What was your favorite TV series canceled before its time?

[Coventina]

I have a bunch:

Arrested Development (no, I haven't seen the new Netflix episodes, don't have Netflix. But resurrected or not, it was canceled before its time on broadcast TV).

Andy Richter Controls the Universe & Andy Barker, P.I. (both Andy Richter vehicles that I really enjoyed and mourned losing).

Lateline (Al Franken's show, although maybe it being canceled enabled him to become a senator, which makes the pain easier to bear!)

The Norm Show & A Minute with Stan Hooper (Norm MacDonald might be despicable in real life, but I find his humor very funny).

And of course......

Firefly

[lame54]

1. Men of a Certain Age

[archiemo]

29. My husband and I loved that show!

[840high]

67. Loved it.

[Shrek]

92. +1

Really good show.

[Sheldon Cooper]

103. I liked that show a lot.

[Scuba]

2. Easy, TW3 ...

Closely followed by The Smothers Brothers.

[Coventina]

11. I really wish I'd had the opportunity to see TW3

It sounds like one of the best things that was ever on TV.

[Scuba]

12. It's what got me interested in politics, and was indeed one of the best things ever on TV.

[pink-o]

141. I was 6 yrs old and I would watch that show with my mom--who killed herself laughing.

I haven't thought about it in years! Can you still see episodes of it somewhere?

I wonder if the topical subject matter would ruin a present viewing. Most satires don't stand the test of time (Not the Nine O'clock News and In Living Color, eg) but TW3 was so long ago, it would be a kick to see again!

[PoliticAverse]

30. Judge for yourself...

[hlthe2b]

13. I may be old enough to know, but I had to google--so for others wondering....

TW3 = That Was The Week That Was....

[mockmonkey]

33. The British version with David Frost NSFW language and situation

Being a fan of Tom Lehrer and not being able to see TW3 since I was too young, I looked up the British version on YouTube and found this episode.

Now considering that the BBC had on the air until 1978 a show called, "The Black and White Minstrel Show" I guess this might not have been as shocking to a British audience.

At 4:50 there begins a song that left my mouth agape. This version of the show could never have been on in the US. Especially since the Networks were afraid of losing their southern audience.

Here is now an episode of the British version of TW3 from 1963, you have been warned.

Kudos to the late David Frost.

[dipsydoodle]

118. Fuck their southern audience :

got the message over just fine.

Thanks for posting - I'd never noticed a complete program before. TW3 was compulsive viewing here in the UK in those days and finally came to end when the BBC decided it would show bias, from which they prohibited, during an election year.

In many respects in terms of content TW3 was preceded by the magasine Private Eye which started in 1961 and continues to this day. http://www.private-eye.co.uk/

There's also the covers library http://www.private-eye.co.uk/covers.php use the upper menu bar to search dates whatever

Recent topical one here :

[Deep13]

3. I don't care, I'm still free. You can't take the sky from me. nt

[Still Blue in PDX]

156. My favorite, too. nt

[malthaussen]

4. Well, there are two series I wanted to see last longer...

... Tour of Duty and Tales of the Golden Monkey.

-- Mal

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. six feet under. st.elsewhere. sopranos. n/t

[Lydia Leftcoast]

181. At least they ended voluntarily, not because the network pulled the plug

But I'm annoyed that only one season of "St. Elsewhere" is available on either DVDs or streaming.

[cyberswede]

6. The Good Guys.

Hilarious and brilliant. So sad it was canceled!

[ms liberty]

129. yes! we loved that show. n/t

[Still Blue in PDX]

159. Discovered that one and watched the whole series in a single night viewing.

My family just about reached their limits of tolerance of my cackling and guffawing, but I did live to see another day. Sort of saw another day. The following day at work was pretty grim.

:lol:

[cyberswede]

160. Yeah - my husband doesn't dig the show...but my 13 year old son does!

So, kiddo and I watch it by ourselves and laugh our heads off.

[onehandle]

7. Most recently, 'Pushing Daisies.'

That cancellation was a crime.

[MuseRider]

23. Oh how I agree with you on that one.

I loved that show and the cast was amazing.

I would add American Gothic. Loved it.

[DiverDave]

89. This^^^

[AgingAmerican]

8. Carnivàle

"During the Great Depression, an Oklahoma farm boy and a charismatic minister learn that they are key players in a proxy war being fought between Heaven and Hell."

