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MOONLIGHT
(CBS, 2007-08)
Number of Episodes: 16

CBS's Friday night vampire romp came just one year before the Twilight craze really sunk its fangs into America. Had Moonlight come just 12 months later, would viewers have devoured it? (And, subsequently, CBS, too?) No one can know for sure. But it's a pretty good bet it might still be around.

INVASION
(ABC, 2005-06)
Number of Episodes: 22

The concept was as good as any: Akin to Invasion of the Body Snatchers, this science-fiction series centered on a Florida town that was invaded by water-based creatures in the aftermath of a hurricane. The sickly creatures then possess the bodies of the residents and wreak havoc. As simple as it may sound here, Invasion was rather high-concept. And, unfortunately, it got lost in the din surrounding the second season of another high-concept, science-fiction show that it followed: Lost.

TELL ME YOU LOVE ME
(HBO, 2007)
Number of Episodes: 10

First, HBO's smart, sexy drama was renewed for a second season. Then the plug was pulled, as the series creator Cynthia Mort said she was ''unable to find the direction of the show for the second season.'' The first season, however, was pretty much all about the relationship issues of three different couples at different life stages, their therapy sessions — and all the sex they had. And why couldn't season 2 have simply been more of all that?

THE COMEBACK
(HBO, 2005)
Number of Episodes: 13

The hilarious series — both the comeback of Friends star Lisa Kudrow and her alter ego Valerie Cherish — was cut short much too soon. Kudrow's knowing, brave performance as a washed-up D-lister, combined with the show's satire and critique on Hollywood, made The Comeback a home run. We just wish this cast and crew were still running the bases.

ALIENS IN AMERICA
(The CW, 2007-08)
Number of Episodes: 18

There was something completely precious about Aliens in America. Looking to have a built-in friend for her teenage son, a mother signs up for an exchange student, only to unexpectedly be assigned a Muslim teenager from Pakistan. Hilarity ensues! In a way, Aliens had a sort of wacky, Malcolm in the Middle vibe to it. Unfortunately, the laughs ran out too soon.

FRANK'S PLACE
(CBS, 1987-88)
Number of Episodes: 22

Shot with a single camera and without a laugh track, Frank's Place was a great sitcom about professor Frank Parrish (Tim Reid), who worked at Brown University yet was pulled down to a mysterious restaurant he inherited, Chez Louisiane, in New Orleans. It's a classic fish-out-of-water tale that went so much deeper, exploring differences between the North and South and the culture of the Big Easy.

MALIBU ROAD
(CBS, 1992)
Number of Episodes: 6

Aaron Spelling was flush with the success of Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place, so how is it that his usual golden touch didn't rub off on this nighttime sudser? Anyway, you can pretty much figure out what this series was all about from its delicious title: hot young things living together in a beach house! And bonus: Jennifer Beals and Drew Barrymore were on board!

THE ADVENTURES OF BRISCO COUNTY, JR.
(Fox, 1993-94)
Number of Episodes: 27

Bruce Campbell played Brisco County, Jr., a cowboy who was hunting down the John Bly Gang for murdering his father. He picked them off, one by one. For years, Westerns have been a dying breed, and this one — which, thanks to future Lost executive producer Cartlon Cuse, had genius streaks of sci-fi, too — had a wicked sense of humor and great deftness with deathtrap cliffhangers in nearly every episode.

SWINGTOWN
(CBS, 2008)
Number of Episodes: 13

Anything that's not a traditional sitcom or a straight-up procedural is quite a gamble for CBS. And Swingtown took the cake — swingers and sex and mustaches, oh my! The stylish, '70s-set series didn't have a chance with the summer slot it was given, but it was still memorable (for those who watched it) all the same. Trina Decker (Lana Parrilla), you will not be forgotten!

MY SO-CALLED LIFE
(ABC, 1994-95)
Number of Episodes: 19

The teens in this drama — Angela Chase (Claire Danes), Rayanne Graff (A.J. Langer), Jordan Catalano (Jared Leto) — were so painfully self-aware that we couldn't look away for one minute. And it was that striking humanity and raw passion that made the show so relevant. In a world obsessed with Gossip Girls and 90210s, it's a shame that Life only lasted one season.

