# shows canceled first season- that should not have been canceled. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 10, 2018, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738 "2018-10-10T03:46:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/41 "2018-10-10T17:32:14Z")
[Strange Luck](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112182/), with DB Sweeny, had some real promise that was never realized. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/42 "2018-10-10T17:32:24Z")
I could second several choices I already saw (Clone High is great) but ones I didn’t see (sorry if I missed them): Profit (a show way ahead of its time) Trophy Wife (with a better title this show would have lasted 5 seasons). Almost Human (a really interesting Sci Fi show) Grosse Point (also a little ahead of its time) Kitchen Confidential (I suspect someone will take another crack at this) Awake (probably couldn’t have lasted very long but still felt unfinished). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/43 "2018-10-10T17:46:46Z")
> [@Sloe\_Moe](#): > > Quark (for just half a season) They actually wanted to give Quark a regular season run, but by the time they broached the subject, a number of the cast were not available, and they had already destroyed the sets. ☹ It hasnt aged well, sadly. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/44 "2018-10-10T17:51:09Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > _Limitless_ > _Forever_ > _Matador_ > _Hooten and the Lady_ > _Crimson Field_ > _Partners In Crime_ (UK murder mystery show) > That one where whatsisface lived each day twice. _Awake_. > > One of my faves was cancelled at first, but very recently renewed again by another network, and that show is called _Agatha Raisin_. Came in to mention Forever. I think it ran for two seasons. Or the one season had a mini-story payoff in the middle, only to leave us with a bigger cliffhanger at the end. I also liked Alphas. That was two seasons though, I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/45 "2018-10-10T17:52:09Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > _Brimstone_ - Peter Horton as Ezekiel Stone, a deceased New York City cop, let out of Hell to chase down a hundred or so “of the worst souls” who had escaped some time before. Excellent performances by Horton, John Glover as Satan, and Teri Polo as the leader of the escapees (although you don’t learn that until the last broadcast episode). Good show, atmospheric as all hell (so to speak), all around good watching. > Stone: \* You loved her.\* > Satan: _I never loved anyone but God! And that was a long time ago!_ That was a good show. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/46 "2018-10-10T17:55:00Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > . > > Yes! I loved that show! And it _was_ a little confusing when the new one started. The first one wasn’t a medical drama, though: it was about an immortal NYC homicide detective. > > S > > I think you and **Dr. Deth** both conflated _Forever_ with _New Amsterdam_. 🙂 _Forever_ is the medical one, where the immortal is a medical examiner… No, what I meant by “Why on earth they copied that title for yet another medical drama, , i don’t know.” is that they new show by that title is a medical drama. The original was a detective show. Forever _was_ a crime drama, but the lead was a medical examiner, so it sorta crossed two lines. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/47 "2018-10-10T17:57:34Z")
Okay. Okay, I’m going to just say it, and let the chips fall where they may: \*Homeboys in Outer Space. \* ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/48 "2018-10-10T17:57:36Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I will add: > [New Amsterdam (2008 TV series) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Amsterdam_(2008_TV_series)) > > The first (?) \*New Amsterdam. \* > > Why on earth they copied that title for yet another medical drama, , i don’t know. I confuse this one in my head with Forever. I liked this too. Also loved the Dirk Gently series with the Hobbit as Todd. That one lasted a bit longer. The creator, Max Landis, started gathering sexual assault accusations, so that was the end of that. The trick for me is to not watch any TV show that involves time travel. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/49 "2018-10-10T18:17:26Z")
UFO - the suits got in the way and decided that a bigger budgeted show was necessary and they gave us the ridiculous Space 1999 in UFO’s place. It’s been nearly 50 years and I still harbor ill will. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/50 "2018-10-10T18:22:43Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > One that comes to mind: > [The Good Guys](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1567254/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_52) with Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks. Buddy cop comedy, but Whitford was brilliant as the completely insane, washed up, alcoholic, lecherous Dan Stark. I actually loved the sitcom of the same name, starring a post-_Gilligan_ Bob Denver. Though it managed to run two seasons. _Awake_ was also a great one. Well written and constructed. It deserved more than one season. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/51 "2018-10-10T18:40:59Z")
_Police Squad!_ is the only one I can think of that hasn’t been mentioned yet. It was better than the spin-off _Naked Gun_ movie series. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/52 "2018-10-10T18:52:49Z")
