I don’t think that’s really the story. David Milch was a little ‘intense’ for a while back then…
Alien Nation
The 4400, The Dead Zone, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, My Name is Earl and Kyle XY are shows you don’t want to start, in that case.
All of them end without resolving the story. Most of them didn’t know they’d be canceled before they were and, thus, ended on cliffhangers.
I’m still feeling pretty unhappy about No Ordinary Family. It needed at least a second season, probably 3 or 4.
As my grandma used to say, “I don’t know what they’re using for sawdust, but it sure isn’t brains.”
Alcatraz is an example from this past season.
The Finder pretty much ended on a huge downer of a cliffhanger.
I was making it up. When it comes to cancelled shows, it’s anyones’ guess as to what might have happened in the future, unless the show’s creator had a “show bible” with the plotlines all written out ahead of time.
That’s true. But I mostly worry about the gypsy girl’s fate.
Memphis Blues
Short-lived police/detective show set in Memphis. Quirky ensemble. I got attached.
*Pushing Daisies * has already been mentioned. Others that ended too soon (for me) were, Wonderfalls, Better Off Ted, Andy Richter Controls the Universe and Andy Barker, P.I.
Twin Peaks. I’m dying to know how Annie is.
Carnivale. Did Ben become the new ‘Management’? Did he recover? Was Sophie good or evil? What about the atomic bomb??
Who was Peter Kingdom’s real father?!?
Kings was an awesome show, the biblical story of David but set in modern times. It was a totally unique world and beautifully filmed. Some excellent intrigue was set up for season 2 but it was not to be.
I’d pick Coronet Blue, but several of the loose ends for that Summer replacement were wrapped up in a recent thread.
At least Alien Nation had a made for TV movie that wrapped up the cliffhanger and was followed by four more TV movies.
And Gilligan’s Island had three movies in which they were rescued from the island, opened up a resort and hosted the Harlem Globetrotters.
My Name Is Earl ended on a cliffhanger which was never resolved.
Joan of Arcadia. Not being religious myself, I’m not generally a fan of most religion-themed shows. Joan of Arcadia was different: entertaining, fascinating, and not at all preachy. They were just beginning to introduce an interesting Devil character when the series was cancelled after two years.
The original Battlestar Galactica. I always wondered if they would ever find Earth. I prefer to believe that the existence of a series called “Galactica 1980” was a bad nightmare I once had.
Right, it left us hungry for more. (They never got a chance to do a farewell episode since the show was cancelled after the third season had ended.) And we had to wait (until, what, 1979?) to find out if they ever got off that island!
I really like the idea of a thread where we make up our own ideas for what actually happened, based on what we know about the characters. Unfortunately, I’m currently not familiar enough with any shows to start one myself. Anyone want to give it a shot?
Korean dramas never have more than 1 season, unless they are cable shows. We never had re-runs either - dramas just play straight from episode 1 to the finale and then it’s over. 