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

[juno]

Breaking In was a pretty terrific show from 2011-2012 with Bret Harrison and Christian Slater. But like many of the other shows I listed the second season was pretty bad and this was due to the horrible presence of Megan Mullally's character.

[kathyk24]

2 minutes ago, juno said:

Breaking In was a pretty terrific show from 2011-2012 with Bret Harrison and Christian Slater. But like many of the other shows I listed the second season was pretty bad and this was due to the horrible presence of Megan Mullally's character.

The first season of Breaking In was hilarious, Bret Harrison and Odette Annabel had nice chemistry. The second season stunk they wasted Christian Slater's character.

[juno]

8 minutes ago, kathyk24 said:

The first season of Breaking In was hilarious, Bret Harrison and Odette Annabel had nice chemistry. The second season stunk they wasted Christian Slater's character.

Man did they ever waste his great character!

Bret and Odette were amazing together. There was also huge chemistry with all the stars.

[DoctorAtomic]

I see your Breaking In, and I raise Reaper.

Bret Harrison is really underrated. He plays off an ensemble really well. 

[juno]

21 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I see your Breaking In, and I raise Reaper.

Bret Harrison is really underrated. He plays off an ensemble really well. 

I see your raise and I raise, raise, Looper. Bret is a terrific actor and comedian. Looper was a show like Breaking In that was completely wrecked by the network, yet he continued to be great.

[DoctorAtomic]

I think you mean the Loop. 
They shredded it in the second season by setting it more away from the office. Less Mimi Rogers hitting on Bret was a bad decision. 

[juno]

11 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I think you mean the Loop. 
They shredded it in the second season by setting it more away from the office. Less Mimi Rogers hitting on Bret was a bad decision. 

Thanks, yes the Loop. They also got rid of his friends and his crush. You are right again, Mimi and Bret had great chemistry. It was over the top but really funny.

[DoctorAtomic]

I remember the boss was really un-PC, and Bret's reactions were brilliant.  

[juno]

Really PC and a bit horrifying but Bret has this amazing timing that he brings to every role. His facial reactions are always great.

[Jaded]

2 hours ago, DXD526 said:

Does anyone remember a nighttime soap called Pasadena? I thought it was absolute cheesy goodness, but only lasted a few episodes in the fall of 2001. 

I don't really remember what it was about. I do remember thinking it was another Dana Delaney show that didn't last long. I've always liked her.

Your mention of that show made me think of Pacific Palisades that was on FOX in the late 90's. I think getting cast in that show was why Michelle Stafford left Y&R the first time. I remember wishing it had lasted longer so she'd stay away from Y&R longer. It wasn't a bad nighttime soap either though.

I was sad that Savannah went downhill after the first season it was so good for that first one. It felt like it was a bit longer then two seasons though.

Edited December 11, 2022 by Jaded

[KWalkerInc]

8 hours ago, DXD526 said:

Does anyone remember a nighttime soap called Pasadena? I thought it was absolute cheesy goodness, but only lasted a few episodes in the fall of 2001. 

I actually was doing an episode guide for that show!  FOX kept saying it would come back later, but it never happened.  I was lucky that a friend in Latin America sent me copies of all the episodes that didn't air in the U.S. (as well as those of Thieves, starring John Stamos and Melissa George, which was opposite Pasadena and also got cancelled pretty quick).  I didn't care for the ending of Pasadena, which varied widely from what was hinted at in the first episode, but they probably had to scramble because I'm sure their initial plans were for more than 13 episodes.

[juno]

Kevin (Probably) Saves the World is another in my long line of shows that died before its time. Jason Ritter is so good in this and so is the supporting cast. It is a really great feel good show with some humour. One season.

Edited December 12, 2022 by juno

[Leeds]

"I'll Fly Away" with Sam Waterstone and Regina Taylor.  An important show dealing with race relations in the south that never got its due.  Hard to watch at times and brought me to tears more than once.  Too close to the bone, serious, and "real" for many, I suppose.

[Scarlett45]

On 12/10/2022 at 7:50 PM, DXD526 said:

Does anyone remember a nighttime soap called Pasadena? I thought it was absolute cheesy goodness, but only lasted a few episodes in the fall of 2001. 

Yes I remember that one!

[kathyk24]

23 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I see your Breaking In, and I raise Reaper.

Bret Harrison is really underrated. He plays off an ensemble really well. 

