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TV series killed before their time...and TV series which should of been aborted...

post #1 of 135
7/12/09 at 4:34pm
Thread Starter 
Far too many of these to contemplate.

'Space: Above and Beyond' went the way of the dodo...yet all the 'Stargate' iterations still exist?

WTF?

Discuss...
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post #2 of 135
7/12/09 at 4:50pm
I've been blathering lately about Wiseguy, an old favorite I've been revisiting from front to back...and I'm currently of the opinion that while many think it never got a fair chance, the show goes off the rails pretty hard in season three, and then limped along for another season with a replacement lead.
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post #3 of 135
7/12/09 at 4:51pm
Nice tag.
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post #4 of 135
7/12/09 at 5:15pm
I'm bummed about The Unusuals getting cut so soon, but at least it frees up Jeremy Renner. Still mad about Karen Sisco.
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post #5 of 135
7/12/09 at 5:20pm
In my ideal, delusional world, Raines stayed on the air long enough to do a crossover with Life. Yeah, now you want to see Jeff Goldblum and Damien Lewis solve crimes together, too.
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post #6 of 135
7/12/09 at 5:25pm
I really liked the original Cupid with the relatively unknown Piven, as well as the Fantasy Island reboot with Malcolm McDowell. Both seemed to be heading interesting directions and both got absolutely no chance to ever get there.

And yeah, both Raines and Life were shows that died early when there's so much crap on the air.
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post #7 of 135
7/12/09 at 6:09pm
Andy Richter's two non-offspring-themed comedies were wonderful. Of the two, I think I'd have liked more of "Andy Barker, P.I." At least there was a decent chunk of "ARCTU" episodes, including one awesome Conan O'Brien appearance.

My long-lost favorite in the hourlong category was "GvsE," later "Good VS. Evil." Man, that show was bad ass. DVDs, plz!
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post #8 of 135
7/12/09 at 6:16pm
Undeclared.
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post #9 of 135
7/12/09 at 6:31pm
Obvious answer, but Deadwood really deserved to run its full five seasons and give us some sort of satisfying conclusion.

Also I would say Twin Peaks but have no idea where it would have gone, and knowing Lynch there'd have been a good chance of the ending being something obtuse and irritating as opposed to the awesome insane horror movie ending it ended up with.

Quote:
Andy Richter's two non-offspring-themed comedies were wonderful. Of the two, I think I'd have liked more of "Andy Barker, P.I." At least there was a decent chunk of "ARCTU" episodes, including one awesome Conan O'Brien appearance.
Recently copped the ARCTU box set, and while it's certainly likeable, I can't say it's actually good. It's dated pretty heavily.
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post #10 of 135
7/12/09 at 6:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by A-Pathetic View Post
I really liked the original Cupid with the relatively unknown Piven, as well as the Fantasy Island reboot with Malcolm McDowell. Both seemed to be heading interesting directions and both got absolutely no chance to ever get there.
Yes on Cupid, but Fantasy Island, while occasionally fun, was really dopey, and I seriously doubt they were building some grand mythology with it.
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post #11 of 135
7/12/09 at 7:07pm
Glen A Larson's classic series...Battlestar Galactica is on the air one year, and Ron D Moore's...Horrible reimagining is on four years.

The A-Team should have been on the air longer than trash like...Roseanne and...The Cosby Show.
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post #12 of 135
7/12/09 at 7:16pm
I thought ARCTU was pretty funny, better than the PI one. I especially loved their boss, beautiful and funny. The weak link was the other female.

Firefly and arrested development are obvious choices. Thief was a show I only saw a couple episodes of, and I loved those two, never saw anymore on tv. Anybody wathc that show? Rome, of course.

I won't bother going into TV series that should have been aborted, since that would include every other show ever made. But since we're on the topic, Friends has always disgusted me.
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post #13 of 135
7/12/09 at 7:21pm
Dark Skies. The concept was intriguing.
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post #14 of 135
7/12/09 at 7:33pm
I'm going to be that guy and mention that show about space cowboys. I don't remember what it was called. Could somebody please help me?

