TiVo Community Forum banner
  • TiVoCommunity.com Ambassador Program Now Open! >>> Click Here

Shows worth watching that got cancelled during or after their first season ...

14K views 118 replies 56 participants last post by  frombhto323 
#1 ·
There have been quite a few shows that never made it beyond the first season that I really enjoyed watching. Some got cancelled mid-season, while others simply didn't get renewed for a second season. I have watched many of these shows after the fact, knowing full well that the story would never be told to completion. Despite this, I found a lot of them to be well worth while.

Some examples (in no particular order):

New Amsterdam
Journeyman
Now and Again
Life on Mars (US version)
Freaks & Geeks
My So-Called Life
Day Break
Grosse Pointe
The Tick (live action version)
Invasion
Harsh Realm
Wonderfalls
Firefly (this one goes without saying)

I'm always on the lookout for another rare gem that I may have missed. :)
 
See less See more
#34 ·
Did the US version of Life on Mars get canceled or did it run it's course? AFAIK, it ran for the same amount of episodes as the UK version did (albeit in one continuous run) and had an ending.
It got canceled. They were pretty much following the storyline of the original British series and then abruptly cut it off and inserted a ridiculous ending that indicated all of the previous episodes were basically a dream sequence. The British series ran for at least two seasons, IIRC.

Terriers was by far one of the best shows that suffered a premature death.

I don't recall the name of the show, but it starred Glenn Frey of The Eagles and they hyped the crap out of it for weeks before it aired. It got canceled after the pilot episode.
 
#36 ·
It got canceled. They were pretty much following the storyline of the original British series and then abruptly cut it off and inserted a ridiculous ending that indicated all of the previous episodes were basically a dream sequence. The British series ran for at least two seasons, IIRC.

Terriers was by far one of the best shows that suffered a premature death.

I don't recall the name of the show, but it starred Glenn Frey of The Eagles and they hyped the crap out of it for weeks before it aired. It got canceled after the pilot episode.
The US version (17 episodes) had one more episode than the UK original (2 seasons of 8 episodes)
 
#37 ·
If you've seen the final episode, you know what I'm talking about.

If not, I'd rather not spoil the entire season for anyone who hasn't yet watched it.

Even those without the willpower to not click on the spoiler tag.

Like me.
I, for some reason must have missed the final episode of the US version, as I have eps. 9 thru 16 on my HTPC and was only clued into the ending last week after the BBC ran a magazine article on it's website concerning show endings.
 
#38 ·
The US version (17 episodes) had one more episode than the UK original (2 seasons of 8 episodes)
The Brits have a completely different idea of what constitutes an entire season for a given show. They tend to run about 6-8 episodes on average whereas a US TV show is typically 22-24 episodes, unless it's on a cable channel. They're typically 10-13 episodes.

I watched both versions of Life On Mars in their entirety. I can't say for sure whether they aired all 17 episodes of the US version, but it would appear that they did according to epguides.com. It seemed like they cut it short, at least with respect to the UK version. The US version didn't get as far into the storyline as the UK version did, IIRC. The ending was absolutely ridiculous and didn't do the series justice.

I liked the UK series but thought it was a bit too off the wall for US audiences. It would appear that I was correct in my thinking.

Here's a couple more to add to the list:

American Gothic
Crusade (what can I say, I was a Babylon 5 fan)
Freaks and Geeks (look at how many stars that show produced)
ditto for The Good Guys
Reaper
+1 for The Tick

There was another series that starred Patrick McGoohan that I thought was pretty good (and no, it wasn't The Prisoner). He played a Doctor so it was a medical drama. They put it up against Monday Night Football so it was doomed from the start. I can't recall the title but it aired back in the late 60's or early 70's, IIRC.
 
#39 ·
Did anyone else watch a show called The Unusuals a few years ago? It got cancelled really quick, but I liked it. Fast forward to 2013, and Jeremy Renner is now one of the biggest A-list stars on the planet. I keep waiting for the same thing to happen to Jason O'Mara. I think he's incredibly talented, but he keeps jumping from one doomed show to another. I didn't watch Vegas. Was it any good? It certainly had a talented cast.
 
