Ask Matt: Shows That Deserved a Second Chance (and in Many Cases, a Second Season)
Welcome to the Q&A with TV critic — also known to some TV fans as their “TV therapist” — Matt Roush, who’ll try to address whatever you love, loathe, are confused or frustrated or thrilled by in today’s vast TV landscape. (We know background music is too loud, it’s the most frequent complaint, but there’s always closed-captioning. Check out this story for more tips.)
One caution: This is a spoiler-free zone, so we won’t be addressing upcoming storylines here unless it’s already common knowledge. Please send your questions and comments to [email protected]. Look for Ask Matt columns on most Tuesdays.
Why Not Reboot Shows That Were Axed Too Soon?
Question: I have a suggestion for all the TV producers digging around in the vast television graveyard, looking for ideas. Instead of exhuming and trying to revive, reboot, or clone series that were originally successful — the most recent announcements include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Malcolm in the Middle, and Scrubs — why not take another look at series that were unceremoniously axed after just one season, but are now considered by many to have been “canceled too soon” and ahead of their time?
If you’re intrigued by this idea, here are a few suggestions:
- In 1995, the show VR-5 starred Lori Singer as a computer hacker who discovers she has the ability to psychically connect with people in virtual reality. The show co-starred Anthony Head pre-Buffy and David McCallum pre-NCIS and abruptly ended with a giant cliffhanger.
- Other one season ‘myth-tery’ series that tried and failed to ride the wave of The X-Files‘ success were The Visitor, Invasion, Point Pleasant, Threshold, Surface (whose subtext of ecological disaster is more relevant than ever) and X-Files creator Chris Carter‘s own failed follow-up, Harsh Realm, another “virtual reality” series, this time featuring soldiers. Another futuristic series way ahead of its time (but edging closer to reality) was Dollhouse, wherein volunteers had their memories wiped clean (shades of Severance) and their brains implanted with other personalities.
- And I’d like to see CSI: Cyber given another shot. The original series ran during the Internet and social media’s early “honeymoon period” and I think the show’s earnest attempt to educate viewers about the web’s Dark Side (themes included hacking people’s devices, identity theft and cyber blackmail) frightened people away from watching, yet now are commonplace storylines. A series that specifically focuses on cybercrimes could now be a Hit.
I’m sure you and your readers can identify many other “one-season wonders” that deserve a second chance. What do you think? — Maurice
Matt Roush: I think your timing was excellent, because this dovetails with a recent column in which I was asked to pick one show that was canceled too soon that I’d love to see revived. I chose Pushing Daisies, but it was a tough call, and I asked readers to submit their own choices. Many of their responses follow (we’ll get back to regular questions and answers after the holiday weekend), with occasional comments from yours truly. Quite a few sent in lists of shows, and in some cases, I asked them to pick just one favorite. It’s harder than it looks. But what memories these shows bring back! And as fun as this trip down memory lane can be, the chances of most of these shows getting a second life is slim to none.
The Shows We Miss the Most
Comment: In the discussion of shows canceled way too soon, the answer is Firefly, and always Firefly. Not only canceled but mishandled in every way possible to prevent its success. I rewatch it annually (in the proper order!) and it is a gem. Every character fully formed from the beginning. It’s a shame we didn’t get more of it, but at least we got the movie Serenity to give us some closure. — Bill A, San Antonio, Texas
Matt Roush: This was a very popular choice, and it’s especially painful when considering a show with so much promise where the network had no idea how to handle it.
Comment: There are three shows that I still miss and wish had longer runs. Now and Again is the one I miss the most. It had me from the first episode. Perhaps the premise wasn’t to everyone’s liking, but I found the story different and interesting, and the cast was engaging. Homefront on ABC was a warm story of diverse families in the Midwest, facing life after WWII, with the great Kyle Chandler among its stars. Then there’s Freaks and Geeks, often mentioned as canceled too soon. What a great cast, most of whom went on to have much success. The episodes were so relatable. We may not have known someone like every character on the show, but we certainly knew, or perhaps even were, one of them. — Adrienne, Vernon Township, N.J.
Matt Roush: All great choices, and Freaks and Geeks probably deserves to be in the Hall of Fame for this topic. But oh how I loved Homefront.