The show was canceled 2/3 of the way through...



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319969/

[Coventina]

14. I heard a lot of good things about that show.

Was it on HBO?

I remember I didn't have an option to watch it at the time.

[AgingAmerican]

16. Yes, and they canceled it after two seasons

nt

[Lydia Leftcoast]

179. Yes, I still had HBO, and I was annoyed when they canceled Carnivale.

It was amazingly weird but somehow very compelling.

[seaglass]

35. This was my fav but also liked Rome which was canceled too soon. n/t

[GoCubsGo]

44. Yep. I'm still ticked off about that one.

I'm generally not a fan of that type of show, but they hooked me early into the first episode.

[haele]

56. Trying to wrap what was supposed to be a four season arc into the last six episodes screwed it.

The producers should have never forced the writers to put the end in so soon; in mythology, the classic time frame for growth and completion of the Hero-King (or Hero Villian) is three years or seven years depending on one's mythic background; 2 seasons months just doesn't cut it...and from all indications, the series was supposed to run six seasons to begin with.
The pacing was way too rushed at the end in comparison to the first season; the tarot-card opening suggests a Hero rite of passage story, and there were too many gaps in the "learning" Ben Hawkins would have needed to go through to become an architypical hero/villian/sacrifice for the Depression era.

I guess American viewership couldn't handle a drawn-out story...or HBO can't handle historical drama unless the writer has complete control - I'd like to see the fireworks if they tell GRRM to wrap up Game of Thrones before he's ready....

They had the same problem with Deadwood. Deadwood had at least one more season of development to go, and then HBO pulled the plug.

I have heard rumors from people in the writer's world that HBO has been toying with starting up a continuation of one, maybe two seasons of Rome.

And I thought they dragged out the Sopranos way too long. It seemed that production became "cheaper", and the show was pretty much coasting on it's previous popularity to the end - which is probably why it was never cancelled.

HBO creative teams certainly are innovative, but HBO management tends to suck.

Haele

[OriginalGeek]

9. As I ready your headline I started thinking of shows

and then I open the thread and see you have named every single show I was going to name.

My wife used to work at an airport in a gift/snack/news shop and met many celebrity type people and one of them was Jonathan Slavin from Andy Richter's show. She said he was by far the kindest, funniest, warmest star she ever met. She recognized him because we also loved Andy's shows and he really appreciated that. We'll watch anything with him in it just because it's him.

[Coventina]

17. You know what they say about great minds!

I loved Jonathan Slavin in ARCTU.

I also liked "Better Off Ted" (where he was also great), although I wasn't quite as broken up about it being canceled. It was a much weaker show, although it had a lot of actors that I liked in it.

[bigwillq]

10. My So-Called Life (nt)

[Coventina]

18. Argh! How did I forget that one?!?!?!

Even though I was well out of high school when it aired, I so totally identified with it!!!!

Great show!!

[bigwillq]

20. I was a teenager

and I totally identified with the characters.

Great show indeed!

[laundry_queen]

61. YESYESYES.

Holy eff was I upset when that was canceled. I was a teen too, and was NOT impressed when they cancelled that one. I think I may even have cried. It was such a step up from stupid vapid teen shows like 90210.

On the plus side, it's when I became a huge fan of Jared Leto.

[bigwillq]

62. I loved 90210, though.

I "discovered" it. LOL I was the first of my friends to watch it and then they all started to watch it after I told them about it.

It was silly fun. But it did touch on some socially relevant story lines.

[laundry_queen]

64. Oh, same here

but I had watched it since the beginning (was a big Priestly fan since he was Canadian too) and I found, as I got older, the storyline got repetitive and I got tired of it. Around that time, My So-Called Life came out and wow, it was just such a contrast. I still watched 90210 though, just not as much. By the time it was over, I was totally sick of it and wasn't really sorry to see it go, lol. Of course, by then I was an adult with 2 kids so maybe I just couldn't relate anymore.

[bigwillq]

65. I was in college or just graduated when 90210 ended

We still had 90210 viewing parties in college. lol


We did a lot of this: while watching!

[AngryOldDem]

122. Absolutely.

Excellent, excellent writing and acting. I have the series on DVD and watch it probably more than any other series DVDs I own.