KAREN SISCO
(ABC, 2003-04)
Number of Episodes: 10

Five years after Steven Soderbergh's Out of Sight brought U.S. marshal Karen Sisco (played there by Jennifer Lopez) into our lives, Carla Gugino brought her to life on the small screen. But only for a short time. Given the crime thriller's whip-smart quality — Ken Tucker paid it the highest compliment by saying ''It's a lot like The Rockford Files, except I doubt James Garner's gams ever looked this good'' — the real mystery is, Why was her stint so abbreviated?

LIFE ON MARS
(ABC, 2008-09)
Number of Episodes: 17

Although Life on Mars could be classified as a police procedural, the remake (it was originally a British show) went one step further, transporting the main character, detective Sam Tyler (Jason O'Mara) — and viewers — back to the '70s after a horrific car wreck. The storylines were driven by Sam's modern-day values played against the corrupt attitudes of New York City in the wild 1970s. No detail — right down to the 8-track tapes and the sideburns — was overlooked.

FIREFLY
(Fox, 2002-03)
Number of Episodes: 14

Yet another Fox casualty, this sci-fi Western followed the renegade crew of the rag-tag smuggling vessel, Serenity. The brainchild of geek icon Joss Whedon, the show featured sharp-tongued dialogue and a wonderfully quirky ensemble cast — current small-screen stars Nathan Fillion (Castle), Adam Baldwin (Chuck), and Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), to name a few. Firefly lasted less than a season, but it spawned a feature film (Serenity), comic books, and a slew of DVD sales.

JOURNEYMAN
(NBC, 2007-08)
Number of Episodes: 13

San Francisco newspaperman Dan Vasser (Kevin McKidd) begins jumping back in time, following a person at different points in their life. Each time, he makes a change that seems to ultimately put their destiny back on track. More than anything, we wanted to see where this series was going, but alas, the 2008 writers' strike killed our time-traveling with Journeyman.

ANDY RICHTER CONTROLS THE UNIVERSE
(Fox, 2002-03)
Number of Episodes: 19

In the yeeeeear two thouuuuusaaaaand (and two), Conan O'Brien's sidekick landed on TV for a headlining shot of his own in the eponymous Andy Richter Controls the Universe. Richter played a corporate drone stuck writing technical manuals in the workplace sitcom, which struck a nerve with critics (like our own Ken Tucker) but struck out with viewers. Only 14 episodes made it to air, but five more are included on the complete series DVD.

NOW AND AGAIN
(CBS, 1999-2000)
Number of Episodes: 22

From the creator of Moonlighting, this drama's high-concept plot (John Goodman's insurance salesman gets hit by a subway train; the government transfers his brain to the body of a fit twentysomething superhero and charges him with protecting government secrets) made for thrilling action. But scheduling changes got in the way of its potential success. Now and Again never found its audience and failed to get a second-season pickup.

THE TICK
(Fox, 2001)
Number of Episodes: 9

If you'd guess a live-action series based on a comic about a sweet-natured, lunkheaded superhero who never takes off his blue tights wouldn't work on network TV, you were probably one of the millions of people who didn't watch The Tick. The quirky show, executive produced by Barry Sonnenfeld, joins the ranks of Fox's ''loved by several, ignored by most'' series. As Dalton Ross wrote in his DVD review, ''It was too smart. Too funny. Too weird. So, of course, it failed.'' If you miss watching the blue-suited bug defend a bus station against the ravages of evil, you can watch all eight episodes (and a bonus unaired one) on Hulu.

NOWHERE MAN
(UPN, 1995)
Number of Episodes: 25

Nowhere Man starred Bruce Greenwood as a photojournalist whose entire identity is erased (ATM cards, his wife's memory of his existence) when he gets up to use the bathroom during dinner — an act he traces back to a conspiracy stemming from a photograph he took of the US military killing prisoners. Too bad we never found out who was behind the act — the show never made it to season 2.

CUPID
(ABC, 1998)
Number of Episodes: 15

Jeremy Piven plays Trevor Hale, a modern-day matchmaker (and possibly the real Cupid) who must help 100 couples find true love before he's allowed to return to Mount Olympus. With producers from the clever-but-cancelled My So-Called Life and Veronica Mars, the writing and concept were both fresh, but the show's time slot roulette prevented it from finding a loyal audience.