Reaper was the best. I wonder what happened to Jenny Wade? She was great as Nina. She was in a really funny show the Good Guys with Colin Hanks.

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, Leeds said:

"I'll Fly Away" with Sam Waterstone and Regina Taylor.  An important show dealing with race relations in the south that never got its due.  Hard to watch at times and brought me to tears more than once.  Too close to the bone, serious, and "real" for many, I suppose.

It was interesting,too, seeing how   the leads (playing a white, male lawyer and an African-American housekeeper) each were single parents(via very different circumstances) doing their best to raise their offspring to be fair, good people in a setting where fairness was by no means a given- and how each of these parents had to face that fact which somewhat shook their own  beliefs in their community and futures.

[Rose Quartz]

7 minutes ago, kathyk24 said:

Reaper was the best. I wonder what happened to Jenny Wade? She was great as Nina. She was in a really funny show the Good Guys with Colin Hanks.

Oh, I remember The Good Guys!   Colin Hanks and Brad Whitford were mismatched buddy cops who had the typical long-suffering superior.  It was nothing spectacular but it was an enjoyable way to spend an hour and I was sad when it was canceled after only one season.

[Zella]

My dad and I still make "computer machine" references to each other because of The Good Guys. 

[bluegirl147]

On 12/10/2022 at 11:44 PM, Jaded said:

I was sad that Savannah went downhill after the first season it was so good for that first one. It felt like it was a bit longer then two seasons though.

I remember Savannah.  It was on the WB.  Good show. I still look every once in awhile to see if it pops up somewhere streaming. 

Anyone else remember Privileged?  It was on the CW and Joanna Garcia was a tutor for rich kids.  

[Jaded]

1 hour ago, bluegirl147 said:

I remember Savannah.  It was on the WB.  Good show. I still look every once in awhile to see if it pops up somewhere streaming. 

Anyone else remember Privileged?  It was on the CW and Joanna Garcia was a tutor for rich kids.  

My Mom and I imitated the way Jamie Luner's character would say "Daddy" when she found out Ray Wise's character was her father on Savannah. I wish I could find a clip of it online. That show was also where I first saw George Eads. Was kind of bummed years later to find out he seems to have anger issues.

I remember that show Privileged. I kept hoping it would return for a second season because I liked it and the last episode shown said "To be continued ...". I checked online for what felt like forever trying to see if it was coming back for a 2nd season. There were a few months between the ending then finding out it was a goner. I was happy that Joanna had found what seemed like a good show after Reba ended then poof. 

Edited December 12, 2022 by Jaded

[Bastet]

19 hours ago, Leeds said:

"I'll Fly Away" with Sam Waterstone and Regina Taylor.  An important show dealing with race relations in the south that never got its due. 

I didn't watch that one, but another show that was ahead of its time and to this day does not get properly acknowledged in discussing TV's treatment of racism and race relations is Any Day Now.  At four seasons, it was given a good run, but it was on basic cable, and has largely been forgotten since.  A couple of years ago, it went into syndication on Start TV, and remains there in some awful weekday mornings slot; I highly recommend it.  If nothing else, go watch the two-part "It's Not About the Butter" on YouTube and shake your head at how infuriating it is the same exact script could be written today, over 20 years later.

For those unfamiliar with the show, this article is a fantastic look back on why it's important.  An excerpt:

Quote

Any Day Now, which did garner some critical acclaim, avoids using white savior plots and offensive, stereotypical characters such as black maids or black criminals. It critiqued white tears and cultural appropriation long before they became subjects for viral social media memes. And the series duly zeroes in on the impact of racism, rather than on an individual's intent.

This is likely due to the make up of the writers' room that, unlike many others, was extremely diverse. At least 50 percent of the writers of Any Day Now were people of color—almost all of them African American. "In the writing room, we got into knockdown drag-out fights, but there was always love and respect and humor," Miller said. "We knew M.E. and Rene could say what they wanted to say to each other about race. They could be honest with each other. They had conversations that we can't seem to have these days in real life."

"Our mandate was to go as deep as we could and not shy away," said Valerie Woods, who started as first executive story editor and later became co-executive producer. "We never wanted to take the safe route. We were not trying to write palatable television."

And so, Any Day Now seamlessly executed themes such as internal and systemic racism, the privilege to remain silent in the face of oppression, and racism-related trauma—themes that remain prevalent in our society, but not so much on our television screens.