There was just something special about Claire Danes, even then.

Why ABC didn't give it a fair chance is beyond me.

[distantearlywarning]

126. Yes, one of the best shows ever made.

Could not understand why this one was cancelled. It was incredibly compelling and well-written. I was a young 20-something when it came out, but I still really related to it.

[brooklynboy49]

183. I may be wrong...

...and probably am. But my understanding at the time was that Clare Danes didn't want to continue doing the show. Which I found odd, that a young teenager would want out of a regular gig on a critically acclaimed show. Which, of course, being a high quality show from the team that brought us thirtysomething, suffered from poor ratings.

Anyway, MSCL gets my vote for canceled too soon. Honorable mention toFreaks and Geeks.

Don't let my choices fool ya. I'm an old fart who just happens to like teen coming of age kinda stuff

[hlthe2b]

15. Deadwood

[flying rabbit]

69. +1

[kwassa]

130. I miss the wisdom of Al Swearengen.

In life you have to do a lot of things you don’t fucking want to do. Many times, that’s what the fuck life is… one vile fucking task after another.

Pain or damage don’t end the world, or despair, or fuckin’ beatings. The world ends when you’re dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man — and give some back.

[B Calm]

173. I loved Deadwood! True Detective another!

[Gidney N Cloyd]

19. What makes Norm MacDonald despicable in real life? I've never heard anything about him either way.

[Coventina]

22. Well, maybe "despicable" is too harsh.

But, he's pretty openly right-wing.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

21. Rome

I thought it was great television. The shows apparently became too expensive. I also wished that Masters Of Horror had been continued by Showtime. When I was a kid I was unhappy that Way Out was cancelled. It was the summer replacement series for Twilight Zone and I thought it was even more bizarre and imaginative. Unfortunately, the network decided not to bring it back.

[Ino]

34. Rome is what popped to my mind as well.

I heard they cancelled it so they'd have the money to do Game of Thrones. I just can't believe Rome cost MORE than GoT. I like GoT too, but Rome is the one I re-watch over & over.

[eShirl]

24. The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

http://steampunk.wikia.com/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Brisco_County,_Jr.

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. is a short-lived western television series with science fiction elements set in the 1890s. It combined sci-fi western with steampunk. It is about Brisco County, Jr. who hunts down the John Bly Gang for murdering his father.

Bruce Campbell in the title role, with John Astin as Professor Wickwire.

ended on a cliff hanger!

[Coventina]

28. Sounds super! I'll have to check it out. Also, your avatar reminds me of another great show killed

before its time: Max Headroom!!!!

[Still Blue in PDX]

157. Bruce Campbell! Lerve! nt

[thefool_wa]

168. I loved that show

"...no ma'am, its who I am."

[mockmonkey]

25. I agree with...

"Andy Richter Controls the Universe." I knew it would get canceled because I liked it and it was on Fox.

I enjoyed "Boston Legal" a lot and I'm not sure if I've seen all the episodes of the last two years of "The Practice" which is where the 2 main characters came from.

[CurtEastPoint]

26. Dead Like Me

[dixiegrrrrl]

137. Yes!

It's almost as if network have rules about shows being too intelligent or clever.

[CurtEastPoint]

138. Also, Wonderfalls.

[Tempest]

27. Firefly. n/t

[SteveG]

37. My thought as well

[Dr. Strange]

72. Yep, Firefly.

Also, The Tick.

[Coventina]

83. RE: "The Tick" - Live action or Animated?

[Dr. Strange]

97. Well, both.

But my son has recently discovered the live action show and we've been enjoying it. Patrick Warburton was nigh perfect in that role.

[Coventina]

98. The thing I found odd about the live action version was all the character name changes.

I wonder why?

You're right that Patrick Warburton was great for the role. I can't think of anyone who could have been better.


RE: The animated series - can't understand why season 3 has never been released on DVD.

[Dr. Strange]

109. Well...

Die Fledermaus was perhaps a little erudite, as opposed to Batmanuel.

But American Maid--that was perfect, no change needed! Oh well.

[petronius]

73. My first choice as well. Also, "Island at War", and "Farscape"... (nt)

[Betty88]

154. one more for Firefly n/t

[lovemydog]

31. Twin Peaks

The last season was crazy, but I was still enjoying it.