THE JUDD APATOW COLLECTION

Before his string of box office hits, Judd Apatow had a string of critically acclaimed but tragically low-rated TV comedies. From the pop culture parodies of The Ben Stiller Show (1992) to the maladjusted high schoolers of Freaks & Geeks (1999-2000) and the maladjusted college freshmen of Undeclared (2001-2002), the comedy king perfected his hilariously (and sometimes painfully) realistic portrayal of misfit-and-geekdom with cult TV hits before striking gold on the silver screen.

GROSSE POINTE
(The WB, 2000-2001)
Number of Episodes: 17

The show-within-a-show conceit can sometimes seem one-note, but in the case of Darren Star's Grosse Pointe, a send-up of his own Beverly Hills, 90210, the teen-soap satire lampooned the absurdity of Hollywood without feeling stale. Add in the perfect theme song (Tom Jones' ''Sex Bomb'') and a Jason Priestley cameo, and you've got the kind of cult hit that's just begging to be cancelled prematurely. Which it was.

CLONE HIGH
(MTV, 2003)
Number of Episodes: 13

Maybe if this hilarious animated series about the exploits of historical figures' teenage clones aired on Cartoon Network instead of MTV, we'd have more than 13 episodes of teen-show-meets-absurd-humor from Scrubs helmer Bill Lawrence. Clone High poked fun at the melodrama of high school with archetypal characters (angsty Joan of Arc, busty Cleopatra, nerdy Abe Lincoln, and womanizing JFK) and issue-of-the-week plots (JFK throws a kegger, Honest Abe lusts after the out-of-his-league Cleo) while maintaining a wholly unique concept.

WONDERLAND
(ABC, 2000)
Number of Episodes: 8

Peter Berg's unconventional mental hospital drama didn't have the usual gloss of TV procedurals, and when it fought ER in a David-versus-Goliath battle between medical shows, it lost. Fortunately, fans of the show are in luck — it's currently airing on DirecTV's channel 101, the same channel that aired season 3 of Berg's genius Friday Night Lights last fall.

WONDERFALLS
(Fox, 2004)
Number of Episodes: 13

Sadly, Fox aired just four episodes of this quirky comedy about a twentysomething who eschews her Ivy League degree in favor of working in a Niagara Falls gift shop — a relatively hum-drum life, until inanimate objects start imploring her help strangers by playing mischievous pranks on them. The other nine episodes live on in DVD form.

I loved Brisco County and Now and Again and I thought Life on Mars and Invasion were pretty good. Sometimes networks need to give a show some time to catch on......and Back to You should have been up there too. :D

I totally agree with Back to You - and AES Hudson Street (1978), starring my sweetie, Gregory Sierra (:eyes:) would be my other personal choice. It got the ax after only 5 episodes. I would've loved to see more!!!!

Agree on Now and Again, Grosse Pointe, Life on Mars and Cupid. Obviously written by someone who doesn't go back very far.

My list: Occasional Wife, He and She, Love on a Rooftop, Coronet Blue, The Immortal, Way Out, Bridget Loves Bernie, Adam's Rib, Bus Stop and many others.

Agreed on these, and Complete Savages and Quintuplets ( which was HILARIOUS though no one liked it or watched it)

I never quite grasped what the heck was so great about Moonlight and Firefly. Two concepts that had been done to death in the first place. Firefly was basically a retread of Farscape... but with space cowboys.

Don't get me started on that Arrested Development abomination because I know it's coming up...

How about Studio 60? Crumbs? Back to You? EVERWOOD?!!!

SWINGTOWN
(CBS, 2008)
Number of Episodes: 13

Anything that's not a traditional sitcom or a straight-up procedural is quite a gamble for CBS. And Swingtown took the cake — swingers and sex and mustaches, oh my! The stylish, '70s-set series didn't have a chance with the summer slot it was given, but it was still memorable (for those who watched it) all the same. Trina Decker (Lana Parrilla), you will not be forgotten!

