Entertainment Weekly's 26 Shows that got canceled too soon - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 03-24-2009, 10:23 PM

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

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.

Brian Damage · 03-24-2009, 10:24 PM

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.

Brian Damage · 03-24-2009, 10:24 PM

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?

Brian Damage · 03-24-2009, 10:25 PM

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.

Brian Damage · 03-24-2009, 10:25 PM

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.

Brian Damage · 03-24-2009, 10:26 PM

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.

Brian Damage · 03-24-2009, 10:26 PM

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!

Brian Damage · 03-24-2009, 10:26 PM

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.

Brian Damage · 03-24-2009, 10:27 PM

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!

Brian Damage · 03-24-2009, 10:27 PM

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.

Brian Damage · 03-24-2009, 10:28 PM

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?

Brian Damage · 03-24-2009, 10:28 PM

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.

Brian Damage · 03-24-2009, 10:29 PM

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.

Brian Damage · 03-24-2009, 10:29 PM

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.

Brian Damage · 03-24-2009, 10:30 PM

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.

03-24-2009, 10:23 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,108	Entertainment Weekly's 26 Shows that got canceled too soon http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20266883,00.html 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.
	__________________ The Key to the Kingdom of Heaven: John 3:3 *Money Doesn't Buy Happiness...But I'd Rather Cry in My Private Jet*

03-24-2009, 10:24 PM	#2
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,108	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.

03-24-2009, 10:25 PM	#4
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,108	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.

03-24-2009, 10:26 PM	#6
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,108	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.

03-24-2009, 10:27 PM	#9
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,108	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!

03-24-2009, 10:28 PM	#11
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,108	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?

03-24-2009, 10:29 PM	#13
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,108	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.

03-24-2009, 10:30 PM	#15
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,108	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.