[Coventina]

32. For me, "Twin Peaks" falls into a category of shows that I loved at the beginning

and then got frustrated with and quit watching.

Also in that category: X-Files and Heroes

[mythology]

36. For me there are a couple

Veronica Mars and Freaks & Geeks and Undeclared.

[fizzgig]

42. freaks and geeks for sure

[brooklynboy49]

184. Not VM

I thought Veronica Mars had a good run.

But Freaks and Geeks only got one year. A crime. But look at all of the great talent we were introduced to in that one year!

I also enjoyed Undeclared, also from Apatow if I'm not mistaken. Not nearly as good asvFreaks, but it was better than most of the crap that was getting repeated renewals. I liked it, and it was getting better as its season progressed. It never got a fair chance. I don't even think it got a full season.

smh

[Sherman A1]

38. Due South

The West Wing, Boston Legal, cone to mind.

[HERVEPA]

39. The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. Also Firefly.

[First Speaker]

40. Nowhere Man...

...from the mid-90s...Bruce Greenwood, as a man whose identity is suddenly stripped away by a secret organization. It only lasted a season, and ended on a real surprise note--and never resolved... ...I still miss it, and wish they had done a miniseries or something to resolve the story...

[Captain Stern]

161. Agreed.

One of the best shows that hardly anybody has ever heard of.

[MissMillie]

41. I would have liked to see the Santos Administration in action

So I'm going w/ The West Wing

[Sherman A1]

135. Agreed

I too would have liked to have seen it go on at least one or two more years.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

43. Two shows by Judd Apatow:

Freaks and Geeks, and Undeclared.

Both well done TV comedies before Apatow became known for movie comedies.

I'm of a mixed mind when it comes to Arrested Development--part of me thought it was so brilliant that its cancellation after three seasons was a crime, while part of me loves the fact that it never had a chance to get stale and was so brilliant to its (seeming) end.

And I haven't seen the Netflix episodes either, and frankly I'm a little nervous to do so.

[Coventina]

48. Oh! I'd completely forgotten about "Undeclared!"

"Freaks and Geeks" I missed completely, but I hear it was brilliant.

I keep meaning to go back and watch it sometime.

I totally understand about the AD Netflix episodes. I'm a little nervous about them as well.

[RobinA]

45. WKRP

Also My So-called Life

[Boom Sound 416]

54. +1

[Initech]

46. Tie between Titus and Arrested Development.

Titus was very underrated as a sitcom - some episodes were hilarious. And as for Arrested Development I had some issues with the revival. I felt like they were trying too hard to live up to the original, and taking the ensemble cast out and making it about the individual characters doesn't work the way it should.

[sarge43]

47. Kings, New Amsterdam, Dead Like Me, Frank's Place and, of course, Firefly. n/t

[Walk away]

49. Bun Heads....

and Gilmore Girls. Ok, they're girlie but I really liked them!

[Feral Child]

50. Southern Gothic

An old one but my all-time biggest disappointment.

[Dr. Strange]

71. How old are we talking?

I've never heard of it.

[Feral Child]

102. Late'80s.

CBGLuthier corrected me, the title was "American Gothic". A great parody of the "Andy Griffith Show", with a "witchy" plot-line and some interesting characters.

[Dr. Strange]

104. Ah yes, American Gothic.

Good show!

[Feral Child]

110. Yep!

[CBGLuthier]

91. Did you mean American Gothic with Gary Cole?

Considering how great that was and how it was killed before its time I think maybe that is the show you mean and yeah it was great.

[Feral Child]

101. You're right.

Thanks for the correction. It was a great show. A really well-down satire of the old "Andy Griffith Show" and an interesting plot-line.

[DFW]

51. Liebling Kreuzberg

Jürek Becker died, and so the scripts weren't quite as good afterward, but Manfred Krug was only the funniest guy on TV here, and all of Germany cried when the series was canceled.

[LeftOfSelf-Centered]

59. There's a name I didn't expect to see on the list! :)

Although I've never actually watched the show, I just remember it being on TV when I was a kid. Maybe I'll have to check it out.

[DFW]

68. My wife and have seldom enjoyed a series more than that one

And that goes for any country and any language!

[DFW]

132. If your German is up to it and you can get the first season

It is pure joy. Manfred Krug was BORN for this role.

