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

[BoogieBurns]

I may be the only person who watched, but In The Motherhood was a funny show. It had the same humor as Happy Endings, but it never got a chance. 

[magdalene]

Oh yes to PROFIT being so ahead of its time with its "hero".  The irony being that only a few years later Tony Soprano came along and took the country by storm. Bleh, FOX has canceled more shows I found fascinating and promising than any other US network.

[ganesh]

Speaking of that, with a show where the hero is an asshole, which is very common nowadays, I submit Action with Jay Mohr. 

[Guest]

 

 

There was an article many years ago about Fox and how schitzo it is. The gist was: Fox is the only network to greenlight these weird shows that are pretty good, but they also ax them so fast if they aren't gangbusters out of the gate. And, they also meddle way to fucking much. 

 

I think American Idol is the root of all this.  FOX has two thirds the programming of the other networks and Idol takes up a significant portion or their air time.  Between Idol and their established programming, if something doesn't grab ratings or critical acclaim right away its doomed.  They can't have upfronts where they say their schedule is full, no new shows this year.

[ganesh]

Oh, Fox was doing it way before Idol. They have a generation's worth of fuckupery under their belt.

[selkie]

 

I don't know if anyone remembers a show on CBS called Threshold, I was really bummed when that one was cancelled so quickly

 

I also remember pre-GOT Peter Dinklage as a misanthropic languages expert in that one, and felt like they were just hitting stride with the show when it got cancelled.

 

[blugirlami21]

I agree.  I sometimes think CBS doesn't know what it's got when they have it.  Other strange cancellations would be Without A Trace, Cold Case, Ghost Whisperer, and most recently The Crazy Ones.

 

When I think of this topic I tend to think of shows that could have gone on and have had a great amount of viewers.

[Kromm]

I agree.  I sometimes think CBS doesn't know what it's got when they have it.  Other strange cancellations would be Without A Trace, Cold Case, Ghost Whisperer, and most recently The Crazy Ones.

But... those shows (other than The Crazy Ones) all got at least five seasons (EDIT - WaT and Cold Case both got seven in fact).  Are we really all that troubled about shows that got 100 to 160 episodes going away?

Edited June 26, 2014 by Kromm

[Jeebus Cripes]

Anyone remember MDs starring William Fichtner and John Hannah? It had a few weak links in the chain, but the chemistry between Fichtner and Hannah was strong, and they're both such brilliant actors. They also looked great in scrubs. I enjoyed that one while it lasted. 

[Bort]

Oh, I thought of another one: The Inside. Rachel Nichols, Peter Coyote, Adam Baldwin vehicle where they're FBI agents for violent crimes. FOX only aired 7 episodes of the 13 produced. The rest never aired in the US, though they did all air in the UK on ITV4.

This one was partly FOX's fault for running it in the summer dead zone. And partly the fault of the show's subject matter. It was really dark and disturbing. For the year it aired. Because I think that it would probably do fairly well these days, given the recent penchant for summer shows + dark subject matter. Definitely ahead of its time.

[blueray]

I don't think this was mentioned Moonlight . It was on CBS and was before the whole "twilight" thing took over vampires. It was honestly a good show about a vampire who was a detective. It won the people's choice award (or something) but got canceled by CBS after a season because it wasn't enough of a cop show for them.

Edited June 26, 2014 by blueray

[Anna Yolei]

Well, Fox gave me Glee and Kevin Reilly (before he was fired) did believe in The Mindy Project and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

To be honest, the trailers for Glee got my attention, but I honestly thought with it not being a typical comedy that it was gonna get axed six episodes in. I didn't startt watching till damn near the end of season one because of Fox's track record.

Granted, Ryan Murphy ran this show in the ground, but if it hadn't exploded in ratings out the gate, Glee would have likely been anotger Fox casualty.

[Kromm]

To be honest, the trailers for Glee got my attention, but I honestly thought with it not being a typical comedy that it was gonna get axed six episodes in. I didn't startt watching till damn near the end of season one because of Fox's track record.

Granted, Ryan Murphy ran this show in the ground, but if it hadn't exploded in ratings out the gate, Glee would have likely been anotger Fox casualty.

Glee's success was (besides it being a very timely concept) very wrapped up in the timing of the pilot and the way it was leveraged to build anticipation for three and a half whole months where (and this was a brand new concept at the time) people could rewatch the pilot online over and over and over again for free.  