As I said in the show's thread, it was great at showing how people look at things in very different ways based on their experiences, and how race and gender have tremendous impact on how people experience life, regardless of their other similarities.  And a good half the time that's not explicitly pointed out by another character - it's just an honest presentation of how these characters receive and react to events, and the differences are sometimes just there for us to pick up on or not.  It's a brilliant example of how important it is to have racial and gender diversity in the writers' room, because when there is, this realism is what results.

[BlueSkies]

Pure childhood TV nostalgia with this but I still recall I show called Math Patrol.  Which when I did research was a show made by TV Ontario in the 70s.  I flat out loved this show as a little kid.  A man dresses up as a kangaroo and solves Math problems.  I know it sounds really goofy but this was my jam!

I dont think there were too many episodes though 

[Jaded]

@Bastet I was a fan of Any Day Now too. When I still had YouTube TV I was recording it so I could watch those episodes again after having not seen it in a long time.

[andromeda331]

The Addams Family-how it only got 2 seasons I don't know. It's such a great show. Gomez and Morticia are the best couple and parents'. They support each other and their kids interests even when it's not something they agree with like when Pugsley gets into Boy Scouts, sports and a puppy. They give into him but also get him help to find out if anything's wrong with him. Pugsley and Wednesday are such great kids. Creepy but they are all really nice to each other and to other people. When Gomez and Morticia are wrong about each other or someone else they apologize. I think if it had come out just a few years later when Bewitched and I Dream of Jeanine came out it would have lasted longer. Most of the episodes are just so great and so much fun. There were a lot of great stories left to tell.    

[SVNBob]

1 hour ago, andromeda331 said:

The Addams Family-how it only got 2 seasons I don't know. It's such a great show.

While it may have had a short run, it is still a cultural touchstone that lasted long after.

First, there was an appearance of the entire family on an episode of the New Scooby Doo movies, which was a sort of backdoor pilot for a short-lived animated series.  The series is notable for Jodie Foster providing the voice of Pugsley.

Apparently there was a Halloween-themed made-for-tv movie in the mid 70s that reunited most of the original live action cast.  (The original actress for Grandmama was too ill and was recast.  She passed a few months later.)

Then, of course, there were the two movies in the '90s, with Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston, Christopher Lloyd, and Christina Ricci.  But in between them, there was another animated series.  This one was also made by Hanna-Barberra (as the first one was), and featured John Astin voicing Gomez.

Later, in 1998, there was a direct-to-video movie with Tim Curry as Gomez (whom critics have said is the only good part of said movie) and Daryl Hannah as Morticia (as Anjelica Huston declined to reappear out of respect for Raul Julia...as did Christopher Lloyd), which was a lead in to a "revival" series produced in part by Saban Entertainment.  This series, which had no cast in common with the preceding movie other than the girl who played Wednesday,  introduced a new character, Grandpapa Addams.  This was a guest starring role for Astin, and was basically him doing Gomez again.

After that in 2009 was the Broadway musical, which originally featured Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth as Gomez and Morticia.

There were also the two animated movies from a couple years ago, with voices from Oscar Issac, Charlize Theron, Bette Midler and Snoop Dogg.

Which leads to the current Netflix hit, Wednesday.  Featuring Jenna Ortega in the titular role, and features Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzman as Morticia and Gomez.  There's only the one season (of 8 hour-long episodes) thus far, but there's hope for a second.

The individual pieces of the Addams Family franchise might have short lives.  But like several members of the family, the franchise has never truly died.

[Bethany]

7 hours ago, SVNBob said:

After that in 2009 was the Broadway musical, which originally featured Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth as Gomez and Morticia.

I would have loved to see this!!

[giovannif7]

1 hour ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

I would have loved to see this!!

There are clips available on YouTube that give you an idea of the production, like this one from the David Letterman show. I remember hearing parts of the score back when it was running, and what I heard didn’t raise my interest in seeing it. 

[BlueSkies]

This show I remember being entertained by as a kid:  Top Cops.  Stories of cops talking about stressful/life threatening situations they were in while being played out by actors.

Only lasted from 1990-1993

Edited December 14, 2022 by BlueSkies

[juno]

Nevermind

Edited December 14, 2022 by juno

[magicdog]

On 12/13/2022 at 4:10 PM, BlueSkies said:

This show I remember being entertained by as a kid:  Top Cops.  Stories of cops talking about stressful/life threatening situations they were in while being played out by actors.