[LeftOfSelf-Centered]

144. Cool.

I grew up in Austria, so German's not a problem. So you're saying it's better than "Berlin bei Tag & Nacht"?

Now that I think about it, I could swear I saw a promo for "Liebling Kreuzberg" on TV a couple of weeks ago. Do you know if there's a channel rerunning it?

[DFW]

147. I have no idea--haven't seen a rerun in ages

They probably have seasons 1,2 &3 on DVD somewhere, but probably not compatible with US devices.

[Paulie]

52. Babylon 5

The story arc could have went 10 years. Cut short with 5.

[onehandle]

60. Agreed. nt

[kentauros]

74. As I understand JMS' intentions,

he planned on a five-year story. It was Crusade that got axed by unimaginative suits. It was also planned to be a five-year story.

What good shows need are some of these billionaires with money to burn and support artists like JMS and Manny Coto (Odyssey 5) in all the ways the network suits don't!

[Paulie]

78. Ah, you're right. My brain twisted it from reality to wishful thinking

5 years was the plan. But I am still sad that it ended. Same with Blake's 7.

[kentauros]

79. We still would have seen some of B5 if Crusade had continued.

Captain Lochley was in the opening credits, and she wasn't likely to be killed off, unlike the "hotshot pilot" in the second season

[Skittles]

53. The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd

quirky fun

[applegrove]

120. Yup. Before its time.

[applegrove]

185. That and "Due South" had some of the funniest

writing.

[trueblue2007]

55. my favorite was the creepy, scary .... SURFACE.

[LeftOfSelf-Centered]

57. Off the top of my head

Dead Like Me

JPod

Cupid (the original one with Jeremy Piven)

Defying Gravity (The show was flawed, but the makers had a grand design that I would have liked to see play out. Also I liked the fact of having a science fiction show that was placed slowly and not solely based on action, but it seems like I'm pretty alone on that front)

On Edit: I forgot Max Headroom

[pinboy3niner]

58. Sports Night

Canceled so Sorkin could do The West Wing.

[pokerfan]

165. so he could recycle the gags

Don't get me wrong. I loved both shows but face it: if you've seen one Sorkin show you've pretty much seen them all.

http://www.uproxx.com/tv/2012/07/aaron-sorkin-moves-graduates-recycling-dialogue-recycling-entire-plot-lines/

[Codeine]

63. Babylon 5 and Firefly. And when I was a kid it was Voyagers.

God I loved that corny-ass train wreck of a show.

[Jenoch]

81. If Jon-Erik Hexum had been taught the basic minimum

about guns there could have been a Voyagers! reunion show. Even if the powder didn't kill him he would have lost at least 50% of his hearing in his right ear.

[csziggy]

66. "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and "Star Trek" (TOS)

Showing my age here!

I can't think of any show I watched since in original run that I missed as much as those two when they were cancelled.

[turner52]

70. Quantum Leap, Babylon-5, Star Trek TOS

[csziggy]

76. Oh yes - but the series later cancelled don't have the same impact

As those cancelled while you're young and totally immersed in them.

By the time Quantum Leap and Babylon 5 came along, I was mature, had too many daily commitments to be as faithful to catching every single episode, and just was not as involved. Somewhere here I have the full DVD set of Quantum Leap and should watch it again. I liked that show enough I named one of my horses after the computer.

Here is Ziggy as a baby:



Firefly also comes to mind, but I never saw it in first run, only in syndication. I've since watched the entire series a number of times as well as the movie. I think the movie spoiled for me the possibility that it could have been revived - I wish they had left it open ended.

[Coventina]

84. Thank you! I really did not like "Serenity" much at all.

To me, it felt like it was trying to cram way too much stuff in, and, IMHO, killed off characters just for the sake of ending their story.

As an uber-geek, I'm writing a Firefly fanfic for my sister, and for the sake of MY plot the movie never happened. I'm continuing the story from where the TV series left off.

You have beautiful horses, BTW.
Is Ziggy standing next to his mom? (He's blocking the pertinent areas).

What breed are they? (I'm no equine expert).

[csziggy]

114. I don't watch "Serenity" usually - it's too depressing

Thanks for the compliment on the horses. Ziggy is female, just like the computer in Quantum Leap, and yes, she's standing next to her mom.