 

It was the right time, right place in more than the show concept. These days people are jaded by online episodes.  At that point it was a novelty to many folks, and likely the first time they'd seen TV commercials TELLING them to go onto their computer and rewatch that fun show they'd just seen.  And then were left percolating for the perfect amount of time--if it has been shorter than 3 1/2 months it might not have hit that fever pitch and if it has been more, people might have gotten tired of waiting.

 

Nowdays we get preview episodes all the time for new shows (or even more often stuff like "go see the first X minutes").  it's no longer unique.  It does work, but never as well as it did that first big time.

 

I'd say a show like Gotham is the one I'd think might try something like this now. Again, it wouldn't work QUITE as well, but if the first episode is done I'd have aired it months ahead of the others and then driven people to rewatch over and over for a few months before the regular series.  Why Gotham?  It has that aspect of potential cult-like reviewings--which is what Glee developed for that first episode.  But not many shows will have that.

[aradia22]

 

 

Glee's success was (besides it being a very timely concept) very wrapped up in the timing of the pilot and the way it was leveraged to build anticipation for three and a half whole months where (and this was a brand new concept at the time) people could rewatch the pilot online over and over and over again for free. 

It was the right time, right place in more than the show concept. These days people are jaded by online episodes.  At that point it was a novelty to many folks, and likely the first time they'd seen TV commercials TELLING them to go onto their computer and rewatch that fun show they'd just seen.  And then were left percolating for the perfect amount of time--if it has been shorter than 3 1/2 months it might not have hit that fever pitch and if it has been more, people might have gotten tired of waiting.

Eh. None of that was the reason I got into Glee. It was more like... there's going to be a musical television show!?! Sold. But then, I know I'm not your typical audience member. ;)

[Kromm]

Eh. None of that was the reason I got into Glee. It was more like... there's going to be a musical television show!?! Sold. But then, I know I'm not your typical audience member. ;)

What I described wasn't about personal motivations for liking the show though.  It was about how Fox was able to create an opportunity based on an early look at the show and then a delay before it came on.  That leveraged the groundswell of people out there looking for musical TV shows and gave them time to find (and obsess) over the show.  As well as a similar groundswell for fans of teen comedies. It was totally dependent on a combination of how good the Pilot was, as well as the opportunity introduced by that gap, as well as the fairly newly minted status at that time, where online video viewing became convenient and large enough and good enough sounding.  if none of that had happened, you may well have still personally found the show and loved it.  But the way it unfolded, it was kind of a perfect storm for LOTS of people to find it.

[AimingforYoko]

I don't think this was mentioned  Moonlight .

You know what I liked about Moonlight? They treated vampirism as a biological, rather than a supernatural or mystical condition. It's one of the things I'm looking forward to in The Strain.

[The Crazed Spruce]

It seems like every season there's at least one show that I get hooked on that gets cancelled in the first season.  The first time I noticed it was when Fox cancelled Brimstone, but it really goes all the way back to the original Flash series on CBS.  A lot of 'em have already been mentioned here (like The Unusuals, Knights of Prosperity (I'm still bitter about that one...), Threshold, Moonlight, and, of course, Firefly), but there are also a few underrated gems that nobody else has brought up.  F'r instance:

 

• Odyssey 5 (a shuttle crew captained by Peter Weller is in orbit when the Earth explodes, and a kindly alien sends them back in time 5 years to figure out what happened and try to stop it)
• Jake 2.0 (a kinda-geeky IT guy is accidentally injected with nanobots and is recruited into the NSA; very much a forerunner to Chuck)
• John Doe (a man wakes up with amnesia, but somehow knows absolutely every single scrap of information in the world)
• Cupid (the original one, with Jeremy Piven; I saw the remake with Bobby Cannivale, but I definitely preferred the original)
• My Own Worst Enemy (Christian Slater plays a family man in an average office job who finds out one day that that's actually an implanted cover identity, and he's really an amoral government agent)
• Primeval: New World (A Canadian spinoff of the excellent British series, about time portals mysteriously popping up all over Vancouver spitting out dinosaurs left and right; while it did borrow the bare bones framework from the original, I thought it was a fresh take on the concept)

 

And that's not even counting two-season wonders like Pushing Daisies, Better Off Ted, Jericho, Sledge Hammer, Carnivale, and Todd and the Book of Pure Evil.