Only lasted from 1990-1993

Used to watch that show with Dad.  I liked that the reenactments were set up like a cop drama (the ridiculous speed editing I see in most reenactments of current shows is distracting and drives me up a wall!) and if you were switching channels, you might have thought you landed on one!

I remember so many real life stories which very compelling!  The NH cop, who saved a teen girl from committing suicide on a bridge (she actually accompanied him for the epilogue and we got to see her face, but subsequent reruns were blurred), the Sonny Grosso story (real life French Connection cop who also created the show) reenacting an amusing story set in Harlem in 1963 trying to bust a local dealer, the pregnant detective who made a dangerous bust, a pair of female cop partners who referred to themselves as the real life Cagney & Lacey, and Arco, the K9 who helped save his handler's life.

A couple of now well known actors even got their start on the show!

Edited December 17, 2022 by magicdog

[Thomas Crown]

These two might have already been mentioned by others but I thought I would mention them anyway.  Not sure how either could have lasted more than one season based on their premise.  Still they were both entertaining summer shows. 

Harper's Island and BrainDead

[jah1986]

15 hours ago, Thomas Crown said:

These two might have already been mentioned by others but I thought I would mention them anyway.  Not sure how either could have lasted more than one season based on their premise.  Still they were both entertaining summer shows. 

Harper's Island and BrainDead

OMG I loved Harper's Island. And yes a second season would have ruined the show so it didn't really die before it's time.  I even enjoy a re-watch when I can find it.

[festivus]

I own Harper's Island on DVD.  I always hoped they'd continue the series with a different theme and cast every summer. I thought it had done fairly well in the ratings but I could be remembering that wrong. 

[BlueSkies]

Top of the Heap.  It was a Married with children spin-off that last 7 episodes.  While I have no memory of it it looks funny on paper!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_of_the_Heap

[magicdog]

6 hours ago, BlueSkies said:

Top of the Heap.  It was a Married with children spin-off that last 7 episodes.  While I have no memory of it it looks funny on paper!

I saw a few episodes, but I wasn't impressed. It had a good cast but things just didn't gel quite right.   

[Egg McMuffin]

I liked the Good Guys - should have had a longer run.

Bret Harrison is one of those actors who should have been the lead in long-running primetime series but was never in the right place at the right time (Margaret Colin also falls into that category). He was introduced as the successor to Topher Grace on That 70s Show but wound up doing “The Loop” instead. He currently works in real estate while continuing to act occasionally.

[DoctorAtomic]

We should call him up! 

[Irlandesa]

12 hours ago, Egg McMuffin said:

(Margaret Colin also falls into that category)

Now that you mention her, it makes me think of a show she was on called Now and Again.  It debuted the same year as the slightly more well known Once and Again (different shows but names that sound too close to the same) but I wish this had lived longer.

It was one of the few sci-fi genre type shows I found it easy to get into.  Margaret plays a woman whose husband "dies".  The husband, Michael, was played by John Goodman when he was alive and once he "died" his brain was implanted into a factory-engineered "perfect body" played by Eric Close.  (It was explained that it was easier to create a body but not a brain--clearly not fans of AI. ;) Dennis Haysbert played the "mad scientist."

So Michael spends some of his time helping the government fight crime and the other half of the time trying to connect with Margaret's character, confusing the hell out of her why this 20-something wants to get to know her so much, and his teen daughter even though he's not supposed to tell them who he is.

Just writing that out makes it sound so outlandish but it was so grounded in humanity.  Eric and Margaret  had terrific chemistry to boot.

Edited December 18, 2022 by Irlandesa

[MusubiMyHomie]

On 12/18/2022 at 11:51 AM, Irlandesa said:

Michael spends some of his time helping the government fight crime and the other half of the time trying to connect with Margaret's character

Now and Again's final scene—a juicy cliffhanger that will never be resolved—still makes me mad after all these years.

[BlueSkies]

I watched this series Best Shot that was on YouTube.  It stared Jay Williams former college basketball star mentoring inner city kids in Newark, NJ.  I thought it was pretty good overall.  Reminded me a little of the movie Hoop Dreams or the TV show The White Shadow.

 

I kinda felt sad though it only lasted one year or 8 episodes and well a lot of the kids in the high school moved on afterwards.  But it'd be cool to have a show like that rotating the high school kids each year or a series following up on the kids years later 

Edited January 16, 2023 by BlueSkies

[Haleth]

I watched The Last of Us last night.  The premise is almost exactly the same as The Passage so I wonder how that show might have succeeded with the HBO treatment instead of never finding an audience on network tv.