I used to breed Quarter horses for dun and grullo color. Ziggy is a silver grullo - the color is the horse equivalent of a Siamese cat. The genetics are very similar in how the dilute color is created. I still own Ziggy and her daughter and a grandson of Ziggy. They are fourth, fifth and sixth generations bred on my farm.

I think the voice in the show intro is the voice of Ziggy, the computer.

[Coventina]

115. Oops! Apologies to Ziggy for mistaking her gender!

[kentauros]

75. Police Squad! (in color!)

Also, Babylon 5: Crusade

[Coventina]

85. Oh man! Police Squad!!!!

How on earth was that not a massive hit?

[kentauros]

100. Because Network Suits are massive douches?

For example, one of my favorite old shows, I Dream of Jeannie, wasn't shot in color for its first season, despite NBC advertising itself at the time as a color network. It only would have cost them a measly $300 per week to shoot in color, but they wouldn't budge, because, well, they're Network Suits, and not even great show creators can predict what a Network Suit will do or decide.

I suspect Network Suits are either from another planet here to sow mediocrity on us all, or they were an evolutionary branch that refused to die off

[Dr. Strange]

105. Police Squad! (in color!)

You took a big chance doing that.
Well, you take a big chance getting up in the morning, crossing the street, or sticking your face in a fan.


We're sorry to bother you at such a time like this, Mrs. Twice. We would have come earlier, but your husband wasn't dead then.




I wouldn't know anything about it.

[kentauros]

107. Frank Drebin: Cigarette?

Yes, I know.

Frank Drebin: Sorry, Buddy. No sax before a fight.

Mimi Du Jour: "Is this some kind of bust?"
Frank Drebin: "Yes, ma'am, it's very impressive, but we need to ask you a few questions."

[Rhythm]

77. Strange Luck

Starred DB Sweeney, and was on right before X-Files in the '95-6 season...

Only lasted 17 episodes before cancellation, but i loved every one.

[Jenoch]

80. Reading this thread

sure does make me feel old.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

82. The PJs, on Fox.

Executive Producers: Ron Howard and Eddie Murphy.

Stop-action clay animation about life in the Projects (thus the name PJs).

Everyone was not squeaky clean like The Cosby Show.

The main character was a none-too-bright "Super" (maintenance man) named Thurgood Orenthal Stubbs. (!!!!)
His wife Muriel called him "Goody".

There was a crackhead named Smokey. He wore a button that said "LOSE WEIGHT NOW. ASK ME HOW."

It was funny as hell about life in the projects, and you had to listen and watch closely to catch the jokes (kinda like The Simpsons).

Canceled after one season.

[Coventina]

86. I watched the PJs. It was a good show. In a weird way, it kind of reminded me of the old cartoon

"Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids" because of the way that so many episodes centered on Goody learning a lesson. And, it was pretty funny as well.

IIRC, it moved around the schedule quite a bit, and so we missed seeing it at times.

I think moving more than once almost always spells doom for a show, because only the more than casual fans will follow it that faithfully.

[Art_from_Ark]

87. It's About Time

Mr. Terrific
Ivan the Terrible
Night Gallery

[HughBeaumont]

88. My Name is Earl.

It was never allowed to continue or tie up the loose ends of the cliffhanger.

You were just left hanging . . . .and just like that, it was cancelled and never picked up. BAD form.

[thefool_wa]

169. I miss Earl

And Raising Hope, while just as funny and creative, lacks the almost "Kung Fu" esque feel that Earl had.

[Coventina]

171. Agreed about "My Name Is Earl"

It was an enjoyable show and deserved better.

I loved all the quirky, interesting characters.

[CurtEastPoint]

178. Say, "Moose and Squirrel!" I have some of those dialogs memorized!

[DiverDave]

90. Stargate Universe

They went to wwe.

Great show, so many ways to go that would have kicked ass.

[kentauros]

108. I enjoyed it while it aired,

but unlike SG: Atlantis, I didn't buy the series-DVDs. Someday, I'll fork over however many hundreds for SG1

Universe did have promise, and it makes me wonder what was going on behind the scenes that messed it up so horribly.

[DiverDave]

112. According to scifi it was $$

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/05/13/syfy-defends-canceling-stargate-universe/

[kentauros]

113. Seems like a similar fate befell Crusade on TNT:

It lost out to wrestling

I still haven't seen the last two episodes of Universe, thanks to my DVR dying before I got a chance to watch them. I guess I'll have to find them online.

