Shows That: Died Before Their Time, Never Got A Fair Shot, Or Were Ahead Of Their Time

[Wax Lion]

Ah! Some good examples!

 

I was thinking of shows like Breaking In and The Naked Truth that turned into different shows with several cast members gone and new ones added, but I suspect that's not done as much nowadays. More likely, they'll do what 30 Rock did and let a cast member sink into the background. Maybe big changes aren't done so much these days. Even Mork & Mindy went through those kinds of changes (the second season got a whole new supporting cast, as did the third) despite being a hit.

 

I can never remember which show was Cashmere Mafia and which one was Lipstick Jungle. I remember Lipstick Jungle had a theme song that had "Read my lips" Otherwise, I know I liked the one that had Kim Raver (I think that's the one with Brooke Shields, Paul Blackthorne and Lindsay Price?) better of the two, it was the show that made me learn Raver's name because her performance was seriously great.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Cashmere is Lucy Liu.  Lipstick is Kim Raver and Brooke Shields.

[meep.meep]

Keen Eddie

 

with Mark Valley and Sienna Miller

[NutMeg]

I think The Office and Parks and Recreation both did this.  Parks fans talk a lot of smack about Season 1, but I actually loved it.  The show changed dramatically after Season 1, and honestly, I still prefer the style of Season 1 over the later seasons of the show.  Season 2-3 were great though.  For The Office, they changed the cast somewhat dramatically by adding in all the writers to have actual characters, gave Steve Carell hair, made it less a rip-off of the original British version.

 

Did 30 Rock do this kind of?  I really liked Josh and Toofer in Season 1 and then I felt like I was really missing them later on.  I could never like the show the exact same after Season 1.  I tend to really like shows in their infancy.  Seinfeld definitely did this - the creators didn't even want a main female character in the show!  Maybe a lot the NBC sitcoms did this, I don't know.  New Girl and Mindy on Fox definitely retooled in some ways -- New Girl's Winston/Coach drama, and Mindy has gone through like 6 incarnations.

 

 

Nutmeg, just beware, Cashmere Mafia is only 7 episodes!  And I do think the first one was the best of it.  I actually love, (LOVE) the book Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell.  I also really loved Four Blondes and to a lesser extent Trading Up.  I could never get into Lipstick Jungle (the show or the book, so far).  I vastly, vastly preferred the cast of Cashmere Mafia - I loved all four women!  They were all so sexy with it still being a pretty diverse cast.

I did binge watch the 7 episodes or Cashmere mafia (slow time as a freelacer, what can I say) and really wish this had been renewed. The cast worked so well! I read all the books you listed, and they were indeed good but also depressing. One fifth avenue is so much more upbeat, which thinking back to Sex and the City series is actually what I expect, even though the episodes that stayed with me the most were the most tragic ones. I do agree that Four Blondes was really good, but it was so depressing too...  

[Ms Blue Jay]

So cool that you watched it.  Ah yes, I forgot about 1 5th Ave!  I thought that the cast of Cashmere Mafia was four women who all were attractive in different ways and seemed like intelligent actors too.  I really took a liking to Frances O'Connor, but I've never really seen her in anything else.  And the quality of the men on that show???  OOooooooh Mama.

[Bort]

Along those lines... has there been a show that was barely renewed and put through a bunch of changes for its second season and improved? As a general rule, that leads to disaster, can anyone think of a case where the show wasn't better off cancelled after one season?

A Different World and Night Court fall into this category as well.

[zxy556575]

Cancelled too soon: Sirens, a half hour comedy about paramedics. It was exec produced by Dennis Leary so of course was set in Chicago.