[ganesh]

Odyssey 5 was awesome. Wrong network though. Shotime dumped their scifi genre shows and moved to dark sitcoms at the time. 

 

In the same vein, Charlie Jade was fucking awesome and ended on so much wtfery. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

 VR 5 only lasted for thirteen episodes, so it qualifies for this thread. Lori Singer (and her awesome hair) played a woman who worked for the phone company and discovered that she could use virtual reality to enter the minds of other people. The cast included David McCallum and Louise Fletcher. I can't remember what network axed it.

[ABay]

There were a couple of episodes that only aired in Canada, too, if I remember right. It was heading into over-contrivance toward the end (everyone's connected, secret society with labyrinth logo) but I was willing to follow it down the rabbit hole a little while longer.

[mightycrone]

I still miss Flight of the Conchords.

[kathyk24]

I loved Reaper so much! I don't why the cast has so much difficulty finding a hit. Jenny Wade was in another show I adored called the Good Guys. It was a cop show set in Dallas starring Bradley Whitford and Collin Hanks. It was hilarious and featured the best soundtrack. Fox of course canceled it.

[Jeebus Cripes]

 

• John Doe (a man wakes up with amnesia, but somehow knows absolutely every single scrap of information in the world)
• Cupid (the original one, with Jeremy Piven; I saw the remake with Bobby Cannivale, but I definitely preferred the original)

 

I would probably put John Doe in the Shows That Never Lived Up To Their Potential thread, because I remember really digging the pilot, and then getting more disillusioned with each ep after it. I really liked Cupid, though. I was bummed when it was cancelled. 

Edited June 28, 2014 by Jeebus Cripes

[Irlandesa]

Speaking of that, with a show where the hero is an asshole, which is very common nowadays, I submit Action with Jay Mohr. 

 

Just beat me to it.  Action is one I was going to mention.  Profit, Keen Eddie and American Gothic as well.

 

I think almost anything Kyle Killen creates ends up here.  There was the already mentioned Awake, which I watched and loved, but there was also the two-episode lived Lonestar starring James Wolk.

 

I would like to add Eyes too.  It debuted about the same time as Grey's Anatomy but Grey's got all the promo and great time slot while Eyes was the superior show.

 

I may be the only one but I wanted to see where Hello Ladies was going to go.  It started out weak but I felt it got better as it went on.

 

I'd also like to mention The Famous Teddy Z for no other reason than I still remember it all these years later.  Jon Cryer was great as an accidental Hollywood agent. 

 

 

I still miss Flight of the Conchords.

Me too but I don't know what category they'd fit in here.  From all accounts, HBO was prepared to give the boys a third season but they chose to end after two. 

[Kromm]

I really liked Cupid, though. I was bummed when it was cancelled. 

Cupid 1.0, sure.  I wasn't nearly as happy with Cupid 2.0.

Edited June 28, 2014 by Kromm

[Jeebus Cripes]

^^ Yeah, I have no idea what Cupid 2.0 is and am glad for it.

[Kromm]

^^ Yeah, I have no idea what Cupid 2.0 is and am glad for it.

It was literally a reboot (11 years later, in 2009).  Which lasted even less episodes than the 1998 original.  It starred Bobby Cannavale and Sarah Paulson instead of Jeremy Piven and Paula Marshall.  It wasn't horrible--it just didn't have the same magic about it.

Edited June 28, 2014 by Kromm

[Jeebus Cripes]

It was literally a reboot (11 years later, in 2009).  Which lasted even less episodes than the 1998 original.  It starred Bobby Cannavale and Sarah Paulson instead of Jeremy Piven and Paula Marshall.

 

That is ridiculous and wrong. I never even remember seeing ads for it. I feel blessed.

[Kromm]

That is ridiculous and wrong. I never even remember seeing ads for it. I feel blessed.

It was a prime example of "You Can't Go Back" in action.  Rob Thomas was coming off the medium sized success of Veronica Mars, and had his name attached to the 90210 reboot at that time too, and had some temporary pull. Not sure of the whole story, but somehow he persuaded ABC.  Thankfully he did Party Down just about the same time and that one worked out a bit better.

Edited June 28, 2014 by Kromm

[spaceytraci1208]

Bored To Death on HBO...just as I discovered it, it went away.

