26 Great TV Shows That Got a Quick Hook

[Mr. Furious]

'Tis the season for TV cancellations, and as we wait for the first high-profile victim, we're thinking about other promising shows cut down when they still had a chance to catch on.

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20266883,00.html

[Cure the Blues]

I was this close to docking them for leaving out Wonderfalls until it popped up at the end. Wonderful show that was hideously mauled in scheduling. Firefly was expected to be there (otherwise there'd be a massive justifiable browncoat uprising) but I was pleasantly surprised to see Brisco County. Not many remember that show nowadays. So if I had to pick a big sin of omission, I'll vote for American Gothic.

[BamaRainbow]

I'd forgotten that shows like "Frank's Place" and "Brisco County" actually made it a full "season" (for some reason, I thought that "Brisco" was a replacement series that carried over to the next season and was then cancelled in mid-season--I suppose I could check IMDb.com but I'm not really that interested in finding out for certain).
I'm not in full agreement with all the candidates. Most of the choices, even the ones I liked, were either too quirky to keep an audience past a full season or too "been there, done that" to make them worthwhile. That show, "Moonlight," didn't offer anything that hadn't been done several times before ("Forever Knight" or even "Angel"). "Clone High"? If the image accompanying the piece was representative of the show's animation, I don't think that Cartoon Network would've bothered with it. Even "Brisco County" was too campy for western fans and too serious for comedy fans; the early episodes were genuinely funny and fun but later episodes just seemed to be throwing out stuff hoping something would stick. And "Frank's Place" was doomed because CBS wouldn't leave the show in one timeslot (IMS, it aired on four different nights through the single season and was in different time slots on a couple of those nights; ie, one Monday night it would be on at 8:30pm CT, the next Monday night it was on at 7:30).
And some of the shows, either I never heard of them or I mercifully forgot they ever existed.

[Johnny Slick]

I'm not sure that "Tell Me You Love Me" deserves to be on this list. I mean, it didn't come back for a second season but that was because the writer couldn't figure out where to take it, not that HBO actually canceled it (which they definitely could have; it did not get good ratings).

They got most of the good stuff: "Brisco County", "The Tick" (which never stood a chance, let's face it), "Firefly", and "Freaks and Geeks" but they did leave out the following:

- Clerks The Animated Series. Very funny (the trial episode was divinely inspired, I think) but picked up by exactly the wrong network (ABC). Six episodes were put together and IIRC 2 were aired before Disney decided that an adult cartoon about foul-mouthed clerks was not, in fact, something they wanted to air.

- Pushing Daisies and Dead Like Me. How can they have missed *both* aWesome Brian Fuller TV shows that were about strange crap and that were canceled way too early? It boggles the mind.

- Freakazoid. Maybe it's unfair to include cartoons in this because a great many of them don't get more than 20 episodes, but Freakazoid came out of the Stephen Spielberg studios and was an island of intelligence and stuff that was funny for adults amid a sea of kiddie fare. It's also kind of a strange show in that they introduced lots of backstory early on which they seem to have completely forgotten about in later episodes.

- The Pink Lady and Jeff. Need I say more?

[FrogFeathers]

I own the DVDs of "The Tick", "The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr.", and "Firefly" (and of course, "Serenity"). We were excited about "Firefly"- I remember telling Jerry, "Its your kind of show- a western in space..." (I'm sure I stole that from a promo). We were equally disappointed when it was cancelled.

Strangely, I remember the older shows ("Frank's Place", "My So-called Life", "Cupid") more than I do the newer ones.

[Lainie]

Originally Posted by FrogFeathers

We were excited about "Firefly"- I remember telling Jerry, "Its your kind of show- a western in space..." (I'm sure I stole that from a promo).

Interestingly, that's sort of how Gene Roddenberry pitched the original Star Trek.

Frank's Place was way ahead of its time -- a single-camera, non-laugh-track sitcom in the late 1980s.

Oh, and Drew Barrymore looked great with dark hair.

[chillas]

Originally Posted by BamaRainbow

"Clone High"? If the image accompanying the piece was representative of the show's animation, I don't think that Cartoon Network would've bothered with it.

