Post by Rey Kahuka on Jul 20, 2023 12:42:23 GMT
Top Ten Favorite Shows That Only Lasted One Season (In no particular order)
Now, I haven't seen many of these shows since they originally aired, so I'm just going off memory. I can't vouch for their quality through a 2023 lens.
Dark Shadows (1991)
Primetime reboot of the spooky soap that aired from 1966-1971. Supernatural melodrama surrounding a New England family, with Ben Cross (who would go on to become a cult favorite of mine) as the vampire Barnabus Collins. Season one ended with a cliffhanger before the show was abruptly canceled. I feel like if it had come out a few years later, it would've been moderately successful at least.
The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr. (1993)
A funky kind of steampunk western featuring the legendary Bruce Campbell as the titular character. Isn't that all I really need to say?
Police Squad! (1982)
The show that would eventually become the Naked Gun franchise on the big screen was every bit as funny. Again, it was apparently ahead of its time as a tv show.
Highwayman (1987)
From IMDb:
This was a primetime show, not a Saturday morning cartoon! Does this sound like the dumbest thing ever? Maybe. Now imagine you're a ten year old in 1987. It's probably the best show premise in history. If I remember correctly, they made significant changes from the pilot movie to the series proper, which was a bit confusing. There are reasons it didn't last, but there were elements to it that stick with me to this day.
Strange Luck (1995)
Of all the shows listed here, I may have been the most excited about the potential of this one. DB Sweeney plays a guy named Chance (give me a character named Chance and I'm there. Don't get me going on the greatest JCVD movie of all time, Hard Target) who always happens to be in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time.
Kindred: The Embraced (1996)
Apparently based on a role playing game, Fox tried to capitalize on the vampire craze that was rekindled in the early 90s. It's a primetime soap combined with gangster story, as warring tribes of vampires vie for control of the city of San Francisco. I actually picked up the DVD years later and watched it again, and still thought it had some great episodes. But even that had to be 20 years ago now.
Almost Human (2013)
Karl Urban plays an android-hating futuristic cop teamed up with, you guessed it, an android. Some episodes were better than others, but I was really surprised it didn't get a longer look.
Cupid (1998)
Maybe the most unexpected pick on this list, even to myself. Jeremy Piven as a guy who may or may not be, but believes he's Cupid. If I remember correctly, he was romancing his shrink (the serialized element of the show) while helping people with problems find love or whatever each week. Me and my procedurals.
Firefly (2002)
I caught this show on home video, long after it had been canceled. Probably the most popular title on my list, it had a large enough fanbase for the studio to let Joss Whedon make a movie (Serenity, 2005) to close out the story. It really was an incredible show, believe the hype. Hell, I watched a reunion special where they just talked about episodes they were going to make, and those alone would've put the show on my list of favorites. I read a blurb article recently where the author said Firefly has gone from underrated to overrated over the years. I disagree, I just think there are better sci-fi shows now. Firefly will still be on my inevitable 'Top Ten Sci-fi shows set in space' list.
Jupiter's Legacy (2021)
Based on a comic book series that I read as a trade, I have to say the show is much better. It gets into the history and characterization to such an impressive level that it was canceled, likely because most people don't care about that shit when it comes to superheroes. Well I do, and I thought it was excellent.
Edit: And I was going to include Outer Range (2022) on this list, but I literally just found out it was renewed for season 2.
Now, I haven't seen many of these shows since they originally aired, so I'm just going off memory. I can't vouch for their quality through a 2023 lens.
Dark Shadows (1991)
Primetime reboot of the spooky soap that aired from 1966-1971. Supernatural melodrama surrounding a New England family, with Ben Cross (who would go on to become a cult favorite of mine) as the vampire Barnabus Collins. Season one ended with a cliffhanger before the show was abruptly canceled. I feel like if it had come out a few years later, it would've been moderately successful at least.
The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr. (1993)
A funky kind of steampunk western featuring the legendary Bruce Campbell as the titular character. Isn't that all I really need to say?
Police Squad! (1982)
The show that would eventually become the Naked Gun franchise on the big screen was every bit as funny. Again, it was apparently ahead of its time as a tv show.
Highwayman (1987)
From IMDb:
Series starring a big high-tech 18-wheeler whose driver, the title's "Highwayman," was one of a team of federal marshals empowered to right wrongs "where ordinary laws do not reach"--and to haul special cargo. The truck was heavily armed and had a cab that turned into a helicopter for quick escapes.
This was a primetime show, not a Saturday morning cartoon! Does this sound like the dumbest thing ever? Maybe. Now imagine you're a ten year old in 1987. It's probably the best show premise in history. If I remember correctly, they made significant changes from the pilot movie to the series proper, which was a bit confusing. There are reasons it didn't last, but there were elements to it that stick with me to this day.
Strange Luck (1995)
Of all the shows listed here, I may have been the most excited about the potential of this one. DB Sweeney plays a guy named Chance (give me a character named Chance and I'm there. Don't get me going on the greatest JCVD movie of all time, Hard Target) who always happens to be in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time.
Kindred: The Embraced (1996)
Apparently based on a role playing game, Fox tried to capitalize on the vampire craze that was rekindled in the early 90s. It's a primetime soap combined with gangster story, as warring tribes of vampires vie for control of the city of San Francisco. I actually picked up the DVD years later and watched it again, and still thought it had some great episodes. But even that had to be 20 years ago now.
Almost Human (2013)
Karl Urban plays an android-hating futuristic cop teamed up with, you guessed it, an android. Some episodes were better than others, but I was really surprised it didn't get a longer look.
Cupid (1998)
Maybe the most unexpected pick on this list, even to myself. Jeremy Piven as a guy who may or may not be, but believes he's Cupid. If I remember correctly, he was romancing his shrink (the serialized element of the show) while helping people with problems find love or whatever each week. Me and my procedurals.
Firefly (2002)
I caught this show on home video, long after it had been canceled. Probably the most popular title on my list, it had a large enough fanbase for the studio to let Joss Whedon make a movie (Serenity, 2005) to close out the story. It really was an incredible show, believe the hype. Hell, I watched a reunion special where they just talked about episodes they were going to make, and those alone would've put the show on my list of favorites. I read a blurb article recently where the author said Firefly has gone from underrated to overrated over the years. I disagree, I just think there are better sci-fi shows now. Firefly will still be on my inevitable 'Top Ten Sci-fi shows set in space' list.
Jupiter's Legacy (2021)
Based on a comic book series that I read as a trade, I have to say the show is much better. It gets into the history and characterization to such an impressive level that it was canceled, likely because most people don't care about that shit when it comes to superheroes. Well I do, and I thought it was excellent.
Edit: And I was going to include Outer Range (2022) on this list, but I literally just found out it was renewed for season 2.