#40 ·
Did anyone else watch a show called The Unusuals a few years ago? It got cancelled really quick, but I liked it. Fast forward to 2013, and Jeremy Renner is now one of the biggest A-list stars on the planet. I keep waiting for the same thing to happen to Jason O'Mara. I think he's incredibly talented, but he keeps jumping from one doomed show to another. I didn't watch Vegas. Was it any good? It certainly had a talented cast.
I really liked The Unusuals (add that one to the list actually). Jason O'Mara was ok in Vegas but the show, turned out to be just another CBS procedural and I quit on it after 4 or 5 episodes. I was hoping for more of a mob story, but it was essentially the crime of the week with a mob back story. Good cast but nothing all that great about the show.
 
#41 ·
Did anyone else watch a show called The Unusuals a few years ago? It got cancelled really quick, but I liked it. Fast forward to 2013, and Jeremy Renner is now one of the biggest A-list stars on the planet. I keep waiting for the same thing to happen to Jason O'Mara. I think he's incredibly talented, but he keeps jumping from one doomed show to another. I didn't watch Vegas. Was it any good? It certainly had a talented cast.
I watched one episode of The Unusuals, but it didn't hook me. Can you tell me, without major spoilers, if there was actually anything unusual about them or the show? Based on the first episode the show seemed misnamed.
 
#43 ·
I liked 'The Riches' too. I believe it lasted two seasons. I think it could have/should have gone further.

I'm probably the only one on the planet, but I really liked 'Emily Owens, MD' with Mamie Gummer last year. Not the best tv of all time, by any stretch, but I enjoyed it a lot.

There are so many shows come and gone, and my memory doesn't work very well anymore, so I'm sure there are a lot of shows that I was sorry to see go. I guess it's a good thing, not remembering anything. ha! It also comes in handy when re-watching shows/movies I like...I have little or no idea what is going to happen so I can enjoy them all over again.
 
#45 ·
I watched one episode of The Unusuals, but it didn't hook me. Can you tell me, without major spoilers, if there was actually anything unusual about them or the show? Based on the first episode the show seemed misnamed.
Yeah, the title almost makes it seem like it was sci-fi. This was not the case. They were just unusual and quirky compared to the typical cops you see on TV.
 
#46 ·
Did anyone else watch a show called The Unusuals a few years ago? It got cancelled really quick, but I liked it.
Yeah, I remember liking that one.
There are probably plenty more 1 season or less shows I liked, but at the moment I can't think of any others people haven't already mentioned. (But then I'd forgotten about The Unusuals until you mentioned it :eek:)
 
#47 ·
I liked 'The Riches' too. I believe it lasted two seasons. I think it could have/should have gone further.
'The Riches' was a cool show. Whoever was in charge of casting did an amazing job. So many of the people on that show went on to have great success. Gregg Henry has been in a ton of high profile stuff. Shannon Woodward is in 'Raising Hope'. Margo Martindale won an Emmy for Justified, and was nominated for another Emmy for 'The Americans'. And Todd Stashwick has become one of THE go to character actors of his generation.
 
#49 ·
'The Riches' was a cool show. Whoever was in charge of casting did an amazing job. So many of the people on that show went on to have great success. Gregg Henry has been in a ton of high profile stuff. Shannon Woodward is in 'Raising Hope'. Margo Martindale won an Emmy for Justified, and was nominated for another Emmy for 'The Americans'. And Todd Stashwick has become one of THE go to character actors of his generation.
I enjoyed The Riches too. Shame it doesn't qualify for this thread :)

But what this goes to show, is that there's a lot of shows you might enjoy, even for a season or two, instead of just not watching because other people don't like it. For me, I'm more inclined to say I've wasted my time watching something I don't like, because it's popular (Breaking Bad, American Idol) than watching something for one season that I like, but is not generally popular and might get cancelled.
 
#50 ·
The Good Guys
THe one with Bob Denvers and Herb Edelman., You, great

How about:
The Partners (Don Adams 1972)
The Good Life (Larry Hagman, 1972)

I also just watched 'Persons Unknown'. The season / series cliffhanger was awesome.
 
#51 ·
I enjoyed The Riches too. Shame it doesn't qualify for this thread :)
LOL! The Riches did indeed have two seasons. There are some shows that I would be willing to let slide, though. Something like 'Tru Calling', which technically had two seasons, but got yanked from the schedule very early in its second season. In my opinion, a show like that fits the spirit of this thread, even if it doesn't meet the specific criteria. :)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top