[ToxicUnicorn]

I still miss Flight of the Conchords.

Don't worry, it has achieved immortality in our family.  We revisit clips on a regular basis.  My husband and I frequently quote Business Time and laugh our heads off.  You can't unsee or unhear that.

 

A show that was far ahead of its time, that I've only just remembered:  Rescue 911, which debuted in 1989 (says wikipedia).  I remember catching an episode of that once and getting freaked out, because it was unlike any other tv I had ever seen.

[DittyDotDot]

Bored To Death on HBO...just as I discovered it, it went away.

 

I loved Bored To Death, but I'm not sure that it didn't get a fair shake though. Didn't it have three seasons...I don't know all the details, but I remember feeling pretty satisfied when it ended. I'm not sure how much more they could have milked out of it before it fell into the shows-that-wore-out-their-welcome category. I was magical while it lasted though.

[CrazyDog]

Oh, I loved, loved, loved Reaper. And yes to Fastlane, Kyle XY (Matt Dallas was so good in that show), and Rome.

And I'm still bitter about Invasion getting cancelled on a cliffhanger after one season. I loved the atmosphere of the show and it had a great cast. But the timing was just off for the series, and I admit it was slow paced.

[ybrik]

Glad Cupid and Eyes were mentioned. ABC cancelling those shows are part of the reason I rarely watch new shows on ABC. I don't trust them not to cancel shows I start liking.

 

I know this one will be an odd selection but I would say Point Pleasant. It started off really cheesy bad but before it got cancelled it started to get good. Grant Show was so over the top it was fantastic.

[rubaco]

Never got a fair shot: Miracles, starring Skeet Ulrich, was sooo good. It kept getting pre-empted, so no wonder it never found a big enough audience to satisfy ABC! At least we got a DVD release, however, of all the produced episodes.

 

Died before its time: The Nine, another ABC show (this one starring Tim Daly). I know the remaining eps aired somewhere (DirecTV, maybe) but I never got to see them, so I'm still bitter. 

Edited June 28, 2014 by rubaco

[Snowprince]

Another one I thought died a premature death was Miss Match, with Alicia Silverstone. 18 episodes shot, only 11 aired before cancellation. It was a pleasant enough show I thought had potential, but 1 day it was here and the next, gone.

 

ETA: What I didn't know at the time is, the character and show were based on real life attorney/matchmaker Samantha Daniels.

 

I'm also still mourning the cancellation of American Dreams. 

Edited June 29, 2014 by Snowprince

[spaceytraci1208]

I loved Bored To Death, but I'm not sure that it didn't get a fair shake though. Didn't it have three seasons...I don't know all the details, but I remember feeling pretty satisfied when it ended. I'm not sure how much more they could have milked out of it before it fell into the shows-that-wore-out-their-welcome category. I was magical while it lasted though.

I guess it didn't get shafted, but I think based on the premise of Jonathan's adventures as a writer and private detective, it had some more mileage left.

[Pickles Aplenty]

 

I may be the only one but I wanted to see where Hello Ladies was going to go.  It started out weak but I felt it got better as it went on.

I liked Hello Ladies, too, and I agree that it got better as it went on.  I heard they were going to make a series finale episode, but I have no idea when it is going to air.

[ganesh]

Was Hello Ladies ever intended to go to a second series though? I know a lot of UK show just do like 6 or 8 and that's that.

[BrittaBot]

I just finished Bored to Death.   I just wish they knew they were getting canceled so there could have been more of an "ending." There was some storylines in the last episode that weren't tied up, that I wish could have been.  The three guys' friendship on that show might have been one of my favorite TV show friendships of all time.

 

I'm re-watching Kyle XY right now on Netflix. I freaking love(d) that show. It is just honestly good. The Tragers were such a realistic TV family. Everyone actually acted their age and how normal 16-17 year olds act. The casting was so well-done too, everyone actually looked like they could be that age. (I just read on IMDB April Matson - Lori - is 33 now, so she would have been what, 24ish? while filming, didn't look it!). I liked how Mr. and Mrs. Trager were good parents who trusted their children but actually gave them appropriate punishments if necessary, but also let them find things out on their own. I loved Kyle and Declan's friendship. I wanted to beat Amanda with a spoon, but I won't get into that here! Re-watching it, I've forgotten a lot of things, and it's nice to rediscover the "mystery" of the show. (No re-spoilers, I'm only like 10 episodes in!) :)

[ElleryAnne]

I'm re-watching Kyle XY right now on Netflix. I freaking love(d) that show.