It wasn’t the sort of show I’m normally drawn to, but [_Christy_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christy_(TV_series)) was surprisingly good. It was based on the novel by Catherine Marshall about a school teacher in Appalachia before the First World War. Technically it had two short seasons, but there were only 21 episodes in total, approximately one normal season’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/53 "2018-10-10T18:56:37Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > _Police Squad!_ is the only one I can think of that hasn’t been mentioned yet. It was better than the spin-off _Naked Gun_ movie series. I loved that show when I was eight, but I don’t know how well it really holds up today. Sight gags are fun, but I think _Arrested Development_ took that kind of absurdist humor to a higher plane of existence. It’s just too bad that it was cancelled in 2006 after the third season and never picked up by the Home Builder’s Organization. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/54 "2018-10-10T19:02:42Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > No, what I meant by “Why on earth they copied that title for yet another medical drama, , i don’t know.” is that they new show by that title is a medical drama. Ahhh, gotcha. And yes, I agree that there will never be any shortage of television shows about doctors, lawyers, and first responders. 🙂 I hadn’t planned to watch the new _New Amsterdam_, figuring that _The Resident_ was enough medical drama for me for one season, but I happened to notice one night that NBC was rerunning some pilot episodes and that was one of them. I watched it, and liked it. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/55 "2018-10-10T19:59:36Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > That reminded me of _Forever Knight_, an interesting detective series where the lead character is a secret immortal, but it turns out to have run longer than I remembered–3 seasons, 70 episodes. Maybe I was conflating it with _Moonlight_, an interesting detective series where the lead character is a secret immortal that lasted only 16 episodes. IIRC the lead on _Forever Knight_ was actually a vampire. Yes, i watched that show too and was disappointed when it went away. Another vote for _Brimstone_. And of course _Firefly_ ☹ ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/56 "2018-10-10T20:53:24Z")
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was a mess by the middle of its run and its cancellation was a mercy kill. (and I’ll gladly take that argument up in a different thread). I did watch the first several episodes of Freaks & Geeks in its original run; I was the right age & the right demographic and I couldn’t connect to it at all. I haven’t tried to watch it since - maybe it’s one of those things that looks better through the lens of time than it did when it was on tv every week. I liked Action (watched that during its original run - there was a lot of moments that I can’t believe they got away with on network tv. It pushed the line even for FOX.), but I’m not sure where it would have gone in a second season. It kind of ended. From the BI & imdb lists: - I really loved “Cupid” and I’d like to have seen where that went over time. There are actors that I still remember from their bit parts on that show. - Enlisted was also doing really interesting things & was funny as hell. (“That lamp doesn’t even have a family!!”). It still had stories and ideas to tell if it had gone forward. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/57 "2018-10-10T21:26:57Z")
> [@Bumbazine](#): > > IIRC the lead on _Forever Knight_ was actually a vampire. [Yes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Vampire_detective_shows). ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/58 "2018-10-10T22:31:49Z")
Looks like no one has mentioned _When Things Were Rotten_, a Mel Brooks comedy about Robin Hood, with Dick Van Patten and Bernie Kopell (1975). It was pretty lightweight but fun. Another Mel Brooks attempt was _The Nutt House_, a short-lived hotel comedy series loosely based on Fawlty Towers but set in NYC, starring Harvey Korman and Chloris Leachman (1989). I thought it was funny, but obviously NBC didn’t and they never aired the last episode filmed. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/59 "2018-10-10T22:37:21Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was a mess by the middle of its run and its cancellation was a mercy kill. (and I’ll gladly take that argument up in a different thread). I agree with that. It took some time to find its footing, but by the Christmas episode, it had hit its stride. Then it went into reruns and the later episodes just fell apart. A shame really. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738/60 "2018-10-11T00:09:08Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > Looks like no one has mentioned _When Things Were Rotten_, a Mel Brooks comedy about Robin Hood, with Dick Van Patten and Bernie Kopell (1975). It was pretty lightweight but fun. > > Another Mel Brooks attempt was _The Nutt House_, a short-lived hotel comedy series loosely based on Fawlty Towers but set in NYC, starring Harvey Korman and Chloris Leachman (1989). I thought it was funny, but obviously NBC didn’t and they never aired the last episode filmed. I loved both those shows so much. _Men In Tights_ was Mel’s remake of _When Things Were Rotten_ in a lot of ways, but not as good IMHO. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-canceled-first-season-that-should-not-have-been-canceled/822738.md?page=4)