[Shrek]

93. Terriers

Only 13 episodes but they were uniformly excellent. I really wish it had lasted a few seasons.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1493239/

[pinboy3niner]

94. The Sandbaggers (the BBC spy drama that aired in the U.S. on PBS)

It ran only three seasons for a total of 20 episodes.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

95. 2 westerns: Nichols and Lazarus Man

Both very off-beat turns on the genre.

[LanternWaste]

96. Homefront

This was a two-season series about small town America as the soldiers were returning home from WW2. Many different social issues handled deftly with care and realism-- racism, sexism, trade unions, inter-racial relations, antisemitism, war brides, etc. but did so under the benign guise of the one hour soap format.

[Sweet Freedom]

99. +1

loved Kyle Chandler in that show.

[AngryOldDem]

123. Agreed, but...

When it strayed from the historical context and became more of a soap opera, that's when it got tedious for me.

I remember engaging in a lot of heated Internet arguments about that.

[RandoLoodie]

106. Mannix

[Sherman A1]

134. Agreed

I have been picking up the seasons on Dvd of late from Amazon along with some other good ones, such as Checkmate and Combat.

[elleng]

111. Brooklyn Bridge.

[Mz Pip]

117. American Dream

It was set in the 60s. It was a coming of age drama revolving around a family living during the tumultuous era of Civil Rights, Vietnam, and American Bandstand. It ran for 4 seasons, the main character's years in high school.

[TeamPooka]

119. Sports Night

[ok_cpu]

149. +1. That was a great show! n/t

[MicaelS]

121. Nowhere Man.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowhere_Man_%28TV_series%29

Nowhere Man is the story of photojournalist Thomas Veil, who discovers that his life has been abruptly "erased": his friends claim not to know him, his wife claims not to recognize him and is living with another man. His ATM cards and credit cards no longer work. His best friend turns up dead. His mother, recovering from a stroke, is incapable of confirming his existence. In the course of a single evening, every trace of Tom's identity is gone.

Tom believes this is a conspiracy related to a photograph he took a year earlier, depicting four men being hanged in South America by what appear to be US soldiers. The only evidence Tom has of his past are the negatives of that photograph. A mysterious organization covertly pursues Tom in search of the negatives. The series revolves around Veil's attempts to get his life back by trying to find out more about the organization, while also trying to keep the negative safe.

It is revealed that Tom had been captured by the organization prior to the events of the series' first episode, and that all his memories of his life, including his marriage and even his name, had been implanted as part of a brainwashing experiment known as Project Marathon. He learns that he is actually a covert government operative codenamed "Gemini", and is part of a secret task force called "Heritage House" which was formed to investigate the organization and Project Marathon. He also learns that his copy of the "Hidden Agenda" photograph, as well as his memories of having taken it, have been altered, and that the original negative shows that the four men being lynched are actually U.S. senators being murdered by the organization.

In the final episode, Tom questions the "number two man at the FBI" at gunpoint, but the man commits suicide rather than risk revealing information under torture. The series ends with Tom watching a videotape that had been in the FBI man's possession, a film that finally explains everything.

[AngryOldDem]

124. Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip

Aaron Sorkin's followup to The West Wing, which was probably what doomed it, given that it was so opposite of TWW, and debuted the season after TWW ended. It lasted one season and I think it should have been given more of a chance to prove itself.

Good ensemble cast -- Bradley Whitford, Matthew Perry, Sarah Paulson, and D.L. Hughley, among others...

Thanks for this thread, BTW... a lot of good, promising shows gone because in a lot of cases the networks didn't give them a decent chance to succeed.

[Coventina]

125. So glad you (and others) have enjoyed it!

It is really a shame that promising shows are so often not given a chance to succeed.

[msu2ba]

127. Sledge Hammer!

Brisco County Jr. and WKRP

[shenmue]

151. Yes!

[ms liberty]

128. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Sports Night, the Charmings,

There are more I'm sure, but those come to mind first. On edit, correcting spelling, so I'll add a favorite that was noted above: Max Headroom.

[Jamaal510]

131. Cow and Chicken and How to Catch a Predator. nt

[Bosonic]

133. Wonderfalls and Alphas

But especially Wonderfalls

[Sancho]

136. recently…Smash!