 

On USA from 2014-2015, the focus was more on the private lives of the three stars rather than their cases. I'm not sure the script itself read as funny or sweet, but the three main male actors, plus Josh Segarra really brought nuance and life to their roles. It's the type of show that creeps up on you and you truly start to care about these guys without meaning to. Typical joke: all the EMTs have nicknames (Voodoo, Stats, Cash) and the chief decides that the earnest, Hallmark Channel loving new guy Brian will be called Kevin. One of the main EMTs was gay and a player, but his life's problems and successes weren't treated any differently/seriously/comically as any of the straight guys.

 

The show had a lot more than 23 stories to tell and I was really sorry when it didn't get a chance to do so. It's available on Netflix.

Edited January 25, 2016 by lordonia

[Chaos Theory]

I spent a snowy weekend watching Saving Grace. It lasted three glorious seasons but I think it has more in it.

[ParadoxLost]

Along those lines... has there been a show that was barely renewed and put through a bunch of changes for its second season and improved? As a general rule, that leads to disaster, can anyone think of a case where the show wasn't better off cancelled after one season?

 

I always thought Seaquest was an interesting case.  It is definitely not one that got better in the second season.  In fact the retooling was a disaster to the point that the submarine got abducted by aliens.  It was bad.  Major cast changes of fan favorites to go younger.  Almost everyone else wanted to quit by the end of the season if not before that.  Roy Scheider was publicly pissed off and giving interviews about it.  I mean if places like this had been around back then, the BTS gossip threads would have been more interesting than any show I can think of.

 

But season 3 got better.  It was a different show with a handful of the original actors.  But basically Scheider got himself off the series. Then Michael Ironside came in and negotiated that he wouldn't be doing all the stuff that they forced on Scheider before agreeing to join the cast.  Then it got cancelled.  But it improved before it got cancelled.

Edited January 26, 2016 by ParadoxLost

[Craphole Island]

A few random ones and I should preface it by saying they are all basically teen shows, but I never saw them during their original run. I just happened to decide to watch them later for whatever reason, and retroactively am upset they didn't last more than one season:

 

Jack and Bobby: This show was great! It had a fantastic cast including a young Logan Lerman and Bradley Cooper, and I thought it was a pretty realistic portrayal of teenagers and their families. It's a shame it got cancelled.

 

Life As Know It: This one wasn't all that great, but again it was mostly realistic and they seemed like normal teenagers. I was a big fan of Missy Peregrym and Sean Faris. I DESPISE Kelly Osbourne who is in this, but somehow I enjoyed her in it.

 

Hellcats: Now I confess: I unabashedly love Ashley Tisdale and think she's incredibly underrated as an actress (I've posted my thoughts on the board elsewhere in the past) but I thought this was a cute little show. It got dragged down by going a little too hard on the soap cliches and it could be pretty cheesy, but there were some solid cast members. Aside from Tisdale, the girl who played the really bitchy cheerleader (actress is Heather Hemmens I believe) was great and should quite frankly be bigger as well.

 

And two I always have to mention: American Dreams and Happy Endings!

[zxy556575]

Jack and Bobby: This show was great! It had a fantastic cast including a young Logan Lerman and Bradley Cooper, and I thought it was a pretty realistic portrayal of teenagers and their families. It's a shame it got cancelled.

 

 

I loved that show.

 

Have we talked about I'll Fly Away? It aired for two seasons from 1991-93. It was primarily a family drama set in the South in the late 50s to early 60s amid the background of the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement. Really touching and heartfelt. Won a lot of awards. It's kind of disappeared into a black hole now and isn't even available on DVD. Maybe 38 episodes doesn't seem short these days but there wasn't anything like it on TV then, and I can't think of much that's comparable now.

[DittyDotDot]

For those of you still lamenting the demise of Firefly: I've been watching Dark Matters on Netflix. It's got that whole cowboys in space going up against a corrupt corporate universe thing going on and all. And while the characters are not as vivid as they were to me on Firefly nor is it engaging in the same way, it is a quick and enjoyable watch...more or less. 

[butterbody]

I miss Neighbors. Delightful aliens named after famous athletes. Such a sweet show.

