# Good TV shows that deserved a better fate **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 2, 2001, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999 "2001-10-02T17:21:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/61 "2001-10-03T14:03:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Sledge Hammer – you don’t often get satire on prime time TV. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.” EXCELLENT CALL!!! The Elvis impersonator episode was the best! ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/62 "2001-10-03T14:25:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Darwin’s Finch \* > \*\*[Probe](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0094529) \*\* Damn you, **Darwin’s Finch** , you beat me to it! As a High School Science/SF geek, I absolutely loved that show! And while not my favorite episode, I liked how the murdering orangutan set up all the evidence to point to herself, because she learned from TV mysteries that the obvious suspect is always found innocent. That was something my Mom and I always joked about when Murder, She Wrote was on. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/63 "2001-10-03T15:28:58Z")
FYI, The Family Guy is back on the air. I love it because I am a Rhode Islander and because the creator is a graduate of the college where I am employed. There are lots of inside jokes! Plus, it is funny as hell. Until they brought this one back, it would have been my choice. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/64 "2001-10-03T15:44:45Z")
Another vote for **Frank’s Place** Anyone else remember **Grand**? Has any other series ended with the entire cast swept into a tornado? ---
**Author:** ![epolo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@epolo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epolo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/65 "2001-10-03T16:12:09Z")
There’s probably others that I’m forgetting but I can’t believe no one’s mentioned: **The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles** I saw some reruns on cable recently and remembered just how good they were. ---
**Author:** ![HomeSlice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9d8465/32.png) [@HomeSlice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HomeSlice)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/66 "2001-10-03T16:26:09Z")
Beavis and Butthead Sports Night The Critic The Family Guy ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/67 "2001-10-03T18:00:35Z")
My favorites have already been cited by others, so I’ll just toss out “me toos” to **Sledge Hammer!, Police Squad,** and **Probe.** Speaking of **Probe,** anyone remember the minor controvery that popped up when Parker Stevenson’s character offhandedly commented in one episode that he proved Santa Claus didn’t exist? (“I set up a camera with a motion-detector shutter and didn’t catch anything”) Some kids got upset upon hearing that, and their parents complained as a result… :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![dragongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@dragongirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragongirl)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/68 "2001-10-03T18:15:35Z")
Homefront Now and Again Freaks and Geeks And way back from the early '80’s Voyager. A guy and a kid traveled thruogh time to fix things. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/69 "2001-10-03T18:17:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by HomeSlice \* > \*\*The Family Guy \*\* This one is still on the air. Of course, you could still say it deserves a better fate than head to head against Survivor and Friends. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5ac83/32.png) [@The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mad_Hermit)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/70 "2001-10-03T18:23:03Z")
\*\* Alien Nation Crusade The Lone Gunmen \*\* How about the Planet of the Apes TV series? I was just a kid, but it ended abruptly… I don’t remember how, though. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5ac83/32.png) [@The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mad_Hermit)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/71 "2001-10-03T18:29:18Z")
\*\* Alien Nation Crusade The Lone Gunmen \*\* How about the Planet of the Apes TV series? I was just a kid, but it ended abruptly… I don’t remember how, though. ---
**Author:** ![HomeSlice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9d8465/32.png) [@HomeSlice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HomeSlice)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/72 "2001-10-03T19:14:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by watsonwil \* > \*\*This one is still on the air. Of course, you could still say it deserves a better fate than head to head against Survivor and Friends. \*\* Ah, i just saw it posted earlier and assumed since i havent had cable in months. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/73 "2001-10-03T19:25:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dragongirl \* > Homefront Oh Good LORD! I loved Homefront. I love forties boys. God that show was great. jarbaby ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/74 "2001-10-03T20:07:42Z")
Does anyone remember a show called _Kindred: The Embraced_? It was based on a vampire RPG of the same name. It only lasted a few episodes, but I liked it. I never even managed to track down a tape of the last episode. ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/75 "2001-10-03T20:13:19Z")
Doctor Who deserves better than to be cancelled for “unpopularity” and then have the BBC whore its corpse out for ten years with a bunch of stupid books and radio dramas. And that godawful Fox movie. I liked that Strange Luck show that FOX had in its pre-X-Files death slot back when X-Files was on Friday nights. Also when I was a kid I so wanted to see “Tales of the Gold Monkey” which was a Raiders of the Lost Ark ripoff. But every night it was supposed to come on, it was pre-empted. I remember one night it was finally going to actually show and I was so excited and ready in front of the TV and then suddenly some idiot declares he’s got a bomb in the Washington Monument and for the rest of the night there was no TV except the Washington Monument. Turned out the guy was lying. And finally, I used to watch a show called “The X-Files” that was smart and sppoky and fun, and then it was decided that its creator was an ubergenius who could do no wrong and he chose to utterly shit on the show. It deserved better than what happened to it. ---
**Author:** ![MMI](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/53a042/32.png) [@MMI](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MMI)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/76 "2001-10-03T20:37:30Z")
Nowhere Man (I think it was called - on UPN for 1 season) E-Z Streets ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/77 "2001-10-03T20:50:58Z")
**Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist** - the interplay between Dr. Katz and his son Ben was funny, and also quite touching at times. The folks who came to him for therapy, usually voiced by a relatively unknown comic seen only on Comedy Central, were hit or miss, though. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/78 "2001-10-03T21:24:00Z")
I loved **Sport Night**! I’ll have to second **Brimstone** , that show was cool. I also loved **The Straight Dope** and developed somewhat of a crush on Mike Lukas, that’s what brought me here originally! ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/79 "2001-10-03T22:18:36Z")
Key West Police Squad ---
**Author:** ![SuperNova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SuperNova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNova)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999/80 "2001-10-03T23:01:44Z")
I loved the show **Get Real** that used to air on Fox. They cancelled it before the first season was even over! It was like “The Wonder Years” remade. Also, though I think this was on or more seasons then most shows mentioned here, **Sliders** had such a great concept I was sad when they took it off the air. On a different note… I was scared for a second reading through this threa when someone said **Family Guy** was cancelled. I’m happy they were mistaken. Despite its lack of taste, it is without a doubt one of the most funny and original shows on televsion, and one of my favorites. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-tv-shows-that-deserved-a-better-fate/84999.md?page=5)