We thought it was very entertaining and great music.

[rudolph the red]

139. Terriers & Firefly

[geardaddy]

140. I agree with Andy Richter Controls the Universe

That was an awesome show.

[area51]

142. Original Dark Shadows. n/t

[KamaAina]

143. Frank's Place.

And it never went into syndication, because of issues surrounding licensing of the music, much of which was original and performed by Louisiana artists. Similar issues cause the syndicated version of WKRP to not quite cut it. For instance, we need to be hearing "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner while Les is trying on his rug.

[sarge43]

145. The Dresden Files n/t

[Still Blue in PDX]

158. Agreed. nt

[chrisa]

146. Anyone remember Jericho?

It was mediocre at times but had it's life cut short

[Lydia Leftcoast]

182. And the Netflix Facebook page was absolutely spammed by people wanting Netflix to pick it up

I sort of felt that it had run its course, though.

[ok_cpu]

148. Ed

Although that it hasn't been mentioned this deep in the thread tells me it might have been canceled for good reason.

[shenmue]

150. Crime Story

[nirvana555]

152. A friend and I really enjoy Huff. The star was Hank Azura (? on his last name spelling)

I think it was HBO and I believe it was only two seasons. I thought it had a lot of potential and I loved the two seasons I saw....

[yuiyoshida]

153. Witchblade

[Rob H.]

155. Tie between 'Andy Richter Controls the Universe' and 'Better Off Ted'

Another one I really enjoyed for the brief period it was on was a quirky comedy-drama called Maximum Bob, based on the Elmore Leonard novel of the same name and starring Beau Bridges. It only lasted seven episodes back in 1998 and isn't officially available on DVD.

[Captain Stern]

162. Here are some that I liked that I haven't seen mentioned yet.

Soap
Taxi
Friday Night Lights
Profit

[onenote]

163. Studio 60; Sports Night; Freaks and Geeks

[opiate69]

164. Arrested Development and Firefly

[TheKentuckian]

166. Star Trek the original series. V (ended on a cliffhanger). Arrested Development.

Next Generation should have kept going instead of the movies. Got a soft spot for Parker Lewis Can't Lose.

[thefool_wa]

170. Gonna have to disagree on V

The mini-series (both of them) are cornerstones of my childhood and helped shaped alot of my world and political perspectives. The series they made based on it SUCKED, both in the 80s and in the recent one.

[TheKentuckian]

176. There was a new one? I'm not saying it was great but it has left me a life long sense of

something unsatisfying and incomplete.

I do put it in odd company it can't really compare to but because of the way it cut off it made for me along with 30 years distance and the fog of nostalgia.

[thefool_wa]

167. Alien Nation

And no, the Sci-Fi channel movie they made almost 10 years later resolving the cliff hangar didn't make up for the fact that they cancelled it right when it was getting good.

[eShirl]

172. another Bruce Campbell show: Jack of All Trades

from around the turn of the (21st)century and set in the years between the American Revolution and the War of 1812.

Sort of in the style of a late 60s sitcom with one important difference - NO LAUGH TRACK!
(warning: plays fast & loose with history.)

[IDemo]

174. Northern Exposure

[doxydad]

175. Deadwood.

Deadwood.

[Jade Fox]

177. Joan of Arcadia....

Especially because it was replaced by some god-awful thing with Jennifer Love Hewitt.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

180. "Kingdom"-a British comedy-drama starring Stephen Fry, "Nothing Sacred" --cancelled due to pressure

"Kingdom" has a bit of the "Doc Martin" style, with Fry playing a small town solicitor surrounded by dysfunctional siblings and eccentric townspeople. Not only was it canceled after two seasons, but it was cancelled with a cliffhanger, in which Stephen Fry's character finds out from a DNA test that he's not related to his supposed siblings. The second season ends with him asking, "Then who am I?"

According to what I read in the Internet Movie Database, the show was cancelled two weeks before shooting was supposed to start on the third season.

"Nothing Sacred" was a drama in the mid 1990s about the priests and nuns of a Catholic parish. Since it showed them as troubled in various ways, not as plaster saints, and had one of them quitting the priesthood, conservative Catholics raised a fuss. The series was pulled with episodes still in the can. The series itself has been shown overseas, but it has never been shown here or even put out on DVD.