[ParadoxLost]

For those of you still lamenting the demise of Firefly: I've been watching Dark Matters on Netflix. It's got that whole cowboys in space going up against a corrupt corporate universe thing going on and all. And while the characters are not as vivid as they were to me on Firefly nor is it engaging in the same way, it is a quick and enjoyable watch...more or less. 

 

Dark Matters reminded me of Andromeda.  I didn't care for it.

[DittyDotDot]

Dark Matters reminded me of Andromeda.  I didn't care for it.

 

I never saw Andromeda, but I can imagine. Actually the show seemed to be a mash up of a few shows for me: Firefly (as I said, outlaw cowboys in space against a corrupt corporate universe). A teeny little bit of Farscape (all the trust issues and such, but Dark Matters could never be as imaginative as Farscape...never) and then there was this low budget show on some many years back called Starhunter about a bunch of outlaw bounty hunters in space who didn't always get along.

 

The show is definitely not the best thing ever--if that even exists--nor is it particularly original, but, like I said, was an easy and enjoyable enough watch....more or less.

[ganesh]

Andromeda isn't bad. They went way out there at times, but I think for the most part it was interesting. Kevin Sorbo was asked about his acting once, maybe in EW, I forget, and he said, "I'm never going to be remembered as the best actor ever. I liked the roles I had, and two of the shows I was on went 100+ episodes each. That's not too bad, is it?" No, it's not. 

 

Imaginative. Farscape wins every round. 

[ChelleGame]

 

Jack and Bobby: This show was great! It had a fantastic cast including a young Logan Lerman and Bradley Cooper, and I thought it was a pretty realistic portrayal of teenagers and their families. It's a shame it got cancelled.

 

 

Loved that show.

[Wax Lion]

I miss Neighbors. Delightful aliens named after famous athletes. Such a sweet show.

 

I always have to check the spelling to see if that's Neighbors the sitcom or Neighbours the Australian soap that had a short run on Hulu (apparently it didn't get enough views for Hulu to keep paying for it).

[SnideAsides]

I mean, Neighbours the Australian soap has literally been running for over 30 years at this point.

[Wax Lion]

Yeah but it lasted a year on Hulu. Someone stateside probably could find another source if they're interested enough.

[topanga]

I loved that show.

 

Have we talked about I'll Fly Away? It aired for two seasons from 1991-93. It was primarily a family drama set in the South in the late 50s to early 60s amid the background of the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement. Really touching and heartfelt. Won a lot of awards. It's kind of disappeared into a black hole now and isn't even available on DVD. Maybe 38 episodes doesn't seem short these days but there wasn't anything like it on TV then, and I can't think of much that's comparable now.

Yes, I enjoyed I'll Fly Away. I'd forgotten all about it, though. You'd think it would pop up on DVD, Netflix, Amazon, etc. Somewhere. 

[Chaos Theory]

I am rewatching Life on Netflix. Damian Lewis played a cop who spent over a decade in prison for a murder he didn't comit. The show is part procedural and part overreacting story arc. It was one of the better cop shows I have seen but it only lasted two seasonsZ

[Cobalt Stargazer]

All the Devil talk in the Race & Ethnicity thread made me think of Brimstone, which lasted for thirteen episodes back in 1998. John Glover was actually only supposed to have been recurring, but he and Peter Horton had such awesome chemistry that the writers decided to make his Satan a permanent addition. Well, as permanent as one can be in thirteen episodes.

[festivus]

Enlisted. I don't watch many comedies but I really liked this one. The chemistry between the three brothers was great. Plus it had Keith David. Love him.

[maxskellington]

I have to second (third?) the Jack and Bobby love. My additions to this category - American Dreams and Joan of Arcadia.

[BatmanBeatles]

I loved that show.