Deadwood's been mentioned, but Carnivale hasn't. I really enjoyed my weekly dose of Clancy Brown's nutcase preacher and would have loved to see him fight Nick Stahl at the Trinity site.

In the WTF??? category: how the hell did Charmed stay on for TEN seasons?
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post #15 of 135
7/12/09 at 7:41pm
'Profit'. Adrian Pasdar was fantastic in this show, and it was never given a chance to catch on/develop an audience.

'Soap'. I wish that the show had been given just one more season to wrap up all of the plotlines. It ended on a cliffhanger for almost all of the characters, and only Katherine Helmond got any form of eventual resolution (she came back as a ghost on 'Benson'). I'll agree that the show had pretty much run its course, but the great characters deserved an 'ending'.
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post #16 of 135
7/12/09 at 8:13pm
Two shows immediately spring to mind:

MEGAS XLR - Quite possibly the best pop-culture influenced giant robot cartoon comedy to ever grace the airwaves.

THE MIDDLEMAN - There's a few fans of this show here so I don't have to elaborate on how damned good this show was. From the inspired dialogue to insane storylines it was a breath of chocolate covered fresh air.
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post #17 of 135
7/12/09 at 8:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Headless Fett View Post

THE MIDDLEMAN
I really enjoyed the first two trades. Unfortunately, I've not been able to see any of the show, though.
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post #18 of 135
7/12/09 at 8:25pm
I'll say what I say every time we have this thread: Wonderfalls. Surprised it hasn't gotten more notice after Fuller went on to do the similar (but tragically Dhavernas-less and therefore not as funny) Pushing Daisies.
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post #19 of 135
7/12/09 at 8:33pm
Thundarr The Barbarian, With Characters by Alex Toth and Jack "King" Kirby, and written by Steve Gerber who also worked on...G.I. Joe A Real American Hero and many Marvel Comics...lasted only 21 episodes...while He-Man, a younger skewing, albiet decent series, lasted...130 episodes. It is a shame about...Thundarr, which I have been rewatching for the first time in a few years, is now on Boomerang finally available on...Cablevision.
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post #20 of 135
7/12/09 at 8:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Luca S. View Post
In the WTF??? category: how the hell did Charmed stay on for TEN seasons?
There's novelizations of that shit around. My guess is some people just have no standards at all in their search for sub-sub-sub-Buffy material.
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post #21 of 135
7/12/09 at 9:13pm
I've gotta say, as great as Rome, Carnivale and Arrested Development were, they all came to a satisfying conclusion. I'm aware that there could have been more great episodes, but it's better to go out on a high note than to drag on too long.

As regards the other aspect of this subject, I'm going to court hellfire and say that Battlestar Galactica ran on a season too long. The final season seemed like almost nothing but wheel-spinning. Of course I wanted the show to reach its conclusion, but if they could have somehow got there in S3 the show would be nearly perfect.
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post #22 of 135
7/12/09 at 9:14pm
I'm mourning Life pretty hard, but at least it had a good ending.

I'd kill The Mentalist in a second, as much as I like Simon Baker playing an asshole in it.
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post #23 of 135
7/12/09 at 9:17pm
I enjoyed season 2 immensely, but an argument could "of" been made for Rome ending after season one. Carnivale was great, and although it was sad to see the trinity plot get nuked, I was also satisfied with the ending. I'm glad the prevailing "ongoing adventures, forever!" mindset didn't claim either of those shows.
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post #24 of 135
7/12/09 at 9:24pm
I recently watched Fastlane on dvd and hate that it ended on a cliffhanger.Its no Miami Vice but I wouldn't of minded one more season or at least a TV movie to wrap things up.
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post #25 of 135
7/12/09 at 9:37pm
What was that show on Fox about the cross-country race that had Emma Stone and the sheriff from SLITHER in it? I would have liked to see that show make it to...the finish line. I'm sorry.
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post #26 of 135
7/12/09 at 9:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gravedigger View Post
What was that show on Fox about the cross-country race that had Emma Stone and the sheriff from SLITHER in it? I would have liked to see that show make it to...the finish line. I'm sorry.
Google is your friend.