They definitely got this one right. It's been mentioned many times before, even by Ms. Tassler herself, that Swingtown has made over a dozen top 10 lists since it premiered, and while it's been cancelled for a long time now, it's still doing it. It was cancelled very prematurely, and it's known. CBS is watched by old timers and the usual viewers wanting their daily dose of crime. Swingtown was different, and CBS treated it differently - no surprise there.

Back to You definitely deserves a spot on this list, though :rolleyes:

Before I read this list I thought to myself if it doesn't have "Andy Richter Controls the Universe" it won't be a credible list. I was very happy to see it listed there! I'm also glad to see "The Tick" on the list. Both FOX shows I loved and hated to see get cancelled. Luckily both have come to DVD.

I'm surprised "Back to You" wasn't on the list. Maybe it's their #27 show. ;)

I never quite grasped what the heck was so great about Moonlight and Firefly. Two concepts that had been done to death in the first place. Firefly was basically a retread of Farscape... but with space cowboys.



Ekkostar, I need to respectfully disagree with you on this. Firefly was extremely different from Farscape (I am a fan of both), in concept, execution, characterization, and storytelling.

And how is Moonlight a 'concept that had been done to death'? There were a few prominent shows about vampires/immortals before that (Dark Shadows, Buffy, Highlander, and a couple more), but it's hardly been done as often as a police procedural, or a detective drama, or even various sitcom formulas.

And on a different topic, Wonderfalls being cancelled and treated so badly by Fox was truly a travesty. I've mentioned before, it was the cancellation of Wonderfalls that soured me on Fox forever. Haven't watched the network since.

I agree on the following shows
Now and Again
Journeyman
The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.
Clone High
My So Called Life
Moonlight

Another show that wasn't on the list but it was canceled too early is Point Pleasant which aired on Fox in 2005.

FIREFLY
(Fox, 2002-03)
Number of Episodes: 14

Yet another Fox casualty, this sci-fi Western followed the renegade crew of the rag-tag smuggling vessel, Serenity. The brainchild of geek icon Joss Whedon, the show featured sharp-tongued dialogue and a wonderfully quirky ensemble cast — current small-screen stars Nathan Fillion (Castle), Adam Baldwin (Chuck), and Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), to name a few. Firefly lasted less than a season, but it spawned a feature film (Serenity), comic books, and a slew of DVD sales.
My friend Robyn just loaned me the DVDs - what a quality show. I'm totally diggin' it so far!! :cool:

Wonderfalls and My So Called Life were both great shows. I have them both on DVD. Life On Mars was really good and I'm sorry that ABC took it off after only one season. Firefly was good, but could have been better.

Wonderfalls and My So Called Life were both great shows. I have them both on DVD. Life On Mars was relly good and I'm sorry that ABC took it off after only one season. Firefly was good, but could have been better.
FOX never gave it a chance to get better. :mad:

Agreed on these, and Complete Savages and Quintuplets ( which was HILARIOUS though no one liked it or watched it)i watched and liked quintuplets

They definitely got this one right. It's been mentioned many times before, even by Ms. Tassler herself, that Swingtown has made over a dozen top 10 lists since it premiered, and while it's been cancelled for a long time now, it's still doing it. It was cancelled very prematurely, and it's known. CBS is watched by old timers and the usual viewers wanting their daily dose of crime. Swingtown was different, and CBS treated it differently - no surprise there.

Back to You definitely deserves a spot on this list, though :rolleyes:i agree about swingtown it was a good show and in spite of what some people might thnk it was more than a show about swapping partners it was also a show about troubled marrages and troubled people in genral i really liked and and wish people had given it more of a chance

add studio 60 on the sunset strip to the list

How about Studio 60? Crumbs? Back to You? EVERWOOD?!!!sorry i didnt see that you had alredy added studio 60 to the list i also agree with you about crumbs

I totally agree with Moonlight, Brisco County Jr., Firefly, Now and Again
and The Tick. To that list, I would add: Sledge Hammer!, The
Magnificent Seven, Life Is Wild, Roswell, and Tru Calling.

I would add "Goodnight, Beantown" to the list. I doubt many remember it.

I would add "Goodnight, Beantown" to the list. I doubt many remember it.i remember it and i agree with you it was a very good show

How about LIVESHOT on UPN and PARANORMAL BORDERLINE on UPN?