 

Have we talked about I'll Fly Away? It aired for two seasons from 1991-93. It was primarily a family drama set in the South in the late 50s to early 60s amid the background of the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement. Really touching and heartfelt. Won a lot of awards. It's kind of disappeared into a black hole now and isn't even available on DVD. Maybe 38 episodes doesn't seem short these days but there wasn't anything like it on TV then, and I can't think of much that's comparable now.

Sam Waterston for the win!

 

I don't know if people knew what to make of Jack And Bobby. The premise about a boy who grows up to be president may have thrown people when they discovered it wasn't about a real life person.

 

I still mourn the loss of American Dreams. They way they left it was so sad.

Edited February 25, 2016 by BatmanBeatles

[Bort]

I don't know if people knew what to make of Jack And Bobby. The premise about a boy who grows up to be president may have thrown people when they discovered it wasn't about a real life person.

Could also have been Christine Lahti's soapbox tirades every episode that drove people away. I know that's what made me change the channel to something else.

[meep.meep]

I found Jack  and Bobby boring - only lasted 3 episodes.  I don't like sorta-history -- if you call a show that and say that one of the kids becomes President, then you can't go all coy about it not being about the Kennedys.

 

Frank's Place

[Moose135]

Frank's Place

 

I loved that show! Would love to see it again, but I read that they had similar issues as WKRP as far as music rights, making a DVD release unlikely.

[Wax Lion]

I had a hard time accepting the politics of Jack and Bobby. I liked the pilot but (IIRC) the second episode revealed that President McCallister was basically McCain, except when some dirty tricks got pulled on him he quit the party and won as an independent. So soon after the 2000 race -- a lesson on how third party candidates usually get in the way of their "side" winning -- that just made the show too ridiculous to buy. Plus, I hate it when TV shows borrow that transparently from real history, adding a lot of wish fulfillment.

 

Then I read Salon going after it for Lahti's character being a strawman liberal fool and felt encouraged not to revisit it.

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎6‎/‎23‎/‎2014 at 3:35 AM, WhoAmIWorkingFor said:

Back to Fox again with Space: Above and Beyond.  Bad starting timeslot after Sunday football, some other schedule shuffling, and back to Fox again.

Absolutely, it had so much potential, so sad when you read what they had intended for the later seasons;

 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112173/faq?ref_=tt_faq_1#fq0015999

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎6‎/‎24‎/‎2014 at 1:33 PM, Kromm said:

Another Fox example (although this one had enough problems that it's maybe borderline for this list).  Jessica Alba's original fame vehicle, Dark Angel (well, technically that Flipper tv show she did as a kid was her original fame vehicle, but close enough).  Anyway, despite those flaws (bad dialogue, for example), Dark Angel had potential, and so it's for me half on the "Never Lived Up To It's Potential" list, and half on this one (because I think it still had enough of that realized to deserve at least one more try instead of just getting the boot when it did--because the main reason it's second season did so badly was that it was stuck in a Friday Night Death Slot).

Which brings us to... The Sarah Connor Chronicles.  A really really good show (in it's own way, better than even T2--at least in terms of worldbuilding and acting). I'm pretty sure it's ratings had already started to die earlier in Season 2, before Fox moved it to the Friday Night Death Slot, but the FNDS put the nails in the coffin.  And this one hurt far more than Dark Angel, because it was totally working.  Lena Headey, who we all know is brilliant from what she's done since, was brilliant on this show too.  I prefer her Sarah Connor to Linda Hamilton's by a factor of like... ten times.  Summer Glau, in my opinion, was never as at home with a role as she was with the one she did for this show. The other players around these two were strong too, even if these two were the heart.  This show deserved years and years that it didn't get.

Yes, second, brilliant show, ignore every sequel after T2 and just stick with this show. 