 

 

Yeah, I mentioned that one a few pages back, too.  It's good to have fellow fans of that show around here! :)   It was such a good little show with great characters and relationships.

[Pickles Aplenty]

 

Was Hello Ladies ever intended to go to a second series though? I know a lot of UK show just do like 6 or 8 and that's that.

Well, I read that HBO had cancelled the show, so I figured they had intended to make a second season (or a second series, if that's what they say in the UK.)  Kind of bums me out, because while I thought a lot of it was a rehash of the humiliation humor from The Office and Extras, I still enjoyed it a great deal.  Stephen Merchant's adorable/unique presence made it work, IMO.  Love him.

 

I'm also sad that Family Tree was cancelled, because I liked that show, too.  Oh, well.

Edited June 29, 2014 by Billina

[Jamoche]

In the "never going to win awards, but still fun" category that includes Hercules and Xena: the 1999 version of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World. It was filmed in Australia and midway through the run a new law came in that limited the screentime of non-Australian actors. Unfortunately the two characters with the best mutual chemistry were the non-Australians, and that spiked their storyline and pretty much killed the show.

[blueray]

 

I'm re-watching Kyle XY right now on Netflix. I freaking love(d) that show. It is just honestly good. The Tragers were such a realistic TV family. Everyone actually acted their age and how normal 16-17 year olds act. The casting was so well-done too, everyone actually looked like they could be that age. (I just read on IMDB April Matson - Lori - is 33 now, so she would have been what, 24ish? while filming, didn't look it!). I liked how Mr. and Mrs. Trager were good parents who trusted their children but actually gave them appropriate punishments if necessary, but also let them find things out on their own. I loved Kyle and Declan's friendship. I wanted to beat Amanda with a spoon , but I won't get into that here! Re-watching it, I've forgotten a lot of things, and it's nice to rediscover the "mystery" of the show. (No re-spoilers, I'm only like 10 episodes in!) :)

I liked her the first time that I watched it (live) but now that I've rewatched episodes I honestly don't like her anymore. She's to good and perfect. And I really don't get why her mom was against Kyle, since he was probably an honor student and very good to her daughter.

[zxy556575]

My top in this category is Homefront. I might have even gotten a little teary when it was axed.

 

I'm not sure if four seasons qualifies as "before its time" but I think Everwood still had some stories to tell. I also agree about Cupid and John Doe; there were a lot of interesting places they could have gone. I tend to get bored with intricate and ongoing mytharcs, though, so I'm happy with more straightforward shows.

 

I was going to petition for a board but I'm not creative enough to think of titles.

 

I'm not, either, but the mods/Dave will throw you a bone.

Edited July 2, 2014 by lordonia

[Wax Lion]

I remember Homefront. I loved the pilot when ABC re-aired it, saying that you should check out this critically-acclaimed show... but then the next episode they aired was much later, so just as the pilot was drawing me in, getting me to want to find out what happens next... I got thrown into a jarring timejump. It would have been a great show today now that you can catch up on a show online.

 

I hope this isn't too tangential, but flashing back to great and short-lived shows like this sometimes has me playing "What if?" in my head. I mean, how would things have gone differently for Heath Ledger if Roar lasted several seasons? Who could play Cersei Lannister if Terminator:TSCS were still going?

[roseha]

Star Trek TOS got 65 ish episodes before it was canned.

 

 

That few? I would have thought in those late 60s days 3 seasons would have added up to more eps.  Star Trek definitely ran 3 years, my family actually watched it when it was first on.  Actually the Friday night thing was good for us, we didn't have school the next day.  But not good for the show I guess!

I vaguely remember the Richard Benjamin/Paula Prentiss sitcom from that era, He and She, which was very clever but didn't last long at all I think.

[maraleia]

I'll chime in and say Sports Night, Once and Again, American Dreams, Deadwood, Rome, Bomb Girls, The Hour, and The Bletchley Circle.

[BoogieBurns]

Once and Again

 

What was this show about? It sounds familiar.

[VanillaBear85]

Terriers and Pushing Daisies.