[Raja]

The 12 episodes and done on a cliffhanger French-American production Taxi Brooklyn.  It introduced me to  action/comedy star Jacky Ido as an ex convict French getaway driver who as a cab driver in Brooklyn hooks up with a NYPD detective who lost her driving privileges.

[Trini]

10 hours ago, Raja said:

The 12 episodes and done on a cliffhanger French-American production Taxi Brooklyn.  It introduced me to  action/comedy star Jacky Ido as an ex convict French getaway driver who as a cab driver in Brooklyn hooks up with a NYPD detective who lost her driving privileges.

Yikes. I remember that; I don't think I made it past two episodes. Thought Chyler Leigh was terrible in it.

[Scarlett45]

On 12/13/2022 at 9:31 AM, Elizabeth Anne said:

I would have loved to see this!!

It was not good. I saw it when it came to chicago before Broadway and even Nathan Lane could not save it. 

 

On 12/13/2022 at 1:53 AM, SVNBob said:

The individual pieces of the Addams Family franchise might have short lives.  But like several members of the family, the franchise has never truly died.

I agree!

[BlueSkies]

As a teenager the only reason I watched or remember Titans was for Yasmine Bleeth.  I was upset it got canceled after a few episodes but maybe somebody can come up with a better reason that just liking watching Yasmine back then

 

 

 

[BlueSkies]

This is pretty crazy.  I was in a sentimental mood and I remember a show way way back in the day about a guy who gets to go back to high school in the body of a teenager.  I recall the show was unfortunately short lived.  
 

But wow the main star was none other than Penn Badgley from You!!!

 

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0317364/

Edited March 13, 2023 by BlueSkies

[andromeda331]

3 hours ago, BlueSkies said:

As a teenager the only reason I watched or remember Titans was for Yasmine Bleeth.  I was upset it got canceled after a few episodes but maybe somebody can come up with a better reason that just liking watching Yasmine back then

 

 

 

I watched every episode and loved it. I loved Victoria Principal and Ingo Rademacher who played Jax on General Hospital and loved all the other characters. It was good show. I was really disappointed when it was canceled. And when I learned Ingo was an asshole.

[BlueSkies]

6 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I watched every episode and loved it. I loved Victoria Principal and Ingo Rademacher who played Jax on General Hospital and loved all the other characters. It was good show. I was really disappointed when it was canceled. And when I learned Ingo was an asshole.

I know I recall Yasmine as like this real evil seductress.

 

How was her acting on the show?  I know as a 16 years old I thought she was so so beautiful.  There was a scene I still recall where she came out of a pool in a bikini that well….  I’ll keep it G rated here the effects of that on me lol

 

But now it’d be interesting to evaluate her actual acting 

[andromeda331]

1 hour ago, BlueSkies said:

I know I recall Yasmine as like this real evil seductress.

 

How was her acting on the show?  I know as a 16 years old I thought she was so so beautiful.  There was a scene I still recall where she came out of a pool in a bikini that well….  I’ll keep it G rated here the effects of that on me lol

 

But now it’d be interesting to evaluate her actual acting 

She was. She was engaged to and married the father but had a fling with his son somewhere. He didn't know she was his father Richard's fiancee. I'm pretty sure she knew who he was. She insists he give her away to his father as they walk down the aisle she tells him she's pregnant with his baby. I really wanted to see how that was going to go. But instead they killed off which was a stupid move. Her acting was pretty good for playing a terrible person. Also the dad and his ex-wife Victoria Principal lived across the street from each other and were very nice to each other. I wanted to find out why they divorced.

[BlueSkies]

3 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

She was. She was engaged to and married the father but had a fling with his son somewhere. He didn't know she was his father Richard's fiancee. I'm pretty sure she knew who he was. She insists he give her away to his father as they walk down the aisle she tells him she's pregnant with his baby. I really wanted to see how that was going to go. But instead they killed off which was a stupid move. Her acting was pretty good for playing a terrible person. Also the dad and his ex-wife Victoria Principal lived across the street from each other and were very nice to each other. I wanted to find out why they divorced.

Yeah the scene where she came out of the pool with the bikini still stayed in my mind over 20 years later.  I just recall her telling an older gentleman she didn’t feel good and was gonna stay home then went full out vixen mode on some younger guy.   I’m actually laughing as I type this 😊

 

i think it was an Aaron spelling production?