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎6‎/‎25‎/‎2014 at 6:31 AM, aradia22 said:

Agreed. Dollhouse was a mess. Victor and Sierra were fantastic. Alan Tudyk and some of the other supporting players had their moments. But Eliza was a dud (even if she was supposed to be a blank slate she couldn't even "Keanu" it properly) and the plot was so convoluted I didn't feel like they had something to say or a clear idea about the mythology of their world. It was the first Joss Whedon show I tried (Dr. Horrible aside) and I watched all of it hoping it would somehow morph into the kind of show that has inspired so much fan fervor (like Buffy, Firefly, Angel, etc.). They put me out of my misery by cancelling that show. But I will always be grateful to Dollhouse for turning me on to The Bird and the Bee who are one of my favorite acts now.

Blasphemy, ED is the greatest! Angel was planned for another season and never got it, Dollhouse was cut short, both would have been great. 

On ‎2‎/‎27‎/‎2016 at 12:41 AM, meep.meep said:

I found Jack  and Bobby boring - only lasted 3 episodes.  I don't like sorta-history -- if you call a show that and say that one of the kids becomes President, then you can't go all coy about it not being about the Kennedys.

Frank's Place

That's the show they cancelled Angel for!

[Joe Hellandback]

Too many to mention; 

Gotham (only getting half a season to complete)

Ringer (cancelled when it was just getting good)

Space Above and Beyond; the plot for the next season sounded so great

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112173/faq?ref_=tt_faq_1#fq0015999

Alien Nation

The Unit; would have loved to see it, especially the gay storyline

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460690/faq?ref_=tt_faq_sm

Tru Calling; again, just as it was getting good, the second season sounds awesome

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364817/faq?ref_=tt_faq_1#fq0023063

 Dollhouse

Angel

Lois and Clark 

Terminator; TSCC, ignore any movie sequel past T2 and just stick with this.  

Essentially I'm cursed, if I really like a show it's doomed. 

[Haleth]

The Passage.  Damn you, Fox!

[DrSpaceman]

Better off Ted. 

That was a great show, not sure how it never made it to renewal. 

Also on the old question of shows making significant changes after the first marginal season and lasting a long time, Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia added Frank/Danny DeVito after season one and, whether it be due to him or not, the quality of the show really improved I think as a result.  Plus he was a big name to help out the show.  I still like season one, but the show certainly evolved in season two and then started hitting its stride.  Not sure it would have survived long without him being added. 

[DrSpaceman]

Also more recently, both LA to Vegas and The Mick.  Thought they were quality comedies that should have been given at least another season or two. 

[Vixenstud]

Men of a Certain Age – While I love Everybody Loves Raymond I never gave Ray Romano a second glance until this show….he was sexy, he was vulnerable and I was surprised by his great dramatic acting skills.  Add Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher in the mix and this show should have lasted 5 to 6 years, but fucking TNT cancelled it after 2 seasons!  To this day I’m still bitter.

Reboot of Dallas – Loved it!  They had a great new cast mixed with the original cast.  IMO they could have gone longer even with the unfortunate death of Larry Hagman.

The Cool Kids – I didn’t watch it faithfully but when I did I LOL’d a lot!  Leslie Jordan is a nut, I wish the show would have been given another season.

This is why I watch reruns of old classics….soooooon as I invest in a show it wounds up getting cancelled!

Edited May 14, 2019 by Vixenstud

[doodlebug]

The Kids are Alright has just been cancelled, terrific show, catch it while you can.

[theredhead77]

I'm still bitter about Jericho.

I was watching The Kids are Alright and then I couldn't find it anymore and figured it was cancelled awhile ago. 

[shoregirl]

Pitch.. I really liked it and am still disappointed it didn't get a second season. I loved the chemistry between Mark Paul Gosslear and Kylie Bunbury. 

Pushing Daisies.. what a weird and wonderful show. I really think it was ahead of it's time and would have done well as a Netflix original.

Edited May 14, 2019 by shoregirl

[DrSpaceman]

Oh and of course recently cancelled Santa Clarita Diet.  It did get 3 seasons, not bad, but it could have gone on longer. 

