could have kept it going for years, but I’m really glad they didn’t. I will admit that during the last season I was getting a little tired of what seemed to be a constant run or chase from one part of the island to another. The overall ending did leave a bitter aftertaste in the mouths of pretty much all the fans, myself included. Now the rumor-mill is hinting we might indeed see a new spin-off series. You know, I’d be up to seeing that and hope it will eventually see the light of day.
3. Firefly ­– A GREAT western space-opera, which was cut down in its infancy by Fox. Ah, Fox, you have such a great track record of taking sweet concepts like this show and destroying them after the show gains a massive following. At least with this excellent show we had the Serenity movie, which tied up a lot of loose ends, and ended up killing several loved characters. This is one series and universe which really needs to be developed more deeply, there is just so much that can be done with it!
4. Stargate SG1 (And Atlantis) – Two GREAT series, although I was disappointed Atlantis only had five seasons. Excellent characters, who you grew to care about, a wide-open universe. At first the series stuck to the movie, and within a few seasons we were spanning the galaxy, meeting more aliens and discovering the mythology behind the original movie. Before Atlantis began, the series was already off in another Galaxy, where even deadlier enemies were uncovered. I won’t go into Universe, as I could barely stand the first couple of episodes. I am not happy with the fact they are talking about a reboot of the series. It doesn’t need a reboot! I want a continuation of the original shows!
5. Fringe – Now this was a great show! It dealt with what is known as ‘fringe’ science. The first season was incredible and ended up inspiring an entire issue of my Wisdom from the Wastelands series. I have yet to continue with the show, but I hope to do so in the very near future. After all, it did last four five full seasons. It intrigued me how the characters grew and especially the relationship between Walt and Peter. Before you knew it, even deeper, stranger science was being discussed, including the potential for dimensional travel. Ah hell, that was pretty much the entire theme towards the end. Excellent series overall!