Comment: The TV show that came to mind right away was Soap. I think it was one of the funniest shows of all time. It made me laugh out loud even when I was by myself. In more recent times, The Kids Are Alright and So Help Me Todd were canceled too soon. (P.S. Like you, I loved Knots Landing, and even though it ran for 14 years, I was sorry to see it canceled. But I agree that this should not be revived as it would dilute the original.) — Deborah B, Bayside, N.Y.
Matt Roush: Soap, in every way a groundbreaking series, actually had a decent four-season run (1977-81). But no question that The Kids Are Alright deserved a second year — I’m rarely shocked anymore by cancellations, and that one took me by surprise. And it’s no surprise that CBS’s cancellation of So Help Me Todd last season is still an open wound for many and was mentioned in quite a few responses.
Comment: My interest runs toward science fiction and there are many shows of that genre that got canceled early in their run. Star Trek: Enterprise was the only show besides the original series not to make it to seven years and I would love to see it brought back, mostly to rewrite that God-awful series finale they had. Terra Nova is another show I would love to see brought back. This was the series that had an overpopulated Earth sending residents back in time to live during the prehistoric era, while still keeping their current technology. There was an interesting cliffhanger that was left unresolved. Fortunately, there is a DVD set that I bought. (It’s my top pick.)
I would also love to see the revival of two shows that were also revived from previous versions, V and Dark Shadows. I loved the originals and enjoyed the new versions. While the new Dark Shadows only lasted one season, ABC did bring back V for one more season, but again, they left us hanging with the final episode. And finally, I would love to see two old Irwin Allen shows come back, The Time Tunnel and Land of the Giants. I thought both had interesting concepts and would enjoy seeing a satisfactory finale for both series. — Rob R.
Comment: The following canceled shows come to mind:
1) Party of Five (the reboot): I can’t recall how I heard about the show-maybe it was from you. I never saw the original version but I enjoyed the writing/acting and the story lines for the reboot. The show aired during the pandemic, and it appears it was quietly canceled afterwards.
2) Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: The first season was great, but the second season experienced a sophomore slump. At least the show got a Roku Channel movie to wrap up storylines.
3) So Help Me Todd (my top pick): Thursday nights aren’t the same without Todd. The WGA/SAG strikes probably didn’t help the show’s fortunes. Maybe one day, whoever owns the rights to Todd will show some mercy to fans and produce a Todd cartoon show like Star Trek: Lower Decks. — Stanley A
Matt Roush: I would watch an animated So Help Me Todd! Or any version.
Comment: The one show I wish could be revived, and still could be, is Showtime’s Web Therapy. (Matt: It ran four seasons, but they were short and always flew under the radar, so I’ll accept it.) The other, but which cannot be revived in the same way, is the 1960s Batman! I’ve always loved that show, but it could not be the same without Adam West and without a youthful Burt Ward. Still, a Batman-type series with a sort of What We Do in the Shadows sensibility could be awesome! — D.P.
Comment: I nominate ABC’s Forever (one season) which starred Ioan Gruffudd and Alana de la Garza. It had an interesting “hook” (the main character works to solve crimes while trying to uncover the mystery of his immortality). We liked the chemistry between the two main characters, in addition to the intriguing immortality element. — Gwen
Comment: Of course, the first show that jumped to my mind was Firefly, probably Joss Whedon‘s best work (I do like Buffy, but Firefly had such a great cast and world). However, I will show my age here, I would also like to bring up a little gem called When Things Were Rotten. Terrific cast, funny writing (Mel Brooks, need I say more?), yet it got only 13 episodes. — Karen W.
Matt Roush: Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood parody aired in 1975, when things were much tougher for marginal shows to stay on the air when only three networks ruled the airwaves. Many years later, Brooks revisited the premise in his 1993 feature film Robin Hood: Men in Tights.
Comment: So glad you asked for input on too-soon-gone shows! I really enjoyed The Company You Keep, never saw This Is Us so became a new fan of Milo Ventimiglia. I liked the entire cast and the story arcs were fresh. The two core families were intriguing! — Lil W.