[amaranta]

1 hour ago, Vixenstud said:

Men of a Certain Age – While I love Everybody Loves Raymond I never gave Ray Romano a second glance until this show….he was sexy, he was vulnerable and I was surprised by his great dramatic acting skills.  Add Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher in the mix and this show should have lasted 5 to 6 years, but fucking TNT cancelled it after 2 seasons!  To this day I’m still bitter

I join you in the bitterness.  I also came to appreciate Romano through MoaCA; such a good show. I didn't watch Everybody Loves Raymond during its run but started catching reruns because of Certain Age. 

I keep meaning to watch Paddleton on Netflix; I've read it's another good performance.

[Blergh]

Walter and Emily (November,1991 to February,1992).

Brian Keith and Cloris Leachman played retirees helping to raise their divorced son's own young son ( Matthew Lawrence) . It only lasted 13 episodes  (and even seemed to about to end its premise in the last aired show when their son and his ex appeared ready to reconcile). However; I think Mr. Keith got a better chance to show his acting chops here re as a retiree dealing with all these changes in a curmudgeonly but warmhearted way than he had as in his iconic show Family Affair- and Miss Leachman was a far more sympathetic and likable character here (albeit still  quirky) than as Beverly Ann in Facts of Life or even Phyllis Lindstrom in MTM and Phyllis- and the two had surprising chemistry together! Alas it was not to last and I'm one of the few who remembers it. 

Edited May 19, 2019 by Blergh

[Inquisitionist]

1 hour ago, Vixenstud said:

Men of a Certain Age – While I love Everybody Loves Raymond I never gave Ray Romano a second glance until this show….he was sexy, he was vulnerable and I was surprised by his great dramatic acting skills.  Add Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher in the mix and this show should have lasted 5 to 6 years, but fucking TNT cancelled it after 2 seasons!  To this day I’m still bitter.

I'm with you on MoaCA.  Ray Romano had improved as an actor over ELR's run and handled some more nuanced, somewhat dramatic scenes well, but he really stepped it up here.  Who knew he had such depth?  And, of course, the smarts to given every long monologue to the incomparable Andre Braugher.

14 minutes ago, amaranta said:

I join you in the bitterness.  I also came to appreciate Romano through MoaCA; such a good show. I didn't watch Everybody Loves Raymond during its run but started catching reruns because of Certain Age. 

As I noted above, Romano grew as an actor during ELR.  In Episodes like S6's The Breakup Tape, he did some nuanced work.  I think that's the episode that won him an Emmy.

[Moose135]

1 hour ago, Vixenstud said:

Men of a Certain Age – While I love Everybody Loves Raymond I never gave Ray Romano a second glance until this show….he was sexy, he was vulnerable and I was surprised by his great dramatic acting skills.  Add Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher in the mix and this show should have lasted 5 to 6 years, but fucking TNT cancelled it after 2 seasons!  To this day I’m still bitter.

I loved that show! Romano really did show a different side of himself, and I enjoyed what Braugher and Bakula brought to the show.  Added to that, I was "of a certain age" when it was on, and a lot of it hit close to home.

[RealHousewife]

A few shows I miss that I thought were canceled too soon...

 Marlon

Ladies of London

Real Housewives of Miami

[MissAlmond]

I'll never not be bitter over the loss of Bakersfield P.D. 

[Annber03]

I'll put "Trial & Error" in here. Given the comparisons to other comedies that were similar in style and humor ("Parks and Rec", for instance), I'm kinda surprised that this one didn't become as big and long-running as those. I imagine there'd be other cases they could've been inspired by for stories, or heck, they could've started coming up with their own unusual ones that would've been interesting for the gang to investigate. I also think there were other fun stories about the weirdness that is East Peck in general to explore 😛. 

Plus, I just loved the cast and characters, so if nothing else, I wish it could've stuck around for that reason alone. I am glad that we got two seasons, though. 

[ganesh]

Farscape.