But God, Drive was a mediocre show. Glad it was killed.
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post #27 of 135
7/12/09 at 9:49pm
I know I've posted this in a similar thread before, but I loved the D.B. Sweeney show Strange Luck. Very fun premise.
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post #28 of 135
7/12/09 at 9:54pm
Yeah, and they hinted at it existing in the same universe as X-Files. I would have liked to at least see a crossover before it ended.
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post #29 of 135
7/12/09 at 10:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Headless Fett View Post
THE MIDDLEMAN - There's a few fans of this show here so I don't have to elaborate on how damned good this show was. From the inspired dialogue to insane storylines it was a breath of chocolate covered fresh air.
At least the series will be on dvd soon.

I'd have to go with Invader Zim. The humor of that series was just too odd for Nick.
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post #30 of 135
7/12/09 at 11:14pm
I kinda would have liked to have seen another season of "The Invisible Man". Granted it did get kinda weak toward the end there...
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post #31 of 135
7/12/09 at 11:19pm
Without being able to catch it since, I can’t tell if it was as good as I remember, but I do remember getting a kick out of The $treet when it first aired.
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post #32 of 135
7/12/09 at 11:27pm
I'll second The Middleman. Such a fun show. I wonder if the stigma of airing on ABC Family is what led to its downfall.

I also could have gone for another season of American Gothic. Some episodes were preachy, but there was so much potential there. Cole!
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post #33 of 135
7/12/09 at 11:28pm
Denis Leary's The Job was so much better than Rescue Me is.
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post #34 of 135
7/12/09 at 11:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Prankster View Post
Yes on Cupid, but Fantasy Island, while occasionally fun, was really dopey, and I seriously doubt they were building some grand mythology with it.
See, I remember there being some really dark undertones on Fantasy Island. Questions about where the power came from and whether people would have a price to pay later on after being on the island. Or maybe I'm just reading too much into it. It certainly opened up some obvious questions that the original fluff series wouldn't have bothered with.
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post #35 of 135
7/12/09 at 11:48pm
Brimstone without a doubt.
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post #36 of 135
7/13/09 at 12:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cameron Hughes View Post
Denis Leary's The Job was so much better than Rescue Me is.
Yeah, I really liked The Job. Rescue Me really went off the rails for me a while back -- another great show done in by how much misery can the writers heap onto the characters.

And I second the confusion on Charmed. Used to infuriate/mystify me on why that show remained on the air. Guys didn't watch it for the chicks, right?

Same with Stargate. Ugh, what a fucking annoying presence.

ABC seems to be the network of premature cancellations. Their list of trashed shows with great potential is long, but for me the worst was Night Stalker. The unreleased episodes, particularly the finale (they only aired part 1 and then shelved part 2. Fuck you for watching!) were really quite good.

Plus Stuart Townsend is hotter than Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. So there.
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post #37 of 135
7/13/09 at 12:38am
Freaks and Geeks got ONE incredible season, but According to Jim is still on the air. Undeclared also got ONE pretty good season, but Everybody Loves Raymond has enough episodes to syndicate until I'm 100.
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post #38 of 135
7/13/09 at 12:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by CDI F. Kelly View Post
Yeah, I really liked The Job. Rescue Me really went off the rails for me a while back -- another great show done in by how much misery can the writers heap onto the characters.
You say that like it's some commonly known thing, like Ted McGinley murdering every show he's on. What other show was done in this way?
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post #39 of 135
7/13/09 at 12:50am
It probably says more about my bad taste than anything, but I'm the king of championing shows that don't last.