Comment: Here is my short list of broadcast shows that were canceled too soon. I didn’t include Pushing Daisies, since you already covered that one (but I still miss it). The “oh-so obvious but still so true!” answer: Firefly (Fox); the “was there ever any hope for this show to begin with?” answer: Pitch (Fox); the “anti-sentimental family sitcom that left a gaping hole in my heart” answer: The Kids are Alright (ABC); the “I saw it coming … but invested anyway” answer: Alaska Daily (ABC); the “I took the leap and Fox let me down … again!” answer: The Big Leap (Fox).
If we can go beyond broadcast, I would add these: The “I’m too unsurprised to talk about it” answer: Schmigadoon! (Apple TV+); the “I’m too ticked off to talk about it” answer: Warrior Nun (Netflix); the “I’m too depressed to talk about it” answer: My Lady Jane (Prime Video).
May I suggest we make a list of TV shows that went way too long? The problem with that list is that it would be … way too long. — Kelly
Matt Roush: Not such a short list, but a very entertaining one. And while I do open this column to many gripes about TV, complaining about a show’s staying power would put me in a negative head space I’m just not willing to risk these days. And here’s an even longer list!
Comment: My answer to your question of what shows that were canceled too soon that I’d love to have continued: Freaks and Geeks, I’m sure this will be a popular answer. (Matt: It was.) HBO’s Rome: the writing, the cast, everything was superb. NBC’s The Pretender. Is four years too long to qualify? (Matt: Yes.) All I know is the show was great, and Miss Parker is possibly the most complex, dynamic character in history of TV, The A story main antagonist, and the B story sympathetic protagonist. Probably one of the last shows to air Saturday night. Also from NBC: Life. Two seasons of this (2007-09) was not enough. The dynamic between Damian Lewis and Sarah Shahi made this a very enjoyable, different type of procedural. Jay Leno doing 10 pm killed this, and I get angry just writing that. (Matt: I get angry reading it.)
Also: Showtime’s It’s Garry Shandling’s Show: Just brilliant. (Matt: True enough, but it also ran four seasons.) The CW’s The L.A. Complex: The name alone is genius and had some great stories. MTV’s I Just Want My Pants Back.Was very funny and captured the platonic best friends’ relationship perfectly. NBC’s Awake. It was such a cool premise, I’d love to see how it would have grown. Dark Justice and Sweating Bullets (Tropical Heat), two great “Crimetime after Primetime” shows on CBS. A real bummer they couldn’t find another a home like Silk Stalkings did after Letterman took the late-night slot. If you don’t know, look up how insanely huge Sweating Bullets is in Serbia. Found that out in line at Disneyland one day! (Matt: Who knew?)
UPN’s Nowhere Man: This show was so good. I need to know what happens. It’s not often Bruce Greenwood plays a good guy. (Matt: The one UPN show I remember getting hooked on, besides the first seasons of Veronica Mars during the network’s final gasp.) Fox’s VR5. This was very cool. NBC’s Sister Kate. This was a very good family comedy with some very original stories woven in. Fox’s Dark Angel. This would also require erasing the ridiculous second season’s “Beauty and the Beast” storyline from existence and starting over after the fantastic first season. Fox’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. This show was great, the only thing after T2 in the franchise that is worth a damn, and it left on such a great cliffhanger to lead into the 3rd season. So so soooo good. HBO’s Hello Ladies. Maybe I’m just not in tune with what’s funny, because this show cracked me up. Stephen Merchant was fabulous. Prime Video’s Red Oaks. I’m pretty sure when this show was pitched, they held up a picture of me and said I am the target audience. NBC’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Yes, I know too much of it was too “inside Hollywood” lingo, but outside of that, it was still top-notch storytelling with some great performances. Hulu’s Reboot. This one is still too fresh a wound, and I keep hoping wiser minds prevail.
Okay, that’s all off the top of my head. I’m sure I could think of 50 more, but I’ve wasted enough of your time as is. — Rob
Matt Roush: I asked Rob to pick just one, and after his head stopped exploding, he went with Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
That’s all for now. We can’t do this without your participation, so please keep sending questions and comments about TV to [email protected]. (Please include a first name with your question.)
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