TV shows that cancelled to soon...

..........that's easy for me; it would be the '96-'99 masterclass in film-making-IMO- known as "MillenniuM". Nuff said. (wish I had more time to elaborate but I gotta split now . . . . .)

~Peace,
Dave

Ouch - Millennium was good at times, and edgy at time (Another Chris Carter series) - we liked Frank Black and all that. I recall we sat down to watch one night and they announced it as the season finale and then in the next commercial break they announced it as the SERIES finale ... Chris apparently tried to wrap the multiple storylines up - but a lot was left hanging ...

Then they came back a few weeks later with the ill conceived Harsh Realms that also didn't go very far.
 
Interesting thread. I agree with some of the series mentioned, but some of them I've never heard of, let alone seen! Maybe they were shown after I came to Hong Kong, and were never shown here. Or maybe I just missed them; there have been large periods of my life when I've preferred NOT to watch TV! :D

Regardless of how long they did or didn't run, I'd like to see more of:

COMEDY:
Married With Children ("The Al Bundy Show". Irreverent, but often hilarious.)
Keeping Up Appearances (British "class" humor at its best. "Mrs. Bucket - that's pronounced "bouquet!")

SCI-FI:
Primeval (A little goofy in spots, but overall well-done UK Sci-fi series.)
Starship Enterprise (follow-up series to Star Trek)
Original BattlestarGalactica (see comments below)
Babylon Five (Guess I must like "epic starship" stuff! :D)



I was really starting to get into Stargate Universe, but it got canned. 2 years I think it was on?

I'm suprised it only lasted 2 years. Seems like it has been on, every-other-show or so, for AGES on the Sify channel. I didn't realize they were re-runs!

The original Battlestar Galactica.

I hope no one says Dallas or Gunsmoke.

I completely agree about the original BG. The later remake series was okay, but overall I got tired of the heavy religious overtones, and found the cylons being replicant people instead of shiny metal CYLONS a bit disappointing. (Didn't they have the budget, given all the effects used? Just recycling the same actors/actresses smacks of cheapness to me.) A lot of other subtle changes that didn't really amount to improvements, too. On balance, I preferred the first/original series.

You can keep Dallas. I didn't like it when it was new! :no:

But Gunsmoke? Sorry, I know it ran for then-record-breaking "ages", but I'd love to hear more gunsmoke radio shows. [TV shows, too, but I liked the radio shows the most.] I've listened to over 400 episodes (most of the ones made) TWICE, and some of them 3 or more times, and would gladly hear more, if they (had) made them.

In fact, I wish they still made great radio shows. I often enjoy them more than TV shows. As with reading great novels, no flat-screen visual interpretation can ever compare with the intensity of one's own imagination!

Werewolf - with Chuck Connors

I liked "The Rifleman" with Chuck Connors, as a kid. I'm not so sure that I'd enjoy more episodes as an adult, though. I have only a vague recollection of Werewolf, but I think it left me with a positive impression. Hadn't thought of that show, at all, in YEARS.
 
Starship Enterprise (follow-up series to Star Trek)

You meant "Enterprise", right? Wasn't that a prequel to TOS?

Speaking of Scott Bakula, I can't help but think of "Men of a Certain Age", the show he did with Ray Romano and Andre Braugher. High quality acting along with high quality writing (which resulted in a Peabody Award for the show)....just not enough viewers.
 
You meant "Enterprise", right? Wasn't that a prequel to TOS?

Speaking of Scott Bakula, I can't help but think of "Men of a Certain Age", the show he did with Ray Romano and Andre Braugher. High quality acting along with high quality writing (which resulted in a Peabody Award for the show)....just not enough viewers.

I have been watching Men of a Certain Age lately and really like it. Might have something to do with the fact that I am just about their age in the show.:sigh:
 
These shows deserved another season or two. They were canceled at a time when they had lots of momentum and could have gone on to great later seasons:

Carnivale
Freaks and Geeks
Arrested Development
The Prisoner

To this list, I would like to add the short-lived (2007-2009) NBC police show "Life" starring Damian Lewis and Sarah Shahi. It had a very intriguing noir-ish quality which is quite rare in a modern network creation.


These shows had lots of potential but had problems sustaining interest during their short runs, so I was not surprised they were canceled. Still, I was disappointed to see them go:

Firefly
Jericho
Terra Nova
Invasion
Profit
New Amsterdam


Then, these shows saddened me when they were canceled, but looking back on them now, I can see they really weren't as good as I remember them:

Battlestar Galactica (1978)
Square Pegs


I am impressed that a few of you remember "When Things Were Rotten." I loved that as a kid, but haven't seen it since its original run. I wonder if it has held up over the years or not?
 
I think The Prisoner (original series) did the full story arc they expected to do ...
it finished as expected and was not cancelled.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_prisoner


I actually found the whole series on Bluray a few years back - a Christmas gift for my spouse!

Apparently, the length of the series is in debate!

McGoohan had originally only wanted to produce seven episodes of The Prisoner, but Grade argued that more shows were necessary in order for him to successfully sell the series to CBS. The exact number that was agreed to, along with how the series ended, is disputed by different sources. In an August 1967 article, Dorothy Manners reported that CBS had asked McGoohan to produce 36 segments, but that he would only agree to produce 17. According to a 1977 interview, Grade requested 26 episodes, which McGoohan thought would spread the show too thin, but was able to come up with 17 episodes. According to The Prisoner: The Official Companion to the Classic TV Series, however, the series was originally supposed to run longer, but was canceled, forcing McGoohan to write the final episode in only a few days.
 
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"The West Wing" was mentioned somewhere above. While I feel that it was the best hour-long drama ever put on television, I would submit that by the final season, the storyline had pretty much run its course and had nowhere plausible left to go. The show ended at exactly the right time.
 
OTOH - The X-Files was my favorite show for years. It lasted 2 seasons too many :sigh:
 
I have been watching Men of a Certain Age lately and really like it. Might have something to do with the fact that I am just about their age in the show.:sigh:

I really liked that show and just knew it would be cancelled soon because of it's time slot and content. Would still be on if in front of an HBO audience, I think. Btw, didn't know it won a Peabody. Cool.

Off topic, but I've caught "Enlightened" on HBO a couple of times and was thoroughly engaged with each episode.
 
Babylon 5
Eureka
Firefly
I really don't think scifi Knew what to do do with GOOD tv shows I don't even know what channel it on anymore
 
Babylon 5
Eureka
Firefly
I really don't think scifi Knew what to do do with GOOD tv shows I don't even know what channel it on anymore

Loved all 3 but I felt that they wrapped up B5 just like they wrapped up BSG (new version)) which I also loved.

Shelly_D
 
There are so may TV shows that ended before they should have. The following are favourites that I love and still watch from time to time
1. Firefly
2. Millennium
3. Invasion
4. Tera Nova
5. Rubicon
6. Crime Story
7. Twin Peaks
8. Kolchak
9. Deadwood
10. The Prisoner (original series)
 
Babylon 5 ran as its creator, J. Michael Straczynski, intended, for 5 seasons.
Yes, but he had problems every year getting funding - its why he wrapped the main story arc at the end of the 4th season -
he didn't think they were going to fund the 5th season and he wanted the story to end nicely -
then when he DID get funding, he had a lesser 5th season ... without Ivanova, (who had taken another job when 5th season was in doubt) for instance ...
 
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