I was into that Ray Liotta show SMITH, as much as I could be since I think it only lasted two or three episodes.
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post #40 of 135
7/13/09 at 1:03am
Freaks And Geeks, Pushing Daisies. Action. I wanted one more of Newsradio, even though it never recovered from losing Hartman. I'd have liked one more of Angel, but i do love the way it ended. I'd love to have seen seven more years of the Jimmy Smits Whitehouse on the West Wing.
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post #41 of 135
7/13/09 at 1:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Schwartz View Post
You say that like it's some commonly known thing, like Ted McGinley murdering every show he's on. What other show was done in this way?
Sledge Hammer
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post #42 of 135
7/13/09 at 1:31am
I liked Vengeance Unlimited, another show ABC killed.
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post #43 of 135
7/13/09 at 1:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Schwartz View Post
You say that like it's some commonly known thing, like Ted McGinley murdering every show he's on. What other show was done in this way?
Well, let me amend that - Rescue Me was one of the good shows it happened to, at least for me. But it's happened to others...Nip/Tuck, ER, West Wing to a point. It just bugs me when shows begin to exchange drama for one shitty thing happening after another.
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post #44 of 135
7/13/09 at 1:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by CDI F. Kelly View Post
It just bugs me when shows begin to exchange drama for one shitty thing happening after another.
Oz.
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post #45 of 135
7/13/09 at 2:09am
Freaks and Geeks, Firefly, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., Action, Fastlane - these shows should be on right now - most of them are dead because Fox is shit.

And Sledge Hammer!...man - that hurts. There should be talking Sledge dolls and five Sledge Hammer films and a videogame and a replica of Gun. That said, it's so good to see David Rasche pop up in quality stuff like United 93 and Burn After Reading - guy could still play the part.

The continuing success of Stargate and Battlestar Galactica confounds me. The X-Files never should have lasted as long as it did. The Simpsons was past the sell-by date by the end of season two. Family Guy should have been cancelled mid-way through the first episode of the first season. Smallville could probably stand to go away. Dollhouse is coming back? Why?

Oddly enough, most of these are alive - or lasted so long - because Fox is shit...
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post #46 of 135
7/13/09 at 2:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Keith F View Post
It probably says more about my bad taste than anything, but I'm the king of championing shows that don't last.

I was into that Ray Liotta show SMITH, as much as I could be since I think it only lasted two or three episodes.
I was with that one also. Good cast, but from what I've read Liotta and Madsen hated each other and made it a tough set.

I'll throw in The Marshal with Jeff Fahey. Oh, and Get a Life.
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post #47 of 135
7/13/09 at 2:40am
Line of Fire, my brother even now still talks about how good the show was. I really did think that Unusuals had a chance. Cupid, my old roommate was a PA on the show and talked about how down to earth Piven was and how gorgeous Paula Marshall was never saw the show however. Pretty much it was Chuck, Heroes, Castle, Unusuals and Dollhouse. I say that in chron. order to when they were great. S1 Ch, S1 He, Castle we'll see, Unusuals RIP, Dollhouse we'll see more attentively it wasn't perfect but had decent concept but parts are now scattered we'll see.
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post #48 of 135
7/13/09 at 4:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by CDI F. Kelly View Post
And I second the confusion on Charmed. Used to infuriate/mystify me on why that show remained on the air. Guys didn't watch it for the chicks, right?
When Alyssa Milano was the funny one, yes.

Other shows: I really liked what I saw of The Beat. Mercy Point promised weekly Joe Morton if nothing else. Maybe It's Me was loaded with talent, and in its first year, imagination.

Wonderfalls.
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post #49 of 135
7/13/09 at 5:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Prankster View Post
I've gotta say, as great as Rome, Carnivale and Arrested Development were, they all came to a satisfying conclusion. I'm aware that there could have been more great episodes, but it's better to go out on a high note than to drag on too long.
I completely disagree with the sentiment Rome would have dragged on. Although it was a satisfying end, the last half of the last season was at odds with rest of the show. Clearly they were trying to shoe horn a lot of plot into it, and like I said it was at odds with the pacing of the rest of the show. Hearing what Bruno Heller had planned if the show as allowed to keep going, I know it would have been sublime like all of the episodes that preceeded its death. Its a pity.

And, Judas I agree about Profit. What an awesome, and unusal show, I think it was just way too ahead of its time. Even if it was released now, I don't know if audiences would be receptive to a completely amoral leading character.
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post #50 of 135
7/13/09 at 5:40am
Wow, no one has mentioned EZ Streets, which was fucking terrific in it's short-lived run back in '96-'97. It was an epic crime story with Ken Olin, Jason Gedrick, and Joe Pantoliano. It was definitely Paul Haggis' best project in my eyes. CBS really dropped the ball on this one. Years before The Wire and The Sopranos, it had the potential to be a huge step forward for network TV.
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