# TV series canceled too soon **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 20, 2005, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875 "2005-11-20T03:08:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/21 "2005-11-20T05:54:41Z")
_Futurama Clerks: The Animated Series God, the Devil, and Bob The Critic Clone High Undergrads_ Yeah…I like cartoons. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/22 "2005-11-20T05:59:14Z")
I’ll agree on Futurama, and add the Dilbert cartoon. I can tell from watching the DVD that the second season was much better than the first, and it seemed like it had found its comedy rhythm. Unfortunately, the audience, which probably was confused or bored by the first season, didn’t really return to discover that. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/23 "2005-11-20T05:59:35Z")
**Freaks and Geeks** lasted one beautiful year on NBC before being cancelled. It was a drama/comedy that focused on the high school “out” crowd – the polar opposite of something like Beverly Hills 90210. The season is out on DVD and I heartily recommend renting it. ---
**Author:** ![Reepicheep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@Reepicheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reepicheep)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/24 "2005-11-20T06:00:36Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Oh, that Dude’s in Dante’s Seventh Circle. > Satan spat out Judas to chew on him. 🙂 Ninth circle, seventh circle is the violent (which is where we all would be if we got our hands on him) I second Brimstone (the eyes have it). I will add Raven, which started with a cool premise, but went downhill the second season and was replaced by Walker Texas Ranger. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/25 "2005-11-20T06:02:49Z")
Re: _Action_ - FX channel showed the unseen episodes; there was a resolution of sorts: [SPOILER]BEVERLY HILLS GUN CLUB changed plots and directors like Paris Hilton changes pets, but death and disaster and a near-fatal heart attack couldn’t stand in Peter Dragon’s way. In the last episode, after the previous director OD’d and poor Adam the writer was finally fired, Peter had to go hat in hand in two odious rich producers, brothers who were almost but not quite entirely unlike the Weinsteins. Turned out they would give him the money to finish the film but on condition they could have a night with Wendy the hooker–they’d long lusted after The Elephant Princess. Wendy was grossed out but volunteered for the job, and went to the estate in full Princess costume in Peter’s limo. Peter sat out there, uncharacteristically serious, the whole night, with Uncle Lonny asleep at the wheel, until Wendy came out, her hair matted, her body bruised, and her costume all torn up–but she’d saved the picture and told Peter so. Her next declaration was that she was leaving LA and the whole movie business, to go “someplace clean”, and she left in a taxi after hugging Lonny and giving Peter one last kiss. Peter somberly watched her taxi leave and then went home himself. End of series.[/SPOILER] _It’s Your Move_ was almost ruined mid-season by network suits who insisted that the clueless mother learn about her son’s scheming and therefore messed up the whole premise of the show, but with such talents as Jason Bateman and David Garrison there was still potential. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/26 "2005-11-20T06:27:37Z")
> [@neuroman](#): > > **Freaks and Geeks** lasted one beautiful year on NBC before being cancelled. It was a drama/comedy that focused on the high school “out” crowd – the polar opposite of something like Beverly Hills 90210. Also **Undeclared** , which was also excellent and from the same creative team. The only problem is that if **Freaks and Geeks** had survived, they probably would not have made Undeclared. ---
**Author:** ![2nd\_Law](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/f475e1/32.png) [@2nd\_Law](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2nd_Law)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/27 "2005-11-20T06:33:58Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > I’ll second **Firefly, Wonderfalls, John Doe, Jake 2.0, Joan of Arcadia, Parker Lewis, Wolf Lake** , and a few others here. And to them I will add: > **Nowhere Man** ; I’m not sure it even ran a full season. Oh, and **Bakersfield, P.D.**. Nowhere Man is coming out on DVD 12/27. you can get it on [Amazon](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BC8SXS/104-8934801-1102352?v=glance&n=130&n=507846&s=dvd&v=glance) ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/28 "2005-11-20T11:43:28Z")
I was recently watching the DVDs for the Babylon 5 spin-off “Crusade”–only 13 episodes and it was still finding its way, but I think that if it had gone on a little longer (and maybe not spent the whole 5 years searching for a cure for the plague), it might have developed into something pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/29 "2005-11-20T13:04:01Z")
Agree with Jake 2.0 and Strange Luck, already mentioned. Also, of course, Firefly. How about a series cancelled just in time? 7 Days…the one where the NSA guy went back in time 7 days to prevent disaster. Was cancelled after the 2000 season. If it hadn’t been, how the hell would they have explained why he didn’t prevent 9-11? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/30 "2005-11-20T13:39:34Z")
> [@supervenusfreak](#): > > I have been enjoying repeats of “_Wonderfalls_” on LOGO. I really wish I would have seen this show the first time around. FYI: The entire _Wonderfalls_ set is available on DVD and Netflix. ---
**Author:** ![RobuSensei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@RobuSensei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobuSensei)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/31 "2005-11-20T14:16:00Z")
Max Headroom – 20 Minutes into the Future. Seems kind of prescient now, what with its dystopian view of a television-obsessed future. No home video release in recent memory, either… ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/32 "2005-11-20T14:31:20Z")
> [@Reepicheep](#): > > Ninth circle, seventh circle is the violent (which is where we all would be if we got our hands on him) Thanks, Reep. For extra points, who are the other two guys he’s chewing on? One of them is some political guy who cheesed off Dante, if I recall. ---
**Author:** ![ColonelDax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@ColonelDax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColonelDax)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/33 "2005-11-20T14:40:16Z")
_The “Slap” Maxwell Story_. Super pairing of Dabney Coleman with the scrumptious Megan Gallagher, but it was axed after just one season. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/34 "2005-11-20T14:51:20Z")
It was a sin that ABC cancelled [Cupid](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168326/) with Jeremy Piven. I still hate that network for that. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/35 "2005-11-20T14:56:39Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > It was a sin that ABC cancelled [Cupid](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168326/) with Jeremy Piven. I still hate that network for that. Good one. I agree, I really enjoyed that. People just didn’t get it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/36 "2005-11-20T14:58:57Z")
Another vote for Brimstone. He had to capture 113 souls. That would have been enough for 5 seasons. I picture the series ending with Satan (brilliantly played by John Glover) trying to screw Zeke over on his deal, but with Zeke turning the tables somehow. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/37 "2005-11-20T15:01:24Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Re John Doe: I read in a interview with a producer that he’s died and when you die you “know everything” but not about the boat Good point. I would feel I’d wasted several hours of my life if that were the finale. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/38 "2005-11-20T15:26:09Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > The new _Kolchak the Night Stalker_ Didn’t hold a candle to McGavin, but it had promise. I lost interest half-way through the third episode. > [@](#): > > _Space: Above and Beyond_. It was great. WTF happened? Again, another series I didn’t really think was all that great. > [@](#): > > _Star Trek: Enterprise_ If they’d just let Ron Moore produce it… Star Trek lost me in the pilot when they started the stupid Temporal War. Marc ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/39 "2005-11-20T16:13:35Z")
**Joan of Arcadia** has been mentioned already, so I will just add **Sports Night**. I’m still in mourning. ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875/40 "2005-11-20T16:39:13Z")
I heartily agree with the previously mentioned: **Firefly Futurama Freaks and Geeks Undeclared Wonderfalls Sports Night Angel** And would like to add: **The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. Greg the Bunny** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-canceled-too-soon/331875.md?page=3)