Um ... yeah, Cartoon Network would never bother with anything that looked like that.

[Ali Infree]

I enjoyed Brisco County Jr, and while its plots got a little more out there--was it really so different from Wild, Wild West and Maverick? (Aside from being in an era after the end of the horse operas on TV?)

I meant to watch Frank's Place when it was on, now I understand why I didn't get to see it--If I were a show runner, I would find ways to keep networks from moving new series around as they do. Not necessarily legal ones.


I am getting hooked on Glee and its wonderfully evil view of high school, and of course, the big production numbers. It is surely doomed.

Ali "Yeah, what about Pushing Daisies?" Infree

[Cyrano]

That's the good thing about living here: except for Life on Mars which is currently aired on Swiss TV (and I knew was going to be short), I haven't heard of any of these shows, so I don't have anything to regret.

[Ana Ng]

Originally Posted by chillas

Um ... yeah, Cartoon Network would never bother with anything that looked like that.

Um... never?

[RCIAG]

Originally Posted by Ali Infree

I am getting hooked on Glee and its wonderfully evil view of high school, and of course, the big production numbers. It is surely doomed.

Ditto.

I watched a LOT of those shows so it seems as though I'm the kiss of death for a show too.

What about the Hugh Jackman Vegas show or maybe Cop Rock anyone?

I'd love to see ANY of the Jackman show because I lurve&wannalick him & never got to see it at all.

[smackmac]

I watched 5 of those shows. And was very upset when they cancelled all of them. I was so mad when they cancelled "Journeyman" that I didn't even bother to watch the two episodes I had on the DVR.

I have the Fox limited season curse. If I like a show on Fox, it's only on for one, sometimes two seasons. "Andy Richter," "Brisco," "Firefly," "Strange Luck," and the one my son still hates me for, "Drive." I told him I wouldn't watch it, but I couldn't pass up a show with Captain Tightpants driving a '70 Challenger.

Originally Posted by Cure the Blues

So if I had to pick a big sin of omission, I'll vote for American Gothic.

You and me both. That was one very interesting show that still makes me mad that I didn't know who was at the door.

[Horse Chestnut]

(grumble-grumble) Everyone always mentions Brisco County but nooobody every remembers Ned Blessing: My Life and Times and it was waaaay better! (/grumble-grumble)

[Luka_the_Pooka]

I really liked Joan of Arcadia.

[MisterGrey]

Originally Posted by Luka_the_Pooka

I really liked Joan of Arcadia.

I thought that the first season was some brilliant television; but it was doomed once the writers tried to introduce an epic story arc in the second season with that kid who may have been talking to the devil. There was a beautiful simplicity to the episodic format.

[BatmanBeatles]

Yes and the arc with her wheelchair bound brother getting sued by the drunk driver really depressed me.

[smackmac]

Originally Posted by Horse Chestnut

(grumble-grumble) Everyone always mentions Brisco County but nooobody every remembers Ned Blessing: My Life and Times and it was waaaay better! (/grumble-grumble)

In all honesty, I don't do westerns. But Brisco had Bruce Campbell, which is the only reason I watched it. Turned out I loved the show, as well.

[Dr. Winston O'Boogie]

This list gets a great big "meh".

Almost all are from the last 10 years (what, nothing good was ever made in the 80s?); most of the concepts sounded either "same-old, same-old", or were so out there that they were doomed from day one.

[AliBaba]

Fully expected to see Firefly on the list (it was) and was pleasantly surprised to see Journeyman (thought I was the only one who watched it and was utterly hooked). Also thought Invasion deserved to be on there.

But, and I may be alone here, I also think Drive should have been on that list. The concept sounded absolutely asinine, I know, but the quality of the cast, the writing and direction made it a pretty gripping series.

Another one from further back is Sports Night. It got 2 seasons, but that wasn't enough for me.

I know there are others from further back, but I seem to have a long-term memory malfunction.



AliBaba

[Nick Theodorakis]

I also liked Grand, which was a quirky, surrealist comedy that ran for one season in 1990.

And no mention of Quark?

Nick